Family Ever After

by Margaret Daley

  Warmed by his compliment, Cara stepped out of the pool of floodlights into the darkness beyond. The halfmoon brightened the night some, but there were a lot of places a child could hide in the expanse of yard that encompassed Noah’s estate.

  At the white gazebo near the pond, Noah flipped on the lights that illumined its immediate surroundings. “I was so hoping they were lying on the lounge chairs in here sleeping.”

  “As you said, we’ll find them. They can’t be too far.”

  Noah gestured with his flashlight. “I’ll go around the pond this way and you go that way.”

  Cara circled the body of water and met Noah on the opposite side. “Anywhere else that comes to mind?”

  “It’ll take a while, but I think we should next walk the perimeter by the fence. There are a couple of places where I could see Rusty trying to climb a tree to get over.”

  The strain in his voice reflected her own inner turmoil. “Did you notice any of their things gone?”

  “Lindsay’s bear. They took a coat and shoes, too.”

  “Good. I was worried they would get cold.”

  “Maybe if they had gotten cold, they would be back at the house.”

  “Normally I would say yes, but Rusty is a hard case to crack.”

  Noah started for the back of the property behind the pond. “Sadly he reminds me of myself.”

  “Why sadly?”

  “Because the road ahead won’t be an easy one for him if he continues on the same path.”

  “First hand knowledge?”

  “Most definitely.” Noah halted by a large oak tree next to the eight-foot chain-link fence and shone his light up into the branches. “Nothing.”

  Cara strode east, inspecting the area around the fence while Noah checked the yard toward the house. When they reached an elm tree, again he examined it from bottom to top.

  “I used to love to climb trees. There was an elm tree that I built a fort in. It really was just a few old boards I found, but it was my special place. That’s where I would hide when I needed to.”

  “Hide? From who?”

  Noah began walking again. “My father.”

  “There were times I felt like that, too. My father wouldn’t let me do what other kids did. He was always afraid something bad would happen to me. I promised myself when I had a child, I wouldn’t be overprotective.” When Noah didn’t say anything, she glanced over at him.

  He slowed, his jaw set in a hard line. “I didn’t have to worry about that with my dad. He didn’t care what Whitney and I did.” Waves of tension flowed off Noah.

  Cara held her breath while she waited for Noah to continue speaking.

  “He was mean when he wasn’t drinking and he was twice as mean when he was.” The matter-of-fact way he spoke didn’t totally cover up the pain in his voice.

  Cara’s heart tore into pieces. “Where was your mom?”

  Noah shrugged, picking up his pace. “Right after Whitney was born, she left. Dad got worse after that.”

  “Oh, Noah, I’m so sorry.” The words weren’t enough to express her horror and feelings concerning child abuse.

  “You have nothing to be sorry about. That’s in the past. I don’t think about it.”

  “But—”

  “Here’s the other elm tree I have,” he cut in, although they were still ten yards away. “If I was going to climb a tree to try and get over this fence, it would be one of the elms.” Noah paused under it and swung his light upward.

  Cara heard a whimpering sound from behind a large bush nearby. She started for it when Noah shouted, “Rusty, I know you’re up there. Come on down.”

  The whimpering evolved into sobbing, and Cara hurried forward. “Lindsay?”

  The little girl, clutching her bear, launched herself at Cara. “I didn’t want to leave, but Rusty said we had to.” Although she had on a jacket, she trembled against Cara.

  “Rusty, I’m not angry. I know you want to go back home, but someone else is moving in tomorrow afternoon.” Noah peered over his shoulder at Cara and Lindsay. “Is she okay?”

  “Yes, just cold.” Cara hugged the child to her to help warm her shivering body.

  “It’s our home. No one has the right to move in.”

  “The landlord told me he was getting ready to evict your family. The rent hasn’t been paid in nearly three months.”

  Rusty came down one limb. “What about our stuff?”

  “I’m going over tomorrow morning to load the rest of it up and bring it here.”

  Lindsay broke away from Cara and covered the few feet to Noah. She tapped him on the back. “What about Molly? Can we have her here?”

  “I don’t—”

  “Please. I miss Molly.”

  Keeping the light trained on the elm, Noah turned slightly toward the little girl. “You don’t think she would be happier at the farm with the other animals?”

  Lindsay shook her head. “She misses us. We saved her.”

  “You did?”

  “She was whining because she was all alone. Adam brought her home to me and I took care of her. Please.”

  Noah raked his hand through his hair and glanced toward Cara, a question in his gaze. Cara nodded.

  He swung back around. “Rusty, if you come down right now, I’ll pick Molly up tomorrow, too, and bring her here to live.”

  When the boy didn’t say anything, Lindsay walked to the base of the tree and placed her hand on her waist. “You better get down here. I want Molly.”

  Cara nearly laughed at the girl’s stern voice. But she noticed that her brother started his descent, one slow branch at a time.

  She planted herself next to Noah. “Not bad negotiating.”

  A grin inched across his face. “I told you that was something I could handle.”

  “I do want to warn you there is more to raising children than negotiating with them. You’ll need to give them some of your time.”

  “A home isn’t enough?”

  Cara started to say no when she saw the humor dancing in his eyes.

  “Gotcha.” He chuckled. “My parents might not have been good role models, but Alice and Paul were. Not to mention Laura and Peter, and Hannah and Jacob. They’re all great with their children.”

  “Good, because you’ll need those examples.”

  Rusty hopped the remaining few feet to the ground and stood next to his sister, taking her hand. “I made Lindsay come with me. She didn’t want to. Don’t be mad at her.”

  Noah wheeled around and began walking toward the house. “I’m not mad at either of you.”

  Rusty trailed behind a few feet. “You aren’t?” Puzzlement marked his expression.

  Cara strode next to Lindsay and used her flashlight to brighten their path. “No, we aren’t, but I do think we need to talk about this when we get inside.”

  Silence accompanied the trek back to the house. While Noah took Rusty and Lindsay to his place, Cara checked on Timothy to make sure he was still sleeping, then she made her way to the deck and entered through the French doors.

  Rusty, with Lindsay plastered against him, her teeth clattering, sat on the brown leather couch in the great room, staring at the floor. Noah paced in front of them.

  “I’m making some hot chocolate.” Cara retrieved a blanket from the closet and draped it over Lindsay’s shoulders then headed for the kitchen.

  Ten minutes later she entered the great room, carrying a tray with four mugs on it. She passed the drinks to everyone and said, “Please sit, Noah. You’re making me nervous.”

  He plopped down in a matching leather chair across from the couch and sipped his drink. Cara eased into the other one and faced the children.

  “I want to make it clear, Rusty, that there isn’t any place better for you and your brother and sister than here.” Cara let that sink in for a few seconds before continuing. “You absolutely can’t live by yourselves. Adam can’t go to school and support you all.”

  Rusty thrust back his shoulder
s. “I can get a paper route to help.”

  “No, that still wouldn’t be enough, and living on the streets isn’t an option. Would you want Lindsay exposed to that kind of life? It isn’t safe, especially for children.” Cara cradled the warm mug in her cold hands. “I need you to promise you won’t try to run away again.”

  Rusty frowned.

  Lindsay looked up from drinking her hot chocolate, a light brown mustache over her upper lip. “I promise. This will be a good place for Molly. She’ll be able to run around. Please, Rusty, I don’t want to leave. It’s cold out there.”

  “Not for long. Summer will be here soon,” the boy mumbled between sips of his beverage. “We would have gotten away if it wasn’t for that alarm. I thought they were for keeping people out, not in. I ain’t living in a prison.”

  Noah leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. “If you give me your promise, I’ll teach you the code to shut the alarm off. I set it at night to alert me if anyone is trying to get into the house.”

  Chewing on his bottom lip, Rusty stared at Noah. “Okay.”

  “Then when you go up to bed, I’ll demonstrate how to set the alarm and turn it off.”

  The boy’s eyes narrowed. “What if I don’t want to sleep in that bedroom?”

  “I have three more, all downstairs. If you want to choose one of them, that’s fine by me. I just thought you would want to be upstairs with Lindsay and Adam.”

  The little girl clutched her brother’s arm. “I want you upstairs with me.”

  Rusty shifted his attention to his sister. “Okay, but I don’t like the room.”

  Noah rose. “Sleep in it tonight and we’ll talk tomorrow about it. I think we should all go to bed.”

  Cara came to her feet and presented the tray to each one to put their mugs on. “I’ll wash up, set the alarm and leave.”

  Lindsay walked to Cara. “Please put me in bed.”

  The pleading in the child’s voice and eyes melted Cara’s heart. She’d always wanted a little girl, too. She was afraid she was going to become too attached to the children. What would happen when they left for a more permanent foster home?

  Upstairs she repeated tucking Lindsay into bed and kissing her goodnight. When she came out into the hall, Noah waited for her by the stairs.

  “Rusty in bed?” Cara asked, her expression neutral.

  “Yes, and quickly falling asleep.”

  She started down the steps. When Noah followed, she said, “You don’t have to come downstairs. I’ll lock up after I clean up the mugs.”

  “Leave them. You need to get your sleep, too. I’ll walk you to the cottage.”

  “You don’t have—”

  He silenced her with a finger to her lips. “I want to. I appreciate your help tonight.” Opening the French doors, he waited for her to go ahead of him. “How was Timothy when you checked on him?”

  “Dead to the world. He’s never been a light sleeper. He slept through the night starting at three months and the only time he gets up is when he’s sick—or a house alarm goes off in the middle of the night.”

  “Sorry about that.”

  “No, it was a good thing.” She strode past the pool. “We’ll start the swimming lessons tomorrow afternoon. It will be nice for Timothy to practice, too.”

  At the cottage door she turned to thank him and caught his intense scrutiny. “Is something else wrong?”

  He shook his head. “You’re so different from most of the women I know—well, except for Laura, Hannah and Alice.”

  She thought of how she must look with no makeup on, her hair barely combed and in her “around the house” clothes that were comfortable but didn’t conceal that extra ten pounds she’d gained since Tim’s death. Then she pictured the women she’d heard Noah had dated—flawless beauties with not an extra ounce of fat. My worth is what’s inside, she told herself while she grappled with what to say to him.

  “I’m in good company with Laura, Hannah and Alice.”

  He smiled. “They are exceptional women.”

  He’d come close to giving her another compliment, two in one day. The realization shivered through her. Then another insight took her by surprise: she wanted to appeal to him in a feminine way. She hadn’t felt that way in years.

  “Thank you for your help.” He inched closer.

  “Just part of my job.” She held her ground although she could smell his fresh clean scent that reminded her of the spring air enveloping them.

  “Not at midnight.”

  “Didn’t you realize being a parent isn’t a nine-to-five job?”

  “You mean it’s 24/7?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So I can expect to be awakened out of a sound sleep from time to time?”

  “Probably, but at least they aren’t infants or my answer would be definitely.”

  “I guess I’d better count my blessings.”

  “You are blessed.”

  His eyes widened. “I hadn’t thought of my life as being blessed, but you’re right. I have good friends and make a good living. I should be content.”

  “But you aren’t?”

  He took her hand and squeezed gently. “Good night, Cara. I’ll see you in the morning.” Then he disappeared into the night with that unreadable expression on his face.

  A minute later the lights from the house revealed Noah mounting the stairs up to the deck before vanishing inside.

  I should be content. Those words echoed through her mind. He wasn’t. But then neither was she. Two troubled souls searching for something. At least she had the Lord to help guide her way. He didn’t.

  Is that why I’m here? To be his guide to You.

  * * *

  “You all did great! Before long you’ll be swimming like fish.” Cara sat next to Lindsay on the walk-in pool step and faced the two boys standing up in the shallow end.

  “Can we stay in a while longer, Mom?”

  “Sure. Just stay down at this end.”

  Timothy and Rusty headed to the other side while Lindsay jumped up and waved.

  “Adam! I can float! Wanna see?”

  Cara didn’t have to turn to know that Noah was with Adam. She could feel his gaze on her, intense, the way it was the night before. Suddenly she remembered what she was wearing—a one-piece bathing suit that didn’t hide those extra ten pounds. Could she stay in the pool until he left? Already her fingers were wrinkled.

  “Let’s see, Lindy.” Using crutches, Adam lumbered toward a chaise lounge and eased down on it.

  “Will you watch, too?” Lindsay asked Noah.

  For a second so brief Cara almost missed it, astonishment widened Noah’s eyes before he nodded.

  Cara glimpsed nervousness in the little girl’s gaze although she tried to present a brave front to her brother. Lindsay hadn’t come into the pool until Rusty and Timothy had been in for twenty minutes working on their swimming. Finally she’d allowed Cara to hold her in the water, then she attempted to float so long as Cara kept her arms under her.

  “Do you want me to keep my arms under you?” Cara asked, moving close to the child.

  Lindsay scooted down to the bottom step. “No, I think I can do this by myself. I’m a big girl now.” The last was said in a whisper as though she had to remind herself of that. “But you can be right next to me,” she added as she glided a foot from the stairs. “Just in case.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to you,” Cara said in such a low voice that Lindsay was the only one who could hear.

  Noah stood at the edge of the pool near the boys. His gaze connected with Cara’s before it settled on Lindsay. “I brought Molly.”

  The little girl beamed. “Where is she?”

  “Exploring her new yard.”

  Fear darkened the Lindsay’s eyes. “She can’t run away, can she?”

  “No, the gate is closed. She’s safe. Show us how you can float.”

  Lindsay lay back in the water, looking up at the sky, her arms limp at her side
s. She held the position for twenty seconds then began to sink. Quickly she put her feet on the bottom of the only area she could stand up in.

  “See. Cara is gonna teach me to float with my face in the water next.”

  “By summer, sis, you’re gonna be a pro,” Adam said.

  “Mom, me and Rusty want to sit in the hot tub.” Timothy pointed toward the spa connected to the pool.

  “It’s okay with me if Noah is okay with it.” Cara looked toward the man still near the boys at the edge.

  “It’s fine. If I didn’t have so much to do, I’d join y’all swimming. Today’s been beautiful and warm for the end of March.”

  Cara saw Molly charge around the side of the house and make a beeline for them. She started to say something about the big puppy, but the words didn’t form fast enough to warn Noah that the dog was coming straight at him. He turned at the same second Molly propelled herself against him, her tail wagging.

  Noah lost his balance and plunged into the water. A huge splash soaked Adam and the boys, still in the pool. Giggles erupted from the children as Noah came up spluttering. Wet hair covered his eyes. He swiped it back and glared at Molly. She must have taken it as an invitation because she leaped into the water and padded toward Noah.

  “She likes you.” Cara tried to contain her laughter, but seeing him drenched was funny. She covered her mouth.

  “Not for long if I get my hands on her.” His glare found the puppy biting at the water she was churning in front of her.

  “You said you wanted to go swimming. She must have heard you.” Cara’s laughter burst forth, and she plopped down on the middle step, next to Lindsay.

  “Molly, come here,” the little girl said, holding out her arms for her pet.

  The puppy changed course, barely missing Noah’s grasp, and swam toward Lindsay. Cara scooped her up and hugged Molly. The dog licked her.

  Noah waded toward the stairs. Lindsay jumped to her feet and hurried out of the pool with Molly following. The puppy stopped and shook the water off her, beads of liquid pelting Cara in the face.

  Both Rusty and Timothy raced toward the steps and rushed up them before Noah planted himself in front of Cara, keeping his gaze trained on the dog who was greeting the boys with licks. Cara pressed her lips together to stop from laughing, but the sight of Noah in a light blue long-sleeved dress shirt and navy-blue slacks was priceless.