Lost and Found Faith

by Laurel Blount

  “That’s a relief!” Maggie fished a cell phone out of her pocket. “I’d better let Ruby know Oliver’s safe and sound.” She kept her eyes fixed on the boy as she waited for an answer, as if she were afraid he was going to disappear again. “Ruby? I’ve found him over here at the cabin. No, he’s just fine, thankfully. You wait there. We’ll be home in a few minutes.”

  She ended the call and flashed a smile at Neil before turning her attention back to the boy. “Let’s go home and tell Grandma Ruby you’re okay. Maybe we’ll all have a glass of milk and a cookie. How does that sound?” Maggie held out her hands, but Oliver snuffled against Neil’s shirt and shook his head.

  Disappointment flickered in Maggie’s eyes, but she kept her arms outstretched. “Sorry,” she murmured, darting a glance at Neil. “He’s only been with me for about a month, and we’re still working on attachment. But we’ll get there, won’t we, Oliver? Thanks so much for your help, Neil. You’ve saved the day, you really have. Now, I’m sure you have things to do, so we’d better get going.”

  That was his cue to hand Oliver over. As if sensing Neil’s thoughts, the little boy clamped on tighter.

  “I could carry him back to Mrs. Sawyer’s for you,” Neil heard himself volunteering. “His knee was banged up pretty good, and I think he’s still upset.”

  “Poor little guy.” Maggie craned her neck to inspect his knees, zeroing in on the injured one. “Looks like you’ve administered some top-quality first aid.” As she angled Oliver’s leg for a better look, her fingers brushed against Neil’s chest.

  He jumped as if he’d been shocked, and she lifted surprised eyes to his. “I’m sorry! Did I poke you? Look, it’s kind of you to offer to walk back with us, but I don’t want to put you to any more trouble. You look like you’re all dressed up to go somewhere.”

  The meeting. He glanced at his watch and bit back a groan.

  It was too late to get to the high school, so he might as well see this little drama through. He’d reschedule with Principal Aniston later.

  “I’m not going anywhere. Not now, anyway. I’ll carry him.”

  Maggie smiled. “Well, okay. Thanks.”

  He edged past her down the cabin’s worn steps.

  “Neil?”

  He turned. “What?”

  “Would you like me to grab these for you?”

  She pointed to his keys, dangling from the dented doorknob. He blew out a weary breath. “Just leave them. Thanks.”

  Then maybe when he got back home, he’d be able to find them.

  Maybe.

  * * *

  When Ruby had fretted over her new renter being such a “sad, quiet fellow,” Maggie hadn’t paid much attention. Most likely this Neil guy just wasn’t responding to Ruby’s firehose brand of neighborliness. Some folks didn’t. Maggie loved Ruby beyond all reason, but she knew her blunt-spoken foster mom could be an acquired taste.

  But now that she’d met him... Maggie sneaked a sideways glance at the man walking silently beside her. Ruby might be getting older, but her instincts about people were as good as ever.

  A story of hurt was written all over Neil’s face. It was in his eyes, in the tense lines around his mouth and even in the stiff, slightly awkward way he carried Oliver. Maggie had a few instincts of her own, and they told her Neil Hamilton’s misery wasn’t fresh. His pain had settled in to stay, like a long spell of dreary winter weather.

  That was too bad. Maggie sighed as she sidestepped one of the many tree roots snaking across the red clay path. While waiting on customers at Angelo’s, she saw plenty of troubled folks, and she always wished she had more ability to help them. Unfortunately, most of the time all she could do was sympathize—and maybe plop an extra cookie in their bag if Angelo happened to be in a good mood.

  She prayed for them, too, of course. She kept a little notebook of prayer concerns right next to her order pad in her apron pocket, and it was a slow day when she didn’t add at least three new ones. She did what she could. It just never felt like enough, not when she knew firsthand what kind of unhappiness existed in the world. That was why she was so thankful for the opportunity to help Oliver.

  If only he’d let her.

  She looked at the little boy nestled in the man’s arms. Oliver had never cuddled against her like that, not once. When Maggie picked him up, he held himself stiff as a board, his little hands placed against her chest, pushing her away. Or worse, he screamed at the top of his lungs. It broke her heart every time, even though Ruby promised Oliver would eventually learn to trust her.

  So far, she’d seen no sign of that happening. She cut another glance at her companion, wondering what it was about this particular guy that had broken through Oliver’s defenses.

  At first glance, she didn’t see anything obvious. Of course, even with that unapproachable expression on his face, Neil was no slouch in the looks department. Tall and lean, he had nice shoulders and thick dark brown hair that didn’t look as if it had seen a comb recently.

  He also sported a shadowy scruff of beard, but Maggie wondered if that was intentional or if he just hadn’t bothered to shave lately. She kind of liked the casual, tousled look. She’d never been a big fan of men who spent a lot of time in front of mirrors.

  But none of that was likely to matter much to Oliver—or to her, either. She’d take as many friends as the good Lord saw fit to give her, but she wasn’t interested in romance. Maggie had witnessed one relationship disaster after another growing up, each one worse than the last. Now that Oliver had come into her life, she was determined to stay peacefully single, just like Ruby, and build a family by offering a home to children who needed one.

  As if sensing her scrutiny, Neil glanced at her, his brown eyes cool and impersonal behind his rimless glasses. He turned his gaze forward again without speaking.

  So that was the way he was going to play it. Stern and silent. Maggie’s lips twitched. Working at the bakery had given her plenty of experience dealing with all kinds of people. As Angelo had gotten older and grouchier, he preferred to hide in the kitchen, leaving Maggie to cope with the customers. Maggie prided herself on being able to connect with pretty much anybody, and she viewed the surliest folks as a personal challenge.

  Neil didn’t know who he was up against.

  “It’s a good little hike, isn’t it?” she observed cheerfully. “No wonder Oliver’s zonked out.”

  “What?” He threw a concerned look at the slack-jawed toddler dozing in his arms. “He’s fallen asleep. I don’t think he hit his head when he fell, but I can’t be sure.”

  “I don’t think we need to worry. It’s his nap time, and he walked a long way. I expect he’s just worn-out, but I’ll keep a close eye on him. So, Ruby told me you teach over at Cedar Ridge High?”

  He hesitated briefly before answering. “Yes.”

  “That’s a great school. I graduated from there myself.” She waited, but he didn’t pick up the ball. She tried again. “What subject do you teach?”

  “History.”

  “History? Ew.” Maggie hurried to bend the sagging branch of an oak sapling out of Neil’s way.

  He shot her a sharp glance as he passed. She met it innocently. “Ew?” he repeated.

  Maggie smothered a smile. Sometimes you had to poke the silent ones a little to get them going. Once they started talking, things got easier.

  “Sorry. History wasn’t my favorite class. It was all dead folks and dates, you know?”

  His eyebrows arched all the way above his glasses. The man had amazing eyes, Maggie decided, autumn-leaf brown with little golden flecks.

  “Dead folks and dates? That’s all you think history amounts to?”

  He didn’t sound offended. He sounded curious, as if she were some sort of odd creature he’d never encountered before. She offered him another bright smile.

  “Oh, I’m n
ot saying history’s not interesting, but wouldn’t you rather be making it than reading about it? I’ve never seen much point in looking backwards.”

  “Haven’t you?” Something in the way he said the words made the back of her neck tickle. It prickled in the same way whenever she clambered up on Sawyer’s Knob to look over the breathtaking mountain vista.

  Be very careful here, her instincts warned, so she answered softly.

  “Well, the past’s over and done with, isn’t it? If it was bad, you can’t change it, and if it was good, you can’t relive it. The present’s a lot more interesting. I think—”

  “This is a long way for a kid to walk by himself,” Neil interrupted. “How long ago did you and your mother lose track of him?”

  Maggie blinked. So much for trying to connect through some friendly banter. The teacherish disapproval in his tone made her feel like she’d just been caught peeking at somebody else’s test paper.

  Still, it was a valid question. She was worried, too. Oliver slipped away anytime they took their eyes off him, and he never answered when they called. Maggie had faithfully done all the attachment-fostering activities the social worker had recommended, but so far, Oliver showed no signs of settling in.

  “I’m not sure. He must’ve slipped out the back door after Ruby put him down for his nap. She didn’t realize he was missing until she went to check on him later. She called me at the bakery in a panic, and I came right over. We searched the house first, then the yard and the barns. I saw the path leading over your way, and I thought—”

  “He could’ve been seriously hurt. There are hundreds of uninhabited acres behind this farm. If he’d strayed off the path, he could have died out there in the woods before anybody found him.”

  Maggie winced. Neil obviously didn’t believe in mincing words, but she couldn’t argue with his point.

  “You’re absolutely right,” she agreed. “It’s a dangerous area. Did you notice the marker we passed a few minutes back? It marks the trail leading out to Sawyer’s Knob.” He shook his head briefly, indicating that he had no idea what she was talking about. “It’s an overlook, and the land around it’s been eroding pretty badly over the last few years. If he’d turned that way—” She stopped short. She couldn’t allow herself to think about that. “Trust me, I’m every bit as thankful for God’s mercy today as you are.”

  Neil’s face shifted, but he averted his eyes before she could read his expression. They walked the next few minutes in silence.

  As the Sweet Springs farmhouse came into view, Maggie stopped in the middle of the path. “Hold up a second.”

  He halted a step ahead and turned, gently shifting Oliver in his arms. He was dappled with the dancing shadows of the summer leaves, but his face was grim. “What is it?”

  “I understand you’ve got this whole righteous indignation thing going on, and I don’t blame you. If I were standing outside this situation looking in, I’d probably feel just as outraged as you do. Fuss at me all you want, but please don’t fuss at Ruby. She feels awful enough already. I promise you, I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

  “How?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “How are you going to make sure this doesn’t happen again?”

  Good question. “I don’t know yet, but I’ll figure it out.”

  A muscle jumped in Neil’s jaw. “Miss Byrne—”

  “Call me Maggie. Please.”

  He sighed. “Maggie, as a teacher, I’m a mandated reporter. That means that if I suspect any instance of child abuse or neglect—”

  “I know what a mandated reporter is.” She tried to hide her alarm. She ought to know. She’d been the subject of more than one teacher’s report herself, growing up.

  “—I’m required by law to report it,” Neil finished as if she hadn’t spoken.

  “I appreciate your concern, but you’re actually not mandated to report anything here.” He looked skeptical, but her childhood had given her life’s equivalent of a PhD in child-welfare laws. “Oliver is well-fed, clean and cared for. He’s struggling to adjust to a new placement, and he wandered off when his caregiver thought he was napping. This is nothing but an accident.”

  “An accident that we both agree could have turned into a tragedy.” Neil gazed down at the toddler asleep in his arms, and Maggie studied the change in his expression. A second ago, he’d come across as judgmental. Now he seemed only worried.

  Her alarm ebbed. She couldn’t fault any man for stepping up to protect a helpless child. She wished she’d had someone like Neil looking out for her when she’d been Oliver’s age.

  Her childhood might have gone a lot better if she had.

  “I have to figure out the details, but you have my word that I’ll tend to this. Oliver won’t turn up on your doorstep again.” Maggie’s gaze lingered on the child cuddled against Neil’s chest. Even in his sleep, his fingers gripped the fabric of Neil’s shirt. Again, she felt that pinprick of envy. “He’s taken to you like a duck takes to water, hasn’t he? Why don’t you come inside, and—”

  Neil looked uncomfortable. “Thanks, but I’d better get back to the cabin.”

  “Oh, but Ruby will want to thank you, too. And—”

  “I’m glad I could help. But, please understand, if this child—or any other child under your care—shows up in my yard again unsupervised, I’ll be on the phone to the police. And next time, no amount of pretty-girl-next-door charm will talk me out of it. Is that clear?”

  Maggie inhaled a slow, calming breath before she answered. “Perfectly clear, yes.” She held out her hands, and Neil carefully transferred Oliver into her embrace. Fortunately, the little boy was so deeply asleep that he barely stirred.

  For a second after Oliver was out of his arms, Neil stayed where he was, so close that Maggie could smell his scent—laundry detergent mixed with a spicy man-shampoo. His eyes stayed fixed on Oliver, and after a brief hesitation, he reached out and smoothed a lock of hair that had fallen over the little boy’s forehead.

  Then Neil seemed to come to himself, and he looked sharply at Maggie. “Please take better care of him.”

  She nodded without speaking, and he held her eyes for a long heartbeat. Then he turned on his heel and stalked back up the path through the woods.

  Maggie waited until he’d vanished into the trees before resuming her trek toward the farmhouse. Ruby would be overjoyed to see Oliver safe and sound, and Maggie couldn’t wait to tell her about the toddler’s uncharacteristic response to Neil. Maybe it would help them figure out a new plan to connect with this traumatized little boy.

  Or at the very least find some way to keep him from running away until he learned to trust them.

  That might be tough since at the moment Maggie’s brain only seemed able to focus on one totally silly detail.

  Stern, sad-eyed Neil Hamilton thought she was pretty.

  Chapter Two

  “Stop pacing, Maggie.” Ruby patted the ladder-back chair beside hers at the kitchen table. “We both need to sit a spell and count our blessings. Oliver’s safe in his bed, and everything’s fine.”

  She sounded as if she were trying to convince herself as much as Maggie. The older woman’s age-spotted hands still trembled, and her face was paper white. It took a good bit to rattle Ruby Sawyer, but Oliver’s vanishing act had done it.

  Maggie frowned. “Are you feeling all right, Ruby? Maybe I should call Logan and have him check you out. He’s had all kinds of medical training since he went to work at the sheriff’s department. We might as well put it to good use.”

  Ruby shook her head. “Don’t you bother your brother. Besides, if you call Logan, he’ll call everybody else, and they’ll all come running out here lickety-split. Then we really will have ourselves a mess.”

  Ruby was right. Of her six children, only Logan and Maggie had settled in Cedar Rid
ge, but the others stayed in close touch. If her flock of grown-up foster kids thought anything was amiss with their mom, every one of them would drop what they were doing and converge on this weather-beaten house like a swarm of anxious bees. Ruby had suffered more than one health scare over the past couple of years, and everybody was worried about her.

  None of them wanted to imagine a world without Ruby.

  “I’ll perk back up in a minute or two,” Ruby continued. “When I went to peep in on that baby and he wasn’t in his bed, my blood ran ice-cold. It gave me a turn, that’s all.”

  Maggie bit her lip. “Maybe it’s asking too much of you, having you foster Oliver until I can get licensed myself. I’m sorry. I didn’t expect it to be so hard.”

  “Don’t be silly. My house is open for any little’un who needs a safe place to stay, and it will be as long as I’m drawing breath. Anyway, this ain’t nothing I haven’t seen before. You children gave me plenty of gray hairs, too, but you all came around in the end.”

  “Really?” Maggie heard the desperation in her own voice. “Do you truly think Oliver’s going to adjust like the rest of us did, Ruby?”

  “I sure do. In God’s own time.” Ruby placed a work-roughened hand over Maggie’s. “Oliver’s had a heaping helping of pain, honey, losing his mama like he did, so unexpected. And from what his social worker’s told us, that’s not the half of what that poor baby’s been through. Addicts get too caught up in their own troubles to take good care of their children. You know that yourself.”

  Maggie nodded. Yes, she did know, all too well.

  “We just got to be patient and wait on God to heal his heart. It’ll happen, sure as the world, but you can’t rush it.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “I am. Don’t you worry. One day our little Oliver will run right into your arms and hug your neck. You’ll see. Besides,” Ruby continued, “going by what you told me, he turned a corner today. Somehow or another, Neil Hamilton got through to that baby.” The older woman clucked her tongue thoughtfully. “You never know who the Lord’s gonna use, do you?”