“Watch it, Ronnie.” Holly would not tolerate language or name-calling. “Did you listen to Pastor Rollins at all yesterday?”
He had the grace to look ashamed as he stared at his feet. “Not really.”
“Well, I wish you had, because he told us we needed to look at everybody and try to see them the way God does. It doesn’t matter how they’re dressed, or how they look.” All she needed was a lectern. The boys’ eyes were already starting to glaze over.
Fine. She’d speak their language.
“All four of you have earned detention for the rest of the week. You have your choice of lunchtime or after school.”
“I can fix up your phone again.” Ronnie’s hopeful expression quickly vanished as he looked at her face.
“Lunchtime or after school?” If they didn’t choose, she would.
“I can’t stay after school. I have baseball practice.” Troy Cotter protested.
Holly picked up her detention pad. “Lunch it is, then. What about the rest of you?”
After muttering and mumbling, all four boys ended up with lunch detentions, and an assurance that if they were caught name-calling or making fun of anybody again, their parents would be contacted.
She had barely ushered the boys out when Coach Hopper arrived with a sullen Billy Andrews beside him.
“Miss Morris, it seems Mr. Andrews slept in the locker room last night. The assistant principal told me to bring him to you; you’d know how to handle it.”
Lord, give me strength. I don’t understand how a parent can choose alcohol over her child’s well-being.
“Thank you, Coach.” Holly stood back and held the door open. “Go on in and have a seat, Billy. I’ll be right in.” She waited until he was inside before she turned back to Al Hopper. “Did Mr. Graham say whether he wants me to call Children’s Services?” While Billy Andrews was a frequent topic of faculty meeting conversations, a plan of action had never actually been put in place.
Coach Hopper shrugged. “He just said you’d know what to do, so I guess it’s up to you. I found him behind the lockers with a pallet made out of his gym clothes and towel. Couldn’t have been very comfortable.”
“Thanks again.” She turned and walked into her office, softly closing the door behind her.
Deciding it was pointless to wish just once, Mr. Graham would step in and take care of more disciplinary matters, she sat behind her desk and focused on the slouching teenager.
“First of all, Billy, does your mom know where you’re at? That you’re all right?” Holly waited for him to answer.
His eyes peered defiantly from between locks of blond hair. “Don’t matter to her. She’s probably plastered again. She probably don’t even know I was gone.”
“Why did you stay at school?” What must his home life be like?
He shrugged. “Didn’t wanna go home. Nothing there I care about.”
“What about Gracie?” Holly was certain Billy loved and would do anything for his five-year-old sister.
“He doesn't hurt Gracie.” It was obvious Billy wanted to take back the words as soon as he said them.
“Who doesn’t hurt Gracie?” Was Cliff Andrews finally home?
For a minute, Holly didn’t think Billy was going to answer. He finally looked into her eyes, trying to appear defiant, but a frightened child sat in front of her. “Mom’s got a boyfriend.”
Wait a minute. His married mother had a boyfriend? Well, that wasn’t her primary concern at the moment. Billy’s reference to this man not hurting Gracie led her to believe he was hurting Billy. This could get tricky. Holly needed another adult in here—a witness, preferably male.
“Billy, is there somebody here at school you trust? A teacher, I mean. Sometimes, it takes more than one person to give you the best help. Is there somebody I can have join us for a few minutes?” Now, if he didn’t shy away.
The sad-looking teenager seemed to carefully consider his answer before speaking. “I guess Mr. Murdock is okay. He lets me use the computers in study hall if I have all my homework done.”
Virgil Murdock. He was a jovial man in his early sixties, soft-spoken and easy-going. The kids liked him. He taught English and monitored study hall. Holly checked the master schedule and saw he was in the library that period. Well, Mr. Graham could just cover study hall for Virgil since he chose not to step up and help the boy himself.
“Let me make a couple of phone calls.” Holly smiled encouragingly at Billy.
After explaining to the assistant principal how the situation warranted an adult male’s presence and Billy had asked for Mr. Murdock, it didn’t take very long to get everything arranged. Within ten minutes, a soft knock sounded on Holly’s office door.
“Come in.”
Virgil Murdock, with his salt-and-pepper hair in its usual cacophony, and his ever-present cordial expression in place, stepped into the room.
“Good morning, Billy. Miss Morris.” He greeted them before he sat beside the teenager.
“Mr. Murdock, Billy spent last night here at the school. It seems he slept in the locker room.” She would have to start this conversation. “So, Billy, will you tell me again, and Mr. Murdock, why you spent the night here?”
Her question was met with complete silence. Was the presence of another grown-up, even one Billy claimed to trust, going to keep him from talking?
“You can tell us anything, Billy.” Virgil Murdock’s voice was steady. “You’re not going to be in trouble. We know you wouldn’t have stayed here and slept in that smelly locker room unless something was wrong. Please let us help you.”
Billy’s lips quivered for a moment, but then he turned to his teacher with a look of determination. “My mom’s got a boyfriend. She doesn't care if my dad gets hurt, or even killed while he’s fighting in the war.”
Holly was relieved to hear him open up, but afraid this was only the tip of the iceberg. “You said your mom’s boyfriend doesn’t hurt Gracie. What did you mean?”
Billy didn’t take his eyes off Mr. Murdock. “Jack. That’s his name, Jack Wallace. He doesn't like me. He likes Gracie. He’s nice to her and brings her toys and candy.”
“Is Jack ever alone with her?” Her stomach churned.
“He ain't like that.” Billy turned his attention to Holly, and for a moment, an angry man stared from the frightened boy’s eyes. “I’d kill anyone who touched my sister like that.” Just as quickly as his fury came, it disappeared. “He really likes her. He even wants to be her dad.”
“What about how he treats you?” It was Virgil asking the question.
For the first time since Holly had known the boy, she saw tears in his eyes. He looked blindly toward his feet. “He hates me. He calls me names and says I’m worthless.”
“Is that all he does?” was Mr. Murdock’s quiet inquiry.
Billy looked into his teacher’s eyes for a moment before wordlessly raising the sleeve of his T-shirt. Holly couldn’t stop her gasp when she saw the livid marks left so unquestionably by large fingers. There were circular bruises and what appeared to be small burn marks above them, on Billy’s upper arm. Unbidden tears came to her eyes as she ached for the young man, still a child, in front of her.
“That ain't all.” Billy, seeming almost embarrassed now, pulled his sleeve back down. “I got more bruises, but I can’t show them to you, Miss Morris.”
Holly exchanged a look with Mr. Murdock before speaking. “Billy, what Jack did to you isn’t just being mean. It’s against the law. I don’t want to scare or upset you, but I have to call the police.”
The teenager’s eyes were perfect circles. “The police?”
Holly rushed to reassure him. “You won’t be in any kind of trouble; I promise, but they’ll want to see your bruises.”
“All of them?” Billy’s voice was shaking.
“Yes.” Holly tried to smile encouragingly at him. “You’ll have to tell them what happened. It’ll be okay. Mr. Murdock can stay with you if you’d like.” Mr. Graham could just try
to teach English today. Maybe next time he’d step up and help his student.
Billy looked at his teacher again. “Will they put Jack in jail?”
The compassionate man nodded. “They’ll fix it so he can never hurt you again. And Billy, you’re doing a very brave thing. I know he likes your sister now, but if she ever makes him mad…think how easily he hurt you.”
“He likes it.” Billy studied his hands. Holly wasn’t certain what was going through his mind, but the boy who looked up at Holly was a determined young man. “Okay.” He took a deep breath and sat straighter. “I’ll show my bruises to the police and tell them everything.”
“All right.” Holly stood up. “You stay here with Mr. Murdock while I go make some phone calls. Get yourself a can of root beer out of my mini-fridge if you’d like.” She waited until he made eye contact with her. “I’m very proud of you, Billy.”
Holly turned and walked out of the office as Virgil stood to get a soft drink for the boy. As soon as she closed the door, she leaned against the wall, thankful the hall was empty, and shook. A man put his hands on that child and hurt him. This was part of her job; she was trained for it. The reality was nearly her undoing, though. After taking a deep breath, she stiffened her spine and headed toward the library.
After she had informed Mr. Graham of the situation, she called the police and Department of Children and Family Services. Somebody had to protect the Andrews children since their mother obviously wasn’t.
Finally, after a heartbreaking interview with an emergency caseworker, Billy and Virgil Murdock headed to the hospital with Deputy Hank Stone.
Once alone, the emotional strength she held onto for Billy’s sake vanished. There was only one thing she knew would help. She picked up the phone on her desk and dialed a familiar number. Hopefully, Luke would be in from the fields for lunch or somewhere he could hear his cell phone. She needed the comfort of his voice.
Chapter 6
Luke found himself humming while he pulled the disk through his field. Holly had called him. She was upset, and chose him, of all people, to reach out to for support and comfort. Could she finally feel something more than friendship?
Father, you know how much I love Holly. I know it’s your will and not mine, but I’m asking for her to love me back. Please open her eyes, so she can see the love I’m offering her. Give me the courage to show her. Amen
The tractor was one of his favorite places to pray. He found it comforting to talk to his Savior in the midst of God’s blessing of bounty. He started the practice while he was a teenager working on his dad’s farm. It helped him through those adolescent years when it was a struggle to pray and be a “real man” at the same time. Now he understood praying was what made him a real man.
The sunlight flashing off the old silo caught his attention. The original home site of the farm was located between what was now the northwest corner of his field and the woods he owned. Unoccupied after the new house was built, the old one had fallen into a state of disrepair. Soon after Luke bought the farm, his dad helped him tear down the one wall still standing, and they used a backhoe to clean the place off. Even though it was too far from his barn to be of use, he didn’t have the heart to tear down the sturdy silo. Of course, Luke hadn’t checked it for structural soundness in quite a while. He’d never gotten around to filling in the cellar, either, come to think of it. Both those tasks would go at the top of his to-do list as soon as his bean field was finished. All he needed was a trespasser to get himself hurt out there. The person would break the law, and then sue Luke for everything he owned.
Thinking of a trespasser reminded him of the machine shed. He felt a twinge of guilt because he hadn’t told Holly about the vandalism. Mitch advised him to keep it quiet so they could both keep their ears open. If anybody around town started talking about it, they’d most likely have their intruder. It was just that he and Holly didn’t keep things from each other. She told him everything about her job. He always kept it to himself, too. She would be hurt if—when—she found out what happened.
She’s mine. He had gone over those words many times. Among the expletives and suggestions for physically impossible bodily actions, they were the only words not filth printed in the shed. It just didn’t make any sense to him, though. The only “she” Luke could imagine was Holly, and as far as he knew, nobody else had set his cap for her. And, since he always acted appropriately with women, there was no way he could have angered one of their significant others. It just didn’t make sense.
He forced his thoughts elsewhere. The class reunion was coming up. Holly already asked him if they could go together. He could tell while she was excited about seeing some of their old classmates, she was also nervous. Luke remembered how some of them, especially the “cool” kids, treated her. Only a few were downright cruel; the majority paid no attention to her at all.
He’d done all he could, though. If Luke Walker was invited, Holly Morris was coming too. Of course, it hadn’t helped her with female get-togethers. She had been left out of many sleepovers and parties, especially when they were thrown by Lucy Phillips or Sally Young. Those two seemed to thrive on Holly’s misery.
At least, since her arrival in Shadow at the beginning of fifth grade, Tessa was there. She stepped in and threw her own party on the same night Lucy or Sally had hers. Only a few girls showed up for Tessa’s, but Holly always talked about the fun they had. Luke was glad Holly had Tessa in her life. He was doubly glad when the two of them went to college together.
Seeing Holly leave for a school way out in Massachusetts was one of the hardest things Luke had ever done. Because he helped his dad on the farm and planned on buying his grandparents’ place as soon as he graduated, he studied agriculture at a college only an hour’s drive from Shadow. Holly would probably never know it, but he actually skipped a few classes to be home when she was back in town for visits. He took advantage of every opportunity to spend time with her during those four years.
Unfortunately, also during those years, Luke managed to develop a false sense of security and courage. He told himself as soon as they were both out of college and back home, he’d ask her to marry him, and they would live happily ever after. He never pictured their relationship remaining the same; he wanted it to grow. It took the better part of a year for him to accept the reality of the situation.
He thought of the ring his grandparents had given him. What would Holly think of it? Would there be anything to gain by showing the heirloom to her and telling her the story? Or would she just think it was an interesting tale about her friend’s family? It was something to consider, at least. The ring may provide him with an opportunity.
Holly didn’t see it the same way, but for all intents and purposes, they had been steadily and exclusively dating for over five years. He wanted her to realize how good they were together. She fit not only into his heart; she fit into his life. They shared the same beliefs and values. She knew what living on a farm was like, and he’d never ask her to give up her career unless she wanted to. They would have beautiful children with her big, brown eyes. If only she could see it.
He started praying again.
Chapter 7
“Wake up, sleepyhead.” Luke’s soft voice roused Holly from her nap. She sat straight up.
“I’m sorry.” Oh, my. Had she really been snuggled against him like that? “I was drowsy during Bible study, but I didn’t mean to nod off on you. Why didn’t you wake me?” The poor man only came in for a piece of the pie she therapeutically baked the night before.
“You’re obviously exhausted.” Holly felt Luke reach from where his hand rested behind her and gently capture a strand of her hair. “Any word on Billy?”
“The doctor said the cigarette burns will leave scars.” Holly blinked tears away. “And, I guess with such dark bruises on Billy’s lower back and stomach, the doctor feared he might have sustained internal injuries.” When he confessed to her and Virgil, the teenager had minimized the beatings he
received from that monster. “He’s going to be in the hospital a couple more days, and then he’ll live with his grandmother. The judge granted her temporary custody of both Andrews children.”
“I’m sorry you had to deal with it.” What was Luke doing? A brief tug, and then her unclipped hair tumbled onto her shoulders. “It had to be one of the most difficult things you’ve ever handled.”
“Except for the ...” She stopped. Her tired mind almost let her blurt out the news of a long year spent in constant terror. And even though she’d been repeatedly assured it wasn’t her fault, she still had a tiny niggle of doubt. What if she did something to cause it? “Yes, it was.”
“And Amy?”
The thought of Amy brought a smile to her face. “You should see her. I don’t think the jeans she wore to school today were even a name brand. Her hair was in a ponytail, and not a trace of makeup. She looks like any girl her age.”
Tingles rushed through her as his fingers dove deeper through her tresses. “You gave her great advice. Just think, Holly. Her mom bought those clothes because she thought it was what Amy wanted, and Amy wore them because she thought it was what her mom wanted. All they had to do was be honest with each other.” His tender caresses had her so relaxed, she was disappointed when Luke’s hand dropped to her shoulder. “You’re good at your job, Holly. God called you to an important task and gave you the skills to accomplish it.”
“You’re good at your job, too.” Holly momentarily rested her cheek against Luke’s hand before she stood. “And not just farming. You’re wonderful with our youth group. If I hadn’t told those boys they could explain things to you, I doubt they would have given in quite so quickly.”
“But doesn’t the fact they behaved that way right after spending time with me prove I’m not getting through to them?” Luke’s eyes were filled with doubt.
“You’re missing the point, Luke. They respect you, or they wouldn’t have cared a lick about having to tell you what they did. And respect is the hardest thing to earn when it comes to their age group. I know that for a fact.”
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