His mother looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Oh, no, young man. I’ll certainly help you, but that little boy needs some stability right now, and you’re the closest thing to that that he has. You can’t just leave him here and go about your days as if he wasn’t around.”
James sighed. Things apparently weren’t going to go the way he had imagined.
“Come on, son, let’s go eat. Everything is always easier to tackle with a full belly.”
James nodded in agreement and followed his mother to the kitchen, his eyebrows still knit in concentration.
How was he going to manage to keep Joey happy and occupied until they found his family?
Joey seemed overjoyed at the sight of food. There were freshly-baked buttered biscuits and mashed potatoes. Large pieces of fried pork and steamed vegetables completed the meal.
James’ stomach growled. There was nothing like coming home to a hot, freshly-cooked meal.
“So, Joey, where are you from?” Bonnie asked once everyone had started eating.
Joey glanced between James and Bonnie before answering, “I think it’s called Misery, or something. There’s lots of trees there,” he added.
“Are you sure you don’t have any other relatives in Merrill?”
“I don’t think so. Mama always said that she had an uncle and a sister, but they lived very far away and that’s why they didn’t visit us.” Joey looked sad for a moment.
“Oh, well, everyone has family that’s far away and doesn’t visit.” James felt bad for bringing it up, and tried to think of something else to say to distract the boy from thoughts of his family.
“Do you have family far away?” Joey swung his legs against his chair and rested his elbows on the table while he stared intently at James.
“I do. I reckon I have a few aunts or uncles somewhere back in the city, don’t I, Ma?”
Bonnie looked between James and Joey. “Of course, you do. Joey, you shouldn’t feel bad for a second you haven’t seen the family who lives so far away. If anything, they should feel bad for not visiting you.”
Joey seemed happy with Bonnie’s answer and grinned the first real smile James had seen on his face all day.
The three of them finished supper quickly and then Bonnie led James and Joey over to the guest room. James could hardly remember the last time someone had used the room. It still looked the same as it always did.
A simple bed stood in the middle, with and a little night table nearby. There was a lamp on the table, and a large colorful rug that James’ mother had made decorated the floor.
“This is where you’ll be staying, Joey. If you need anything, James will be right next door. I’ll leave the two of you alone for now.” Bonnie smiled and left the room before James could say anything.
Joey stood in the middle of the room, his little feet planted in the center of the rug.
“Can’t you stay in here with me?” Joey asked, looking up at James.
“No, I’ll be right next door, though.” James still didn’t understand why his mother hadn’t told Joey to come looking for her if he needed help with anything.
“Goodnight, Joey.” James turned and began to walk out the door.
“Can-Can you tell me a story?” Joey hadn’t made a move to get into the bed.
“Um, I suppose I could.” James stepped back into the room and shuffled nervously from foot to foot. “Go on, then, get yourself up into the bed,” he instructed gruffly.
Joey took off his boots and pulled back the blankets on the bed. It was only then that James noticed how dirty his clothes were.
“Oh, actually, wait a minute. I’ll get you something clean to wear.” James hurried to the hall, looking for his mother, but her door was already closed and she was nowhere to be seen.
James sighed; it looked like he was on his own.
Not knowing what else to get the boy, he went to his room and found one of his own clean white shirts.
He brought it back and handed it to Joey, who looked as though he hadn’t moved a muscle since James left.
Without a word, Joey stripped off his clothes and then pulled James’ white shirt over his head. It hung below his knees, almost like a gown.
“Help me up,” Joey said.
James was pretty sure that Joey could get into the bed himself, but instead of protesting, he lifted the little boy into the bed and pulled the covers up to his chest.
“Okay, well now, I don’t know many stories, but I’ll give it a go. Do you like sheriffs and deputies?”
Joey nodded, his eyes wide and eager.
“Okay, well, one day, a long time ago, my deputies and I heard there were some bootleggers with an operation out around here…”
Chapter 5
“James? James?” It took James several minutes to realize that he wasn’t dreaming and the voice he was hearing was there with him in the bedroom. The room was still dark, with only the faint moonlight allowing him to see the small figure only inches from his face.
He sat up and rubbed the grogginess from his eyes. He looked down to see Joey standing by his bed, the night shirt hanging down around him like a billowing white cloud as his hands scrunched up the front of it nervously.
“Joey? What are you doing out of bed?”
“I couldn’t sleep.” The boy’s lower lip trembled and it looked as if he were cold.
James looked out the window. It was still the middle of the night.
“What do you mean, you couldn’t sleep? You have to sleep. You have to get your rest.” James struggled to keep his patience. He was the one who needed rest.
“I can’t sleep.” This time, Joey sniffled and his whole chin shook.
“Okay, come on. I’ll take you back to bed.” James threw his feet over the bed and shivered as they touched the cool floor.
“Can’t I stay in here with you?” Joey’s blue eyes were sparkling with unshed tears in the moonlight.
“No, come on, it’ll be okay,” James said a little softer as he reached out and scooped the boy up.
He couldn’t let him stay in his room. Then they would never get any sleep. Instead, he carried Joey back to the room next to his and tucked the boy into bed once more.
“Try to get some sleep, little man,” he said kindly before hurrying off to his own bed.
He flopped himself down and pulled the warm covers up to his chin, savoring the comfort of being back in his bed.
He smiled and closed his eyes. There was nothing like getting a good night’s rest after a long day.
“James?”
James jumped, nearly falling out of bed as he tried to get his bearings. He had been nearly asleep, and the little voice had caught him completely off-guard.
He looked down to find Joey at the foot of his bed, looking lost and afraid.
“What’s wrong now?” James reminded himself to ask his mother if she couldn’t take care of nighttime woes from now on. He couldn’t handle these types of interruptions all night long.
“I’m thirsty.” Joey actually looked apologetic this time, and James refrained from scolding him. Groaning, he stood up once more.
“Okay, fine. Let’s go get you some water.” James took Joey’s hand and they walked into the kitchen, where James poured him a glass of cool water. Joey took it and finished it off in one long drink.
“You think you can sleep now?” James asked, holding his breath and counting to three.
“I think so.” Joey smiled and wiped his blonde hair back from his forehead.
“That’s good. Let’s get you back to bed.” When they were in the hall, Joey paused and looked at the door of his room with an almost scared expression.
“Can I sleep with you… please?”
“No, come on, let’s get back to your bed.” Refusing to wait for further protests, James put Joey into bed and tucked him in for what was now the third time.
After saying goodnight, he practically ran back to his bed. He hated the feeling of anxiety that swept through h
im as he waited for the little voice to say his name, but the sound didn’t come.
Finally, he fell into a fitful sleep. It didn’t last long. It felt like just five minutes later, but James was fairly certain an hour had passed.
Joey was standing at the bottom of his bed, his little arms wrapped around himself as he stared at James. “Can’t I sleep with you? I’m scared.”
Exhausted and fed up and uncertain what else he could do to get a few hours of sleep, James gave in. He threw back the covers and sighed as Joey crawled into the bed.
James scooted away from the cold little feet that felt like icicles until he was on one far side of the bed and Joey was on the other.
Within seconds, he heard Joey’s breathing become deep and steady. Smiling, James, too, closed his eyes. At least he was finally about to get some rest.
---*---
It took James a few minutes to realize where he was and why there was a little boy in his bed the next morning.
Joey had curled up against him like a small puppy. And James had thrown an arm around the little boy in a protective way.
He eased out of bed so he wouldn’t disturb the boy and headed into the kitchen.
His mother, who was busy flipping hotcakes on the stove, gave him a mischievous grin. “How did it go last night?”
James ran a hand over his face. “Terrible. He woke up all night until I let him sleep in my bed.”
“You didn’t! You know if you give in once, he’ll never stop.” Bonnie shook her head as she chuckled. She looked pleased as she poured coffee into a mug.
James felt annoyed. If his mother knew this, why hadn’t she taken care of Joey last night? Or why hadn’t she at least warned him?
“I tried to tell him no. I took him to bed three times, and he just kept showing up.” James accepted the cup of steaming coffee gratefully. It was exactly what he needed.
“That’s the way it is with children.” Bonnie handed her son a plate of hotcakes and patted his shoulder. “You’ll get used to it. And besides, he has just lost everyone dear to him, so he’s feeling alone and afraid.”
“He’s not my child. Ma, why didn’t you take care of him last night? Since you’re such the expert, it would be better if you took charge of him. Can you take care of him tonight?”
Bonnie shook her head with a smile and James knew she was about to say no.
“Absolutely not. I’ve already raised all my little ones. And it will do you good to care for the boy.”
“I had a feeling you were going to say that,” James grumbled.
“Look, James. I’m not trying to be mean, but your life…well, you haven’t really been interested in anything since Alice. I think that you are meant to take care of that boy, and I’m not about to get in the way of that.”
“I’m not interested in this, either,” James protested.
“I know that and it’s not a lack of interest on my part, but there’s a reason that that little boy ended up with you. I think that God is sending you something to show you how to open your heart again.”
James shook his head. His mother was wrong; he wasn’t looking to open his heart again. He had his deputies and he had his mother, and for James, that was enough.
He wasn’t looking for a woman or for more friends, and he certainly wasn’t looking for a child.
“I’m sure it doesn’t seem necessary right now, but you’re young, James. You deserve to have someone. Right now, it looks like that little boy needs you as much as you need him.”
James took a long gulp of coffee while avoiding his mother’s gaze. He didn’t have the heart to argue with her.
“James?”
He groaned inwardly as the familiar voice that had plagued him all night filled the kitchen.
He turned to find Joey standing in the doorway. The tie on the shirt had come undone, and the shirt was hanging loosely about the boy’s shoulders.
His curly blonde hair was tousled and sticking up in every direction. But when he saw James, a big smile lit up his face, stretching from ear to ear and showing a row of perfect little white teeth.
A bubbling laugh burst from James, surprising him as much as it seemed to surprise his mother. Joey was such a sight, James couldn’t help but find it charming.
“You were gone when I woke up,” Joey’s smile vanished, and in its place, a puzzled, accusatory expression covered his face.
“Oh, well, I’m here now. Get over here, little man, and have yourself some breakfast.” James pulled out the chair next to him.
Joey ran over, hugged James briefly, and then scrambled up onto the chair. James retied the shirt so that it wouldn’t fall off.
“Hotcakes are my favorite!” Joey exclaimed, grinning broadly.
“I bet they are. I don’t know a little boy who doesn’t like hotcakes.” James pushed Joey’s plate in front of him and poured syrup over the thick stack.
Joey looked as pleased by the breakfast as James was, and dug right in.
Bonnie smiled approvingly and nodded her head.
James glanced over at Joey as he ate and felt momentary satisfaction. Maybe he could take care of this little boy for the next couple days. How hard could it be?
---*---
It turned out that caring for a child was both easier and harder than James had originally thought. Nighttime didn’t get any easier. James tried for a series of evenings to go and sit beside Joey in the middle of the night, in attempt to get the boy to stay in his own bed.
But most nights, James found himself waking up on the floor next to Joey’s bed, sleeping at the foot of it, or to Joey sleeping in his own bed.
Every night, there came a point where he was too tired to care and just gave up.
Finally, when James thought he would never get a proper night’s sleep again, his mother came up with the solution. He took an afternoon with Daniel and Merrick and moved the bed from the extra room into his own room.
That didn’t leave much place for him to walk between the two beds or to get dressed, but at least he started sleeping again.
And it seemed that Joey couldn’t be happier with the arrangement. He no longer woke up at night—when he did, it was for a drink or to pee, and then he was right back to bed without complaint.
Joey often spoke about his parents, but he seemed satisfied that if they were in the garden with God in heaven, they were happy, and James told him they were watching him to see that he was a good boy He seemed intent on making them proud and caused very little trouble.
Days turned into weeks, and soon it had almost been a month since James had sent the telegram looking for Joey’s family.
His mother had finally allowed James to leave Joey with her when he was at work, but unlike in the past when James had lingered in town until late into the night, he felt anxious to return home early in the afternoon to spend time with the boy.
James thought about the first night that Joey had come to his ranch as he rocked back and forth on the porch swing, strumming soft chords on his guitar.
A Treasure Brought by Fate: A Historical Western Romance Book Page 4