by Jayna Morrow
There was only one response possible. He’d have to give his word to attend the seminar. He didn’t want Slade to have a suspension on his record. Looked as though this would be another sleepless night, praying for God’s intervention in his life. He needed help, but he wasn’t sure if this was the kind he needed.
A loud alarm ended their conversation abruptly.
Sparrow jumped. Wasn’t she used to hearing bells ring several times a day?
He smiled just because he knew it would infuriate her. “Speaking of problems, I’ve got to go see about one right now.”
She hurried after him, heels clicking along the floor a few steps behind. He stopped at the door. “Please don’t walk out on me, Mr. Hearth. Don’t you have employees to handle things like this?”
“I’m the boss. I handle every aspect of this operation.”
“Then I’ll stick around until you’re free again. Maybe I can help.”
He bore down on the doorknob and looked back at her. “You can’t help.”
“You’d be surprised at how handy I am.”
“Yep, you’re a pro at falling down and making tangled jewelry even more tangled. I’m impressed. Just stay outta the way. That’s how I want it.”
“Give me your word, and I’ll leave.” She turned and tossed her car keys on the corner of his desk. She wouldn’t budge until she had his word on that blasted meeting. She crossed her arms, determined.
Gabriel stared back and blinked. This shouldn’t be a hard decision. Why couldn’t he just say what she wanted to hear? Maybe it was because she challenged him, and he wasn’t used to being challenged. But Slade defied him at every turn, and Irelynn pretty much controlled the day-to-day operations of the dairy. Garrett managed to be in his face at least once a week, too. Sparrow had merely joined the crowd. Trouble was, she reminded him of his greatest mistake. He felt defeated in her presence.
“Mr. Hearth, didn’t you hear the alarm?” Irelynn rushed in.
Gabriel had to take a step back to keep from getting hit by the door.
“We’re having a goat issue if you want to get in on it.”
He looked back and forth from Sparrow with her arms crossed and Irelynn in her white lab coat. “I’ve gotta run, Miss Walker.” He followed Irelynn, who’d taken off at a trotting pace across the catwalk over the rotary milking parlor.
Sparrow’s boot heels clicked on the cement floor behind him. “I’m coming with you.”
He stopped in his tracks and spun around.
Sparrow skidded to a stop to keep from running into his backside.
“No way. I don’t need your help with this. We’ll finish our conversation later.”
“Why don’t I believe you?”
“I don’t have time to argue with you.” He waved her away and stomped across the floor and the catwalk then out the back door. After descending a flight of stairs, they were met with a thick cloud of dust in the air. He squinted and surveyed the area. Goats ran wild all over. They were loud, and they stank. This was the emergency? It was always something.
Gabriel and several employees chased goats back and forth. The animals were quick, but not very smart. Once in a while, one would be caught and forced back to the goat pen that a few employees were working to repair quickly. But more often than not, Gabe and his crew landed face first in the dirt.
Surprisingly, Sparrow showed up for the show. He noticed the jeans and boots she wore on this visit. Either it was casual Friday at school, or she’d gone home and changed. Either way, she’d no doubt learned her lesson about footwear on her last visit to his house. Now he would find out if she had enough brains to outsmart a goat. Her breakneck speed still wasn’t fast enough for these crazy critters.
“Get ready to grab a goat.” Gabriel took off at a dead run across the open field. He threw his arms around a goat and wrestled with it for a moment. With a good grip on the horns, he pulled the stubborn creature into a nearby holding pen and then took off after another one.
He caught a flash of brown and white in his peripheral vision and took a dive. He missed. The animal headed right for Sparrow.
She reached for it, missed, and then cornered it on one side of the building. Taking slow steps, she approached and grabbed it by the horns. It pulled, but she didn’t let go. After a minute or two, she made it to the goat pen. When she came out of the enclosure, a big victory smile lit her face. She hurried on to the next goat. This one was solid black and much bigger. Once she took care of him, she took off after another goat and another and another. Each one gave her trouble, but she tried different tactics until she succeeded.
He watched her as he worked. He was starting to think this woman had plumb lost her mind, going to all this trouble. Making a personal visit to his office, following him into an unknown situation, and chasing after goats. She was a high school principal, not a farmer, but she was wrangling goats and learning fast. Her gaze fixed on the horns as she calculated each attack. The ambushes came swifter and swifter. Once she had the horns, the goat could struggle but not harm her. She showed no fear, and she was on a roll. He had to hand it to the woman. She had plenty of spunk. Maybe a little too much.
Goat after goat was reluctantly returned to the holding pen, their short-lived freedom put to an end by the feisty principal. Dirt covered her boots and jeans. Sweat beaded on her brow. Her hard work impressed him.
He let a squirming baby goat go and spoke to the man nearest him. “Would you look at that woman go?”
“These goats ain’t got a chance against them fancy pants. Look at ’em sparkle when she runs.”
The pockets of Sparrow’s jeans were embroidered with thick, threaded designs and covered with large stones. Her boots sported some wild animal print and sharply pointed toes. Not exactly western wear, but better than a skirt and heels. She’d unintentionally come well prepared for this visit.
Irelynn was next to join them, out of breath.
The last two joined the group.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just watching the show.” He nodded toward Sparrow.
Sparrow, oblivious to her audience, kept at it, focused now on capturing the last little goat—the kid he’d let go a few moments before. Throwing herself to the ground, she caught the creature by its back leg. After a few pretty slick maneuvers, she picked up the little guy and carried him to the pen.
Gabriel clapped.
His employees followed suit.
Sparrow’s face fell.
The clapping sped up, and Gabriel hit his knees. Laughter burst from his throat like a wild goat out of its pen.
“You’re terrible, Gabriel Hearth! You know that!” Her face and neck flushed so red he could see it through the layer of dirt. After giving the last goat a gentle kick to the rear to get it in the pen, she closed the latch and stormed off along the side of the building toward the parking lot.
Gabriel hollered after her, quite enjoying the moment. “Miss Walker, if you ever get tired of wrangling teenagers, I’ll sure hire you to wrangle goats.”
~*~
Gabriel shifted in his seat. The hard plastic took a bigger toll on his back with every passing minute, which he could account for second by second on the large clock on the wall. The loud ticking of the timepiece, along with the school secretary’s noisy pounding of her keyboard and the constantly ringing phone, made his wait outside Sparrow’s office miserable. He leaned his head back against the glass and groaned silently.
“You can go back now, Mr. Hearth.”
What? He’d thought Sparrow was busy with another parent, but no one had come out of her office. That meant she’d made him wait on purpose. But after that whole goat fiasco the other day, he probably deserved it.
Sparrow was staring at her computer screen when he quietly entered the room. She clicked her mouse, and a screen saver with a picture of her canine son popped up. Gabriel heard the yappy fellow barking every morning when she let him outside. She gave him a tight-lipped smile as she lea
ned back in her chair and crossed her arms.
“What can I do for you today, Mr. Hearth?” She motioned him into one of the chairs on the other side of her desk. Her stern, silent countenance told him she was in no mood for humor.
Lord, give me strength in dealing with this woman. She could just as easily wrangle me as she did all those goats on Friday.
“I need to speak with you about the failure notice I received in the mail. There was also a letter stating that Slade was suspended from UIL sports until his grades come up.”
“That’s right. I’ve been trying to communicate with you that Slade has missing grades and the work he turns in is not his best. His teachers have tried getting in touch with you as well. This has been coming a while now.”
He rubbed the side of his face. “Miss Walker, baseball is the only language Slade speaks. You can’t do this to him.”
“Unfortunately, it’s not my decision. UIL rules are final, and they don’t make exceptions. Slade must pass all his core classes to be eligible to play.”
“It just doesn’t seem right that Slade doesn’t get to play. He used to be a straight-A student.”
“Used to be. Grades are earned by more than just intelligence. I think we can both agree that Slade has plenty of that. What he lacks is self-discipline. If you had listened to me in the past, we might not have gotten to this point. Speaking of which, you missed the Behavior 101 meeting.”
His stomach dropped. “I meant to come to the meeting, really. I just forgot with everything that was going on with work.”
“That’s no ex—”
He raised a hand. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but can I share something with you? It’s very personal.”
Her blue eyes widened in question as if surprised that he’d share anything personal. He’d surprised himself. “I’ve been having trouble remembering things for a while now. My brain is like Swiss cheese.”
~*~
Forgetting things?
Sparrow silently considered Gabriel Hearth’s confession. The man was a lot of things, but he’d never lied to her. His admission bothered her. Combined with other things, something was going on. His overgrown yard, his avoidance of contact with her and others in the community, his lack of genuine interest in his son’s behavior—it all made sense. Could it be possible he was depressed? Depressed people often shut themselves away and detached from the world. They lose interest in their daily lives...and in those whom they loved most. And even when they were able to see what was happening, they were unable to do anything about it.
She, too, had suffered from a deep depression. Gabriel had a lot thrown at him after his parents’ death. From inheriting the family business, to watching his siblings leave home, to taking on a teenage son who resented his presence. And Slade was caught in the middle of all the drama. She really couldn’t sit back and do nothing. She had to help Slade and Gabriel. She remembered seeing pain in Gabriel’s eyes when he looked at her Friday. The same hollow, glassy, glazed-over expression shadowed his gaze now.
“Thank you for sharing with me. I do understand what you’re going through because I’ve suffered a bout with depression, too. It’s been a while, but you never really forget the feeling. It’s kind of like being stranded on an island—but you don’t have to be alone. If we work together to help Slade, he can still be reached. Your son is a highly intelligent young man, Mr. Hearth. He has to be dealt with delicately. Can I tell you about my program?”
“Depressed? I didn’t say I was depressed.”
“You probably haven’t realized it yet, but you’ve got all the classic signs. Trust me. It takes one to know one. I’m not passing judgment. I’ve been there.”
She mentally kicked herself for using the “D” word. She might have scared him off. It only took a few minutes in his presence to fluster her senses and turn her into a complete idiot. The mere sight of him sent her heart into uncontrollable palpitations. Her attraction to the man could not be denied. Gabriel was the father of the top student on her most wanted list, but he was also over six feet of good-looking cowboy. God definitely broke the mold with this one.
And then there was the very real issue with Slade Hearth. Since his grandparents’ death, the boy had gone from honor student and stand-out athlete to troublemaker. She was certain that loss was the source of the problem. She wanted to know why Slade had taken a turn from outstanding to where he was now, so she could save him from a life of disappointment. If anyone understood disappointment, she did. She served a powerful God, and with Him, anything was possible.
~*~
Despite his denial, Gabriel was comforted that Sparrow understood his battle with depression. His was only a mild case, but it still affected his daily life and made him feel helpless. He walked around every day, ashamed of letting his house and his relationship with his son fall to shambles, but unable to do anything about it. And even though he wasn’t the type of person to let someone take both reins, he needed to let Sparrow have one of them.
“Thank you for your understanding.” He didn’t want to get into a discussion about it. He changed the subject. “Please tell me about your program.”
While she explained the steps, he looked around at her office. It wasn’t what he had expected. Instead of matching furniture and plants and framed pictures, it featured a hodgepodge of mismatched furniture representing several decades. Several bulletin boards on the walls portrayed Sweet Home High students. She’d also pinned up little trinkets, most likely gifts from the kids. On the shelves were books about school, principals, and teaching. Statues of children playing were spread out among the featured books. Hers was a warm, welcoming office, very student-centered. It didn’t reveal anything about the woman’s personality though. No pictures of family or anything that represented a hobby or interest.
When she finished her explanation, only one thought bounced around in his head—this is what he’d avoided for so long? He glanced over the progress report in his shaky hand. The low scores shocked him. These weren’t the grades of a struggling student. These were fat zeros from not turning in assignments. Slade had gotten to the point of not doing his work at all.
“His previous grades tell me that Slade is capable of much more than this. What have you done to help your son with his schoolwork?”
He felt like a goat. She was grabbing him by the horns, wrestling him, getting control of him, and forcing him into a corner. With nowhere to run, he had to face reality. “Obviously, not enough. You’ve made your point with that. But I still don’t like the idea that Slade may lose his sports privileges for the rest of the six weeks.”
“You have to give that responsibility over to him and let it be his decision. In the meantime, enjoy your son. Do everything you can to spend time with him. If he resists, don’t give up. Go all out.”
“Why are you smiling?” The slight uplift of her lips worried him.
“I’m happy that you finally sat down with me without running away after five minutes. I really never thought I’d be able to get you on my side. I didn’t think you were capable of feeling.”
“I have feelings. I just hide them so I won’t be perceived as weak. I’m responsible for a lot of people in this town.”
“I know. You’ve said so several times. I think sometimes Slade feels left out of your life. Make him a higher priority.”
“You’re pretty forward, ya know?”
She nodded. “I speak my mind. If I ever get fired for something I say to parents, then so be it. Sometimes people need to hear the truth. I stand by my program, and I believe I’m here for a reason.”
“You do sound sure.”
“I am.”
He shrugged and folded the paper several times before sliding it into his back pocket. He didn’t know what else to say. Should he tell her that he hadn’t cared a hoot about Slade’s grades because he could barely get up in the mornings? That Slade was lucky to have clean clothes to wear or breakfast before school? That he was letting his business fall
behind? That it was even a struggle to breathe in and out? He had no choice but to follow her orders. “I thought you’d be angry.”
“I was angry Friday night, but I have since calmed down and moved on to Plan B.”
“What’s Plan B?” Yep, he was worried.
“Giving you a one-on-one crash course. The first step is taking care of this problem with your son’s grades.”
“I’ll take care of it. I’ll yell at him like I’ve never yelled before.”
“That’s exactly what I don’t want you to do.”
Now he was confused. “I don’t understand.”
“If you want to turn Slade’s behavior around, you have to step back and let him take control of his own life, even if that means letting him take the consequences for his actions.”
“You want me to let him fail and get suspended from the baseball team?”
“Not entirely. I want you to go to him and talk to him calmly about his progress report. Tell him that you’re not interfering or saying a word about his schoolwork, but that if he has any failing grades on his report card, you’ll cut off his cell phone. And remind him that he will also get suspended from the baseball team for another three weeks. Then stick to it and shut up for three weeks.”
“And what am I supposed to do for those three weeks?”
“Spend time with your son and enjoy him, as much as he’ll let you. Pay attention to him.”
“Do you really think this is the best way to handle this? What if he still fails?”
“If he fails, let him take the consequences. He’ll learn from his mistakes.”
Gabriel closed his eyes and tried to remember the last time he’d acted like a real father to Slade. For most of the boy’s life, Gabriel hadn’t been his primary caregiver. Then when his parents died, he stepped in and tried to be a super parent. But when Lyra came into the picture, Slade went on the back burner again. Gabriel had never focused on him the way he should. And now Sparrow was giving him advice. He wanted to trust her, but he didn’t want to screw up with Slade again. He might strike out this time.