“What do you mean more?” Papa’s face was somber.
Tony didn’t want to point any fingers. Not yet. But it wouldn’t be the first time someone had used a group facility like Little Mountain Children’s Home as a cover for other things. Drugs. Burglary. Chop shops. The list got worse. “I’m not sure. But if I can gain their trust, I might be able to find out.”
“Mondays are always busy. I better get going. You coming by the hardware store later?” Papa stood up.
“Yes. I’m heading to the group home first and I’ll meet you at the store in a while.” What would Allen do when he found out he was the volunteer Jarrod Butler had sent to work with the boys? He had two weeks to find out what was really happening at the group home. And two weeks to make amends with Sabrina. Would it be enough time?
His phone vibrated on the table. He frowned at the unfamiliar number. “Hello?”
“Morning. My name is Travis Anderson and I’m the director of Little Mountain Children’s Home.”
Took him long enough. Karen had assured him that once Travis was back in town, they could discuss some of Tony’s ideas. She must have given him the message. “Thanks for calling.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t around when you started. Karen speaks highly of you. What did you want to talk to me about?”
“Well, sir, I’m looking to find a ways to get the boys more involved in the community.”
“I’d appreciate that. Some of these boys are a little rougher than we anticipated. What’d you have in mind?” At least the gruff voice on the other end of the line seemed eager.
“Who’s the best mechanic of the bunch?” Tony already knew the answer. He’d spent the last week with the boys, and the grease underneath Kyle’s fingernails was a dead giveaway.
“Um...that’d probably be Kyle. His daddy was a mechanic. Owned his own shop.”
His dad? Tony’s brows drew together. “I’m sorry, Mr. Anderson. I’m confused. How did a boy with a family end up in a children’s home? I thought spots were reserved for wards of the state without family.”
“His dad died and no one knows what happened to his mama. So I have him.”
Tony suspected that there was much more to the story, but knew Anderson was legally prohibited from telling him. “I’d like to give Kyle a job. Would you be opposed to that?”
“No, that’d be fine.” Silence filled the line for a moment. “Residents of the home aren’t allowed but a certain amount of money at a time, so you’ll give his paychecks directly to me.”
Sure I will. “The work I’m offering won’t be drawing a paycheck. More of a community service project.”
“Oh.” The disappointment in the man’s voice was too evident. Tony’s nostrils flared. Papa claimed the man had more interest in the money than the kids. Was he right? How did a man like that become the director of a state-run home for troubled kids?
“Can Kyle meet me at my grandfather’s hardware store this afternoon?”
“Sure. I’ll send him over there after lunch.”
Hanging up the phone, his mind whirled with ideas. Maybe there was a better way to help teens than pounding the city streets. He glanced at his watch. Papa hadn’t left to open the hardware store yet. Better go talk to him first. This wouldn’t work without Papa’s support.
* * *
“THE CUTS ARE looking good, Jake.” Sabrina applied ointment to the healing wounds. “Promise me you won’t climb any more fences.”
Jake shrugged. Not once had the little boy spoken to her. She was lucky if he even looked her in the eye.
“Hello, Jake.” Tony knocked at the door and then sauntered inside. “I’ve been looking for you.”
At five foot nine, Tony wasn’t a tall man, but he had a big presence. His arms looked like tree trunks, the muscles stretching the sleeves of his black T-shirt. The football coach in high school had taken one look at him and declared that Tony was built like a tank. Too bad his mouth and attitude got him kicked off the football team before the first game. When he walked into the exam room, the walls seemed to shrink.
Sabrina kept her eyes on Jake. It was safer than looking at Tony. Her heart did funny things when she saw him.
True to form, Jake acknowledged Tony with a nod.
“I’m building a playhouse in the backyard. I could sure use some help.” Tony sat on the edge of the exam table. “I have my frame up, but I’m having a hard time getting those triangle thingies in place.”
What was Tony doing? He’d worked construction all through high school. She’d never heard him refer to anything as a “thingy.”
He winked at her and then turned his attention back to Jake. “I’ve got one triangle at the front and one at the back, but somehow I can’t get it to look right.”
Jake stared at the floor.
“If you change your mind, you know where I’ll be.” Tony patted the boy’s shoulder and turned to go. “Sabrina, could you help me hold one of the triangle thingies is place?”
“Trusses.” Jake rolled his eyes and hopped off the table. “They’re called trusses. And you can’t just hold them in place.”
“Where are you going?” Tony asked the boy as he stormed past him.
“To get my level and meet you in the backyard.”
Sabrina covered her mouth to keep from laughing. “How did you know?”
Tony’s hazel eyes bored into hers. “You learn a lot about a person if you take the time to really listen. Even when they’re not saying anything.”
She raised one eyebrow.
Tony glanced at the door. “It also helps if you notice the only thing he checks out of the library are books about construction.”
“Did you know this when you decided to build a playhouse or was it just a happy coincidence?”
“Building projects can be good therapy. So I guess it was a happy coincidence. I better get going.”
Sabrina felt a prick of disappointment when he left. Had he stopped by her office to see Jake? Or her? Last week she’d told him to stay away from her. But he hadn’t. He stopped by every morning to tell her hello. Just before lunch he stopped again to say goodbye. To be fair, he did the same with Karen.
This Tony was vastly different from the one she’d known all those years ago. And yet he was also the same. She tried to picture Tony walking through the hallway of Salt Creek High School, stopping to talk to everyone, but that wasn’t how it had been. He’d kept to himself. She’d caught glimpses of the true Tony. But every time he’d come out of his shell, something, or someone, had caused him to go back in.
Had she played a part in creating the confident man who had just left her office? Had she helped him tear down the walls that kept him from taking a chance with people? The weight of the engagement ring around her finger mocked her. Aunt Patty had bought it at a pawn store to make her story more credible. She wore the ring as a symbol of the wall around her own heart. A reminder that it was too painful to love anyone again. She twisted the ring around her finger.
Panic clawed her chest. She was going to have to tell him. Ten years ago she’d had valid reasons for hiding the truth. Those reasons didn’t seem as important now. After looking at those family photos with Levi, she knew she needed to tell him. But how?
In the meantime, she had plenty to keep her busy. Mr. Anderson had informed her that the state was coming for an inspection, so all medical files had to be in tip-top shape. Paperwork had to be filled out, medications checked and everything updated. Sabrina patted the stack of files on the desk. This was going to take weeks, not days.
She tuned the small radio on the corner shelf to a country station. The music, combined with the work, soon lulled her into a zone of concentration, and before she realized it, the “done” stack was higher than the “to be done” stack. She carried an armload of files to the cab
inet and tapped her toes with the music as she put them away.
She heard a giggle behind her and turned to see Lonnie, a twelve-year-old boy, watching her from the doorway. “Oh, you think my singing is funny?”
A toothy grin lit up his dark face. “No. Your dancing.”
“Well come on, hotshot, show me how it’s done.”
Lonnie didn’t need any further invitation. He started jerking and popping in rhythm with the music. Now it was Sabrina’s turn to laugh. “You can’t dance like that to country music.”
He wrinkled his eyebrows. “Whatcha supposed to do?”
“I’ll teach you.” She took his hands in hers and showed the beginning position for a basic two-step.
“What if I can’t do it?” Uncertainty flickered across his face.
“Trust me, if I can teach my son, I can teach anyone. He started out with two left feet.” Holding out her hands, she led him through the foundations of the two-step.
Within a few minutes, a small crowd had gathered in the doorway, watching them.
“That’s fun.” Lonnie’s face was red when the song ended.
“My turn, my turn!” One of the girls in the doorway jumped up and down. “Teach me.”
A chorus of voices erupted from the hallway and Sabrina laughed. “Y’all really want to learn how to two-step?”
Olivia, one of the few teenage girls at the facility, pushed her glasses up her nose. “The school has dances all the time, but none of us go because we don’t know how to dance.”
Sabrina’s heart ached at the shyness she saw in the girl. “They play all kinds of music at those dances. Not just country.”
Olivia shrugged. “I can’t dance to any of it.”
“I’ll teach you.”
“Me, too!” Lonnie bounced up and down.
She gave Lonnie a pointed look. “Only if you stop fussing every time you get your insulin shot.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“All right,” Sabrina said. “I have a lot of paperwork to do today, though. We’ll start tomorrow afternoon, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Lonnie saluted her before hopping up on the examine table and holding out his finger so she could check his blood sugar.
She opened the cabinet to get supplies. A reflection in the glass revealed that someone had been watching her with the kids. By the time she closed the door, Tony was gone.
CHAPTER SIX
IT WAS A little after two o’clock in the afternoon when Sabrina got home. She hadn’t seen Tony again all day. Had he given up? She wanted him to. Didn’t she?
Two boys were playing basketball in front of the garage. She recognized Levi immediately. It took her a moment to realize the other was Bradley. Both of them were soaking wet. Forgoing her usual parking spot, she pulled her rusty Toyota to the side of the building.
“Hi, Mom.” Levi tucked the ball under his arm and met her at the car. “Marissa dropped Bradley off this morning. Can he stay the night?”
Her heart jumped. Her son had never invited anyone to spend the night before. “I’ll call Marissa and see if it’s okay.” She frowned. “Isn’t it too hot for basketball right now?”
Bradley shook his auburn head. “No. Mr. Davis set up the sprinkler to spray on us while we were playing.”
That explained why they were wet. Her eyes caught the mud puddles around the yard.
Dad opened the screen door to stand on the porch. “I was just trying to call you. The boys helped me move hay this morning, so I promised them fried chicken. I already called the order in. Can you run to The Eagle’s Nest and pick it up?”
Levi grinned. “Please, Mom? We’re starving.”
She rubbed her fingers along her collarbone. “Sure. I guess.”
Turning around, she got back into her car. She went to work and came home, and so far she’d managed to avoid spending too much time in town—partly because she wanted to avoid Tony, but mostly because she didn’t want to become a topic of local gossip.
In and out. She’d be so fast that no one would even notice her. Oh, who was she kidding? Noticing anyone new or out of the ordinary was a specialty in the small town.
The café’s parking lot was surprisingly full—the lunch rush should’ve died down by now. When she’d worked as a waitress there, the place was dead by two o’clock. But this was good. The more crowded it was, the easier it would be for her to blend in. She tidied her ponytail and headed for the door as fast as she could.
Just before she reached the entrance, the heavy wooden door swung open, catching her toe underneath the corner. “Ow!” She hopped on one foot.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you.”
Sabrina stopped hopping. No. She had to have the worst luck in history.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine.” The sharp pain running up her leg throbbed. She stepped out of his reach.
Tony’s eyes narrowed. “I can see blood through your shoe. You’re not fine. Wait here.”
As soon as he disappeared around the corner, Sabrina hobbled inside.
The café hadn’t changed much. Same paint. Same tile. Even the art on the walls were the same. She should know. She’d looked at them almost every weekend for four years. The main dining area was through an archway to her left, with only a few booths against the wall in the small entry. Four barstools sat in front of the counter for those who were waiting for orders to go. She sank onto the closest one, grateful to take the weight off her foot.
“I told you to wait for me.” Tony’s sharp voice caused her to jump.
She spun on the stool and gave him her best glare. “I told you. I’m fine. I don’t need your help.”
“Still stubborn as ever,” he mumbled as he looked down at her foot. He had a first aid kit tucked under his arm. “The door tore a hole in your shoe.”
Her cheeks flamed hot. She wasn’t about to admit that the hole was already there. Crossing her leg over her knee, she slid her shoe off. “It’s okay. I need new ones, anyway.”
She touched the tender area around her big toe. The nail was broken and blood oozed from a cut on the end. “Ow.”
Tony opened up a small first aid kit and pulled out a package of antiseptic wipes and a bandage. He ripped open the wipe and cleaned around her toe.
Sabrina gritted her teeth against the sting of the alcohol on her skin. Tony’s gentle caress wasn’t doing much to help her racing heart.
“Hello, Tony.” A sheriff’s deputy with bright red hair stood at the entrance to the dining area. His blue eyes darted from Tony to her. He shook his head slightly and suppressed a smile. “How’s it going?”
Tony stood quickly. “Jarrod. I was going to give you a call later this afternoon.”
Jarrod? Sabrina glanced at his nametag. Butler. He must be Marissa’s husband. How did he know Tony? Did Marissa know they knew each other?
“Catch you later. Keep an eye out for those ghosts.” Jarrod walked through the archway and into the dining area.
Ghosts? What was he talking about?
Tony rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to her foot. “I don’t think it’s broken.” He picked up her shoe but didn’t hand it back to her.
“Thanks. Can I have my shoe back now?”
“Yes. If you have dinner with me tonight.”
She pulled her leg away and turned to the counter. “I’ll go barefoot.”
“Oh, my goodness! Sabrina Davis!” a shrill voice called from the end of the counter.
“Betty.” She tried to stand but was almost knocked over when the large, older woman caught her in a bear hug.
“Gracious, girl. How are you? I was just asking Tony about you a couple of weeks ago.”
The ring of the bell over the door signaled Tony
’s quiet departure. Sabrina glanced at the floor, expecting to see her shoe. He’d taken it. Crud. That was the best pair of sneakers she had. Okay. It was the only pair of sneakers she had.
“Where did you disappear to? How’s your daddy?” Betty’s chatter pulled her attention back to the counter.
Sabrina answered the questions she could and avoided the ones that were too telling by changing the subject to Betty’s grandkids. It took almost ten minutes before Sabrina could ask if her dad’s order was ready.
When duty called and Betty went back to the dining area, Sabrina limped to a corner booth in the small front room. She did her best to remain invisible. Too much attention for one day.
The swinging door separating the kitchen from the counter area burst open. “Did I hear right?” a booming voice projected through the area. “Is my saber-toothed tiger back?”
Sabrina covered her face with both hands. She thought she’d gotten rid of that nickname when her braces came off in seventh grade. Straightening up, she waved to the burly man behind the counter. “Hi, Mr. Shannon.”
Gary Shannon covered the distance to her booth in three giant strides and pulled her up to give her a hug. “How’s my best waitress?”
“I heard that,” Betty called from the cash register.
“Don’t worry,” Gary hollered to her. “You’re still the second-best.” He set a paper bag on the table and slid onto the bench across from Sabrina. “Are you really back for good?”
“For a while, at least.” Sabrina hadn’t been hugged this much since she was twelve years old and her mother had died.
After promising to stop by his place for a visit later in the week, she hurried to her car. There, on the front seat, sat her shoe.
* * *
TONY POPPED HIS KNUCKLES. If he hadn’t been expecting Kyle to show up at the hardware store, he’d march right back into The Eagle’s Nest and demand that Sabrina go for a ride with him. There were too many unanswered questions. The biggest one was why she hadn’t been back in the last ten years. It was one of the things they’d playfully argued about. She loved Salt Creek, loved being part of a small community, and most all, she loved the farm where she grew up.
Her Texas Rebel Page 7