Dry Creek Daddy

by Janet Tronstad

  “You shouldn’t have to do this after working all day,” Mark had declared as he set the clean plates to dry on the old tile cabinet next to the sink. He’d already settled her at one of the kitchen chairs he’d brought over in his pickup and demanded she watch and not lift a finger.

  “If you don’t work, you don’t eat,” she’d quoted some long-forgotten homily to him as she leaned her elbows on the table he had also delivered when he came.

  Mark made a face at her then and they both laughed.

  The lightness of the moment had lingered with Hannah long after Mark had left and she had crawled into bed beside her son. She still had a trace of the happiness in her mind as she stepped into the café a moment ago.

  When she looked around at the volunteers, Hannah noticed the pattern of things. Her boss, Linda Enger, was there and had roped off a few tables for customers. The rest of the tables were designated by different colored tablecloths as pie-making stations. A box-like crushing machine rested on one table along with a few dozen boxes of graham crackers. Boxes of fresh strawberries and a mound of lemons took up another.

  As Hannah stood there, Lois walked over with a bag of Granny Smith apples balanced on her hip.

  “I didn’t know there were apple chiffon pies,” Hannah said.

  Lois smiled. “There aren’t. Mrs. Hargrove is going to give me a lesson so I can make regular crust. I want to make an apple pie and the only crusts I can do are the graham cracker kind.” Lois paused and got a determined look on her face. “She won’t do that until all the chiffon pies are made, though. We have an important mission today.”

  With that, the woman took a step closer to Hannah and put one arm around her in a hug. “How are you holding up?”

  Hannah blinked back a tear. “Staying strong for Jeremy.”

  “Atta girl,” Lois muttered in her ear.

  “And praying,” Hannah added in a whisper. “With all my heart.”

  “Me, too,” Lois answered softly. “I’ve never prayed before, but I’m hoping God listens to me now. That boy of yours is special.”

  Hannah could only nod her head.

  Then Lois stepped away and the work began in earnest. Hannah found herself drafted to the eggbeater table. The other one at her table, Randy, the ranch hand, was thoroughly splattered with egg white, beaten and unbeaten, by the time he finished six hours later. Hannah refused to look in the mirror even though someone—she thought it was Lois—had set up a place for everyone to check their faces before they left the café. Instead, she sat at one of the chairs that had been pushed to the side of the room.

  Within minutes, the tables were cleared of their various utensils and covered with chiffon pies that were set to cool.

  “Two hundred and eleven of them,” Lois announced to the still-full room.

  The place erupted with cheers and people slapping each other on the back in congratulations.

  “I must have cracked a thousand eggs,” Mark muttered as he sat down in the chair beside Hannah. He’d been at the table on the other side of the room from her, but he’d come over several times during the day to say a few pleasant words.

  “How are you doing?” Mark asked.

  “Ready to sit down, that’s for sure,” Hannah replied. She was a little distracted because she saw Mark’s eyes continually going to her chin. She figured she had some spattered chiffon filling there so she reached up to take a swipe. “Gone?”

  Mark shook his head. Then he put his finger a little to the side of her chin and rubbed at something. “There, I got it.”

  She appreciated his help, but he didn’t remove his hand. Instead he cupped her face gently. She felt the heat of his action inside her and it steadied something.

  Mark leaned over and whispered in her ear. “I’m here for you.”

  “I know,” Hannah muttered, and she did.

  “I’ll be by tonight to tuck Jeremy into bed again,” he said. “That’s if it’s all right with you.”

  She nodded. “He’d like that.”

  “I’m bringing over a love seat I found in the attic, too,” Mark said.

  Just then Hannah heard a stir of excitement in the room and looked up. Lois was walking from the kitchen, one hand held high with something covered by a white dish towel.

  “Attention, please,” Lois said as she walked into the room, pausing near where Hannah and Mark sat.

  Lois turned to face the room, her back to Hannah and Mark.

  “Everyone needs to know there’s a humble man here who gave us the idea of doing this pie sale.” Lois paused, her eyes searching the people assembled. “There he is. Mr. Randy Collins. Come up here, Randy.”

  People clapped as they all turned their heads around, looking for the wrangler. A pink-faced Randy walked over to Lois.

  “As a thank-you, I’ve made you an apple pie,” Lois said as she took the dish towel off and revealed a large pie with a golden-brown crust.

  Hannah could smell the baked apple scent from where she sat.

  “You didn’t have to do this,” Randy muttered softly as he shuffled his feet. Then he smiled at Lois and said loud enough for everyone to hear, “But I’m sure glad you did and I thank you mightily.”

  As he took the pie, everyone applauded. People went back to finishing the cleanup for the day, but Hannah and Mark were close enough to be witness to the long looks between Randy and Lois.

  “I heard apple is your favorite,” Lois finally said.

  Randy blushed at that, going from pink to red. “I like all the pies you make.”

  Hannah was suddenly aware that Mark had taken her hand gently into his and was holding it as they watched their two friends.

  Lois and Randy were silent for another minute, just looking at each other. Then she said softly, “Mrs. Hargrove told me that apple pie is the way to your heart, though.”

  Hannah felt the pressure on her hand as Mark squeezed it. She glanced over. He was as tense as she was.

  A slow grin grew on Randy’s face. “You don’t need a pie to get to my heart. I mean—” he took a deep breath “—would you do me the honor of allowing me to take you to dinner some night?”

  The squeeze on Hannah’s hand intensified, but she scarcely noticed. She wasn’t even sure she breathed as she watched.

  Lois nodded, looking Randy in the eyes with a smile of her own. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask.”

  With that, the couple joined their hands and walked to the kitchen.

  “There’re going in there to kiss each other, aren’t they?” Hannah turned to Mark in excitement. “Where no one can see them?”

  Mark nodded, grinning. “That’s my guess.”

  “I can see why,” Hannah said, keeping her voice low. “This place is full of gossips.”

  Mark’s grin faded and he studied her briefly. “Is that what happened with you? Did people say something unkind when you were pregnant?”

  His jaw clenched.

  Hannah thought a moment. “I didn’t give them a chance. I left before anyone knew because I’d seen how they were when I moved here.”

  His eyes grew puzzled. “Everyone was curious when you came, I’ll give you that.” He paused. “We hadn’t had any adopted kids in our class. We’d had a few foster kids in the school and some of them were wild, but we didn’t know much about adoption.”

  “Everyone was standing and looking at me that first day I came to school.” She could still picture it and sometimes did when she had a bad dream.

  “We’d just gotten up to say the Pledge of Allegiance,” Mark responded in surprise. “We didn’t know you were going to come into the room. We all had our mouths ready to start and the door slammed open. We were surprised. That’s all.”

  “Really?” Hannah said, thinking back. Had things been the way she thought at the time?

  At that point, t
he pastor of the community stood and called for quiet.

  “Let’s join hearts and hands to pray before we leave,” he said. The crowd quieted and reached out to their neighbors.

  Mark took Hannah’s hand and curled it inside his own. She liked the feeling. The pastor was brief and Hannah felt the love in the room as he spoke. Everyone, it seemed, cared about Jeremy.

  “We should go say thank you to everyone,” Mark suggested after the pastor said his amen.

  Mark was right, Hannah thought. People were going to leave to go home soon. She wouldn’t have had the courage to go to the door and thank them if Mark hadn’t been at her side.

  She was glad when she got there, though. Every person had a kind word for her and Jeremy, including a few women who had been her classmates when she had been living here. She had never thought any of them cared about her and would have been nervous even introducing Jeremy to them.

  “I have a son about the same age as your Jeremy,” one of her classmates said. “When your son feels up to it, let’s get together. They can sit and watch some cartoons if Jeremy’s not up for more. My son likes the guy who climbs walls like a spider.”

  Hannah grinned. “Jeremy would be in his element with your son, then. He’s a fan of that one, too. And Davy Crockett for some reason. And any hero who has a horse or who flies.”

  The other woman laughed. “I have a feeling we need to plan for an extended visit.”

  It didn’t take long for everyone to leave the café, but the outpouring of help changed Hannah’s feelings about the town of Dry Creek. She no longer felt like she was on the outside, looking in.

  “They care about me,” she said softly to Mark. “I never knew.”

  He smiled and nodded as he tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow.

  “Add me to the top of the list of those who care,” he said as they walked to the door. Once they were outside, they headed toward her car.

  “Remember I’ll be by your house after supper to say good night to Jeremy,” Mark said. Then he pointed to his pickup. In the bed of the vehicle, she could see a brown leather love seat that looked like it had seen some wear.

  “Belonged to my uncle,” Mark said in explanation. “I thought you might be able to get some use of it. He’s living in Havre these days and said he didn’t need anything that’s in the attic.”

  “The same uncle who had the bed?” Hannah asked.

  Mark nodded.

  “Tell him thank you for me,” Hannah said.

  She thought about that uncle as she drove Jeremy home. Not only did her son have a father now, he also had a great uncle he’d never met. And two grandfathers he knew instead of just one. And his aunt Allie.

  “You know, a lot of people love you,” Hannah said as she looked down at Jeremy.

  His face was pale and he looked tired. But he gave a big smile at her words.

  Moving back to Dry Creek had been the right decision, Hannah told herself. She didn’t know what was going to happen with Jeremy this coming week, but she did know they were home.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Hannah woke in a panic the next morning, thinking she was late for work. As she caught her breath, though, she realized the sun wasn’t even up yet. The window in the small house was dark. Jeremy was snuggled close to her side in the bed, and she rose up on her elbows so she could see the clock on the cardboard box they’d set up on his side of the bed. She had another ten minutes before she needed to get out of this cocoon of blankets.

  She lay back down, but she didn’t close her eyes. She looked to the other side of the room and saw the love seat Mark had brought over last night. They’d set it in front of the old fireplace. Jeremy was restless and Mark suggested they all sit on the short sofa together to help calm him down. They had already turned the lights off, hoping Jeremy would fall asleep, so they sat down in the dark.

  Hannah would never look at another love seat again without remembering the closeness of that night. Mark had his arm around her and Jeremy was sprawled over their laps. In the silence, she felt the strength of his arm against her shoulders and the taut muscles of his leg next to hers. She felt safe.

  She looked up at him, seeing nothing but the outline of his face, and knew she was where she belonged. It wasn’t just Dry Creek that was home, it was Mark, too.

  Now, lying in bed, she whispered to herself what she had known last night. “I love him. Really, really love him.”

  God help me, she thought as she addressed the one who knew her best. I really do love him. What does that mean?

  Jeremy stirred in his sleep and she gently patted his back. She could afford to wait a few more minutes before getting up, but today was the day of the pie sale and she didn’t want to be late.

  The lights were shining bright in the café by the time Hannah pulled up in her car. She had taken Jeremy to Mrs. Hargrove’s and laid him on the bed the older woman kept for him. As Hannah was driving the short bit to the café, she saw that this was going to be no ordinary day. People—men, women and even some children—were lined up on the porch and down the steps, apparently waiting for the official opening of the café.

  “I’m buying a pie,” one rancher she recognized yelled to her as she walked toward the café.

  “Me, too,” a woman from the church said and then added, “In fact, I’m getting two. A strawberry for me and a lemon for my husband.”

  Another said, “We’re all praying for your boy.”

  Hannah just kept saying thank you and nodding her head as people called out to her. The line parted to let her get to the door and she was inside before the tears started to fall.

  Lois met her there with Hannah’s work apron in her hand.

  “I’ve got the room divided still,” Lois said in a rush. “But I’m guessing half of the people out there will want breakfast, too. I called Linda and she’ll be here in a couple of minutes, and Mark already agreed to come in to handle the pie sales until breakfast is over.”

  Lois finished and took a deep breath. “There’s got to be forty people waiting.”

  They both heard the sound of another vehicle approaching.

  “And more coming,” Hannah said as she took the apron from her coworker. “We’re in for quite a morning.”

  From then on, things happened fast. The smell of bacon mingled with that of coffee. Linda decided to set up a small buffet line, and she offered scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes and coffee for a special price of four dollars per person. She kept the eggs and bacon in chaffing dishes on an oblong table she’d moved out from the kitchen. And the grill was going, putting out golden pancakes as fast as people could eat them.

  Mark came in shortly after everything started and began collecting the money for the pies. People were eating first and then picking up their pies as they left the café. It took Hannah a bit to notice that Mark was also talking with the men and showing them something at the last pie table. It wasn’t until ten o’clock, when dozens of men gathered outside and Mark went out to the porch, that she realized what was happening.

  “He’s selling those champion rodeo buckles of his,” Hannah said, horrified, looking through the window as Mark raised one in his hand. She glanced over and saw Lois nod.

  “But those are his prize possessions,” Hannah said. “I can’t let him do that.”

  “I hear he’s doing an auction,” Lois said slowly. “You know how men here like the rodeo. The prices are five hundred per buckle to start and they’ll probably go to double that.” Lois paused. “You know what that means. He might make more on those than we will on the whole pie sale. Are you sure you want to stop him?”

  All the love Hannah had welled up inside her as she rushed to the door. Love for her son and love for Mark. Surely they did not have to compete. There had to be another way, she thought. She stumbled out the door in time to hear Mark shout out that the buc
kle he was holding high was now going for seven hundred dollars.

  “You can’t do this.” Hannah found herself squeezed between the café wall and Mark’s back. She was trying to make herself heard, but the men—in their Stetsons and their baseball caps—were shouting out numbers and comments.

  She didn’t know how, but Mark seemed to hear her and he turned.

  “You can’t do this,” she repeated now that he could hear. “We’ll get the money someway. I can’t let you—”

  She stopped then because she was going to cry and she didn’t want to do that. Not here in front of all those men, some who stood there with their children and wives.

  Mark leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, which resulted in more whooping and hollering from the men watching the porch. “He’s my son, too. I’m doing this for him.”

  “But—” she said.

  “I can buy any of them back in thirty days,” Mark said. “That’s the deal up front with all of them, so if we do get a big loan, I can do that.”

  “But we might not—” Hannah cautioned.

  Mark brushed the side of her face with his knuckles. “I know that, too. It’s long odds. But my mind’s made up.”

  Hannah had no answer for that so she just nodded. Mark turned to his audience and she slipped back into the café.

  After the auction ended, the crowds melted away except for a few people who came in to get the pies they’d purchased earlier. The last tray of pancakes was eaten by eleven o’clock. By then the coffee pot was empty and the café was out of eggs. Lois made a sign that read No Pies Left and taped it to the window. Mark had been outside talking with everyone as they lingered around the porch. A few families had drifted over to the church, where a prayer vigil was being held.