“She’s going to take the money out of her measly savings to cover the loss,” Jenna called as he and Lilly stepped out the door.
“Ignore her. She’s worried. And when she’s worried, she lashes out.” Lilly reached back and yanked the door shut. “Why did you need to see me?”
“Are you really using your savings?”
She crossed her arms in front of her, shielding from the cold. And probably from him. “That’s my business.”
“It’ll make me feel better if you let me cover it.”
Her hazel eyes weren’t flashing anger like her sister’s. No, hers were tired but resolved. With one look he could tell she’d refuse to budge.
“I came to see if you’d heard from Ricky. He’s a no-show today.”
She shook her head and sighed. “Running into him on Sunday was a fluke.”
Before he could finish filling her in on the situation, his cell phone rang. Phil. “Yeah, any news?”
“He skipped school today. And the friend he’s been staying with said his duffel bag and some clothes are missing.”
Daniel’s heart sank. “So he’s run away?”
“Looks like it. And he’s got an eight-hour jump on us.”
They had to try to find him. “We should split up. Where do you want me to start looking?”
“I’ll check with his mother. You look locally.” Once Phil gave a list of possible places to search, they hung up.
Lilly’s face scrunched in concern. “Ricky’s run off?”
“Yeah. I need to take the other boys home so I can help look for him.”
“You want me to run them home for you?”
What he really wanted, he had no right to ask. But maybe she and Ricky had connected. It couldn’t hurt to try. “I’d rather you come with me. You might be able to reach Ricky when no one else can.”
“Assuming you find him.”
He ground together his teeth. “We have to find him. I won’t consider the alternative.”
“Then let me ask Jenna to cover for me, and I’ll go with you.”
He couldn’t remember when he’d been more relieved. Her offer pushed the sick feeling into submission.
He had an ally. They would find Ricky.
Chapter Seven
Lilly ran inside to get her coat. “Jenna, can you cover the shop by yourself for a while?”
“You’re not asking me so you can go somewhere with that man, are you?”
“I thought you liked Daniel. Why is he suddenly that man?”
Jenna looked away, but not before Lilly saw the hurt and anger. “We asked him to bring his church here to help us financially. And now it’s cost us nothing but heartache and money.”
Heartache? Something else was going on besides money woes. “I told you, I’m covering the loss. It won’t hurt Aunt Talitha’s business.”
She bounced Will on her hip and stared at the computer.
“Jenna, what’s wrong?”
“He’s taking my husband away,” she snapped.
“What in the world are you talking about?”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about it...” She set Will in the playpen she’d moved to the store and handed him his stuffed dog. “My marriage problems started when Ned began going to that man’s church,” she said, her voice laced with uncharacteristic venom.
“Your marriage problems may be about a lot of things, but they aren’t about Ned attending church. If anything, that should make him a better man and father.”
“Since when did you start spouting the party line?”
When had she started to think that way? Once she’d attended services herself? “It’s not like I’m one of them. But I’ve seen the good work they’re doing. They wouldn’t lead your husband away from his family.”
“You know where he is right this minute? Putting up some stupid shelves for the food pantry when he has a broken kitchen cabinet that needs fixing at his own house.”
“Come on, Jenna. Listen to yourself. That food pantry will feed hungry people.”
“You’re just saying that because you’re interested in Daniel. I see the way you look at him.”
The comment knocked her on her heels. Heat streaked from her chest to the tips of her ears. “Whoa! Back up a minute. I’m not interested in Daniel. I know better than to get involved with a man like him—a man who’ll be moving on before long.”
“Then why are you hanging around him, helping him, asking me to cover for you while you go trotting off somewhere?”
She had the urge to hug her sister but kept her hands at her side. Neither of them were touchy-feely people. “Ricky Hartley, a troubled teen the church has been helping, ran away. And since, for whatever reason, Ricky talked to me on Sunday, Daniel thinks maybe I can convince him to come home.”
Jenna didn’t say a word, just paced behind the counter.
“So can you handle the shop for a while?”
“That means I’ll probably have to close again by myself.”
“Yes. Or you can close early if you feel you need to take Will home.”
As if he’d heard his name, he started to whimper and fuss to get out of the playpen.
Jenna stepped around the counter and continued to pace in a larger area. “Maybe I can call Ned to help me.”
Lilly picked up Will to soothe him and carried him to his mother. “If he’s not working, I’m sure he’ll be glad to.”
As Jenna took her son, she looked at Lilly, almost guiltily. “I’m really not a bad person, you know. I want you to find the kid.”
“I do know that. You and I tend to lash out when we’re hurt or scared. I want to try to move beyond our past.” And to move beyond Clint’s betrayal.
Jenna sighed. “Go with Daniel. I’ll call Ned.”
The desperate look in Jenna’s eyes made Lilly hug her sister. “I hope he comes, and that you get to talk.”
Jenna held on tightly. “Me, too. Now go, before I change my mind.” She pushed Lilly away and headed to the storeroom with her son.
Lilly grabbed a coat, her purse and a notepad, then joined Daniel, Parker and Ian at Daniel’s car.
“What’s the paper for?” Parker asked.
“You two are going to tell me all the places you think Ricky might have gone. And give me names and phone numbers of anyone he might’ve contacted.”
Once the boys had given her all the information they could—which wasn’t much, they drove Parker home. Then they headed to Ian’s.
Ian said goodbye as he got out at a dilapidated, shacklike house.
“Where to first?” Daniel asked.
“I can’t believe anyone could actually live there. Looks like it could fall down at any moment.” Her heart hurt as she watched the boy walk inside. Trash littered the yard. A broken-out front window had been covered with a cardboard box. A scrawny dog barked at them from his short chain that had wrapped around a tree. All signs of neglect.
Ian probably wasn’t treated any better.
Images of her and Jenna huddled up at night for warmth, their stomachs growling, played like a slide show through her mind.
“Rough family situation,” Daniel said. He glanced her way. “You okay?”
“It hits a little too close to home.”
His hands gripped and released the steering wheel. Then gripped again like he wished he could punish someone. Like he wished he could defend her. It made her nearly cry.
“Want to talk about it?” he asked.
She dragged herself away from the past and from Ian’s dismal house. “No. We need to call the two possible friends Parker named.”
They pulled into a nearby parking lot. Daniel hopped out to make one of the calls.
She had no luck with her
s. When Daniel glanced inside, she shook her head.
He climbed back in. “Nothing. But Phil called. His sister hasn’t seen or heard from Ricky. I told Phil we’d drop by the apartment complex where Ricky and his mom lived until they were evicted to see if he’s taken up with any of his former neighbors.”
They got back in the car and drove around downtown Corinthia looking for Ricky’s ragtag red pickup truck. They didn’t see it anywhere near the square, so they went two streets over to the ramshackle apartment complex. A pile of old, worn furniture was strewn haphazardly at the curb.
“You think that belongs to the Hartleys?” he asked.
She didn’t want to know.
Ricky’s truck wasn’t anywhere in the parking lot, so they stopped and got out of Daniel’s car. The complex was small. Making the rounds didn’t take long. No one had seen Ricky or his truck since they’d moved out weeks ago. As they exited the lot, a boy about middle school age waved at them.
Lilly rolled down her window.
The kid was clean-cut and dressed nicely. “Heard you’re looking for Ricky.”
“Yes. Have you seen him lately?”
“Yeah. He came by today looking for his dog.”
Daniel leaned across Lilly. “His dog?”
“Yeah. They left it when they got kicked out. Heard him whistling for it today.”
Once again, Lilly’s heart ached for Ricky. Pets cost money. And they didn’t handle moves well.
“Did he say where he was going?” Daniel asked.
“Nah. Said he was looking for his dog.”
“Thanks.” Daniel slid back over to his seat.
She started to roll up the window but paused halfway. “Did he find it?”
The boy’s eyes grew sad. “I don’t think so.”
Something about the boy—his clothes so perfect—reminded her of herself after the humiliation over the dirty clothes incident. From that moment on, she’d sworn she’d never again look poor.
“What’s your name?” she asked as he turned to walk away.
“Darren. But everyone calls me Dag.”
“Well, Dag, Daniel, here, has an after-school program for boys. Have your mom or dad call the church and ask about it.” She glanced at Daniel. “Do you have a business card?”
His eyes wide, he paused before quickly recovering and whipping one out of the glove box. He reached across her and handed it over.
“Cool.” The boy’s brown eyes brightened.
“Dag, I’d appreciate it if you’d call that number if you see Ricky again. Hope to see you around.”
He nodded, then walked back toward the apartments.
“So he came for his dog,” Lilly said.
“I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, Daniel bowing his head to pray, lips moving quietly, his words a mere whisper. Lilly turned away and stared out the window, hoping daylight would hold out.
Her mind kept going back to the previous Sunday and replaying it in her head. Then she replayed the day Ricky offended Vera and the ladies. “You know, Daniel, both times when Ricky was supposed to show up for his court-ordered community service, he was outside avoiding going in.”
His intense sky-blue eyes bore into hers. “Surely not.”
“Could be. Let’s go look around The Yarn Barn.”
They headed back to the shop. No sign of Ricky’s truck in the parking lot. But then, he wasn’t stupid. If he didn’t want to be found, he could hide it anywhere.
A quick search around the building didn’t yield any clues.
“You don’t think he’d be in the woods do you?” Daniel asked.
In the winter? Not something she would ever do. But Ricky could feel desperate to get away from everyone. “Let’s check.”
They didn’t have to go far before they found a pup tent set up in a small clearing under a pine tree. She pointed.
Daniel’s head fell back in relief so palpable it made Lilly’s eyes sting. He really cared for these kids, for the people he pastored. Even though he knew he’d be leaving, he’d invested himself in the community.
She imagined once he found the right woman, he’d give himself wholly to her, as well.
He put his arm around her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. “Nice work,” he whispered. Then he approached the tent. “Ricky? You in there?”
A loud bark rang out, followed by a deep, menacing growl. Lilly nearly ran the other direction, but then she realized the dog was zipped inside.
Ricky had found his dog.
“Go away,” Ricky shouted through the closed flap.
“We need to talk.”
“How’d you find me?”
Daniel glanced at Lilly. “Why didn’t you show up today?”
“I’m ready to be on my own. Plan to keep to myself until my birthday. Now leave me alone.”
The dog growled again.
Daniel leaned close to Lilly’s ear. “Can you try? He may talk to you.”
He trusted her in this crazy situation? Swallowing back trepidation, she stepped toward the tent. “Ricky, it’s Lilly.”
“Aah, man. Why are you here?”
“I care what happens to you.”
He sighed behind the nylon barrier. “I guess I was wrong about you. If you really understood, you’d let me go. Only nine more months, and I’ll be eighteen.”
“A lot can happen in nine months,” she said.
Ricky gave an ironic laugh, but the laugh turned into something else entirely. Something that sounded, oddly, like the combination of a cry and groan.
“You okay, Ricky?” Daniel asked.
“Go away, man.” He sniffed.
Daniel’s mouth drew into a narrow line. He stepped closer to the tent and put out his hand, ready to reach for the zipper. “Will you let Lilly in to talk?”
Slowly, the zipper opened. A defeated Ricky walked out.
Alarm shot through Lilly at the grief-stricken look on his face.
“Yeah, I’ll talk to Lilly.”
A big dog tore out of the tent and ran straight at Lilly. She screamed as Daniel shoved her behind him.
Then she realized the dog’s tail was wagging. He circled them, thumping her with his wriggling rear end, sniffing both her and Daniel. The vicious-sounding attack dog was actually an overly friendly yellow lab mix.
When Lilly realized Daniel still kept himself between her and the dog, something hard inside her softened, warmed. No one had ever defended her against a threat. Tears welled. “Thanks, Daniel.”
Humor lit his eyes. “Killer puppy.”
“I appreciate it.” She rubbed the pup’s ears. “Nice dog, Ricky. What’s his name?”
“Quincy.”
Daniel tensed. “Interesting name for a dog.” His eyes narrowed, and he stared at Ricky as if searching, waiting.
Lilly couldn’t figure out where Daniel’s suspicion stemmed from.
Ricky challenged Daniel with squared shoulders and clenched fists. “Go ahead. Ask me.”
Daniel’s expression didn’t change. He looked calm, but she recognized the tension coiled in his body. “How’d your pup get that name?”
“After my ex-girlfriend. Cricket Quincy.”
Girlfriend? Lilly’s heart raced. Could it be?
“Are you the father of her baby?” Daniel asked.
Ricky’s shoulders heaved, but he maintained control. “I want to talk to Lilly. I trust her.”
No, no, no! Don’t trust me. Trust Daniel. He’s the one who can help you. She screamed the words in her head but didn’t utter a sound.
“Let’s all three talk,” Daniel suggested. “We’ll go back to the church or the yarn shop. Wherever you want t
o go.”
“I don’t want to go to Phil and Marla’s.”
“We won’t make you,” Lilly said, although she had no idea why she, an outsider, was stepping into this complicated scene. She squatted down and rubbed Quincy’s ears.
As she avoided a bath from the dog’s tongue, she noticed Ricky’s defensive stance had softened while watching her with Quincy. Maybe the dog was the way to break down the boy’s barriers.
“Let’s go talk somewhere Ricky can take Quincy. We can go to my house.”
Daniel glanced at her, questioning. Then he nodded. “Good idea.”
She didn’t give Ricky a chance to refuse. “Come on. Daniel can drive. He won’t mind a little fur in his car when it’s on someone so adorable.” She winked at Daniel as she wrapped her arm around the puppy’s warm neck.
“You promise you won’t call my uncle?”
“We need to let him know you’re safe,” she said. “But we won’t send you over there until you’re ready.”
He nodded and seemed to believe her, but then he turned a skeptical eye toward Daniel. “I need to hear you promise.”
“I’ll leave the decision to Lilly. This time.”
Lilly wanted to run. To ignore the possibility this kid was responsible for Cricket’s pregnancy. To ignore the fact he trusted her and looked to her for guidance. She wanted to head back to the shop, preferring the ups and downs of the yarn business to this. But she couldn’t. Whether she liked it or not, she was now involved in Ricky’s life.
And thus, in Daniel’s.
* * *
Daniel watched the scene unfold before him, trying to stay out of it so as not to inhibit Ricky—who didn’t yet trust him for some reason.
Lilly had been amazing. She’d gotten past Ricky’s defenses in no time.
Ricky’s the father of Cricket’s baby.
Daniel still couldn’t wrap his mind around it.
Ricky swiped at tears as if wanting to punish himself for his weakness, furious at his show of emotion. “I can’t step forward. She said her parents would kill her for going out with me after they’d forbidden it. How do you think that makes me feel, when all I want—” He heaved a shaky breath. “I want to know my son.”
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