“Any way I can get it.”
“Then you’re gonna fit right in. Amy and I love chocolate. How about you, Tess?”
“Yep, I have to say I have a hard time passing it up.”
“Okay, you guys, if you’re trying to make me feel left out, you’re doing a great job.”
“Never, Aunt Casey. I love you.” Amy threw her arms around Casey and gave her a hug.
“I love you, too, squirt,” Casey said, tickling the little girl in her side.
Tess settled back, listening to the giggles and laughter. Before long Johnny was drawn into the fun with Amy and Casey ganging up on him. The three only calmed down when Mac threatened to stop the car in the middle of the highway.
“Casey Leigh MacPherson, I knew it was a mistake to bring you. Contain yourself for the children’s sake.” Mac’s amused tone belied his words.
“Aye, aye, sir. Just as soon as I thoroughly orient Johnny to the Tickle Monster.”
Another burst of laughter sounded in the car, prompting Tess to smile and say, “I think your sister is a lost cause.”
“One of my many burdens,” Mac said with an exaggerated sigh.
“Thank goodness we aren’t too far from the farm.”
“Uncle, uncle,” Johnny called between giggles.
“I think he’s thoroughly oriented, Mac.” Casey sat between the children as though she hadn’t caused a major upheaval in the car, her back straight, her hands clasped together in her lap, an innocent expression on her face.
“Now I’ll get a good night’s sleep.” Mac’s gaze twinkled as it found Tess’s for a brief moment before he returned his attention to the highway.
His look continued to undermine her determination to keep an emotional distance from Peter MacPherson. Tess focused on the beautiful mountainous terrain and tried not to think of the man next to her or the atmosphere of camaraderie that abounded in the car. Its lure tore at the barriers she’d erected around her heart, making her think of all kinds of possibilities.
Thirty minutes later Mac turned off the highway onto a dirt road that led to a log cabin set at the base of a mountain and nestled in a grove of pine trees. Tess counted five dogs and three cats in the yard as he brought the car to a stop in front of the house. A huge man, taller and bigger than Mac, came onto the porch and waved.
“What was Colt’s position on the team?” Tess asked, staring at the man who made Mac look small.
“Tackle. He’s six-seven and weighs three hundred fifty pounds. He prides himself on saying it’s all muscles.”
“Oh, my,” Casey whispered from the back while Colt left his porch and approached the car.
“Good to see you, Mac. Glad to see your leg has finally mended,” Colt said as everyone climbed out of the vehicle.
Mac shook Colt’s hand, then gestured toward the group behind him. “You know Amy.”
“She’s looking more and more like Sheila every time I see her.”
“That’s what Daddy says. I’m the spittin’—” Amy screwed her face into a thoughtful expression. “Spittin’?”
“Image, pumpkin.”
“Yeah.” Amy craned her neck and grinned at Colt. “You’re tall.”
“And this is Tess, Casey, my sister, and Johnny.” Mac pointed to each person.
“Well, you all are in luck. I have a nice selection of puppies for you to look at.” Colt began walking toward a barn about a hundred yards from his log cabin. “I hope you’ll stay for lunch.”
Tess scanned the barn, the scent of hay and animals filling the air. Along one side were stalls, all empty except one with a horse in it. Various pens were along the opposite wall with rabbits, a coyote and a hawk in them. A calico cat came up to Tess and rubbed its body along her leg before ambling over to Colt, who picked it up and stroked it, its purring added to the other noises the animals were making.
The children were drawn to a pen with six mixed-breed puppies waddling around. They were brown and black, and two of them were fighting over an old slipper. One nudged its nose under the bedding until it had managed to trap itself. It couldn’t figure out how to get out. Colt stepped over the wire fencing and rescued the puppy.
“Can I hold her?” Casey asked, climbing into the pen.
“Me, too, Aunt Casey.”
Tess noticed Johnny leaning over the fence and petting the runt of the litter. “Go on and pick her up.”
Johnny threw her a look of uncertainty, straightening immediately as though caught doing something wrong. “I might drop her.”
Tess reached into the pen and lifted the runt out, thrusting the puppy into his arms. “No, you won’t.”
The boy hesitantly took the squirming puppy from Tess and held it close to his chest. She began to chew on his finger, content in Johnny’s arms.
“I may have a problem here,” Mac said, coming up behind Tess.
“What?”
“Look at Amy and Johnny. Both are falling in love with different puppies.”
“You could always get both of them.”
“And have Nina walk out on me? How would I ever survive without her?”
“I suspect Nina can be won over. I think she’ll take one look at Johnny and Amy with their puppies and won’t say a word.”
“I like your optimism. If she says anything, I’ll tell her you assured me she would be okay with it.”
“Daddy. Daddy, I want this one.” Amy picked her way through the rambunctious puppies and held hers up for him to look at.
Johnny’s grin of delight vanished, and he put his runt in the pen, then shifted away from the fence. Tess’s heart twisted at the closed expression descending on his boyish face, the hunched shoulders and folded arms.
“How about if we pick two? Which one would you like, Johnny?”
Mac turned toward the child, whose chin rested on his chest.
Johnny’s head came up, and his eyes brightened. “You want me to choose one, too?”
“Sure. The puppy will be your responsibility if you want it.”
“I—” Johnny gulped. “Yes.”
Mac retrieved the runt from the pen and handed it to Johnny. “Is this the one you want?”
“Yes.” The boy buried his face in the puppy’s fur, rubbing his cheek against her. His grin was ear to ear.
“We get two puppies! Neat, Daddy. Then Johnny can name his and I can name mine.” Amy cradled hers in her arms. “I think I’ll call her Buttons.”
Mac lifted his daughter out of the pen while she still held her puppy. “But both of you have to feed them and make sure they have enough exercise.”
“I will,” Johnny and Amy said, almost at the same time.
“Well, now that is out of the way, let’s go up to the house. I have some stew on the stove. I hope you guys brought your appetites. I don’t get to cook often for guests and I think I went overboard.”
Everyone filed out of the barn, the two puppies left in their pen until later. Tess paused outside the large double doors and took a deep breath of the mountain air, perfumed with the scent of spring. The sun warmed her face while a light breeze blew strands of her hair as though dancing on it.
“I always enjoy visiting Colt. Sometimes I wished I’d moved up here, away from the hustle and bustle of Denver.”
“Why didn’t you?” Tess asked, slanting a look at Mac who stopped next to her while the rest headed for the log cabin.
“One word, family. They depend on me, and this is just too far away.”
Tess would have given anything to be able to say that. She’d wanted a large family, and now that didn’t seem a possibility. Her dream had died on that mountaintop in South America as surely as Kevin had, but that didn’t stop her from wishing.
“And then, of course, there’s the halfway house I volunteer at and the foundation I run. I suppose I could manage to run the foundation if I lived here, but I wouldn’t particularly like commuting to Denver and I can’t see giving up my work at the halfway house.”
“Th
at’s important to you?”
“Very. A lot of the people I work with have lost hope. I try to give them their hope back.”
“How?” She wanted hers back, but didn’t know how to go about finding it.
“Through the Lord, Tess.”
“What if the Lord took your hope away?”
“Only you can do that for yourself.” He stood in front of her, blocking her view of the log cabin. Taking both her hands in his, he continued, “Let me help you, Tess. I know you’re hurting. I’m a good listener.”
His words tempted her to tell all, to open up the wounds and bleed again. Maybe then she would heal. Where would she begin? Fear held the words inside.
“The Lord’s a good listener. If not me, then talk to Him.”
Tess yanked her hands from his. “I tried, and it didn’t work.” Her throat closed. Her tears, which lately had been so close to the surface, threatened to flow again. She couldn’t cry in front of Mac. She swallowed several times and said in as cheerful voice as possible, “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.” She stepped around him and hurried toward the cabin and people who wouldn’t demand something of her she couldn’t give.
“Tess,” Mac called.
She didn’t stop. At the door into the cabin, she glanced back and saw Mac standing where she’d left him. She thrust open the door and rushed inside, desiring to hear sounds of other people. The scent of baking bread, meat and onions saturated the air, making her feel welcome.
She paused a few feet inside the cabin and surveyed her surroundings. She felt as though she had stepped back in time. There was one large room with a massive fireplace along the back wall. The kitchen and dining areas were off to the side of the main room, and two doors that probably led to bedrooms were on the opposite side. The oak furniture was simple, sturdy and fit well into the rustic environment.
Casey and the children were setting the long table with enough benches for eight people to sit on. Johnny laughed at something Casey said while Amy tugged on Colt’s pant leg. When he looked down at her, she indicated she wanted to be picked up so she could peek into the large black kettle on the stove.
The door behind Tess opened and closed. She felt Mac’s presence, the air charged with his vitality the second he entered the cabin. Her heart reacted by increasing its beat, and her mouth went dry. The hairs on her neck tingled, and she knew he was staring at her, probably trying to figure out what made her tick.
“Daddy, Colt let me stir the stew and taste it to make sure it was ready for us to eat.” Amy raced across the large room and tugged on Mac’s arm to lead him to the group. “I’m gonna ask Nina if I can help her, too.”
Tess heard Mac mutter as he passed her, “Nina is gonna be thrilled to hear that. I remember that last time you had more flour on you than in the bowl.”
“Ah, Daddy, I was two then. I’m bigger now.”
“That was only six months ago.”
“Yeah, but I’m all grown up now.” Amy straightened her small body, adding an inch to her height.
Tess hid her smile behind her hand while Mac answered his daughter with a grunt that could mean just about anything.
Johnny spied her and said, “Tess, Colt has two new puppies that he has to feed himself. Someone left them on the highway. Come look.” He waved her over to a cardboard box sitting in front of the fireplace. “They can’t be more than a week old.”
Tess looked inside at the two white balls curled together, sleeping on an old terry-cloth towel. “They’re lucky he found them. They wouldn’t have made it on their own.”
“Why do people discard animals like that?” Johnny said in a whisper as if he was afraid of waking up the puppies.
“I wish I had a good answer for you. Some people don’t value life very much.” She thought of the men who had invaded the mountain village, shooting at anything that moved.
“Come and get it. Lunch is being served,” Colt announced.
“No one’s gonna hurt Frisky. I’ll make sure of that.” Johnny straightened, a fierce expression on his face.
“Is Frisky the name of your puppy?”
He nodded, his hands clenched at his sides, while his gaze was riveted on the sleeping puppies. “She won’t be the runt for long. I’ll take real good care of her.”
“Then that’s all she can ask,” Tess said to Johnny while they found a bench to sit on.
After everyone was served, Colt bowed his head and said, “Heavenly Lord, bless this food and watch out for the animals who need help. Send them to my door and I will provide. Amen.”
“How many animals are you caring for right now?” Casey passed the basket of homemade bread to Colt, who sat next to her.
“Gosh, I’m not sure.” He silently counted on his fingers, then announced, “Thirty-one if you excluded the two puppies you’re taking back to Denver.”
“Make that three. Except that Mom requested a dog, not a puppy.” Casey lavished butter on her piece of bread. “Do you have any dogs that need homes?”
“I have seven you can choose from.”
“The ride back home should be interesting. Five people and three animals.” Mac shook his head as though he couldn’t believe he had agreed to do this.
“What made you take in stray animals?” Tess asked, sipping her tall glass of iced water.
“It sorta just happened. One day someone dumped some puppies out on the highway. Then I found a stray cat that was pretty beaten up. The rest is history. People around here know that if they don’t want an animal I’ll take it in and try to find it a home. I think my reputation is spreading. Every week I get more and more. I’m gonna have to take on help if this pace keeps up.”
“I want to help,” Amy said after stuffing a spoonful of stew into her mouth.
“Me, too,” Johnny chimed in.
“Hold it, kids. I think that would be great, but Colt lives too far away for that to be practical. Sorry.” Mac handed his daughter a napkin to wipe her mouth.
“We gots to do somethin’, Daddy.”
“You are. You’re taking in two puppies who need homes.”
“But I want to do more.”
“Sorry, pumpkin. It’s not possible.”
“Tell you what, guys. I’ll bring you out here one Saturday, and if Colt doesn’t mind, we can help him.” Casey threw a smile toward the man in question.
“Mind? The more the merrier.”
“When, Aunt Casey?”
“Soon. I need to check my schedule at the hospital.”
“We could do it some other day.”
“No, Amy. Johnny will be starting school next week.” Mac took the last bite of his stew.
“School! I ain’t going.”
“That’s not an option.”
Johnny pouted. “I won’t know nobody. Besides, I don’t feel too well.”
“The doctor told me you could start next week half days.” Mac’s features firmed into an expression that told the child this was a battle he wouldn’t win.
Tess remembered the comment Johnny had made about not being long in any one place. She would definitely have to say something to Mac this evening so he would be aware of what Johnny was feeling. She hoped the child wouldn’t do something drastic to avoid going to school.
“Well, I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m ready for dessert.” Colt rose and took his plate toward the sink.
“What is it?” Amy asked, her eyes growing round as Colt brought a plate with a top over it.
“Chocolate cake.”
Casey groaned while the rest cheered.
“I think they both are finally asleep.” Mac entered the den and sat across from Tess. “Johnny insisted his puppy stay in his room with him. Frisky is in the box, but I won’t be surprised to find the puppy in bed with Johnny later on.”
“Where’s Amy’s?”
“In the utility room.”
“How did you get her to agree to part with Buttons? I thought they were attached from the time she go
t in the car with her.”
“Not easily. Of course, when she finds out Johnny slept with Frisky, I’ll have a problem on my hands.”
“You couldn’t say no to Johnny?”
Mac shook his head. “I tried honestly, but the boy has had so little in his life. All I could think of was how I felt about my first puppy, and the word yes just came out.” He gave her a sheepish look. “I really do know how to draw the line. Honest.”
“I believe you,” Tess said with a laugh.
The grandfather clock in the corner chimed nine times. Tess glanced at it, surprised at how late it was. She had to get up early tomorrow and work, and yet she hadn’t talked to Mac about what Johnny said. “Speaking of Johnny, he said something to me today that I think you should be aware of, Mac. It’s probably nothing, but he said he wasn’t going to be at your house long. Do you think he’s planning anything?”
Frowning, Mac plowed his hand through his hair. “I hope Frisky will change that. If he feels responsible for her, he might think twice about running away.”
“So that was your motive. Good plan.”
“Actually my plan is to make him feel part of this family.”
“What happens when he has to leave because Mrs. Hocks has found a relative to take him in?”
Mac’s brow creased with a deep frown. “We don’t know how long that’ll be, if ever.”
“That’s true. Have you thought about all the possibilities?”
“Like what?”
“What if Mrs. Hocks never finds a relative, what then?”
“That’s easy. I’ll take care of Johnny.”
“What if she does find someone? Are you prepared to let him go?”
Mac drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. “I’ll have to. I’ve placed this in God’s hands. This will work out for the best for Johnny.”
“I sure hope so. The child has been through so much in his short ten years. He’s so afraid to care.”
“I know, Tess.”
The look Mac gave her spoke of his concerns, which went deeper than Johnny’s fear of getting close to another. Her own fears connected her to the child, and both she and Mac were aware of that. If only she could turn her life over to the Lord, then maybe…
“I’d better get home. It’s a long day tomorrow.” Tess stood abruptly, needing to leave before she broke down and told Mac her life story. It was a boring subject she wanted to avoid. Spilling her guts wouldn’t change what had happened.
Family for Keeps & Sadie's Hero Page 9