A Family of Her Own

by Brenda Novak

  Kneeling beside her, he trailed one finger lightly over the swell of her breast to Troy’s mouth. “Beautiful,” he murmured.

  The reverence in his voice surprised her. She let him watch a couple of minutes longer. “Booker?”

  “Hmm?”

  He bent his head. She thought he was going to kiss the place he’d touched on her breast. Her stomach tensed with anticipation and she caught her breath, but he kissed Troy’s head.

  “You’re a soft touch,” she said.

  He chuckled. “Yeah, well, just don’t tell anyone, okay?”

  She admired his dark eyes, and the thick lashes that framed them. “I’m scared.”

  “Of what?”

  “Are they going to arrest you?”

  He sighed. “No. There were a few things taken from Jon’s house. If Orton’s warrants come through right away, he’ll search the farmhouse and the garage in the morning. But when he doesn’t find anything, I’m hoping he’ll let it drop.”

  “What if he doesn’t?”

  “There’s no evidence linking me to that crime. I was in Boise or driving most of the night.”

  “Then how can they even believe it was you?”

  “They’re saying I could’ve done it on my way home, but I think they’ll eventually realize that I wouldn’t have had time. Anyway, a good lawyer should make a big difference.”

  “I hope so.”

  Delbert stretched and yawned, and Booker stood. “Come on, Delbert,” he said. “We’re leaving now.”

  “Thanks for holding Troy so long and letting me sleep,” Katie said.

  While Delbert was rubbing his eyes, Booker lifted her shirt for another quick peek at Troy nursing. “It was worth it,” he said with a devilish grin. Then he and Delbert left.

  KATIE COULDN’T BELIEVE IT. Booker liked the baby. A lot. He certainly didn’t strike her as the cuddly baby sort. But she remembered him holding Troy last night, remembered his hands on her belly when she was pregnant and how involved he’d been in getting her the maternity clothes and the doctor she needed, and realized that he’d been fascinated by her pregnancy from the beginning. When she considered why that might be, she supposed she could understand. Booker was drawn to people who needed him, and no one was more dependent than a newborn.

  Smiling as she pictured the sweet kiss he’d given Troy last night, she leaned closer to the mirror to finish applying her mascara. At this speed, she’d be late for work, and Rebecca had already called to let her know she had a ten-o’clock appointment.

  Troy cried, interrupting her rush to get ready, but her mother showed up only a few minutes later. Holding her son close, Katie pressed her cheek to his bald head for a moment, then passed him to Tami. “I expressed some extra milk. It’s in the fridge,” she said, grabbing her purse and keys. “And—”

  “I know.” Her mother chuckled. “Call you if he needs anything.”

  Katie smiled and threw her arms around Tami. “Thanks, Mom. I don’t know what I’d do without you. After Andy took my computer…well—” she glanced nervously at her watch “—you’re a godsend, let me just say that.”

  “I’m enjoying the time with my grandson.”

  “Dad didn’t have a problem with you coming today?”

  “He’d have less of a problem if you’d go over and talk to him.”

  Katie grimaced. She wanted peace with her father, but she wasn’t sure she wanted it on his terms. “I’ll think about it,” she said and hurried off.

  When Katie arrived at the salon, Rebecca was in the back opening product shipments. Delaney was sitting next to her, drinking a small bottle of orange juice while they talked. Emily, Delaney’s little girl, was probably with her daddy, because she wasn’t around.

  “Where is everyone?” Katie asked after leaving her purse in a locker.

  “Mona phoned to say she’s running late,” Rebecca said. “She’s already rescheduled her first appointment, though. And Ashleigh doesn’t come in until one.”

  Katie breathed a sigh of relief. She had a few things she wanted to ask Rebecca, and she didn’t want to do it in front of Ashleigh.

  “Have you heard anything yet?” she asked, interrupting Rebecca as she was writing prices on the small green stickers they used to mark the hair products they sold.

  “About what?” Rebecca asked.

  “About Booker.”

  Delaney put the lid on her orange juice.

  “What about him?” Rebecca said.

  “You know there was a break-in at Jon Small’s house, right?”

  Rebecca’s forehead wrinkled in confusion, and her “no” was quickly echoed by Delaney’s.

  “Two nights ago someone broke into Jon’s house. They messed up the place, stole a few things, and—”

  “Don’t tell me the police think it was Booker,” Rebecca said.

  Katie nodded.

  “Because of that fight a few weeks ago?”

  “And his reputation, I’m sure.”

  “That’s crazy!” Delaney said. “Booker would never do that.”

  “Booker’s grown up, changed,” Rebecca concurred. “He’d never steal from anyone. That car he took before was because of a dare. He didn’t really even want it.”

  “I guess Officer Orton was hoping to search the farmhouse and the garage this morning to see if he could find the stuff that was stolen,” Katie told them. “I don’t know what time he was planning to do that, but I thought it might’ve happened early.”

  Worry knitted Rebecca’s eyebrows. “Booker called me yesterday, but Josh and I were so busy I never got back to him. I just figured I’d call him today.”

  “He doesn’t seem too concerned,” Katie said.

  “Weren’t you with Booker two nights ago?” Delaney asked Rebecca.

  “No, but…” Rebecca tapped her lip with one finger. “That’s the night I talked to him on the phone. He’d just gotten back from Boise. He had anger management class.”

  “They think he did it on his way home,” Katie said.

  “You’re kidding!” Delaney cried.

  “No.”

  “That’s it,” Rebecca said. “I’m calling my dad.”

  Katie and Delaney, who was barely starting to show, followed Rebecca to the phone and waited nervously while she dialed her parents’ house, then City Hall before managing to track down her father. When she finally had Mayor Wells on the phone, Katie curled her fingernails into her palms and prayed for good news.

  “But I know he’d never do anything like that, Dad,” Rebecca said. “I don’t care what he’s done in the past. It’s not right that the police should automatically assume it’s him just because he spent some time in prison several years ago…So? Whoever broke into Jon’s place is probably the same person who robbed Mrs. Willoughby, and I know for a fact that Booker would never expose himself…. He doesn’t need to get cheap thrills like that…He can have almost any woman he wants…What?”

  Katie watched Delaney lean closer, so she could hear Mayor Wells’ response, and did the same.

  “Leah Small says Booker’s been harassing Jon. Jon’s daughter confirmed it,” he said. “Booker went out to their house one day to threaten Jon. And he’s been calling him at all times of the day and—”

  “Booker’s not the aggressor in that relationship, Dad,” Rebecca broke in. “I told you he was defending Delbert against the Smalls. That’s what started the whole thing.”

  “And I believed you. But now I’m wondering if he’s decided to get revenge for the arrest and whatever else happened that night.”

  “Booker’s not after revenge! He just wants the Smalls to stay away from Delbert.”

  “Then it shouldn’t matter if they search his place. What’s wrong, Rebecca? Are you worried they might find something?”

  “I’m not worried at all! I—”

  “I know Booker’s your friend, Beck,” her father said. “But I can’t step in just because you two are close. Believe it or not, I’m actually starti
ng to like him. However, I still have to let the police do their job.”

  Rebecca glanced from Katie to Delaney and shook her head. “Fine,” she said into the phone. “Just call me when they’re done, okay? I want to hear you say the police were wrong.”

  Katie’s ten o’clock came in just as Rebecca hung up. A recently divorced Sheila Holley wanted a completely new style. Katie felt it was about time Sheila cut off her long straggly hair, but Katie didn’t enjoy the transformation as much as she would have if her thoughts hadn’t been on Booker and the police who were searching the farmhouse while she worked.

  Delaney promised to check in later and left. The hours dragged as Katie went from Sheila’s cut and style to a perm and then home to nurse Troy and back to do a color. Ashleigh arrived at one o’clock, but Katie barely noticed her. She was too focused on the telephone, jumping every time it rang.

  Rebecca’s father didn’t call until well after lunch. Katie was doing Mrs. Reese’s weekly set, but she paused, comb in hand, as Rebecca took the call.

  Katie could tell instantly that it wasn’t good news. Leaving Mrs. Reese in the chair, she crowded beside Rebecca at the front desk, feeling as though her stomach had just turned into lead. “What did they find?”

  Rebecca shoved a hand through her hair as she hung up. “I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it.”

  “What?” Katie touched Rebecca’s elbow. “Tell me.”

  Rebecca forced her eyes away from some indefinable point in the distance. “They found a car.”

  “A car?” Katie echoed.

  “It was in a gully on Booker’s property, and covered with brush. My father was just out there. He said it’s quite obvious that someone went to great lengths to hide it. So, of course, now they think the worst.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  WHEN KATIE PASSED Booker’s shop on the way home from work, it was closed—just like it had been when she’d gone home for lunch. She wondered if the police had arrested him. If so, they were wasting their time. Booker couldn’t have stolen that car. There had to be some other explanation. She knew he’d made some stupid mistakes when he was younger, but that chapter of his life was over.

  Too upset to continue home, she stopped at the diner and used the payphone inside to call the farmhouse.

  No one picked up, not even Delbert. Tempted to drive out there to see if she could learn what had happened since the mayor’s call, she glanced at her watch. Troy needed to nurse again. And she had to let her mother leave. Tami had been babysitting for nearly seven hours.

  With a sigh, Katie gave up trying to reach Booker and drove to the ranch.

  “What’s wrong?” her mother asked the moment she walked through the door.

  “Nothing. Why?”

  “You look upset.”

  Katie was upset. She wanted to talk to Booker, make sure he was okay. But at least Troy seemed to be doing well. He was sleeping peacefully in his bassinet, despite the fact that it was feeding time. “I’m just tired,” she said. “And it’s hard to leave the baby.”

  Tami used the remote to turn off the television. “Oh. I thought you might’ve heard about Booker.”

  Katie’s stomach muscles tensed. Surely word hadn’t spread already…. “What do you mean?”

  “Don called me from the doughnut shop. I guess Officer Orton stopped in for a cup of coffee and mentioned that Booker’s stolen another car.”

  The news had spread. Only in Dundee…“Orton doesn’t know that.”

  Her mother’s thinly penciled eyebrows notched up. “So you have heard about Booker?”

  “Rebecca said something about it at the salon earlier. But I haven’t been able to get hold of Booker to find out what’s really going on.”

  “I’ll tell you what’s going on,” her mother said. “He’s been stealing cars and harassing the Smalls.”

  “Mom—”

  “Trudy Johnson, my new next-door neighbor, is a good friend of Leah’s. They play Bonco together once a week. And Trudy said Leah told her that Booker’s out to get even with Jon. He blames Jon for getting him thrown in jail a few weeks back.”

  “He should blame Jon,” Katie said. “Booker found Jon, his brothers and his cousin beating up on Delbert. Booker stood up for Delbert.”

  “Maybe that’s what Booker told you, but—”

  “I know what happened. I was living with Booker at the time. I saw him and Delbert when they got home.” Troy began to stir and she went over to pick him up. “Delbert’s the one who told me what happened.”

  “He’d say anything to protect Booker. He idolizes him.”

  “He wouldn’t lie. I don’t even think he knows how to lie.”

  “When someone’s not right in the head, you can’t take anything for granted,” her mother said, gathering up her purse and her coat.

  Katie had been about to feed Troy, but the Model-T that Delbert had given her sat on the top shelf of her entertainment center, reminding her how sweet Delbert was—and how good Booker was. After listening to her mother’s derogatory tone, Katie had too much adrenaline pumping through her to sit down. “I care about Booker,” she said abruptly.

  Her mother hesitated at the door. “I know you’ve always liked him, but—”

  “No.” Katie broke in. Troy’s squirming had progressed to fussing, but Katie couldn’t feed him just yet. She’d finally reached the point where she could no longer deny or avoid the truth. “I don’t only like Booker, Mom. I’m in love with him.”

  Her mother’s hand dropped from the doorknob. “What?”

  “It’s true. I haven’t wanted to admit it, even to myself. That’s why I left here to begin with. I was in love with Booker and afraid I was making a terrible mistake. Only leaving with Andy was the real mistake.”

  “Katie, Booker’s a car thief!”

  “I don’t believe it.”

  “Then, where did that car in the gully come from? Cars don’t materialize out of thin air.”

  “The police are checking. I’m sure they’ll realize it was an old car of Hatty’s or…or something,” she said, although she doubted Hatty was the type to leave an old car on her land. Scrupulously clean and frugal, Hatty had waged war on dirt and waste the whole time Katie had known her.

  Her mother tapped her own chest, as though she was finding it difficult to breathe. “But…but what about Mike? I’ve been hoping the two of you would get together. You’re perfect for each other. His mother told me before you had the baby that he’s interested in you. Can you imagine? The man you’ve always wanted is interested in you after everything that’s happened? How many men would be that open-minded?”

  Mike was wonderful. Katie didn’t know how she would’ve gotten through the last few weeks without his friendship and support. He was definitely her childhood ideal. But her heart belonged to Booker.

  “I’m sorry, Mom,” she said. “I know you and Dad don’t like Booker, so—”

  “Think of the life you’d lead if you married Mike. Think of the home you’d have, the father he’d be.”

  Troy was now crying so loudly that Katie could barely talk over him. She pulled up her shirt and settled him to nurse without sitting down. “I can’t change the way I feel, Mom. I’ve already tried—for more than two years. And I’m right back where I started.”

  Tami’s shoulders slumped, making her look older than Katie had ever seen her—old and exhausted. “What am I going to tell your father?”

  “Tell him—” she took a deep breath “—why not tell him to have some faith?”

  “Faith?”

  “In me.”

  Her mother stared at her for several long seconds. “Are you sure Booker’s who you want?”

  “He’s who I want. That doesn’t mean I’m going to get him. He asked me to marry him once, and I turned him down. I’m not sure I’ll have another chance.”

  “I guess there’s hope in that,” Tami said. But she smiled grudgingly when she said it, and Katie couldn’t help laughin
g.

  KATIE WAITED BY THE PHONE that night, hoping Booker would call. She’d left several messages on his answering machine, but now that it was nearly eleven o’clock, she was afraid she wouldn’t hear from him.

  Briefly, she considered calling Rebecca. Surely Rebecca would’ve talked to Booker at some point today. Even if she hadn’t, she’d know more about what was going on, from her father or the police. But Katie didn’t have call-waiting and she’d been afraid to use the phone in case Booker tried to reach her. And now it was too late to call Rebecca.

  After a long evening that had passed with painful slowness, she placed Troy in his bassinet and took a shower. She let the hot water run over her body, hoping she could relax enough to sleep. But she kept picturing Booker in a jail cell, with Orton telling everyone around town that he’d stolen another car.

  Where had that car come from? And why was it hidden on Booker’s property?

  She couldn’t answer those questions, but she knew there was an answer. And it wasn’t that Booker had stolen it.

  Turning off the water, she stepped out to towel off and realized she’d never be able to sleep without talking to Booker first. She hated to take her son outside while he was still so young. But if she bundled him up, she didn’t see how a little car ride would hurt him.

  Once she’d made the decision to go, Katie felt better almost immediately. She’d find Booker, wherever he was, and reassure herself that he was okay. She’d figure out what really happened—and convince others to believe in him as much as she did. And if he was in jail, she’d do what she could to get him out. Lionel & Sons Auto Repair seemed successful, but she didn’t know whether Booker had any money. If he couldn’t make bail, she’d ask Mike to lend her the money.

  BOOKER WAS FEELING THE tension of being held at the police station the entire day when the fax they’d been expecting finally arrived. Officer Bennett collected it as soon as the fax machine stopped humming, and carried what looked like two sheets of paper into Chief Clanahan’s office.

  The white-haired Clanahan retrieved a pair of reading glasses from his desk. He glanced at Booker, who was sitting across from him, and at Orton, who was standing in the doorway, then perched his glasses on his nose and studied the document.