“Sure, but I need to ask my mom.” Josh disappeared inside. When he returned, Marilee was with him.
“What’s this I hear about puppies?” She gave Sam a disapproving look.
Sam told her about his friend’s dog. “I just thought Josh might like to have a look at them.”
Marilee could see the boy wanted to go. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask what time they’d be back, but she didn’t. “Sure. Just don’t bring them all home.”
“Give me fifteen minutes to clean up,” Sam told the boy.
Josh nodded and went back inside. “Oh, there you are,” Clara said. “Ruby and I are on our way out and wanted to say goodbye to you.”
“Josh, you sure are a good-looking fellow,” Ruby said. “Did you have a growth spurt? You look different from when I last saw you at church.”
“I’ve lost a little weight.”
“He’s lost a lot of weight,” Marilee said.
Josh thanked them for his gift, and they were on their way.
Winnie surveyed the kitchen. “I want to know who made this mess. I suppose you expect me to help you clean it up,” she said to Marilee.
“I’ll clear the table,” Josh said.
“The guest of honor never cleans up,” Winnie said. “Would you look at all this food? Marilee, I told you we prepared too much.”
“Sam and I can eat it Sunday,” Josh said. “We’re going fishing, so we’ll need to pack a lunch.”
Marilee looked surprised. “You and Sam are going fishing?”
“It’s okay, isn’t it?”
“Sure, honey. I’m glad you made a new friend.” She would thank Sam later for offering to take him.
The sound of a horn out front sent Josh in the direction of the front door. “Gotta go now.” He paused and looked at his mom, hurried over for a hug and left.
Marilee stood there, speechless.
“Don’t you dare cry,” Winnie said. “If you start crying, I’m not going to help you clean up.” She automatically reached for a paper towel and handed it to Marilee.
“I won’t cry,” Marilee said as she dabbed at a stray tear.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“JOSH, WHAT ON EARTH WOULD we do with a dog?” Marilee asked as she sipped her coffee the next morning.
The boy looked up from his bowl of cereal. “You wouldn’t have to do anything, I’d do it.”
“Who’s going to pick up the dog poop?” Winnie said, coming downstairs, her book bag slung over one shoulder. “Puppies do that sort of thing, you know. Matter of fact, it’s what they do best. I’ll do a lot of things, but I won’t pick up dog poop.”
“It wouldn’t be so bad if somebody was here during the day to look after him,” Marilee said, “but we can’t very well train him when we’re away so much of the time.”
A horn blew. “The bus!” Winnie cried, hurrying for the door.
Josh leaped from the table, grabbed his bag, kissed his mom on the cheek and followed the girl. “Just think about it, okay?” he called over his shoulder.
Marilee pondered the dog issue as she finished her coffee. A dog might be just what Josh needed in his life right now. He’d never been able to have a pet before because of Grady’s allergies. Somehow, she’d have to see that he got one. She would talk to Sam about it.
JOSH APPEARED RESTLESS AT dinner that evening. “Is everything okay, Son?” Marilee asked, noting he’d barely touched his food.
“I should probably call Dad,” he said.
Marilee nodded. “That would be nice.”
Josh left the table and picked up the telephone. He dialed the number and waited. “Hi, Dad,” he said a moment later. “Did I wake you?” He was quiet for a moment. “That’s too bad. Are you taking your medicine?”
Marilee tried not to eavesdrop, but she couldn’t help it.
“Yeah, I’m doing okay,” Josh said. “Mom fixed up a room for me, it’s pretty cool. And our neighbor, Sam, is taking me fishing Sunday. Maybe you and I could grab a hamburger Saturday.” After a minute, the boy went on, “Yeah, I understand. No, really, I do.” He hung up.
Marilee saw the look of dejection on his face. “Everything okay?”
“Dad’s not feeling well. His blood pressure is up.”
“I’m sorry to hear it,” Marilee said.
“He’s probably just stressed out over losing his job.”
“You’re having lunch with him on Saturday?”
The boy shook his head. “He doesn’t think he’ll be up to it.” He glanced around the kitchen. “Unless you need help with the dishes, I’d really like to go to my room for a while.”
Marilee felt badly for him. Damn Grady for not being there when the boy needed his father. And where was Sam? Of all times for him to be late. “I made a special dessert for you,” she said, trying to keep the boy downstairs a little longer.
“I’m not really hungry, but thanks.” He started for the stairs.
There was a knock at the back door. Marilee sighed her relief. “Josh, would you get that before you go up?”
“It’s Sam,” he said, peering through the window. He sounded happy to see him. He unlocked the door and pulled it open. A reddish-blond puppy rushed into the kitchen, wearing a bright red bow. Sam followed with a bag of food. “Oh, man!” the boy said, dumbfounded. He glanced at his mother. “Is he for me?”
Marilee nodded. “He’s all yours.”
“Awesome!” Josh got down on his knees and petted the puppy. He looked from Sam to Marilee. “Thanks.”
Sam smiled and winked at Marilee as he set the bag of puppy food on the table.
The animal licked Josh in the face and raced around the kitchen, sniffing everyone’s feet. Without warning, he stopped and peed on the kitchen floor.
“Uh-oh,” Josh said.
Winnie pointed a finger. “See that! I told you what would happen if you brought a puppy into this house. Don’t think for one minute I’m going to clean it up.”
Marilee reached beneath the sink for a disinfectant spray and a wad of paper towels. In the past, she would have become upset having an animal make a mess of her kitchen floor, but right now she wanted Josh to enjoy the moment. They would discuss the rules later. “Here,” she said, handing them to her son. “You may as well get used to it.”
Josh cleaned up the mess and carried the dog to the door. “I’m going to take him outside.”
Marilee smiled at Sam. “Thank you,” she said. “Did you have to pay much for him?”
Sam shook his head. “Actually, my friend was glad to get rid of him. He’s running an ad in the newspaper tomorrow. He sent this bag of food so you’d know what to feed the puppy.”
“You can see Josh is thrilled.”
“A boy needs a dog.” The two stared at one another for a long moment. They weren’t even aware Winnie was in the room.
The girl looked from one to the other and shook her head. “I’m going upstairs to set my hair on fire. If y’all need me, just holler.”
“Huh?” Marilee looked up, but Winnie was already gone. “Did she say something about a fire?” she asked Sam.
He shrugged. “Sorry, I wasn’t listening. Oh, while I’m thinking about it, I borrowed a large cage from a guy at work.”
“A cage?”
“It’s probably best if you confine the pup while you’re gone during the day. You don’t want to come home and spend an hour cleaning up after him. He’s young, he’ll sleep most of the day anyway.”
“Good idea,” she said, never taking her eyes off Sam’s face.
“Well, I should be going.” He looked reluctant to leave. “I’ll bring the cage over after dinner. But first, I’d like to see how Josh and the puppy are getting along.”
Marilee grabbed a sweater and joined Sam on the back steps. The night air was cold, and Josh wasn’t wearing a sweater. For a brief moment, she longed to say something or go get one for him but decided against it. Instead, she just enjoyed watching Josh and the puppy chase each ot
her across the backyard, laughing as the boy tossed a stick and told the puppy to retrieve it, only to watch the dog run in the opposite direction. The animal was obviously more interested in playing.
“Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to teach him tricks,” Sam said. “Right now, he’s just happy to be here.”
“You think he likes me?” Josh asked.
Marilee laughed. “Looks that way.” She couldn’t help noticing how happy and relaxed her son looked. The hardness she’d seen in his eyes was gone, as was the bitter twist around his mouth that he’d worn for months. Had his parents’ bickering and separation stolen Josh’s boyish smile? Had living with Grady and LaFonda changed him in some way? It would have been easy to let herself feel guilty over the past, and in the past Marilee might have given in to it. But guilt and blame had never gotten a person anywhere. All she could do was concentrate on the here and now. And Josh did seem happier the last few days.
“What are you going to name him?” Sam asked.
“Rascal. I thought of that the minute I saw him.”
Marilee rubbed her arms, trying to chase away the night chill. “He looks like a rascal.” She suspected the dog could get into all kinds of mischief if left to his own devices. Presently, he was trying to dig a hole in the backyard while Josh tried to get him interested in something else. Marilee knew she had things to do, but she was reluctant to leave. “I’m so glad you thought of the dog,” she whispered to Sam.
He took her hand and squeezed it. “Whatever helps, babe,” he said.
She was so warmed by the endearment that the night air suddenly didn’t seem so cold anymore.
ON HALLOWEEN, JOSH AND WINNIE helped Marilee pass out flyers. Because it was Saturday, the grocery stores and shopping centers were full, so they took advantage of it by putting the flyers beneath the windshield wipers of parked cars. They hit several big apartment complexes and stuffed flyers beneath the doors.
By three o’clock, Winnie was complaining of a backache and Josh was sorely concerned about his dog. Marilee decided they had passed out enough flyers for one afternoon. They headed home, had dinner and prepared for trick-or-treaters. Rascal followed Josh around as he and Winnie took turns passing out Halloween candy, while Marilee baked and touched base with Clara.
The woman on the other end of the line sounded tired but excited “Ruby and I posted flyers in shop windows, stapled them to telephone poles and any other standing object we could find. And Della Framer, bless her heart, had L&M Printing make hundreds of copies for her convenience stores, and she’s instructed her cashiers to give one to every customer who comes in the door. And get this. Ruby talked to her friend at the VFW this afternoon. Donations have been pouring in for two days now, thanks to Janie at the Gazette. I’ll tell you, Marilee, this thing is going to be big!”
MARILEE HEARD JOSH GET up before 6:00 a.m. the following morning. She joined him downstairs and began preparing an enormous lunch as he popped two waffles into the toaster. Rascal was eating food from his new dish, his tail wagging furiously.
“I’ve already taken him out once,” Josh said, “and I’ll take him out before I go. But I’m going to be gone all day.”
Marilee read the concern in his eyes. “I’ll look after him.”
Winnie came downstairs rubbing her eyes. She wore pink and blue kitty-cat pajamas. The top stretched across her growing abdomen, and it looked as though the buttons would pop off any minute. “What’s all this racket down here? Is somebody sick?”
“Josh and Sam are going fishing,” Marilee said.
Winnie blinked. “At this hour?”
Josh pulled his waffles from the toaster and poured syrup on them. “That’s when the fish are usually biting.”
Sam knocked on the back door and sent Rascal into a fit of barking. Josh smiled. “At least we know he’s a good watch-dog.” He let Sam in.
“You almost ready?” Sam asked, his eyes immediately falling on Marilee. She was wearing her white terry-cloth bathrobe and thick socks, one of which had fallen around her ankle. Her hair was pulled into a short ponytail, and she’d flung a dish towel over one shoulder. He grinned. There were so many sides to her, and he loved every one of them. To keep from staring, he walked over to the coffeemaker and helped himself to a cup.
“I have to take Rascal out real quick,” Josh said. “I’m going to miss him today.”
Marilee’s gaze rested on Sam, who looked quite at home in her kitchen. He wore jeans and a heavy sweatshirt. There was something about Sam Brewer in jeans that made her mouth go bone dry the minute she saw him.
Sam took a cautious sip of his coffee. “We’re going to catch so many fish you won’t have time to worry about Rascal. You’d better grab a jacket,” he added. “It’s nippy out there this morning.”
Josh pulled his jacket from a hook beside the back door and hurried out.
“I’m going back to bed,” Winnie said, trudging up the stairs without another word.
Sam continued to eye Marilee over the rim of his coffee cup. “You wearing anything under that?”
She blushed profusely. “Sam Brewer, what a thing to ask!”
He looked amused as he drained his cup.
CLARA ARRIVED LATER THAT morning. “You won’t believe what’s happened.”
“I hope it’s good news,” Marilee said.
“Better than good. A-1 Rentals is supplying one of those rubber houses for the children, and Edith-Ann LeCroy is bringing in two ponies so we can offer pony rides. Also, A-1 Rentals has offered to lend us canopy tents in case we run out of room inside the VFW hall. The way it looks, we’ll probably end up using it.”
“That is good news,” Marilee said. “Your friend at the Gazette has certainly been a big help to us. People are finally getting involved.”
“That’s not all. I’ve saved the best for last. Late yesterday afternoon, a man pulled up in a delivery truck and began unloading cartons of silver and china and a whole slew of antiques. When I inquired about the donor, I was told everything came from Esmerelda Cunningham. Marilee, we’re talking a fortune in donations!”
Marilee was stunned. “Why would Esmerelda Cunningham get rid of all her prized possessions?”
“I was hoping you’d have the answer to that. Not that we don’t appreciate her generosity, of course, but I wanted to come to you before I did anything with her belongings.”
“Where are they now?”
“In a locked room.”
“Keep them locked up for the time being,” Marilee said. “I’ll talk to Esmerelda and get back to you.”
“Let me know as soon as possible so I can run by the library and advertise over the Internet.”
Marilee arrived at Esmerelda Cunningham’s house an hour later. She found the woman sitting in her library, sipping tea and reading a book of poetry.
“I was just told that you sent an entire truckload of very expensive items to be sold at our bazaar,” Marilee said without preamble.
“And a fine good morning to you, Mrs. Abernathy,” Esmerelda said.
Marilee’s shoulders slumped. Leave it to Esmerelda to put her in her place. “Good morning, Mrs. Cunningham. Now, about your donation—”
“Are you complaining?”
“Not at all,” Marilee assured her. “I can’t begin to thank you for your generosity. It’s more than we ever hoped for. But the committee never expected you to part with family heirlooms.”
“Mrs. Abernathy, I have no family. I’m the end of the line. And with all the fuss over the bazaar, it seemed only right that I donate something. Everything came from my attic, and frankly, I have no need for it.” She paused and drew herself up. “Besides, I’ve grown weary of people in this town referring to me as mean old Mrs. Cunningham, the stingiest woman in town. Don’t think for one minute that I don’t know what’s being said behind my back. I have my pride, you know.”
Marilee blushed. She had been as guilty as the rest of them. “It’s very kind of you,” she said.
“More than any of us expected. But we have no idea how to price the items.”
Esmerelda waved aside the remark. “I have an old friend who used to work for Sotheby’s. He’s retired now, but I’m sure he’d be happy to help you. Perhaps he could arrange a silent auction. I’ll call him.” She paused. “Be sure someone from the Gazette mentions these items in the newspaper. She’d be wise to send the information to several other papers as well. That way you’ll draw people from all over. People who appreciate the finer things in life,” she added, as though she couldn’t imagine anyone in Chickpea having enough sense to know real quality.
“That’s an excellent idea.”
“Now that that’s settled, I’m sure you have a million things to do before Saturday. I won’t keep you.”
Marilee smiled, knowing she had just been dismissed.
SAM AND JOSH ARRIVED HOME late afternoon. Josh immediately grabbed Rascal from his cage. “Hi, boy, did you miss me?”
“I just took him out,” Marilee said. She looked at them. “So where are the fish?”
Josh looked up. “We only caught a few little ones so we threw them back. We still had a good time, though, didn’t we, Sam?”
“Yes, we did.”
“Sam taught me to play poker.”
Marilee’s mouth dropped open. “Poker!”
“Now, Marilee, don’t get all huffy. We weren’t playing for money.”
“We used pebbles,” Josh said. “It’s a good thing Sam brought cards or we’d have been bored.”
Marilee could tell her son had enjoyed himself, so she decided to let the poker-playing slide. “Well, take off your coats, and I’ll fix you some hot chocolate. Guess this means I’ll have to cook you guys cheeseburgers for dinner, although my heart was set on a nice fish dinner.”
“You’re going to cook burgers?” Sam said, sounding worried. “You didn’t buy a new grill, did you?” When Marilee shook her head, he looked relieved. “Josh, allow me to tell you about the last time your mother cooked hamburgers.”
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