Papina (Bearville County)

by Katie Hamstead

  He opened the door and all the kids looked up, doing their best to hide how eager they were to see him, but each had an unmistakable glow in their eyes.

  "Hello everyone," he said, striding across to the middle of the room. He gestured at me as he set Jackson down. "As promised, I brought some special guests. This is my wife, Bray, and my son, Jack."

  One of the boys scoffed, rocking back on his chair and said something in their language. The rest of the group murmured a laugh.

  But Forrest pursed his lips. "Sheldon, I will not tolerate racial slurs in my classroom. You're better than that. Who a person is, isn't defined by their skin color. So you will apologize, in English, to my wife."

  The boy, Sheldon, rocked forward so his chair was on all fours. "Sorry, Mrs. Miller."

  "That's all right," I responded with a smile.

  "Now then." Forrest turned and carefully pulled Jackson from his car seat. "Who wants to meet the cutest baby that ever existed?"

  The group again showed mixed emotions as they slowly stood and shuffled forward. I stepped back to give them space as they gathered around Forrest. It didn't take them long to relax and open up to him, and soon they were joking as the girls passed Jackson between them.

  Forrest looked back at me and tilted his head for me to come forward. I stepped up and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, kissing my head. The kids all seemed startled by it, and as Forrest began his lesson and kept my hand firmly in his, their eyes kept flicking between us and our joined hands.

  Lunchtime came, and the kids rushed out to play on the basketball courts behind the building. Forrest closed and locked the door so I could nurse, and he leaned against a desk watching me. "Thank you, Bray."

  "For what?"

  "For being you. I wanted to show them what a healthy, loving, relationship is supposed to look like, and you were just perfect. You let me hold your hand and kiss you in front of them without even flinching. They've all come from such screwed up backgrounds I don't think they've ever seen love before."

  I smiled up at him. "You make it easy for me. You have such a pure heart."

  He squatted and, grabbing my knees for balance, he kissed me. I shuffled Jackson to hold him in one arm and caressed Forrest's face, my heart swelling inside me as, yet again, I felt in awe that someone so giving and wonderful loved me.

  He broke away, but kept his face barely inches from mine as our eyes met. "Bray, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I wouldn't be able to do all of this without you."

  "Yes you would." I stroking his face. "You're Superman."

  He chuckled. "Well, it wouldn't be worth it if I didn't have you to come home to."

  "You're such a sap," I whispered, before leaning in and kissing him again.

  Lunchtime finished and the kids shuffled back into the classroom. Forrest had them write in journals before they did some math, and finally they went outside to do a science experiment. It wasn't a fancy one, but it wasn't supposed to be. I knew Forrest's intention was to get them to have fun and bond with him and each other. When the bottle of Pepsi blew up into the air as it reacted to the Mentos, all the kids laughed and chatted with each other.

  Afterward, he had them hose the basketball court down, and a water fight erupted. They laughed and wrestled over the hose before they turned on Forrest. He yelled as the boys tackled him to the ground and the girls sprayed him with water. When they let him go, he stood, drenched from head to toe and laughing. "I'm glad I didn't wear dry-clean only pants today."

  Once they'd finished cleaning up, Forrest dismissed them. He motioned for me to return to the school building. I glanced down at Jackson sound asleep on my shoulder and hurried to follow Forrest inside.

  In the classroom, he pulled off his shirt and stretched it out to me. "Merry Christmas."

  I scowled, and he tossed it over the back of his chair with a grin. I watched him gather up his things, admiring his slender but muscular back and shoulders. "Wow, you're sexy."

  He looked over his shoulder and laughed. "Thanks, gorgeous."

  I set Jackson down in his car seat before snatching up Forrest's shirt. "Where's the bathroom?"

  He pointed down the hall. "Third door on the left."

  I hurried into the bathroom, pleased to find a hand drier. I wrung as much water out as I could before hitting the button to dry it.

  A toilet flushed and I jumped. I hadn't been paying attention, so I didn't realize there was someone else in there. One of the girls walked out and started washing her hands, but kept glancing at me. She came up beside me, and I stepped aside for her.

  At fourteen, she was the youngest of Forrest's group and by far the prettiest, too. She had waist length, straight, black hair, dark eyes, and smooth skin. She barely reached my shoulder in height, and was so slender her bones made her joints pointy.

  "Nova, wasn't it?" I asked.

  Her eyes shot to me and narrowed. "I don't like white people." She hurried out the door.

  I grunted and continued to dry Forrest's shirt. When I returned, voices came from in the room, so I peeked in. Nova sat holding Jackson. She rocked him and smiled.

  "I'm glad it's getting better," Forrest said to her. "If anything happens with them, you come straight to me."

  "I will," she responded. "I like you better than them anyway. Couldn't I come live with you?"

  He shook his head. "That wouldn't be ethical, I'm afraid. But my house is a safe house for you if you ever need anything."

  She nodded, and as he turned to pick up his things, she eyed him over with a sad longing. She had a crush on my husband. I couldn't help smiling, knowing that meant he was getting through to them. But, remembering he was shirtless and that was highly inappropriate, I rushed in.

  Her gaze fell as I entered, and fixed on Jackson.

  Forrest turned and beamed at me. "Thanks, Bray." He snatched up his shirt and pulled it on. "Nova, did you need a ride home?"

  She shook her head. "I can walk."

  "All right, but just be careful, okay?"

  She smiled at him with adoration in her eyes. "Okay."

  "Come on, I need to lock up."

  She gently placed Jackson back in his car seat and buckled him in. Forrest lifted it, and tilted his head for Nova to follow as he rested his free hand on the small of my back. When he turned away from her, she slumped.

  Outside the classroom, she paused as he locked up. "Goodbye, Forrest. I'll see you on Monday."

  "Bye, Nova," he said with a smile. "Have a good weekend."

  She walked slowly away, glancing back every now and again as he finished, but hurried off when he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

  I sighed once she was out of sight. "Forrest, you realize that girl has a giant crush on you?"

  He winced. "Yeah. I don't know what to do about it. That's always kind of been your thing."

  I laughed. "My thing? You're a counselor."

  "Crushes are different to overcoming abuse and criminal backgrounds."

  "Forrest." I laughed, shaking my head.

  "Well it is. That's like a woman's intuition thing." He scowled. "Don't think I'd do anything—"

  "Oh Forrest, of course not." I kissed his cheek. "She's a teenage girl. Sometimes all they want is a male to pay attention to them. You are a good person, so your attention won't harm her or break her heart. She knows you're married and completely off limits, so she'll grow out of it."

  He stroked my hair. "You're right."

  On the way home, he called Sarah to watch Jackson for a few hours. Once he hung up, his hand ran up my thigh. I smirked, my stomaching filling with butterflies in anticipation for our night of passion.

  Chapter Four

  We learned quickly that the whole town was expected to attend church, whether they were religious or not, and this was because of the lunch in the park by the stream afterward.

  Forrest and I arrived at the park at the edge of town, carrying a large pot of soup. It was bitter cold, but the snow tha
t fell a few days earlier had mostly melted away. Green, lush grass and shrubs lined the play area, and with the stream babbling at the edge of the clearing, the park was a peaceful location.

  We set the pot down on the picnic table, and within moments our friends surrounded us. I grabbed Megan's arm, eager to see her newborn. We sat together with our babies wrapped snuggly up in our arms, while our husbands threw a football around.

  "I can't believe he's three months today." Megan leaned over and looked into the stroller at Jackson. "Okay, I'm not doing that again."

  "How are you doing?" I asked.

  "I still hurts." She rubbed her abdomen. "Inducing is not your friend. Clint freaked out through the whole thing. He’s not as macho as he thinks."

  Sarah sat beside me, gnawing her lip.

  "What is it?" I asked.

  A grin swept across her face. "I asked Paul on a date."

  "Sarah!"

  She blushed all the way down her neck. "We're going out next weekend."

  "That's wonderful."

  She grabbed my hand and squeezed. "It took me a while to build up the courage to take your advice, but now I'm glad I did."

  Paul pulled up in parking lot, dressed in his sheriff gear. Sarah gasped and shot to her feet, as he walked over and shook Clint and Forrest's hands. "I'm… I…"

  "Go on." I shoved her hip.

  She hurried away, taking a route around the table to collect a plate of food for him.

  "Bray," Megan said. "You encouraged her to ask him on a date?"

  "Yes." I grinned.

  But she scowled. "Oh hon, that won't end well."

  I raised an eyebrow. "Why? He's hasn't got a cruel bone in his body. He'll be a perfect gentleman."

  "Which is part of the problem." She nodded toward them. "He'll be kind, and she'll get her hopes up, but he won't follow through. There's a reason why he never asked her, and that's because he sees her as a sister. It will never be romantic for him."

  I frowned. "Well, maybe the date will change that. She's very pretty, and she has such a big heart."

  Megan didn't answer.

  I watched Sarah as she handed the sheriff a plate of food. He smiled and took it politely, but his interest remained on Clint and Forrest. Had I done the right thing encouraging her to pursue him?

  *

  I lay face down with Forrest half on top of me, his lips moving softly over my bare shoulders. I shuddered as goose bumps rippled over me.

  "I love you, Bray."

  "I love you too, Forrest."

  He moved his lips up and nibbled on my ear. "Are you happy here?"

  "I am." I smiled as his hands wandered over my skin. "Everyone in this town is so welcoming. We have a beautiful home, even if we are still fixing it up, you have your dream job, and I'm working mine while starting a family. What more could I ask for?"

  "I'm happy, too," he said. "I was concerned you wouldn't enjoy living away from the city in a small town like this, but as usual, you adapted like it was nothing."

  I rolled over to look at him, and his eyes flashed to my chest before they returned to meet my gaze. His hands found my breasts instead, and I sighed at his touch, shutting my eyes. "Forrest?"

  "Yes, Bray?"

  "You know your 'I married her because she's my best friend' speech?"

  He chuckled. "The one you hate?"

  I raised my eyebrow. "Yes, that one. Honestly, I don't hate it that much."

  "And why's that?"

  "Because it's exactly how I feel, too." I ran my hand through his hair and he turned to kiss it. "I thought you were in it just for fun too, since that's how we met; me throwing myself at you. So I didn't want you to know I was crazy about you. I thought there was no way someone as brave, and smart, and noble as you could ever love me back. But you were the person I wanted to be with at every moment, and the one who I wanted to talk to about everything, and you still are."

  He shuffled on top of me and softly kissed my chin and nose. "It's great being married to your best friend, isn't it?"

  I smiled as his lips wandered down my neck. "It's great being in love with my best friend."

  "We're so sappy," he whispered as he kissed the bottom of my throat.

  I giggled and pulled him up to kiss me.

  Chapter Five

  I glanced at the clock. 4:30 p.m. Forrest would be home soon. I finished my work and headed into the kitchen to start dinner. I hummed as I worked, and when I finished, I glanced at the clock again. Five p.m. Hmm, Forrest must have got caught up.

  I hurried upstairs and found Jackson babbling to himself in his crib. I plucked him up, changed him, and returned to the living room to nurse while I waited for Forrest to come home. When Jackson dozed off, I looked around at the dark room. Setting Jackson down on a blanket, I turned the lights on and saw the time was 6:30. A knot formed in my stomach, so I tried to call Forrest. No answer. I called again and again. No answer.

  I slipped my phone in my pocket and took Jackson into the dining room so I could eat. When I was done, I glanced at the clock again. 7:15. I chewed on my lip, concerned. It wasn't like him to be this late.

  I pulled my phone out and called him again. Still no answer. I tossed the phone on the table, frustrated. Something must be wrong. I rushed to the front windows and looked out into the street, hoping to see headlights turn the corner at any moment. But they didn't come.

  Hurrying back to the dining room, I snatched up my phone.

  "Sheriff Davis."

  "Sheriff," I gasped, almost in tears. "It's Braydon Miller. Forrest hasn't come home. He's never late like this. He should have been home hours ago."

  "Mrs. Miller—"

  "There must be something wrong." Tears burned in my eyes, but I forced them back. "I don't—"

  "Mrs. Miller, don't panic. He probably just got caught up with one of his kids. I'll call the tribal offices and see where he's at."

  "I've tried calling him. He's not answering."

  "Mrs. Miller, I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for this. Just sit tight and let me make some calls."

  "Okay."

  I sank onto the couch, then Jackson started fussing. For the next hour I paced the house, watching the minutes tick by on my phone which, despite how much I tried to will it, didn't ring.

  Finally, I set Jackson down for the night and rushed back into the living room, phone in hand to call the sheriff's office again. But when I glanced out the front window, the sheriff's car pulled in along with the Res' sheriff. I rushed out, my stomach tied in knots. "Where's Forrest?"

  The sheriff raised his hands. "Mrs. Miller…"

  "Where is he?" I didn't like the pained look in his eyes. "Where's my husband?"

  "We found his car by the park," he said.

  "His car?" I asked, my head spinning. "Where is he?"

  "We're putting together a search party."

  I grabbed his arms as my legs gave out on me. "No!"

  He wrapped his arms around my waist to hold me up. "Don't panic. One of his students is missing, too. They're probably together somewhere."

  "But…" I couldn't let myself think the worst. He must be trying to help his teen.

  "I'll have someone come stay with you until we find him."

  I nodded.

  He guided me into the house and called Sarah. I sat on the couch and barely noticed when she arrived. My stomach ached from tying in knots, my eyes stung from the suppressed tears.

  Hours passed, and Sarah guided me into my bedroom, telling me to get some sleep. But I couldn't. I'd doze off, sleep fitfully, and wake in tears when Forrest still wasn't at my side.

  In the early hours of the morning, I returned to the kitchen and cleaned. I had to do something, anything. Sarah walked in rubbing her eyes. "Bray."

  "I can't sleep."

  "Hon…"

  "Please don't say anything," I whispered.

  "They'll find him."

  A sob wrenched itself from me. She rushed forward and caught me as m
y knees gave out. I couldn't understand why he'd vanish and not say anything to me. He knew I'd be distressed by it, so it made no sense. Something must have gone terribly wrong.

  Sarah guided me onto the couch and held me as I cried and cried. My tears must have worn me out, because the next thing I knew she was shaking me awake. "Paul's here."

  I leapt to my feet and rushed out the door. He avoided meeting my eye. "Mrs. Miller—"

  "Where is he?"

  "We still don't know. But we found this." He lifted Forrest's brown leather wallet for me. "It's empty, so you might want to cancel you cards…"

  I collapsed on the ground in tears. He bent over and touched my shoulder. "Bray, don't give up hope yet."

  "Please, just find him."

  "We will. There's a lot of land on the Res, and we're going to cover every inch it until we do."

  Sarah rushed out with a crying Jackson in her arms. "Bray, he needs you."

  The sheriff helped me stand and led me into the house.

  "Take her to her bed," Sarah said. "She's hardly slept and it will be easy for her to nurse there."

  She followed us up the stairs as he helped me to my room. I collapsed on my bed and buried my face in the pillows. I wanted Forrest to hold me, to take the pain away, but I had no idea where he was… which was why I hurt so much.

  Sarah rested Jackson beside me. "Bray, honey, come on."

  I rolled onto my side. She rushed to shut the door, while I positioned myself for Jackson. He latched on, and she pulled the blankets over me. She wiped a tear from my cheek and brushed my hair back.

  "I'll just be downstairs, okay? I'm going to make you something to eat."

  I nodded, my throat aching so much I couldn't speak.

  She slipped out, leaving me in the silence of my room. I stared at Jackson and stroked his smooth, light brown cheek. Forrest couldn't leave him, he loved him too much. He had to show up soon.

  Voices drifted up through the floor from the kitchen. I held my breath to listen.

  "What's going on?" Sarah asked.

  "It looks pretty bad," the sheriff answered.