Heart of the Family

by Margaret Daley

  “Me!” Nancy pointed to herself. “I’ll be six in four days.”

  “We’ll have to think of something special to celebrate such an important birthday.”

  Shouts of victory permeated the living room. Hannah glanced toward the game table by the bay window.

  Andy stood by his chair, pumping his good arm into the air and dancing around in a circle. “I won finally!”

  “Why don’t you take this back to your room and start getting ready for bed.” Hannah handed the paper to Nancy.

  “But I’m not tired.”

  “Tomorrow will be here soon enough.”

  As Nancy trudged from the room, Hannah rose and walked to the table where Jacob sat with Andy, Gabe and Lisa playing a board game. Gabe began to set up the pieces again for another game.

  “Sorry, guys. It’s time for bed.”

  Moans greeted Hannah’s announcement.

  “But Dr. Jacob hasn’t won yet,” Gabe said, continuing to put the pieces on the board.

  “Too bad. He’ll have to win some other day.”

  Gabe pouted. “But—”

  “Gabe, Hannah is right. This just means we’ll have to play again at a later date.” Jacob picked up the game box.

  Andy jumped to his feet. “Mom, can you put me to bed?”

  Lisa peered at Hannah. “If it’s okay?”

  “That’s great. I’ll help Jacob clean up while you two boys get into your pajamas.” Hannah surveyed the other children in the room. “That goes for everyone.” As the kids filed into the hallway, Hannah stopped Lisa. “May I have a word with you?”

  “Andy, I’ll be there in a sec.” Lisa waved her son on.

  “How are you getting home?” Hannah asked when the room emptied of children.

  “Walking to the bus stop. The last one is at ten.”

  “I’ll drive you home. I don’t want you walking at night on the highway.”

  “I don’t want ya to go—”

  “I’ll take you home. I have to go that way.” Jacob boxed up the last piece of the game and put it in the cabinet.

  Appreciation shone in Lisa’s expression. “I won’t be long. I’ll go say good-night to Andy.”

  “I’ll go with you.” Jacob started after Andy’s mother.

  Hannah halted him. She waited until Lisa had disappeared from the room before asking, “Are you sure? I don’t mind taking her. Meg is still here to watch the children. I won’t be gone long.”

  “No, I need to get to know her better. This will be a good opportunity to see what her intentions are toward Andy.”

  “Maybe I’d better take her after all.”

  He chuckled. “Afraid I’ll scare her away?”

  “No.”

  “Good, because if I can then she shouldn’t be involved with Andy and finding out now would be better than later.”

  Hannah’s eyes widened. “You’re going to interrogate her?”

  He saw the concern in her gaze that quickly evolved into a frown. “No, I’ll be on my best behavior. I offered because there really is no reason for you to drive her into town.” Shrugging, he flashed her a grin. “I’m going that way.”

  “Just so you’ll know, tomorrow I’m taking her to the rehab facility to begin the program. Don’t frighten her away.”

  “Who, me?” He thumped his chest. “I’m wounded. I want it to work out for Andy. I just don’t think it will.” He held up a hand to ward off her protest. “But I’m willing to go along so long as Andy isn’t hurt. The second he is—”

  Hannah walked toward the entrance, cutting off his words with a wave. “I have the child’s best interest at heart, so you don’t have to threaten me.”

  “Excuse me?”

  She wheeled around at the door. “What are you going to do? Come riding in on your white steed and save the day?”

  “Why, Ms. Smith, I do believe that’s sarcasm I hear in your voice.”

  She put her hand on her waist. “I think we can agree on disagreeing about how to handle Lisa and Andy.”

  “Hey, I’m willing to give it a try. I behaved at dinner.”

  Her other hand went to her waist. “If you call behaving, giving the poor woman the third degree, then, yes, you behaved like a perfect gentleman.”

  “Ouch! I do believe your barb found its mark.” He flattened his palm over his heart. “I wanted to know how she was going to support Andy.”

  “I could have told you she doesn’t have a job. I intend to find her one.”

  “You do?”

  “Well, yes, when she’s completed the drug-rehab program. Do you know of anyone who might hire her?”

  “Not off the top of my head. But let’s wait and see what happens in a few weeks before you go out pounding the pavement looking for a job for Andy’s mom.” He strode to her, gave her a wink and headed down the hallway. “You may not have to worry about it.”

  Jacob heard Hannah’s gasp and chuckled. He enjoyed ruffling her feathers, so to speak. He expected Hannah to follow him to Andy’s room, but when he stopped at the boy’s door, she still hadn’t come down the corridor. Disappointment fluttered through him.

  Cradled against his mother, Andy sat on his bed in his pajamas, listening to her read a story. When she closed the book, Andy said, “Again.”

  Lisa glanced toward Jacob. “I have to go, but I’ll be back.”

  “Promise.”

  “If it was just me, I would, but the judge makes the decisions now. I hope so.” Emotions thickened her voice.

  “I love you, Mommy.” Andy threw his arms around her.

  She kissed the top of his head, then stood. “I’m gonna get help, Andy. This time it’ll work.”

  This time? As Jacob had thought, Lisa had gone through rehab before and it hadn’t been successful. He backed away, not wanting Andy to see anything in his expression. But in his mind Lisa represented his mother and his concern skyrocketed.

  Jacob waited in the front foyer for the woman to emerge from the back. She said goodbye to Hannah then approached him. He wrenched open the door and stepped to the side to allow Andy’s mother to go first. When he glanced toward Hannah, her look communicated a plea for understanding, as though she could read the war going on inside of him.

  After asking for Lisa’s address, Jacob fell silent on the drive into town. Memories of his own mother assailed him. He’d known he would be reminded of his childhood when he chose to work with children in the foster-care system. He’d thought he was prepared and usually he was. But not this time. His grip on the steering wheel tightened.

  Jacob pulled to the curb in an area of town that had seen better days. Trash littered the streets and even with the windows rolled up, a decaying smell seeped into the car. “You live around here?”

  Lisa grasped the door handle. “No, but I can catch a bus on the corner.”

  He scanned the area and wondered who or what lurked in the darkness between the buildings. “I said I’d drive you home, and I meant all the way.”

  “But—”

  His gaze fixed on a broken-out storefront window. A movement inside the abandoned building made him press his foot on the accelerator. “I can’t leave you here. It’s too dangerous. Where are you staying?”

  Silence.

  Jacob slid a glance toward Lisa who stared at her hands in her lap. “You were staying back there?”

  She nodded.

  “Where?”

  “In one of the buildings.”

  “You’re homeless.”

  “It was my boyfriend’s place Andy and I was staying at. He came back last night and kicked me out.”

  “So now you don’t have anywhere to live?”

  “No.”

  When Jacob turned onto a well-lit street, he sighed with relief. “How did you get to the zoo?”

  “By bus.”

  Jacob made another turn, heading into the heart of the city. “I’m taking you to a shelter that’s run by a couple from my church. They’re good people. You’ll be safe t
here.” Again he looked toward Lisa and caught the tears streaking down her cheeks. “Okay?”

  “Yeah,” she mumbled, and dropped her head.

  Something deep in his heart cracked open when he glimpsed Lisa’s hurt. “I’ll let Hannah know where you’re staying so she can come there to pick you up tomorrow.”

  Her sobs sounded in the quiet, and another fissure opened up in his heart. Conflicting emotions concerning Lisa and her situation swirled through him.

  “Why are ya being so nice? Ya don’t like me,” Lisa finally said between sniffles.

  “For Andy.” Jacob pulled into a parking space at the side of the shelter in downtown Cimarron City near his church.

  Lisa lifted her head. “I love my son.”

  “Enough to stop taking drugs?”

  She blinked, loosening several more tears. “Yeah.”

  “I’ll be praying you do.” Jacob opened his door, realizing as he slid out of the car that he meant every word. He would pray for Lisa’s recovery. In the past he’d always thought of the child, never the parent in the situation. He was finding out there were two sides to a story.

  Inside the shelter connected to his church, Jacob greeted Herb and Vickie Braun. “Lisa needs a place to stay for the night.”

  “We’ve got a bed. I’ll show you the way.” Vickie gestured toward a hallway that led to the sleeping area.

  As the two women left the large hall where the residents ate their meals, Herb slapped Jacob on the back. “I wondered when we’d see you again. We’ve missed you down here.”

  “I’ve been so busy with Stone’s Refuge and my practice.”

  “Eighteen children can keep you hopping. What you, Peter and Noah have done is great and definitely needed.”

  “We’ve appreciated you keeping an eye out for any children in need of a safe place to stay.” Jacob walked toward the front door. “In a few months the third house will be finished.”

  “We’ll take care of Lisa. She’ll have a place to stay for as long as she needs it.”

  Back in his car Jacob rested his forehead on the steering wheel. He hadn’t wanted to tell Herb the reason he didn’t volunteer at the shelter, as many did from the church, was that it hit too close to home. There had been many times he had stayed in a shelter with his mother, but none were as safe and nice as this one. He’d comforted himself with financially supporting the place, but he knew now he should do something more. He needed to face his past and deal with it. He’d been running for a long time.

  He started his car and drove toward his apartment near his practice. Emotionally exhausted, he plodded into the building and punched the elevator for his floor. Five minutes later, he plunked down on his bed and lay back, still fully dressed. He needed to get up and check his messages, then finish making some notes on a case, but a bone-weary tiredness held him pinned to the mattress. His eyes slid closed….

  Darkness loomed before Jacob, rushing toward him.

  “Let’s go faster,” Kevin said, turning the radio up louder, the music pulsating in the air.

  “I can’t see well.” Jacob squinted his eyes as if that would improve his vision so he could see out the windshield better.

  His friend shifted toward him until he spied the dashboard. “You’re only going forty. What’s the point taking Dad’s car if we don’t do something fun?”

  “You’re the one who wanted to come out here.” Jacob’s gaze swept the road in front of him, then the sides he could barely make out. Piles of snow still lined the highway.

  “Yeah, so we could put the pedal to the metal. If you don’t want to, I’ll drive again.”

  To keep his friend quiet, Jacob increased the speed to forty-five but looked for a place to pull over so Kevin could drive. Suddenly he lost control of the car, the darkness spiraling around him. Screams pierced the quiet, sounds of glass breaking….

  Jacob shot up in bed, sweat drenching him. His whole body shook from the nightmare that had plagued him for years—one of his punishments for surviving the wreck that killed Kevin.

  Chapter Six

  Hannah stared at the shelves full of medical books with titles that made her head spin. Why was she standing in the middle of Jacob’s office waiting for him? She rotated around to grab her purse on the chair and leave before he came into the room. As she gripped the leather handle, the door opened, and she knew she was stuck.

  “I was surprised to hear you were here.” Jacob’s smile wiped the weariness from his face. “I’m assuming everything is all right at the refuge or Teresa would have said something about it to me.”

  “Everything’s fine. I just dropped Lisa off at the rehab center and wanted to stop by and thank you for finding a place for her to stay last night.” Hannah released her strap and straightened. “I didn’t realize she was living on the street. She didn’t say anything to me about that.”

  “It was nothing. At this time of year Herb and Vickie always have a spare bed at the shelter. Now, if it had been winter, it might have been different.”

  “I should have figured something like that had happened to her when she mentioned she wasn’t working. I’m learning.” She attempted a smile that quivered. “At least she has a place to stay for the next few weeks.”

  “If she stays there.” Jacob dropped a file on his desk, releasing a long sigh.

  Exhaustion, etching tiny lines into his face, sparked her compassion. “Long day?”

  “Nonstop since I arrived this morning. The beginning of the flu season.”

  “Don’t mention that word to me. I have eighteen children to keep healthy. I know you gave them a flu shot, but that’s not the only illness they can get.”

  “As I well know. You’ve got your work cut out for you.” He leaned back against his desk and folded his arms over his chest.

  “I think you’re right.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “You’re admitting I might be right. Hold it right there while I get my recorder and you can repeat it for the microphone.”

  “Funny. I could say the same thing about you. You think I’m naive and idealistic.”

  “You are, but the world needs all kinds of people.”

  “So they don’t all have to be cynical and realistic?”

  He thrust away from the desk. “I hope not or we are in big trouble. Are you hungry?”

  “Why?”

  “Now, that question sounds cynical.” He grinned. “Because I am hungry, and I’d like to take you to Noah’s restaurant for dinner.”

  “According to all the kids that’s their favorite place to eat.”

  “According to Noah it’s the best in the whole Southwest.”

  “Will your friend be there?”

  “If he’s not out on a date, he’s usually there. He’s worse than me about working all the time. The one on Columbia Street was his first restaurant so he has a soft spot for it.” Jacob snatched his jacket from the peg on the back of the door and slipped it on.

  “I know he’s a board member of the Henderson Foundation, but I haven’t met him yet.” Hannah exited the office first, into the dim light of the hallway.

  Jacob came up behind her. “I guess everyone skedaddled out of here the first chance they got. Did I tell you it has been a long, crazy day?”

  “I believe you mentioned that fact.” She was very aware they were probably the only two people left in his suite of offices.

  His chuckle peppered the air, making Hannah even more conscious of the fact they were alone. She’d come by to thank him for helping Lisa, and now she was going to dinner with him. How had that happened? For a moment in his office she’d forgotten who Jacob was. She needed to remember it at all times.

  Hannah hurried her step toward the outer door. When she emerged from the building, she headed for her vehicle. “I’ll follow you. I’m not sure where the restaurant is.”

  “Fine.” Jacob unlocked his car door and climbed inside.

  While she dug her keys out of her pocket, Hannah listened to him try to
start his engine. A cranking sound that grated down her spine cut into the silence, then nothing. Dead. She peered over her shoulder as he tried again. Frustration marked his expression as he exited his vehicle.

  He strode to her. “I knew it was only a matter of time before she died. I was hoping to get a few more months out of her.”

  “Maybe you can get it fixed.”

  “That baby was my first car, and I need to say goodbye to her. Can I hitch a ride with you?”

  “Sure.” Why hadn’t she brought the van? She stared at her very small car that practically forced people to sit on top of each other. “Do you still want to go to dinner?”

  “A guy’s got to eat, and if you could see my refrigerator, you’d take pity on me. I don’t live too far from the restaurant or here. In fact, it’ll be on your way to the refuge. If you need to get back, we can skip dinner and grab a quick bite at some fast-food joint.”

  A way out. She pushed the button to unlock her doors. “I don’t have to be back at the refuge for a while. Laura relieves me on Monday to give me some time off.”

  “That’s great.” He walked around the back of her vehicle and slipped into the passenger seat. “After rushing around all day, it would be nice to kick back and have a relaxing dinner.”

  Oh, good. She blew her one chance to end the evening early. She didn’t understand what was going on with her. A week ago she would have avoided any time spent in Jacob’s company. But that was before she had gotten to know him better. Nothing was ever black-and-white and the gray areas were tripping her up.

  Her car purred to life, and she pulled out of the parking lot onto the still-busy street. In the small confines she smelled his distinctive male scent, laced with a hint of the forest. Too cozy for her peace of mind.

  “Turn right at the next corner and go three blocks. The restaurant is on the left side of the road.”

  His deep, baritone voice, edged with exhaustion, shivered through her. “Do you eat at your friend’s a lot?”

  “Probably once a week. Sometimes I bring the kids from the refuge.”

  “You do?” She was constantly discovering he was more involved in the children’s lives than she had ever thought possible. “All of them?”