She smiled. “Thanks, Ty. That means a lot.”
He nodded, as if embarrassed by his statement.
In less than fifteen minutes, Ty got behind the wheel of Maddie’s car and the three of them were heading south.
“Where are we going?” Darcy asked again.
Maddie half turned to the backseat to see her. “To Blackstone, it’s in south Texas. I’ve never been there before, so I can’t tell you much about it.”
Ty looked at her in the rearview mirror. “Might as well get comfortable. We won’t get there until after bedtime.”
She looked at Maddie for confirmation.
She nodded. “I know it’s a long drive, but if we play games or something it’ll make the time go by faster. I wish I had a car bingo game. Maybe I could make one.”
“What’s that?” Ty asked.
“We used it when we took the kids from our church to camp last summer. Instead of letters and numbers, each square has something on it likely to be seen on a trip—you know, like speed-limit signs, traffic signals, railroad-crossing signs. The first person to get all the squares in a row filled in wins. Let me see if I have some blank paper and I’ll draw a couple.”
Ty glanced at Maddie as she rummaged around in her tote, then glanced back at Darcy. Feeling a wave of love sweep through him, he couldn’t bear the thought of her grandparents raising her. He wanted her to know him, know his values, his beliefs. He wanted so much for her, and ached to be a part of her life.
Yet she probably loved her grandparents. He was practically a stranger. Silently he offered a prayer that all things would work to the glory of the Lord. It was hard sometimes to relinquish all that to the Lord, but he couldn’t do anything on his own. Only with God’s help could he manage. If he lost Darcy, would that shake his faith? He needed to be steadfast and know whatever the outcome, it would be for the best.
“Easier said than done,” he muttered.
“What is?” Maddie asked, glancing his way.
“I am trying to put everything at the Lord’s feet and hope He’ll handle it the way I want, or however is best by His will. But I want so much—” He broke off.
“I know.” Maddie reached out and touched his arm gently. “We’ll pray about it, and then work to the best of our ability to keep things the way they are.”
“Why are we going to Blackstone?” Darcy asked, looking between Ty and Maddie.
“To see if we can find my father,” Maddie explained. She handed back a sheet of paper and a pencil. “Do you know how to play bingo?” she asked.
Darcy shook her head.
Ty listened while Maddie patiently explained how the game worked. Once again, he realized how wrong he’d been about her. She reminded him of Brittany—yet she didn’t. She had the same flair and sophistication, yet didn’t put on an attitude. She was wonderful with Darcy. He remembered every meal they’d shared, the riding lessons, the picnic. The bedtime stories. Sitting on the porch with him after Darcy was in bed, listening to his hopes and dreams for his daughter, offering gentle suggestions about how he could bond them closer together.
She was wonderful with him, too, he thought ruefully.
He glanced over at her. She was so patient with his daughter. Kind and compassionate—exactly like a good woman of faith should be. He was fortunate Violet had suggested her as temporary nanny.
For a moment, Ty wondered if she’d consider the job full-time. It would mean she’d stay beyond September. He’d have someone to talk to, someone to discuss child rearing with. To share delightful moments.
Once again that feeling of contentment swept through him. A family. They could be a kind of family.
Then he realized the likelihood of that was zilch. Maddie was used to the exciting business world in Fort Worth, not some cattle ranch in west Texas where the highlight of her day would likely be greeting Darcy as she got off the school bus.
“Is your daddy lost?” Darcy asked a few minutes later. She and Maddie had been playing the game, but with little traffic on the road, and fewer signs, neither had completed a row.
“Sort of. I want to talk to him and he’s not answering his phone. Pastor Jeb found out where he was, so we’re going there to see if we can find where he went.”
“Was my daddy lost, too?” she asked.
Maddie looked at him.
Ty cleared his throat. “I was sort of lost. Your mommy didn’t know where to find me.” He’d give Darcy that. He knew it wasn’t her fault Brittany hadn’t told him about their daughter.
“But Miss Lucas found you,” she said, referring to the social worker.
“She had more resources,” Ty said. And the genuine desire to locate him. Which Brittany obviously never had.
“So that was a good thing,” Maddie said. “And now you and your daddy will help me find my dad.”
“Umm,” Darcy said.
Ty could tell she was still processing the entire situation. She’d cried only once that he’d seen over the loss of her mother. She had to be grieving. Brittany was the only parent she’d known all her life. He didn’t expect her to get over the loss of her mother anytime soon. He hoped one day he’d be the one she turned to. The one she loved.
“Are you going to get lost again?” she asked.
He met her gaze in the mirror. “Nope, never again. I’ll always be right where you expect to find me.”
She nodded, seeming satisfied.
Maddie smiled at him and he felt it like a balm. He was as bad as a child, yearning for approval—for her approval.
They stopped for a break and dinner at a small town a few miles off the main highway. Walking around, eating and then using the facilities, the stop didn’t take long, and soon they were back on the road. By the time darkness had fallen, Darcy was asleep in the backseat.
Ty pushed on, hoping to arrive in the small town early enough to find good accommodations. He knew Maddie grew more anxious the closer they got. He could feel the tension in the car.
“Want to talk about it?” he asked.
“About what?”
“Whatever has you so on edge.”
For a moment he thought she wasn’t going to talk, but then she began.
“It’s hard not having my father around—especially now.” She swallowed hard. “I was astonished to discover I have a twin. That my brother has a twin and neither one of us knew it. At least I assume Grayson doesn’t know. And there’s no one to talk to about it. No one to give answers, to explain things to us.”
“I know that’s tough,” Ty said.
She nodded. “It is. I so want some sort of explanation. It feels as if we’re in a kind of suspended time or something. The more Violet and Jack and I look into things, the more confused it becomes, instead of clearer. I told you about our trip to Fort Worth.”
“Which raised even more questions,” he replied.
“A lot more. As I mentioned before, according to a very hostile neighbor of the Wallace family, there was rumor that the boys—Jack and Grayson—aren’t even my dad’s. That made Jack and Violet angry in turn. They say their mom would never do something like that. So we have another question instead of any answers. No one else on the street lived there when our family did.”
“And no public records?” he asked.
“Grayson and I have copies of our birth certificates as we needed them for passports a few years back when we went with Dad on one of his mission trips. They state Sharla Wallace is our mother. So what happened there? I can only guess Sharla adopted us. I never asked because I always thought she was my mom.”
“Makes sense since birth certificates are changed in adoptions.”
“But Violet and Jack don’t have theirs. I think Violet has sent in to get a copy of hers, but until immediately before Belle’s accident, they didn’t know where to request the birth certificate. They were told they moved to Texas from Washington state and tried to get the records from Washington—to no avail of course, now that we know they were born in For
t Worth like Grayson and I were.”
“Did she find the record in Fort Worth?”
“No, actually, she sort of got sidetracked. That was the trip where she and I first met. And she was looking for the birth certificate under Violet Colby. From the neighbor’s comments, she started out as Laurel Wallace. I don’t know if she’s been looking for that birth certificate since we returned.” She sighed wistfully. “If only we could get in touch with my dad, he could answer all questions in an instant.”
“Or if Belle regains consciousness,” Ty said quietly.
“True. I’ve visited her a few times, you know. She looks so frail lying in the hospital bed with all the tubes hooked up. I’d like to get to know her. I pray every day that she’ll wake up and talk to us and not have any lasting brain damage. There are so many unanswered questions. Why did she change not only their last name, but also their first names? Why did she change her own? Why didn’t she make any effort over the years to contact Grayson and me?”
“There’s still hope. I’m sure once she regains consciousness, she’ll be able to answer all the questions.”
“I know. I’m trusting God. I don’t believe He’d bring me to her and not give me a chance to know her,” Maddie said slowly.
“So what would you do to get to know her better—to feel she is your mother?” he queried. “I guess what I’m asking is—what hints can you give me for Darcy? I need to have her want to stay. If she prefers her grandparents, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“It’s different for an adult child. Belle and I would talk, hopefully discover interests we have in common, build a relationship like that. It won’t ever be like it would have been had she raised me as she had Violet and Jack.” She leaned toward him. “For you and Darcy, talking would be good, too, but at a different level. Find out what her interests are. Do things together. Make happy memories together. Build on what she likes and keep her safe and you’ll have a great father-daughter bond.”
“I could be out of time,” Ty ground out.
“You don’t know that. Trust in the Father to do what’s best. And if somehow she does go with the grandparents, that doesn’t mean it’s forever. You could still visit, have her visit, be a part of her life.”
He exhaled softly. “That’s not always easy.”
“No, that’s where we have to step up our faith and really hold fast,” she said.
Ty mulled over what she was saying. He knew it was true. He was working hard at doing that. Sometimes he faltered, but he resolved to do better. With Christ he could do all things—even deal with this latest development.
When he began to see billboards advertising a national motel chain not too far ahead, he asked her if she wanted to stop there for the night. It was already after midnight and Blackstone was still eighty miles away.
“As good a place as any. We’d reach Blackstone early tomorrow, right?”
“Right. I’m tired and we have no guarantee there’s a suitable place in the small town. Stopping here, we’d at least know we have a place to stay for the night.”
Ty took care of the registration, saying Maddie could pay him back when they returned home. She appreciated his taking charge. Actually she was warmed to her toes he’d taken off work to drive her. She would have made the trip alone, but being part of a couple was definitely better.
A couple. Sometimes she wondered what would happen in the future if they were closer than now, sharing things friends share—experiences, good times and bad.
Oops, need to focus, she reminded herself. She was going to find her dad, not daydream about her own future.
Soon Ty bid Maddie and Darcy good-night as they went to the room they were sharing. Ty’s room was two doors down from theirs. He promised to wake them in the morning so they could get an early start, then watched as Maddie gave a tired smile and went inside and closed the door.
His room was standard for the motel chain. Tired from driving, but restless with the turn of events, he got ready for bed, but lay there for a long time, staring into the darkness, praying and questioning the Lord. Suddenly, he felt a sweeping sense of contentment. He would trust the Lord in all things.
Right before he fell asleep, he thought of Maddie and her unfailing support. He wished he could count on that forever.
* * *
The next morning, Maddie rose before Ty’s call. She was already dressed and anxious to get to Blackstone to talk to anyone who might have some clue about where her father was going next. Maybe they could drive to his next stop today and find him. No matter how caught up he was in his mission work, he’d stop to talk to her if she showed up.
After breakfast, they resumed their drive. Arriving in Blackstone shortly after nine, Ty drove straight to the church. The big brick church was right off the main street. Plenty of parking on either side, with discreet signs pointing to the office. Fortunately, the secretary was already there. Mrs. McCaffrey was tall and thin with snow-white hair and a rosy complexion.
“Gracious, I had no idea you would come down here,” she said, after introductions were made. “After your pastor called, I asked one of the older members of the church about Dr. Wallace. Pastor Sanchez is away this week at a conference. Our member was asking around. Let me call him and see what he turned up.” She invited them to sit in the small reception area while she made her call.
She smiled when she hung up. “Edgar said your father stayed with the Wileys for a few nights. We try to put him up in homes of our congregation. His work is so important, we were lucky to have him here for the days he could spare. Let me call over there.”
Maddie could scarcely hold her anticipation as Ty followed the directions the secretary gave to the Wileys’ home. The older woman was standing by the door when they drew up in front of the white clapboard house. She smiled and held the screen open as they walked up the path.
“This is a pleasure,” she said, smiling warmly at Maddie. “My husband and I so enjoyed having your father stay with us. He wasn’t here a lot, but when he was, he told us such interesting stories of what he’s done. What a blessing he is. Come in, come in.”
“Did he say where he was going next?” Maddie asked after greeting Mrs. Wiley and taking a seat on the edge of a sofa.
“Dear me, he might have, but I wasn’t paying attention if he did. I know he talked about a lot of places needing help so desperately, what with the economy and all. Some of our towns along the border are just downright impoverished. And he loves helping the children. I do know he talked about the itinerant farm workers and how they had such poor opportunities for quality medical care. Maybe he’s gone after some of those as they follow the harvest.”
Maddie asked a few more questions, growing discouraged as Mrs. Wiley was unable to tell her anything for certain. Finally, she looked at Ty.
“Why don’t you give her your phone number?” Ty suggested with a smile for the older woman. “If she thinks of anything, she can call you.”
“Oh, it went plumb out of my head, but your mentioning the phone reminds me. Your father left his cell phone behind. I bet it fell out of his pocket, as I found it in the sofa cushions about two days after he left. Surely he’s missed it by now, but he’s never called to ask about it. I kept it, thinking he would call and tell me where to send it. Let me get it for you.” She bustled out of the room.
“Well, that explains why he’s not returning my calls,” Maddie said with a sigh. “And either he hasn’t missed it, didn’t know where he might have lost it, or is too busy to notice.”
“He could have written it off and bought a new one,” Ty said.
“Then I think he would have contacted me and Grayson to give us the new number. I’m thinking he hasn’t missed it. You don’t know how focused he can be.”
Mrs. Wiley bustled back in, smiling, holding out the phone.
“I’ll tell your father if he calls that I returned his phone to you,” she said, handing it to Maddie.
“Thank you. And if he does call
asking about the phone, please ask him to call me right away. I really need to talk with him,” Maddie said, scribbling her name and phone number on a piece of paper from the small tablet in her tote.
“Oh, I will, I surely will. He’s such a wonderful man, so giving and helpful to those who need him most,” Mrs. Wiley said.
When they were back in the car, Ty looked at Maddie.
“Now what?”
“I don’t know. If he went to help migrant workers, there are only about a gazillion farms where he could be. We could drive around this part of Texas for months and not find him. I was so hoping someone in town would know exactly where he’s heading.”
“We could try a few towns along the road west of here,” Ty suggested.
Maddie stared at her father’s phone as if it would give her a clue as to where he’d gone. “No. Thanks for offering. But I don’t expect to go chasing all over Texas trying to find him. We tried, and it didn’t work out. Thanks for that. He’ll call when he calls. Let’s find a place to have lunch. Maybe get something at a deli and find a park to eat in before heading home.”
The local grocery store provided fresh sandwiches, drinks and cookies. The park in the center of town had playground equipment, picnic tables and lots of benches beneath the shade of century-old oaks.
After they ate, Darcy wanted to play on the swings and slide. She asked Maddie to push her.
“I’ll do it. Maddie needs some thinking time,” Ty said, rising with Darcy.
Darcy looked at him for a minute then nodded, jumping up to race to the swings.
“You okay?” Ty asked before he followed his daughter.
“I’ll be fine. I’m disappointed, that’s all,” Maddie said. “Go have fun with Darcy.”
She watched him walk toward the swing and felt a surge of affection for the man. He seemed lost half the time when dealing with his daughter, but he kept coming back. He was going to be a terrific father for Darcy. He didn’t even know how to push her, holding on to the chains at first. But Darcy set him straight and in seconds she was soaring as high as the swing could go. Her laughter rang out and delighted Maddie’s heart. She was growing to love the lost little girl.
Mirror Image Bride (Love Inspired) Page 10