“That was over twenty years ago. Maybe she grew to love it.”
Noah shook his head. “No, I think something is terribly wrong. We’d been following this elusive trail for years. Just when I thought we would finally find her, she would disappear. I think she’s hiding or running away from someone, but I don’t know who.”
Cara reached out and took Noah’s hand. It trembled within her grasp. “Then we definitely need to go tomorrow before she disappears again. Then you’ll learn the truth of what happened to your sister. No more guessing.”
He stared long and hard into her gaze. “Perhaps. You’re right. It’s been over twenty years and I’m sure she has changed.”
“I’ll ask Laura if we can drop the kids off at her place tomorrow. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind getting them to school and watching them afterward until we return to Cimarron City.”
He covered their clasped hands. “Thanks for coming with me.”
“What are friends for? I’m here to help where I can. Besides, it will take my mind off the trial starting in a few days.”
“I’m glad it’s finally here.”
“Yeah, especially for Adam’s sake. He told me a couple of guys at school on the baseball team found out he’ll be a witness and said a few things to him.”
“Why didn’t he tell me?”
Cara spied Adam lining up for a shot in front of the net. “Because he didn’t want you to go up to the school. He took care of it.”
“How?”
“He walked away.”
Noah rubbed his finger along the back of hers. “The truth will come out about those three, and all this commotion surrounding them and us will disappear.”
“I hope so, Noah. The assistant D.A. thinks the trial should only be two days at the most. With it starting Thursday, it should be over by the weekend.”
He rose and pulled her to her feet, inches from him. “Although we know what really happened, are you prepared if the truth doesn’t triumph?”
“If they are found not guilty? Yes, I am…” She tried to draw air into her oxygen-deprived lungs, but she couldn’t seem to fill them. “No, I’m not. I still believe in the system, that the guilty are found guilty and the innocent are freed.”
“Even if they are found guilty, they may only get a minimum sentence, a token fine.”
“I have to put it in God’s hands. I can’t control the actions of others, only myself.”
Noah brushed her hair behind her ears, a gentle look caressing her. “Those are words to live by.”
“Which ones?”
“Both sentences.”
Did he believe in the Lord? “What are you saying?” Cara held her breath while seconds ticked off.
“I’m coming to the conclusion I can’t always control my life, even though I’ve tried hard over these past twenty years. Maybe it’s time I put it in God’s hands.”
“Do you mean that?”
One side of his mouth hitched up. “I’m working on it. I’ve been reading a Bible I borrowed from Peter every night before I go to bed. I do have questions—”
“Mom! Look at this,” Timothy called out.
As Cara peered toward her son, she said to Noah, “Hold those questions until tomorrow. We’ll have three hours to talk uninterrupted.”
Timothy flew off the swing, sailing through the air. Landing with a thud, he collapsed to the ground, groaning.
“Oh, no!” Cara raced toward her son, picturing another broken limb.
* * *
“I think Laura’s twins definitely are having a bad influence on Timothy. He never was a daredevil before coming to Cimarron City.” Cara shifted in the passenger seat of Noah’s Corvette, trying to get comfortable after spending two and a half hours sitting in the car as they headed toward Dallas.
Noah tossed her a wry grin. “At least he didn’t break anything.”
“This time. The odds are he will if he keeps doing that kind of stuff. Did you see Lindsay start to do it?”
“Thankfully your scream paralyzed her.”
“It’s the ripple-down effect. I’m gonna have to have a word with the twins.”
“Boys will be boys,” he said with a chuckle.
“Did you ever do things like jump from the roof of a house or try to fly through the air?”
His expression sobered. “Probably. I try not to think about my childhood, but I suppose I need to since we’re going to meet an important part of that childhood.”
“Your sister. How much younger is she?”
“Six years. The last time I saw her she was almost eight.”
“I wonder why she didn’t try to find you when she got old enough.”
The line of his jaw hardened. “I let her down.”
Cara turned so she faced him. “How?”
“I wasn’t able to protect like I should have.”
“Wasn’t that your father’s job, not yours?”
“Should have been but not in our household. I was all she had besides our dad once our mother left after Whitney’s birth.”
“Did you ever try to find your mother?”
“Yes. She died fifteen years ago. I never got to talk to her again, but maybe that was for the better. She didn’t want us or she would have taken us with her when she left.”
Cara stared out the windshield. The landscape changed from open spaces to the start of the small towns that surrounded Dallas. “My parents might have been overprotective, but I always knew they loved me.”
“Overprotective? How?”
“I didn’t date much in high school. My senior year they gave me more leeway, but I led a pretty sheltered life when it came to boys.” And that cost me dearly in the end, Cara added silently.
Noah slowed as the traffic became heavier on the outskirts of Dallas. “I had a parent who didn’t care what I did and you had one who cared too much. How in the world does a parent know what the right balance is?”
“Practice. I also think it’s important to listen to your child. Communication is so crucial.”
For the next few miles Noah concentrated on the cars around them and didn’t say anything. Finally he broke the silence with, “Is it really true the way to salvation is through Jesus Christ?”
“It’s the only way. He died for us and our sins.”
“So all we have to do is believe in Jesus and God forgives us our sins.”
“If you repent.”
“Even if you did something awful?”
“Yes. The Bible is full of stories of God’s forgiveness. One of the disciples was Saul. Before his conversion he was instrumental in trying to destroy the disciples and their spreading of the good news. Jesus chose him to carry His name to the Gentiles.”
“Amazing.” Noah took an exit into the heart of the city.
Silence fell again while he negotiated the streets. The area they entered was seedy—run-down houses with overgrown yards and trash piled high on several porches.
“I want to try where she lives first. I doubt she’s working this early.”
“Does she know you’re coming?”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid she’ll run.” Fear roughened his voice.
Cara hurt for Noah. No wonder he had never wanted a family. His experience being a part of one hadn’t been good. She sent up a prayer that all would go well with his reunion with his sister.
He pulled up to an apartment complex that hadn’t seen the landlord’s kind hand in a while. Peeling paint and several boarded up windows as well as foot-high grass and weeds spoke of the lack of care.
“This is it.” He switched off the engine and sat behind the steering wheel with his grip white-knuckle.
“Do you want me to come with you or wait out here?”
He scanned the area. “Definitely come with me. This doesn’t look too safe. I don’t want you waiting out in the car.”
“Fine. I’ll hang back. You won’t even notice me.”
His chuckle came out forced. “Sorry, that wou
ld be kinda hard for me.” His look pinned her to the cushion, his eyes warm with appreciation as they skimmed over her features. “Just in case I haven’t told you enough, thanks for coming with me.”
“You’re welcome. I enjoyed the drive.” The time spent with you.
He blew out a deep breath. “I guess I’m as ready as I ever will be.”
She’d never seen Noah so tentative. He was always so self-assured and capable. The vulnerability she’d glimpsed occasionally in the past had come to the foreground as he pushed open his door and exited his car. He quickly rounded the front and waited for her to join him.
Inside the three-story building he examined the mailboxes and found the one with the name Dawn Burnett on it. He glanced toward the stairs and gestured for her to go first.
As he followed her up the steps, a musky, stale odor assailed her nostrils. A baby wailing echoed down the hallway on the third floor. Noah paused in front of the door to his sister’s apartment, lifting his fist to knock. Suddenly he dropped his arm back to his side.
“Noah?”
“I’ve dreamed and anticipated this moment for years. I’m not sure I’m ready.”
“We can leave and come back a little later if you need more time.”
“Yes.” He turned toward her and started to walk away. In midstride he stopped. “No, it won’t be any easier an hour from now.” Back at the door, Noah pounded it. The sound of a television wafted through the wood.
“Someone must be home.” Cara stood slightly to the side and behind him.
Noah knocked again.
“What do you want?” came a deep throaty woman’s voice from the other side.
“I’m looking for Wh—Dawn Burnett.”
“She isn’t here.”
Noah stiffened. “When will she be back?”
“Don’t know.”
His gaze, full of anguish, connected with Cara’s. “Are you her roommate?”
“Go away or I’ll call the police.”
Cara’s heart throbbed at the bleak look on Noah’s face. He’d searched for so long, only for his sister still to be out of reach. She gripped his hand.
“I’m dialing right now.”
He glanced back at the closed door, as though it was an impregnable barrier, and Cara supposed it was in that moment. She tugged him toward her, nodding with her head at the staircase. He trudged down the steps to the first floor and stopped in front of the bank of mailboxes.
“Do you think that was Whitney?”
His voice held such sadness that its sound speared Cara. Vulnerable, his emotions exposed, he closed his eyes for a few seconds, their hands still linked.
“Noah, I don’t know. It could have been a roommate, but the P.I. told you she lived alone.”
“Yeah, that’s why I think it was her.”
“Then why didn’t you tell her who you were?”
His gaze swerved to hers. “Because I’m afraid then she wouldn’t have opened the door for sure. There was a peek hole. She saw who I was.”
“But the last time you saw her she was eight and you were fourteen.”
“Still I’ve lived in Cimarron City all my life. I just now started wondering why she didn’t come back and look me up. I never changed my name.”
“You think she blames you for what happened to her?”
“Yes.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
“Wait and go to where she works later today.” He faced her, taking both of her hands in his. “Do you mind staying in Dallas for a while? Do you think Laura would watch the kids until we get home late tonight?”
“No to both questions. I’ll call her and let her know we won’t be home until later.”
“Great.” He attempted a smile that failed.
She wanted so badly to touch the corners of his mouth as though her caress could will him to grin. Instead, she tightened her hold, trying to convey her support through that physical contact. “What do you want to do until we go to her work?”
“Watch the building. I don’t want her to decide to run. One way or another this needs to be settled tonight.”
* * *
Noah stepped inside the dark, smoke-filled bar and hated the fact that Cara had to be here in a place like this. For that matter, he hated that Whitney did. The smell of beer and cigarettes brought back horrendous memories of his father. Bile rose in his throat.
As it had throughout the day, Cara’s presence gave him the courage to proceed into the dim interior. He searched the large room with only a few people sitting about at tables and found his sister behind the long bar at the far end. The photo the private investigator had taken for him hadn’t done her justice. Beneath the heavy makeup was a beautiful woman, but there was a harsh edge to her manner and bearing, he noticed as he paused and watched her interact with a customer.
Whitney leaned toward the older man and listened to something he said to her, then she tossed back her head and laughed, an abrasive sound that came across forced. Noah moved to a stool and eased down while Cara took the one next to him.
His sister turned from the customer and spied him. Her eyes flared then narrowed on him. With mouth set firmly, she advanced toward him.
“I can call the police just as easily from here as at home. You aren’t welcome in here.”
“May I have a soda?” Cara asked, pulling Whitney’s attention toward her. “I’m thirsty.”
His sister looked Cara up and down. “There’s a restaurant down the street. I’m sure you can get a soda there.”
“You don’t serve nonalcoholic beverages in here?”
“This is a bar, in case you haven’t figured it out.” Anger threaded each word and vibrated down Whitney’s length. She swung her full attention back to him. “I don’t appreciate being stalked. I have friends in here who can take care of you if you don’t leave now.”
“You don’t recognize me, Whitney.”
Shock forced the anger to the side. “My name is Dawn Burnett.”
“But you were born Whitney Dawn Maxwell. I’m Noah Maxwell, your brother.”
All the color drained from her face. His sister backed away, her hands trembling. “Burt, this man is causing trouble,” she finally yelled, but her voice broke on the last word.
A huge man, sitting at a table in a dimly lit corner, stood and lumbered toward them. “Time to leave.”
Noah rose. “I am not leaving until my sister and I talk.”
“Sister?” Burt peered at Whitney. “I don’t want to get into the middle of a family dispute.” He raised his hands and took several steps back.
Whitney started to say something, but Noah spun around. “I’m not leaving until we talk. I’ve been searching for you for years. You should remember I don’t give up easily.”
“You’ve been looking for me?” His sister’s forehead creased, her mouth set in a thoughtful expression. She surveyed the room. “It’s quiet right now. Let’s go over there.”
“I’ll stay here,” Cara said to Noah. “And I really would like at least a glass of water.”
Whitney picked up a tumbler and filled it with ice, then water. After placing it on the counter in front of Cara, Whitney came from behind the bar and went the few short steps to a table off to the side.
“I may have to get up and serve a customer.” She sat across from him, her body held rigidly as though she would break at any moment. Wariness settled into her eyes as she faced him. “Why are you here?”
“We’re family. The only one we have.”
“Family doesn’t mean much to me.” She lifted her thin shoulders in a shrug. “Why should it?”
He’d said those words many times over the years. With a quick look at Cara, he leaned forward. “Because I’m discovering how important family is in life. At least the right one.”
The harsh line of her jaw greeted his answer. A pinpoint gaze zeroed in on him. “Right one? There is such a thing?”
“Yes.” He let the answer hang in the a
ir between them for a brief moment. “Lately I’ve had the good fortune to have been exposed to what a family can really be like.”
“I’m thrilled for you,” she said with deep sarcasm.
He cringed. What had happened to his little sister to make her feel that way, to be so bitter? He was at a lost on how to proceed with Whitney. Lord, what do I do?
“What do you want from me?” She chewed on her bottom lip.
“I want us to be a family again, to get to know each other.”
She pulled herself up even straighter. “I’m fine the way things are in my life right now. I see no reason to change anything.”
“So you enjoy bartending.”
She thrust herself forward, her balled hands on the table. “It pays the bills most of the time.”
Noah took a deep breath. “I would think after what our dad did to us you wouldn’t want to have anything to do with drinking or people who get drunk.”
His sister shot to her feet. “This conversation is over. We’ve talked so now leave. Or are you a man who doesn’t keep his word?”
He slowly stood, realizing he had handled the whole situation wrong. He knew better than to judge because he recognized all the defensive tactics she was using. He’d used them himself. He’d gotten quite good at pushing others away—until Cara. He glanced toward her. Somehow she had burrowed her way past his defenses. Could he do the same with Whitney?
His sister whirled around and marched back to the bar where she kept herself occupied wiping down the clean counter. He withdrew a business card and wrote his personal contact information on the back.
He walked to his sister. “Whitney—”
“Don’t call me that. I’m Dawn. That person died a long time ago.” She clenched the rag she held.
“This is my phone number and address. Please contact me anytime you need to talk or need help. I’m here for you. I’m just sorry it took me so long to find you.”
She stared down at the card, then crumpled it into a wad and tossed it to the floor. “I don’t need your help or anyone else’s. I take care of myself.”
“I used to think that, too. I was wrong. It’s mighty lonely.”
Family Ever After Page 14