“No, ma’am.”
Donna strode to the kitchen, leaving Meg alone with Cammy.
“Someday, when I walk, I’m going to wear a pretty Mary Poppins dress like that one Kelly just had on!”
“You liked it, huh?”
Cammy replied with a vigorous nod. “And I’m gonna wear pointed toe high heels like the kind you have on sometimes and no socks.”
Meg smiled, laughing to herself. She realized, and not for the first time, just how much influence she had on her students. They watched her, emulated her. It was a gigantic responsibility and one she took seriously.
Donna brought in the coffee, and Meg stirred cream and sugar into her cup.
Kelly sashayed back into the dining room, wearing her third semi-formal gown.
Meg immediately liked it. “Now we’re talking!” The sleeveless dress had a tasteful V-neck, princess seams, and silky fabric in a gorgeous teal color. A black sash that tied at the waist and tulle that rimmed the hemline gave the piece just the right amount of contrast. “That one gets my vote.”
Donna nodded. “I think your daddy might even let you out of the house wearing that dress.”
Kelly beamed. “Good. Then I’ll return the other two dresses to the store.”
“Black shoes, black purse, and you’ll be good to go,” Meg added.
“I can’t wait.” Kelly pirouetted, a dreamy smile on her face. “I’ll be dancing with Bobby Addison.” She paused and glanced at Meg. “He’s on the football team.”
“He’s a nice young man,” Donna injected.
“I’m sure he is or Kelly wouldn’t be going to a dance with him. Dad’d see to that.”
“You can say that again.” Kelly sent her mom a glance of annoyance. “I’ve got to have the strictest parents in all of Kentucky.”
“Your daddy’s the strict one.” Donna sipped her coffee.
Kelly seemed to ignore the remark and turned to Meg. “Who’s the best guy you ever went to homecoming with?”
“Um, well, to be honest, I never went to a homecoming dance.”
“You didn’t?” Cammy peered up at her. “Why not?”
Kelly regarded her with a puckered little frown. “Yeah, why not? You’re pretty. Bet you had lots of boyfriends.”
“Not really.” It felt a little odd being totally candid when she’d spent the last twenty-six years erecting a wall so her stepmom and half sister couldn’t get into her life. But she quickly reminded herself that those days were gone—and so was the wall. “I moved around so much that I never had the chance to get to know any boys well enough to attend dances with them. And, to be completely honest, I was also what you might call a ‘nerd.’ One of those brainy kids who hung out with other brainy kids and read books in her spare time.”
“Nerd?” Kelly wrinkled her nose, causing Meg to laugh.
“I like to read books.” Cammy’s voice held an enthusiastic note.
“I know you do, and reading’s terrific, isn’t it?”
“Uh-huh.”
Meg leaned sideways and slipped Cammy a quick hug around the shoulders. Gazing back at Kelly, she said, “But I’ll have you know that I did to go to the prom my senior year of high school. I went with some friends. We didn’t have dates, so we all went together as a group.”
“I’m going with a group, too, but Bobby’s my date.” Kelly expelled a wistful sigh and swung her hips from side to side. “I might like him more than my horse, Rosebud.”
“Whoa-oa,” Meg quipped. “This guy must really be somebody!”
“He is.”
Meg looked at Donna. “Is Ryan going to the homecoming dance also?”
“Sure is.” Kelly was the one to reply. “He’s going with Brenna Leopold. He’s been sweet on her since they were twelve. But Daddy didn’t allow dating until we turned sixteen. But even now, Daddy doesn’t let us go anywhere un-chaperoned and if we’re not home by curfew, he comes looking for us.” Kelly’s expression said she felt thoroughly disgusted. “Why can’t he trust us?”
Because he trusted my mother and she betrayed him.
Meg stared into the stoneware mug she cradled in her hands. In talking with her father last night, she’d gleaned a lifetime of knowledge. They weren’t so unlike, she and Dad. Once bitten, twice shy, as the adage goes.
“I can’t stand it sometimes,” Kelly rambled on. “Daddy smothers me.”
“Did you ever think that’s his way of showing he loves you?” Meg asked, having arrived at the same conclusion herself. “He wants to protect you so you don’t make wrong decisions and ruin your life.”
“I’m not going to ruin my life.” Kelly tossed a glance upward.
“It’s happened to the best of folks,” Donna said without looking at her daughter. Instead, she slowly stirred the dark brew in her cup.
Kelly obviously didn’t feel like discussing the issue. “Well, what’s important is that I’m going to homecoming with Bobby. I’ll know I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”
Meg grinned. “I’ll check back with you in about five years, okay?”
Donna smiled and sipped her coffee.
“You know, Meg,” Kelly stood and crossed her arms. “I feel bad that you never went to a homecoming dance.” She seemed genuine, her tone sincere. “You missed out.”
“No, I didn’t. I had fun. Just in a different way.”
Vance entered the room just then. He rubbed his palms together, and his gaze made its way around the table until it landed on Meg. “I think it’s time to head home.”
“Let me guess; it’s halftime.”
Vance narrowed his gaze at the retort before returning one of his own. “Can’t fault a man for using his time wisely.” He paused. “Especially since he’s driving.”
Meg feigned a wince. “Touché.”
“What’s ‘touché’ mean?” Cammy asked.
“It means,” he replied, “that it’s time to thank the Jorgensons for the nice evening and get along home. It’s a school night.”
“Very true.” Meg stood and collected her purse and raincoat. As she said her farewells to her family members, each gave her a small hug.
Once again, the show of affection was unexpected, even overwhelming. But Meg welcomed it. She felt encouraged. Blessed.
Blessed? That word had never had a place in her vocabulary before. Meg couldn’t help thinking that Grams was rubbing off on her more than she realized.
The night air was warm and muggy as they walked outside to the Bayers’ van. Then, with Cammy and her wheelchair safely secured, they began the trek home.
“Thanks for meeting me at my dad’s for dinner tonight. I hope you and Cammy had a nice time.”
“Very nice. I’m glad it worked out.”
“It did. More than you know.”
“You’ll have to fill me in on the details sometime.”
“I’d be happy to.” Meg said no more. After all, there wasn’t much that Cammy missed.
“Did you have a good time at the Jorgensons’ tonight, punkin?”
“Yep. I liked the fashion show the best. I can’t stop thinking about that beautiful white dress with the blue sash. I’m gonna wear a dress just like it one day when I go to a homecoming dance.”
“Do you think your dad will allow you to attend homecoming when you’re Kelly’s age?” Meg turned and regarded Vance’s shadowed profile as he sat behind the steering wheel. She couldn’t resist teasing him. “He seems like the kind of father who won’t let his little girl date until she’s at least thirty.”
“You got that right.”
“But, Daddy, I’ll be grown by then.”
“I recently learned it doesn’t matter how old you get,” he said.
When he looked her way, she glimpsed the smirk on his face.
“Touché again.” She shook her head. “Man, you’re on a roll tonight.”
He chuckled.
When they arrived at Grams’ house, Vance pulled into the driveway. He parked and killed t
he engine.
“Cammy, I’m going to walk Miss Jorgenson to the door. Will you be okay here for a couple of minutes? I won’t be but a few feet away.”
“That’s okay, Daddy.”
“Good.” He climbed out of his seat and walked around the van to politely assist Meg. Together, they took slower strides than usual to reach the backdoor.
“So, do you think you might find some time for me in that social schedule you’re putting together?”
They halted when they reached the entryway.
“Oh, I think maybe I can do that.” Meg grinned and tipped her head. “What do you have in mind? Not horseback riding, I hope. I still feel like my legs are permanently bowed.”
Vance ground out a little laugh. “No, I was thinking more along the lines of dinner for two.”
Meg warmed to the idea. “I’d like that.”
“So would I.”
A few seconds lapsed in awkward silence.
“I’m relieved to know things between you and your dad are okay.”
“Never been better.” Meg smiled at the surprising outcome. “I guess Grams is right; things really do happen for a reason. Because of our, um, misunderstanding, my dad and I are closer than we’ve ever been. He told me he tried to get custody of me. He even dug out all the documents to prove it.” She was touched to the core that Dad would spend so much time and effort, not to mention money, on the attempt. Mom, however, won that battle. “Then he tried to get more visitation rights, but those attempts failed, too.” She pause to collect her thoughts before gazing up at Vance. “I find it admirable, and, well, I believe he really does love me.”
“It’s a shame you ever wondered.”
“Well, divorce’ll do that to a kid, I suppose.”
“I guess that’s right.”
“I’m sorry you got dragged into the fray.”
“I don’t mind.”
Meg regarded him askance. “And you didn’t mind sitting around the family dinner table tonight?” She thought of Kent and how he barely tolerated dinner at Grams’ the other night.
“Dinner was great. I miss home-cooked meals and family sitting around enjoying ’em together.”
His reply tweaked Meg’s heart, and she suddenly felt extremely fortunate to have people in her life who loved her enough to butt in.
“But I’m looking forward to dinner alone with you one night, so we can get better acquainted. I just have to line up a sitter for Cammy before I can ask you out for a specific night. There’s only a handful of folks I trust to stay with her.”
“I understand.”
Vance cast a glance at his feet and then one at his van. “And, um, in light of the fact that my daughter probably has her eyes pasted on our every move, I’ll refrain from kissing you goodnight right now.” He paused, looking back at her. “This time.”
“I think that’s a good idea. This time.”
Beneath the golden glow of the light by the door, Meg could see his amused expression.
Then he reached out and gave her elbow a squeeze. “G’night, Meg.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Meg entered the house, closed the door, and leaned against it. She heard Vance back his vehicle down the driveway and realized she’d been holding her breath. She exhaled and smiled inwardly. Everything seemed so right, so perfect, that she wanted to savor the feeling of this moment.
Holding it close, she took it upstairs with her and cast it into her dreams.
Chapter Seventeen
Meg arrived at school the next day almost thirty minutes early. She opened her notebook computer and signed on to her e-mail. Grams didn’t have WIFI—didn’t even have cable television—so Meg was forced to check her messages at school on her own time. The truth was, she didn’t mind. Sometimes she forgot to check her e-mail for days.
She scanned her messages and deleted the ones that appeared to be spam. After leaving Dillon, she had ditched her old screen name and created a new one. She’d made sure those people with whom she stayed in contact were alerted, and the rest could just guess as to where she’d moved.
She spied a note from her mother. It had been sent from Mom’s e-mail address at work.
Haven’t heard from you in a while. Are you OK? The condo that Greg and I are renting has a spare bedroom. You can come and stay with us as long as you’d like if you’re going crazy, living with all those country bumpkins. If you’re not going nuts now, I promise you will be soon. When I was your age, nobody could’ve paid me enough to live with my grandmother!
Meg felt grateful that she could reply to the contrary. Hi, Mom. I’m just fine. I’m happy here in Kentucky and I love teaching grade school. Grams and I are getting along great, and I’m even getting to know Dad and his other family. I actually enjoy their company, and they’ve been very supportive of me.
She paused, wondering whether to tell Mom she’d met a man who could make her heart skip. A moment later, she decided against it. Things were only budding between herself and Vance, and Meg didn’t want Mom to assume that this newfound happiness was contingent upon an affaire de coeur.
She ended the note with a simple Love, M and fired off the e-mail. She checked her other messages, and before long, students were trickling into the classroom.
Loretta sat at the kitchen table, trying to figure out how many family members were likely to come to the house for the Thanksgiving Day holiday—that is, if she invited them. Most years, her daughters-in-law either cooked or went to their folks’ homes while Loretta’s sons went hunting. But this year, Loretta wanted to do something different.
Besides, Meggie’s birthday was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and a huge party was in order.
“Whadda you want to do all that work for, Retta?” Tom groused. His coffee cup sat half-drunk in front of him. “You’ll have to wash dishes for days.”
“Family, Tom. Family! It’s a person’s reason for being.”
“No, it ain’t. God’s a person’s reason for being.”
“Well, of course, but God instituted family.”
“And ours are grown and gone. So I say let’s go out to eat on Thanksgiving Day.”
“What about Meggie?”
“She can come, too, if she wants.”
Loretta expelled a sigh of annoyance. Men just couldn’t understand the importance of a family sitting down together and eating a well-planned holiday meal. Why, their ideal Thanksgiving Day would involve hunting deer for hours and then returning to the house to watch a football game on TV.
“I want Meggie to experience family like she never has before,” Loretta tried to explain. “She and Paul finally made their peace.” Just thinking about the miracle that recently transpired caused her to choke with emotion. “She’s curious about her aunts and uncles and cousins. And it’s her birthday.”
“You know I’m just as happy ’bout that as you are, Retta, but Meggie’s a growed up woman now. You can’t plan things for her like she’s gonna be sweet sixteen. Why don’t you ask her what she might like to do over the Thanksgiving Day holiday and her birthday? She’s a spirited little thing. Might just want to go huntin’ with the fellas.” Tom let loose a series of chuckles.
Loretta bristled at such nonsense, but she had to concede that her lovable, crinkly faced friend had a point. It might be best to consult Meggie before the actual planning process began. Tom had a keen sense of understanding when it came to people. He didn’t say much, but when he did, folks listened.
Like on Sunday, during the ride home from church, Loretta had tried to convince Meggie to talk to Paul about the argument they’d had the day before at the stables. That girl was as stubborn as her daddy and refused. But later on, after lunch, Tom had offhandedly mentioned the biblical principle about not letting the sun go down on your anger, and before Loretta knew it, Meggie was driving her car over to Paul and Donna’s place.
“Besides, you’ve got two months till Thanksgiving,” Tom said, interrupting Loretta’s thoughts. “What’s
the rush?”
She pushed aside the pen and scratchpad on which she’d been doodling ideas. “I don’t know. I guess there is no rush.” She stood from the chair on which she’d been sitting. “Maybe I’ll just have a cup of coffee and a peanut butter cookie and think about Thanksgiving Day another time.”
“You’re a wise woman, Retta.”
She grinned. “And birds of a feather—”
“—flock together.”
Meg willed her tense body to relax as she stared out the bank of windows at the back of the classroom. Thank God this day was finally over! The school year was in full swing now, and her students’ personalities were emerging. Two boys got into a scrape at recess today, so Meg had to send them to Mr. Sutterman’s office. Then, during the spelling quiz, three girls in her class wouldn’t stop whispering. Warning notes were on their way home for the girls’ parents.
Meg rolled her shoulders, working out the stress in her muscles. It occurred to her that perhaps she’d been too strict today, and yet she knew that boundaries needed to be set early if she wanted the remainder of the school year to go smoothly. No doubt she’d be hearing from a few concerned, perhaps even irritated, parents.
“Meg?”
She turned from the windows just as Leah entered the room.
“Oh,” her friend sighed, looking relieved. “I’m glad you’re still here.”
“What’s up?”
“Can you give me a ride home? My car won’t start.”
“I’d like to, but I’m supposed to be at the Donahues’ at six.”
“I live right on the way.”
Meg smiled at her friend. “Then I’m glad to give you a lift.”
“Thanks.”
Leah strode across the room, wearing khaki linen slacks, a matching short-sleeved top, and an olive-green vest. Meg noticed that she always looked professional, fashionable, and comfortable.
“Hi, Cammy.”
The girl twisted in her seat and peered at Leah. “Hi, Miss Lawton.” She went right back to work, copying her spelling words.
Leah leaned forward, her elbows resting on top of the bookshelf that was situated beneath the windows. “Nice that the weather cleared.”
Love Finds You in Miracle, Kentucky Page 16