I'll Stand By You

by Sharon Sala

  “All I know is what he told me when he was making all the plans. He said he had a bad ticker. Those were his words. I guess you’d have to ask his doctor for details.”

  Dori was crying again, and this time she made no attempt to calm down. “He should have told me. I would have stayed home and taken care of him and Luther, but he insisted I go to work. He said I needed the experience. He said he wanted to babysit. He shouldn’t have hidden this from me!”

  Evelyn Harper sighed. “Dori, honey, Meeker was so proud of you. He said you were going to be something special one day. I’m guessing that he wanted you to have a job on your own, hoping you’d learn to have faith in yourself and your ability to make do. Do you understand?”

  Dori heard her, but it wasn’t making things any easier to accept.

  “I hear you, Mrs. Harper, and thank you for all you’ve done. You can give the preacher the date and time and furnish him with a copy of the eulogy. I’ll call him later. I need to hang up now. I think I’m gonna be sick.”

  She disconnected as she ran and barely made it to the bathroom before throwing up. By the time the spasms had passed, she was shaking. She splashed cold water on her face and then dried her hands and face without looking in the mirror, unable to face the added guilt.

  * * *

  By midmorning, word had spread all over Blessings about the fire and Meeker Webb’s death. The next question after that shocker was what happened to Dori and her baby, but no one had an answer. Her disappearance only added to the drama.

  When P. Nutt Butterman heard about Meeker’s passing, his first thought was to contact Dori Grant. Meeker had been one of his clients, and she needed to know what provisions her grandfather had made for her. But when he called the police station to inquire as to where she’d been taken, no one knew.

  “What do you mean, you don’t know?” Butterman asked. “Surely to God you didn’t just leave her behind on her own?”

  The officer on the desk was instantly defensive.

  “I wasn’t on duty last night. I couldn’t speak to what was done. Pittman was there. Do you want to talk to him?”

  “Please,” Peanut said.

  Moments later, Lon Pittman picked up the phone.

  “This is Pittman. How can I help you?”

  “Lon, this is Peanut. I’m trying to find out where Dori Grant and her baby were taken last night.”

  Lon frowned. “I don’t know. I was talking to her after the ambulance left with her grandfather’s body, and then I got called away for an emergency. Her neighbors on both sides of the street were all there in the yard. I guess I assumed one of them would take her and the baby home, at least for the night. You might check with Bart and Pansy Jones. They live across the street.”

  “Thanks for the info,” Peanut said. “I’ll do that.”

  He disconnected, looked up the phone number, and then made the call and waited for someone to pick up.

  “Jones residence.”

  “Mrs. Jones, this is Peanut Butterman. How are you this morning?”

  “Why, I guess I’m fine,” she said, surprised by the call.

  “I’m calling because you were Meeker Webb’s closest neighbor and I’m trying to locate his granddaughter and baby. I was wondering, if by chance, they are at your house?”

  “No, they’re not here,” she snapped.

  Pansy’s guilt made her answer defensive, and Peanut heard it.

  “Did you happen to see where she went?”

  “Yes, actually, I did. She and that baby left with Johnny Pine.”

  That baby. That description alone told him how she really felt.

  “Really?” Peanut drawled.

  So, without her grandfather’s protection, Dori and that baby had become a community burden no one wanted to bear. He sighed. Small-minded people got on his nerves, and to his disgust, the woman wasn’t through talking.

  “If you ask me, it was all rather strange,” Pansy said. “I mean, she never would name that baby’s father and then out of the blue here comes Johnny Pine to the rescue and takes her away. I’m thinking the daddy finally showed his true colors and came to claim his child.”

  The skin crawled on the back of Peanut’s neck. “I find your comments leaning more toward gossip and supposition rather than fact, and until I knew the truth, I would keep them to myself. In the meantime, thank you for your assistance.”

  He hung up in Pansy’s ear.

  Pansy was furious that Butterman had talked to her like she’d done something bad. He didn’t have to live with Bart Jones. She’d just done what she’d been told. It wasn’t her fault that Pine boy had come to claim his own.

  Butterman was just as irked with her as she was with him. As far as he was concerned, she’d said more than enough. He was muttering to himself about the sharp tongues of self-righteous women as he flipped through the file he had on Meeker Webb.

  There was a phone number for Dori Grant along with Meeker’s contact information. He called the number listed for Dori and got nothing. He decided to take a chance and called Meeker’s number next. She answered on the second ring.

  “Hello?”

  Peanut heard a quaver in the female voice and guessed he’d found his missing heir.

  “Hello. This is Peanut Butterman. I’m trying to locate Dori Grant.”

  Dori recognized the lawyer’s name.

  “Hello, Mr. Butterman. This is Dori.”

  “Miss Grant, my condolences on the loss of your grandfather.”

  Dori stomach roiled. And so it began.

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “Yes, and now to the reason I’m calling. I drew up your grandfather’s will, and as you are his sole heir, there are some things you need to know.”

  “Okay.”

  “I was told you are staying at the Pine residence. Is that correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “We need to talk in person. Would it be convenient if I came by this morning?”

  “Yes, sir, I guess so. Johnny is at work and the boys are at school.”

  He glanced at the time and then at his daily planner. He had court this afternoon. This needed to be dealt with before.

  “Would it be possible if I stopped by about ten o’clock?”

  “Yes. Do you know where he lives?”

  “I do, and I’ll see you then,” he said and hung up.

  Dori heard the click and disconnected. This was going to be a long day; she just knew it.

  Johnny had come and gone over two hours earlier to drop off the things he’d bought, so her immediate needs had been met. Luther was taking his morning nap, and the floors she’d just mopped were almost dry. She’d washed her T-shirt and sweats. They should be dry soon. She’d still be in her sock feet, but at least she’d be wearing her own clothes when he came.

  * * *

  Like all the others in Blessings, Ruby Dye had been awakened in the night by the sirens, and when she got up to look out, the flames she saw over the rooftops to the south had given her chills. But she didn’t learn what had happened until the next morning when Vera Conklin called to spread the news.

  “Ruby, it’s me, Vera. Did you hear about the fire last night?”

  Ruby topped off her coffee and carried it to the table as she continued her conversation.

  “I heard the sirens and saw the flames, but didn’t know what was burning.”

  “Oh, Sister, it’s just awful. It was Meeker Webb’s house. It’s gone. Burned to the ground,” Vera said.

  Ruby was horrified. “Oh Lord! Did they get out of the house?”

  “All three of them got out, but then Meeker had a heart attack in their yard while they were fighting the fire and died.”

  Ruby gasped. “Oh no! What’s going to happen to Dori and her baby?”

  “I don’t know. I as
ked where they were, but Vesta didn’t know.”

  “How did Vesta find out?” Ruby asked.

  “One of her clients called to change an appointment and told her about it.”

  “Lord, Lord, that poor girl. She must be scared half to death, not to mention devastated by her grandfather’s passing. I’ll need to find out where she’s staying. I’m guessing her and her baby are in serious need of some clothing. I’ll see what I can find out and get right on that. Thanks for calling. I’ll see you at the shop later.”

  “Okay,” Vera said and hung up.

  Ruby took another sip of her coffee and then went to get a pad and pen. Ruby liked to make lists. They kept life orderly, and she liked order. She made two headings. One was for Dori Grant. The other was for “baby boy.” Now she needed to find out where Dori was staying and give her a call to find out their clothing sizes. Her first appointment this morning was Pansy Jones. Pansy lived across the street from the house that burned. Maybe Dori was at her house. She’d find out soon enough.

  * * *

  Pansy was in a rare state by the time she got to the Curl Up and Dye. Everywhere she went, people were asking her about Dori Grant and her baby. Just because she lived across the street did not make them her responsibility. It was her opinion that if people had been keeping tabs on her like they should have, she wouldn’t be raising a little bastard.

  The fact that Butterman had basically told her not to say anymore about Dori Grant’s whereabouts made her angry. Men were always telling her what to do. The next time someone asked, she was spilling the beans, and Peanut Butterman could just have himself a big old fit and then get over it.

  She parked in front of the salon and, when she got out of the car, accidentally shut the tail of her dress in the door and then ripped about three inches of the waist seam before she realized it and opened the door again to free the fabric.

  “Oh, well, for heaven’s sake!” Pansy sputtered, then tucked the torn bit back under the belt and hoped for the best as she stomped into the shop.

  “Good morning, Pansy! All ready for your hair color?” Ruby asked.

  “Yes, my roots are starting to show something awful,” Pansy said and followed Ruby back to her station.

  “We’ll get you fixed up in no time,” Ruby said and proceeded to fasten a towel and then a cape around Pansy’s neck.

  She sectioned off Pansy’s hair and began talking as she was applying the color.

  “I really like this color on you. It favors your skin tone, don’t you think?”

  Pansy smiled. Finally, someone wanted to talk about something besides that fire.

  “Yes, I like it just fine,” Pansy said. “Bart even mentioned it, and he never notices anything.”

  Ruby laughed. “Isn’t that just like a man?”

  Pansy rolled her eyes. “You have no idea. Just when I think the man is oblivious to everything, he goes and says something nice like that.”

  Ruby thought it strange that Pansy hadn’t mentioned the fire, especially since it was right across the street from her house. She decided to feel her out.

  “So I guess you had some excitement last night. Sure is too bad about Mr. Webb’s passing. I always found him to be a very likable fellow.”

  “Yes, it was a shame,” Pansy said shortly.

  Ruby waited for her to elaborate, but she did not, nor did she mention Dori and her baby. She kept methodically applying color and humming lightly to herself until she saw Pansy relax, then she tossed another question into the silence.

  “So, we’re going to start a donation box for clothing and such for Dori and her baby, but we need to know sizes.”

  “That’s nice,” Pansy said.

  Ruby frowned. “Do you know where I might find her? I want to give her a call.”

  Pansy clenched her jaw again. Butterman’s warning was running through her head, but she’d had enough.

  “Actually, I do. That boy Johnny Pine showed up, and she and the baby left with him. I thought it strange myself, but maybe the missing father finally came to claim his own.”

  Ruby’s eyes narrowed. “Well, personally I don’t believe a word of that. That young man never turned his back on his little brothers when his mama died, and I can’t see him denying a child that would be his, either. So, what did Dori say to you when she left?”

  “Oh, that boy came after everybody left. I’d already told her I would pray for her and gone home. I was in my house watching out the window when—”

  Pansy stopped and looked at Ruby. She’d just given herself away, and from the look on Ruby’s face, she knew it.

  Ruby paused, the bottle of color in one hand and a rattail comb in the other.

  “You mean everyone went off and left that girl and her baby alone?”

  Pansy’s face turned a dark, angry red.

  “I don’t know about everyone. I said my piece and went home like Bart told me to do.”

  Ruby blinked and then undid another section of hair and began applying more color without looking at Pansy.

  The fact that she wasn’t talking made Pansy uneasy, and instead of staying quiet, she just dug the hole she was in a little deeper.

  “That baby was screaming and screaming. We could barely say a thing to Dori for the noise.”

  Ruby kept applying color as fast as she could, then finally finished and slipped the plastic bouffant cap on Pansy’s head and set the timer.

  The silence made Pansy even more uneasy.

  “I told Dori we’d pray for her,” Pansy said. “I’m starting a prayer chain with our church ladies just as soon as I get home.”

  Ruby paused, eyeing Pansy curiously, as if she’d never seen her before.

  “That’s real Christian of you, I’m sure,” she said and then gathered up the wet and stained towels and carried them to the back.

  Chapter 9

  Pansy saw herself in the mirror and frowned. She didn’t much like what she was seeing and turned her chair toward the front of the salon so she could watch the street instead.

  Ruby killed several minutes muttering and slamming drawers and doors in the workroom, and she was still there when the Conklin twins came in the back door.

  “Ruby, you won’t believe what we just heard!” Vera said.

  Ruby pointed toward the front of the salon and then put a finger to her lips to indicate quiet.

  The girls’ eyes widened, and then they scooted into the small workroom with Ruby and closed the door behind them.

  “What’s going on?” Vesta asked.

  Ruby rolled her eyes. “Oh, I’m just getting a dose of the Christian charity the town of Blessings is so good at handing out. If you belong to the right social circles, they can’t do enough. But if you’re unfortunate enough to have committed a sin in their good Christian eyes, they conveniently forget God didn’t set them up as judge and jury.”

  Vesta nodded. “Well, anyway, back to our news. You won’t believe where Dori Grant and her baby are staying.”

  “With Johnny Pine,” Ruby muttered. “And from what I can gather, it’s because he’s the only one with a kind enough heart to take her in. According to Miss Holier-than-thou sitting in my chair with Chocolate Sin stewing on her roots, Dori Grant is a fallen woman with a crying baby that nobody wanted to be saddled with.”

  “You already knew,” Vera muttered and glared at Vesta. “I told you we should have come to the shop earlier. Ruby knows everything before anyone else in Blessings.”

  Ruby frowned. “Well, I could do without ever having heard this. I am disgusted to the core. I don’t suppose either one of you knows where Johnny Pine lives?”

  The sisters shrugged. “On the other side of the tracks is all I know.”

  Ruby rolled her eyes. “I’ll find out before the day is done. In the meantime, I better not hear one bad thing said about tha
t girl and her baby or, for that matter, about Johnny Pine.” She glanced at the clock. “Pansy’s time will be up in a few. I need to get my game face on before I go back out there.”

  Vera patted her arm.

  “I’ll go man the front. I don’t have anyone until almost noon.”

  Vesta sighed. “I have a haircut due in a few minutes.”

  They left the workroom as Ruby began digging through the cabinets. She searched and searched until she found the large plastic jar she’d been looking for.

  “Finally,” she muttered as she shook a dead wasp out of the bottom and pulled a marker out of the junk drawer.

  She wrote For Dori and her baby on a piece of paper and taped it to the jar, then took a five-dollar bill out of her purse and dropped it into the jar, like salting a gold mine and waiting for takers. She carried it through the salon with all the ceremony she could muster and set it on the front counter beside the cash register, then flounced back to Pansy just as the timer for her hair color went off.

  “That’s what I call timing,” she said and ushered Pansy back to the shampoo station.

  Ruby was still congenial and talkative, but Pansy felt the woman’s disapproval of what she’d left undone.

  After her shampoo and style, Pansy followed Ruby up to the front to pay. She saw the donation jar and frowned, then reluctantly dug out an extra dollar and dropped it in the jar.

  “You are so sweet. Thank you for helping Dori and her baby,” Ruby said and smiled big and wide as Pansy made a hasty exit. “Two-faced bitch,” Ruby added and returned to her station to clean up before her next appointment arrived.

  * * *

  Johnny was on the job site, pushing dirt to build a pad for Buzz Higdon’s new barn. The dozer engine was throwing back heat on his face and legs, but the sun was hotter on his back and neck. If that wasn’t misery enough, the hog pen a hundred yards to his right smelled to high heaven.

  The hogs were lying in the shade because their mud wallow was drying up, and the flies were so thick around them that they swarmed in little black clouds. He paused long enough to lift the dozer blade and then shifted into reverse, backed up, and turned around to work the pad from another direction. He would not let himself think about the girl and baby back in his house. It would be too easy to become invested in her life.