Encounters at Covered Bridge

By Patricia Woodall

Denae Parker, the new activities director at Greenwoods Resort, encounters two very different men as she begins her dream job. Seth Martin, a broken man with a mysterious past, and Dr. David Brackett, a handsome and successful neurosurgeon from North Carolina, come into her life rather suddenly. They are so dissimilar and have such complex problems that she asks why God brought these two very different men into her life and what he was trying to teach her.

After two terrifying experiences and frustrating relationships, she must choose which man to rescue and offer her heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 23, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503562981

Patricia Woodall

Patricia Woodall is a South Florida native and lifelong resident. She taught English and French for over thirty years. A member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, she loves reading, especially classics, historical fiction, and Christian romance. She also enjoys traveling. Patricia and her husband have one daughter and two grandsons.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

D ENAE PARKER FLUNG her luggage into her brother’s guest room and turned to rush out the door, running head-on into Derrick’s chest.

Hey, Sis! What’s the rush? You just arrived, he coughed out trying to catch his breath.

Sorry, but I just can’t wait to get outside and see this town: the green, the covered bridge, the quaint little shops. I’ve waited nearly a year for my job at the resort, and I’m so excited to finally be here! Come on and show me around, big brother! She tugged on his arm, but he remained stationary.

Hold on! I’m tired and need a nap. Do you know what time I had to get up this morning to drive all the way to Boston to pick you up because you wouldn’t take a small plane to a closer airport?

Now, Derrick, you know how I hate to fly. Taking a jet from Florida to Boston was hard enough, she whined.

Yeah, you get that from Mom. She always hated to fly, and now it’s rubbed off on you. You’re a baby! He mussed her hair as she tried to fight him off.

No, Deidre’s the baby, but she doesn’t like to fly either. Now, if you aren’t going to show me the town, I’ll go by myself. She attempted to push past him, but he grabbed her by the waist.

Well, you may need this before you go forging ahead, Miss Parker. He took a brochure off her dresser and handed it to her. It has a map of the town with all the shops, but you can’t get lost. You can walk from one end to the other in fifteen minutes if you don’t head north which takes six minutes.

Thank you, brother dear. She snatched it from his hand and headed out the door.

Don’t forget! Orientation is at five o’clock. Wear your uniform. It’s hanging in your closet, he yelled after her. She waved her hand in acknowledgment and kept walking. Chuckling to himself, Derrick headed to his room and his bed.

Denae felt like pinching herself to make sure she was really here in Greenwoods, Vermont, and not dreaming of it as she had been these many months. Since graduating from college, she had found it difficult to find a job in her area. She had studied parks and recreation management and physical education in college, but many city recreation programs and schools had hiring freezes due to the slump in the economy. She had taken temporary jobs in summer programs and done some substitute teaching, but she wanted a real job. Now she had one working in the recreation department at the resort. It was a starter job with an opportunity for advancement. She was to coordinate activities for guests, schedule lessons and clinics, and organize events.

Derrick had graduated two years earlier than Denae and had been lucky enough to land a job in Greenwoods right away. He now managed the golf pro shop and golf course at the Greenwoods Resort in the beautiful Green Mountains. In winter he managed the ski equipment rentals shop. It was a far cry from hot, humid North Florida where he had been a junior amateur golfer and all-around athlete. He had always enjoyed his family’s winter ski weeks in Vermont as had Denae, and they both loved the mountains. She was also an athlete, having played soccer and run track in high school and college. She had participated in a Christian summer camp in Vermont as well. Now they would be living and working together in one of the most beautiful places on earth!

Derrick rented a tiny house located on the quiet street behind the resort. It was hardly big enough for two people, but Denae was family and his favorite sister. Growing up they were constantly trying to outdo each other and fought like cats and dogs, but they loved each other intensely and always came to the other’s defense if they got in trouble, which they often did. Their younger sister, Deidre, was indeed the baby having come as a surprise eight years after Denae. She was in high school but didn’t share her brother and sister’s athletic prowess. She preferred art and reading like their mother and was, indeed, a bit spoiled.

As Denae rounded the house, she practically ran into the white wooden fence that skirted the resort. It led to the green that lay between the resort and the covered bridge, beyond which were the northern extremities of the town. She took a deep breath, exhilarating in the scent of boxwood and pine. She exhaled slowly as she admired the beautiful flower beds and crisp landscaping of the green. Pansies pushed their sweet faces to the sun, and scarlet geraniums crowded the resort’s window boxes. Visitors and citizens were strolling on the walkways, relaxing on benches, and rocking in chairs on the front veranda. Idyllic, she sighed. A feeling of peace filled her heart.

She proceeded across the green at a leisurely pace, heading toward the covered bridge, holding back a run. It was not one of the antique bridges that dotted the state of Vermont. Instead, it had been built to accompany the resort some forty years ago. However, it was still charming and quaint perching above the slow moving river. It had been a dry year, and the river was lower than usual for this time in May, but the soothing sounds emanating from it brought Denae a serenity that she had longed for.

Emerging from the bridge into the blinding sunlight, she noticed a small gingerbread cottage painted butter yellow and trimmed in white. A young man sat in a porch chair on the tiny veranda reading a newspaper, a glass of lemonade by his side. He looked up noticing her and said, Hello. He wore a beige t-shirt, shorts, and a baseball cap pulled low onto his brow, covering short, thin brown hair. She spoke but kept walking up the road that began to ascend as the houses became sparser along her way until she suddenly came to a crossing indicating the end of the town and the beginning of the countryside. Turning around, she headed back toward the bridge. As she neared it, she noticed the man leaning on the railing of his veranda looking at her.

Don’t I know you? he queried. He was tall, broad shouldered, and had once been muscular or heavier, but now he seemed thinner and a bit frail.

No, she answered as she hesitated in the road.

Well, I’ve been in a coma for three months and have had some trouble remembering names. Are you sure we haven’t met?

Now that’s an original line if I’ve ever heard one, Denae thought, and a kind of creepy one at that. Prickles began to inch up her spine. No, I’m from Florida and don’t know anyone here, except Derrick, of course, but this guy didn’t need to know all her particulars. Feeling very uncomfortable, she turned and hurried across the bridge, feeling his eyes following her. Glancing at her watch, she noticed the late hour and rushed to the little green house behind the resort trying to put the strange encounter out of her mind.

CHAPTER TWO

T HE MAPLE ROOM buzzed with new introductions and renewed friendships. Denae, in her maroon polo and khakis, and Derrick, in his blue polo and khakis, mingled with other similarly clad employees who had the white logo of the resort embroidered on their shirts. The color of the shirt indicated the department where each employee worked, making it easy to find one’s fellow workers. He introduced his sister to his old friends who looked admiringly on Derrick’s tall and athletic, yet feminine, sister. Her light brown, sun-streaked hair gleamed as did her Florida tan. She soon met Bethany Davis, a petite blond from South Carolina. Extremely animated and perky, Bethany made instant friends with Denae and enjoyed lively conversations with other resort employees, especially the young men. Bethany would work in Denae’s department as a lifeguard.

After staff introductions and dinner, the new employees were given tours of the resort before breaking into their respective areas of service for instructions on the next day’s agenda of training and team building. Bethany and Denae agreed to meet after breakfast since Denae lived with her brother and not in the staff quarters like Bethany and other employees, especially the summer staff.

While Derrick walked his exhausted sister home, she decided to ask him about the young man she’d met that afternoon, still bothered by the encounter.

Derrick, do you know the guy who lives in the yellow cottage on the other side of the covered bridge?

No, that’s Mrs. Sarah Martin’s house. I think she’s a widow and lives alone. Mrs. Martin owns the quilt shop on Main Street. Who are you talking about?

As I was out walking today, a young man who was sitting on the porch asked if he knew me. He said he had been in a coma for three months.

Derrick roared with laughter. Now that’s a new one! Maybe I need to try that line in order to meet a pretty new girl!

It isn’t funny. In fact, I was a little scared. He seemed so insistent that he knew me. Are you sure he doesn’t live there? she asked a bit desperately.

Not that I know of. I heard Mrs. Martin’s husband died some time ago, and she came here to open her shop. I don’t know any more than that. Sorry.

It’s okay. Maybe it was someone visiting. I’ll just forget it.

Good idea. Now you need to get to bed. It’s been a long day for both of us. Goodnight, Sis. Sleep well. He kissed his sister on the forehead.

Good night, Deek, she yawned calling him by his pet name, and she headed off to bed.

See you in the morning, ‘Nae, he answered, using her nickname as well, as he stumbled off to a much-needed rest.

CHAPTER THREE

D ENAE MET BETHANY right on time the next morning. Bethany chattered away about all the people she had met the night before, especially the cute boys, and how excited everyone was to be starting their new resort jobs.

Hey, girl, have you seen any of the town yet? I’m just dying to visit some of those adorable shops I passed coming into town!

No, Denae answered. I’ve only had time to walk a ways past the covered bridge, but I am anxious to see the shops on Main Street.

Then let’s go on our lunch break, Bethany suggested dramatically. According to our schedule we have an hour and a half between training and the team building activities this afternoon. I hope there won’t be any mud or rope climbing involved in that. Yuck! she added, surveying her manicured nails.

No, I asked my brother about it, and he said it was really a lot of fun. Don’t worry. And yes, let’s try to at least get in a little window shopping at lunch time.

It will have to be window shopping until I get my first paycheck, Bethany complained, but there’s nothing wrong with looking.

The girls soon immersed themselves in their resort training, going through manuals, schedules, employment paperwork, and financial information. After a quick lunch, they set out down the street in search of treasures. They first visited the gourmet coffee shop owned by a sweet old couple who enjoyed talking to visitors and townspeople. Next they investigated a shop that sold photographs of the Vermont countryside and local handicrafts and artifacts. Denae bought a charming picture of a cat on a country fence with the fog rolling in behind it. The cat looked so serene, never minding the impending bad weather.

Denae loved cats and was somewhat of a rescuer at home. People would drop off unwanted animals to her school and recreation center knowing that children would come by and want them. She had found homes for many a rejected animal and would have had a dozen of them at home if her parents had allowed it. However, they already had a cat and a dog, and additional pets were out of the question.

Ooh, a quilting shop! Bethany crooned. My grandmother did some quilting and taught me a little. Let’s go in here! she announced. Denae stiffened, recalling that it was Mrs. Martin’s shop. Reluctantly, she followed Bethany inside. The walls were covered with intricate, colorful quilts, and the counters were full of interesting fabrics, swatches, and threads. Christian music was playing softly in the background. A kind looking, gray-haired woman in her late sixties stood behind a counter.

Good morning, ladies. Could I help you? she asked sweetly. Her soft blue eyes twinkled as her smile widened.

My grandmother was a quilter and in a quilting club. She made beautiful quilts and sometimes let me help. I wish I had learned more, Bethany responded, lovingly touching some calico swatches.

I have a quilting club. It meets on Tuesday evenings from closing time until eight o’clock. You girls are welcome to come join us.

Oh, I don’t know anything about quilting. I just came in with Bethany. Denae was not the domestic type. She had preferred sports to housekeeping.

Oh, Denae, it would be fun. We will be working at the resort this summer, but maybe we’ll have Tuesday nights off. Do you teach beginners?

Of course! My ladies are always glad to help new quilters. Come when you can. We even serve homemade goodies! Her smile reached to her eyes.

Denae noticed a stirring and heard a voice coming from behind supplies stacked on the counter. Well, hello, again. It’s Denae, is it? Are you sure we haven’t met? The young man rose from his stool and edged half way around the counter. Denae’s heart skipped a beat as she backed up a few steps putting space between the man and herself.

No, like I said yesterday, I’m not from around here. Come on, Bethany, we need to get back and change. She urgently pulled on Bethany’s sleeve.

Why do you have to change? You look pretty good to me. Was he complimenting the girls or acting improperly? Denae couldn’t tell.

This is my son, Seth. He just… moved here. And I’m Sarah, Sarah Martin. She extended her hand, and Bethany shook it warmly. Denae didn’t come any closer; she wanted to flee Seth’s appraising eyes.

Nice to meet you, Sarah and Seth, Bethany answered warmly.

We really need to go, Bethany. Nice to meet you, too, Denae forced herself to say. She headed immediately toward the door as Bethany reluctantly followed. Turning up the street toward the resort, Denae almost sprinted away.

What is the matter with you? You are acting so strangely! Bethany reprimanded. Why were you so rude?

I’m sorry. It’s nothing. I just need to get back to the resort. Ashamed, yet reeling from the uncomfortable encounter with Seth Martin, she offered no more explanation and said no more until they were back at the resort.

CHAPTER FOUR

T EAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES began promptly at two o’clock on the athletic field of the small local high school. Denae kept her distance from Bethany seeking to avoid discussing the incident at the quilting store. It was still foremost on her mind as the activities began. Soon Derrick noticed her distraction.

What’s the matter, Sis? You need to get your head in the game! You’re falling, missing your mark, acting like you never participated in an athletic event in your life! What goes?

He was aggravated for sure, but he was right. She had failed miserably in the obstacle course, something she had always excelled in when preparing for track meets. She had fallen in almost every event of team building and seemed distracted and confused. She was NOT having a good time and was embarrassing herself and her brother who had bragged about her athletic prowess to his buddies.

Sorry, Derrick, I guess I was preoccupied. I’ll do better, she assured him. Concentrating her utmost, she plunged into the following activities with total focus and enthusiasm and helped her team win the next two events. Though no mud, there was a rope activity, but it was merely a tug-o’-war, and Denae was determined that her team would outstrip Bethany’s in it. They did.

Hot and bedraggled, all the departments came together for cold drinks and snacks after the exercises. Denae sat with Derrick and his friends, again trying to avoid Bethany. However, as everyone began to disperse and head back to the resort for showers and a rest, Bethany sidled up to her.

Okay, Denae, what upset you in the quilting store? Was it that guy? I thought he was nice. His mom was, too. She gave Denae a quizzical look.

Oh, I was just surprised to see him. I had met him the day before when I went on my walk, she side-stepped the issue. She didn’t know Bethany well enough to voice her misgivings when she could hardly tell Derrick what she was feeling about this Seth Martin.

Well, if you don’t mind me saying, you acted a little rudely to him when he complimented you. I think he was trying to flirt. She batted her eyelashes.

Sorry, but I don’t like flirting. It’s childish, and it makes me uncomfortable. Plus, I felt he was out of line.

What a prude you are! I love it when a guy flirts with me, and I like to flirt back, she bragged flipping her long hair.

Let’s just drop it, please, Bethany. It doesn’t matter. Now, I need to go back home and clean up. The wait staff wants some practice tonight, and they are serving some of the other employees dinner this evening in the Maple Room.

"Oooh, I’d like to