Heart of Clay

by Shanna Hatfield

  Chapter Fourteen

  Young voices blended with Callan’s from the vicinity of the kitchen as Clay walked inside the house and closed the front door.

  “Are there little strangers in my house?” he called as he tugged off his boots and left them in the coat closet.

  “Uncle Clay! Uncle Clay!” Audrey and Emma shouted as they ran toward him. He hunkered down, holding each of them in an arm and picked them up. Although he was being strangled from both sides, he loved every minute of it. A few sticky kisses later, he stopped next to the dining table where the girls and Callan had a mess of monumental proportions. “What are you ladies working on?”

  “Auntie Callan made us play glow,” Emma said with a nod of her head and a toss of her blond curls. “We’s making lots and lots of pretties, aren’t we, Auntie Callan?”

  “We most certainly are, sweetie. We are making all sorts of shapes with our play dough.” Callan beamed at the girls. “When you get done making all the things you want to create, we’ll put them in the oven and dry them out so they’ll last forever. How will that be?”

  “Goodie,” Audrey said, squirming to get down.

  Clay set both the girls down and raised a questioning eyebrow at Callan. “So are you two going to be Auntie Callan’s helpers all weekend?”

  “Yes!” Emma said, nodding enthusiastically. “We gets to help tonight and ‘morrow and we gets to sleep here. Right, Auntie Callan? For one sleeps or two?”

  “You get to stay for two sleeps,” Callan said with a warm smile. “Uncle Clay and I are so happy to have you come visit us. Aren’t we Uncle Clay?”

  “You bet.” Clay placed a kiss on each little curly head then tossed Callan a look that said she could explain their unexpected guests later. They hadn’t really spent time with the girls since Christmas vacation when they took them sledding.

  “Come make some play glow with us, Uncle Clay.” Emma shoved her tiny hands into a mass of bright blue dough.

  “Please, Uncle Clay, please help us.” Audrey added her own plea.

  Callan gave him a hopeless look and a shrug.

  How could he resist? He rolled up his sleeves and sat down next to Audrey then picked up a chunk of red dough. After forming it into a lumpy heart, he got up and dug around in a cupboard. He found a toothpick then drew two intertwined “C”s in the dough.

  He handed it to Callan and gave her a dimpled smile. “You’ve always had my heart in your hands, Callan, but here’s one you can hold.”

  Callan choked back the tears that pricked her eyes and clogged her throat. It wouldn’t do to get emotional in front of the girls, but she hoped Clay would know how deeply the gesture touched her. She grasped his hand and gave it a warm squeeze then leaned over to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”

  She wasn’t doing as good a job of hiding her feelings as she thought because Emma jumped down from her chair and climbed onto her lap.

  “Don’t cry, Auntie Callan,” Emma said, placing a hand on each side of Callan’s face. “I’ll hold Uncle Clay’s heart for you.”

  Laughing, Callan gave Emma a hug and a kiss. She looked over Emma’s head at Clay as she spoke. “Thank you, Sweet Pea, but I’m going to keep his heart in an extra special place, where it won’t ever get broken.”

  Clay ended up making both of the girls a heart with their initials. He couldn’t tell one blob from another that they had fashioned, but Callan oohed and aahed over their assorted flowers, animals, circles and curlicues. She put everything on a huge baking sheet and popped it into the warm oven to dry out so the girls could keep their treasures.

  “Now it’s time to play clean up. Who wants to help?” Callan asked brightly.

  “Me, me, me!” came the chorus from the two girls. Clay knew the clean up created twice the mess and took three times as long as it would have if Callan had done it herself, but the little helpers made it so much more fun.

  When they sat down to a dinner of macaroni and cheese, warm bread, fruit and veggie sticks, Callan and Clay listened to the girls chatter about all the things that were important in their little world.

  Audrey had a new friend named Deena who lived down the street and had two white kittens with blue eyes that were “gorgeous.” Emma, on the other hand, was more interested in the little green frog she found outside that morning and wanted to know why it had funny shaped legs, why it hopped, why it was the same color as grass, and why she couldn’t keep it in her room.

  Callan looked up at Clay and caught his eye, trying not to laugh. Tenderness spread through his chest. The two little girls brought warmth and light to a dark place in his heart and he was sure Callan felt the same.

  After dinner, they retired to the family room couch where they watched Sleeping Beauty. Audrey insisted she had to sit on Clay’s lap and Emma nestled into Callan’s.

  Every time something she deemed scary appeared, Emma buried her face in Callan’s shirt. Clay thought she’d missed more than half of the movie. Audrey thought everything was “gorgeous” and wanted to grow up to be a “gorgeous” princess.

  “But I want to look like Auntie Callan so I can have a prince just like you Uncle Clay,” Audrey stated with an affirmative shake of her head. “You’re extra nice.”

  “Thank you, Audrey. Auntie Callan is a gorgeous princess.” Clay gave Callan a wink. “But I think you’ll grow up to be a beautiful one, too.”

  “Really?” Audrey asked, staring at him intently.

  “Absolutely.” Clay turned her upside down and tickled her tummy, setting both girls into a round of giggles.

  “Oh, Clay, don’t get them wound up. It’s almost bedtime,” Callan warned, watching the excitement level take off in both girls.

  “Too late for that, girl.” The girls grabbed his hands and dragged him onto the floor where they rolled and played.

  Callan went to get a bath ready for them and came back to find Clay pretending to be a horse while Emma and Audrey rode on his back.

  “If you ladies wouldn’t mind dismounting, it’s time to head to the trough,” Callan teased.

  “Please, Auntie Callan, can’t we play just a little bit longer?” Audrey begged. “Please?”

  “How about if your trusty horse gives you a ride to the tub?” Callan asked.

  “Yes!” both girls squealed, giving Clay a series of kicks that would have sent a less stalwart horse to the floor with a bruised kidney or cracked rib.

  Clay hauled his riders into the bathroom where Callan peeled the girls off his back and plopped them into a tub full of bubbles.

  He returned to the family room and sank into his recliner to rest his back and ears. He had no idea how two girls could make so much noise and be so tiring.

  Nearly asleep in his chair, his eyes popped open when two wiggly bodies flopped on top of him. After a series of hugs and warm little kisses, the girls were finally ready to be tucked into bed.

  “You have to help Auntie Callan tuck us in, Uncle Clay. She said she isn’t sure she knows how to do it all by herself.” Audrey said, tugging on one hand.

  “Yep. You’ve gots to help her,” Emma said with a serious frown puckering her little brow while she tugged on his other hand.

  Clay pretended to drag his feet, letting them try to pull him across the kitchen floor. Their tiny toes peeking out from their ruffled nightgown hems were just too cute.

  Unable to tug him across the carpet in the hall, they gave up trying. Clay picked up both girls and carried them to the guest room. Callan had a lamp on by the bed and a storybook in her hand as he gently tossed the girls into bed. Their curls jumbled all over their faces and they giggled so much he didn’t think they’d ever settle down.

  Callan gave him a dark look. “I see Uncle Clay did a good job of winding up you two little clocks again.”

  “We’s not clocks, Auntie Callan,” Emma giggled. “Me and Audrey are girls!”

  “That you are, Sweet Pea.” Callan pulled the covers up and smoothed back their hair.
She sat down on one side of the bed and motioned for Clay to sit on the other with a tilt of her head. He sat down and waited. Bedtime rituals of little girls were not in his catalog of experiences.

  Callan started to read the story about a fairy princess and her friends in a slow, low voice. It didn’t take long for Emma’s bright blue eyes to grow sleepy, followed by Audrey. Within just a few minutes, both girls were asleep and looked more adorable than Clay thought possible.

  Callan kissed both girls, rose to her feet, turned off the lights, and pulled the door mostly shut. She flipped on a light in the guest bathroom across the hall then motioned Clay to follow her. They returned to the family room where Callan sank down in her rocking chair and set it moving back and forth at a furious pace.

  Clay could tell she was upset about something.

  “You won’t believe what Mel and Ted did today,” Callan said as he watched her anger grow with every rock of the chair. “I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things for the weekend. I was just coming out when I ran into Mel, Ted, and the girls. They were fighting and the girls were both crying. I asked them if there was anything I could do to help and they both told me to mind my own business. The girls, of course, both came to me, sobbing. I asked Mel if I could bring the girls home for the weekend while they tried to work things out. After more arguing, they decided it wasn’t a bad idea. Mel gave me her house key so I picked up a few of the girls’ things and brought them home. What’s wrong with them? Don’t they realize what a blessing they have with those two babies? I can only imagine what goes on at home.”

  Callan sighed and distractedly shoved a hand into her hair. “I was so irritated. I know I should have called and asked you before I offered to bring them home, but I couldn’t leave them there.”

  “It’s fine, Laney. Obviously, you did what was best for the girls and I don’t mind having them around. They’re kind of fun.” He grinned as he rubbed his back. “At least for a day or two.”

  Callan continued to rock the chair with such force Clay worried she would rock it back through the wall. “It is so unfair, Clay. So completely unfair.”

  “What’s not fair?” He knew what she would say, but wanted her to talk about her feelings. It wasn’t good for either one of them for her to bottle them up. They’d both learned that the hard way.

  “That people like them have these perfectly wonderful, loveable, sweet little angels and I’ve got nothing,” Callan spat out, then stopped rocking. She took a deep breath and swiped at the tears that began to roll down her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound spiteful. Sometimes it’s just so hard not to think about what our baby would have been like.”

  Clay patted his lap. Callan hurried off the rocking chair and settled across his legs. He wiped her tears away and held her close, waiting to speak until he could better articulate his own thoughts.

  “It must have been very difficult being around Emma after you lost the baby. She was just a few months old then. I know you don’t mean to, but you’ve always favored her. Is that why?”

  “Yes,” Callan whispered, not raising her head from its place against his chest. His heart beat steady and strong beneath her ear, giving her an added measure of comfort. Breathing in his familiar scent, she rested against him and absorbed the strength he so willingly offered. “I needed so badly to have a baby to love and Emma needed a mother’s love. It’s not that I love Audrey any less, it’s just that Emma filled a little of that huge hole in my heart.”

  Clay had to swallow hard before he could find his voice. “Oh, Callan, girl, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

  Callan and Clay loaded the girls into the car the next morning and went out to the ranch for the day. Clay thought some fresh air, horseback rides, and playing with a litter of puppies would be just the thing for two little girls that seemed to have more energy than their house could contain.

  When they arrived at the ranch, Audrey looked out the window. “Is this where you lived before you married Auntie Callan, Uncle Clay?”

  “Yep. I had lots of fun playing here when I was your age.” Clay tried to imagine what the ranch looked like to a six-year-old who spent most of her life playing in nothing bigger than an average-sized back yard. It was probably overwhelming. “We’re going to have loads of fun today, aren’t we, Auntie Callan?”

  “Definitely.” Callan squeezed Clay’s hand and gave him a grateful look. She was thrilled with his suggestion of spending the day at the ranch with the girls and knew they’d all have a great time. “I heard there are puppies that need some petting today. I wonder where we could find some little hands to do the job.”

  “I’ll do it, I’ll do it!” Emma banged her feet on the edge of her car seat. “I can do that, Auntie Callan!”

  “Great, Emma. You and Audrey can both have that job. How does that sound?” Callan smiled over her shoulder at the girls.

  “Yippee! We get to be puppy-petters today.” Audrey cheered as they went up the driveway.

  Clay held back his chuckles as he parked Callan’s car in front of the ranch house.

  Bobbi and Steve were thrilled to have children to play with for the day. The girls were thoroughly entertained and spoiled. They rode horses, played hide-and-seek in the barn, made ice cream, and pet the puppies until the poor things practically had their fur rubbed off.

  As the sun began its descent for the evening, Clay carried an exhausted Audrey while Callan carried a sleeping Emma out to the car and buckled them in.

  “Thanks for letting us spend the day. It was fun,” Callan said, turning to look at her mother-in-law. “I hope we didn’t wear you out too much.”

  Bobbi gave Callan a warm hug. “Not at all. We’re so glad you were willing to share the girls with us. It was really a treat to have them here. You better get those little misses tucked into bed, though.”

  After giving his dad a hearty handshake, Clay held open Callan’s door before walking around to open his own. “Thanks, again, Dad. I hope the pups won’t be completely traumatized from all the attention.”

  The girls were both sleeping by the time they arrived home and Callan didn’t have the heart to wake them up enough for a bath. They managed to get them into their nightgowns and wash their hands and faces before tucking them in for the night.

  As Clay gently placed Audrey into bed, she squeezed him around the neck. “Love you, Uncle Clay.”

  Clay kissed her forehead as he pulled up her covers. “Love you, too, Audrey. Now sleep tight.”

  Callan kissed Emma’s little cheek and turned off the light. She leaned against Clay as they stood together in the doorway watching the girls, grateful for the time spent with the little ones.

  The girls awoke to a fun breakfast of animal-shaped pancakes, bacon and juice. When they finished eating, Callan gave them a bath, combed their hair, and helped them put on dresses. Clay entertained the girls while Callan changed then they headed off to church. After the service, they went to a family-friendly diner for lunch.

  “Can I have a hamburder, Auntie Callan?” Emma asked, bouncing in her chair. “I love hamburders.”

  “Sure, Sweet Pea. Miss Audrey, what sounds good to you?” Callan asked while scooting Emma’s chair closer to her.

  “I like chicken strips. Can I please have some? With fries?” Audrey swung her legs back and forth over the end of her chair.

  “Absolutely, sweetie.” Callan looked at Clay. “What about you, Uncle Clay? What are you going to have for lunch?”

  “Definitely a hamburder.” Clay grinned before setting aside his menu.

  After the girls finished their lunch, the waitress asked if they’d like dessert.

  “Oh, please, please,” Emma begged, practically dancing in her chair. Her sweet tooth could rival Callan’s, especially when it came to chocolate.

  “How about if we share? I think Emma and I could make do with some chocolate cake. What would you like Audrey?” Callan asked as Audrey thought about her choices.
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  “Pie. I want pie.” Audrey looked at Clay. “Will you share with me?”

  “You bet kiddo. We want a big piece of berry pie and she’s going to want her ice cream in a dish on the side, right Audrey?” Clay said.

  Audrey nodded her head in affirmation with a big grin.

  Clay ate most of the pie while Audrey played with her ice cream. Callan got very little of the cake. Emma made short work of her share and most of Callan’s, too. She hoped her niece wouldn’t have a tummy ache later.

  They were wiping off the girls’ sticky hands and faces when the waitress walked over with the bill. She smiled and thanked them for coming in. “I just have to tell you folks what a beautiful picture you make. Several people commented on what a lovely family you have. Enjoy your day.”

  Callan looked like she’d been struck, unable to speak as the weight of the words from the well-meaning waitress settled over her.

  Clay cleared his throat and thanked the kind woman. He squeezed Callan’s hand and nodded his head. “We do have a nice family, don’t we girls? That’s why you know you can come visit us anytime you want. Auntie Callan and I really enjoyed having you stay with us this weekend.”

  After paying the bill and leaving the waitress a generous tip, Clay took Audrey’s hand and headed toward the door. Callan and Emma followed along behind with Emma chatting up a storm about chocolate, frogs, and puppies.

  Once they returned home, the girls played outside for a while before Callan announced it was time for them to go back to their house. When Clay stopped outside of Mel and Ted’s house, the girls took off running inside as soon as the restraints on their car seats were released. Both of them talked at once, trying to tell everything they had done.

  Clay and Callan carried the girls’ things inside and watched as Emma proudly showed off her box of “play glow” shapes. She was particularly animated about the heart Clay made her.

  Glad to see Mel and Ted were at least acting civil toward one another, Callan felt marginally better about leaving the girls with their parents. She thanked them for letting the girls stay for the weekend and encouraged them to visit again sometime soon.

  Clay and Callan both knew they would do anything they could for the two curly-headed darlings who held such a big part of their hearts.