Blaze a Trail (The Flanagan Sisters, #3)

by Claire Boston

  Their voices got higher and louder as the argument continued. One girl, who he assumed was Elena because she was holding a tiny baby, looked fearful and was angling the baby away from the group. A younger girl, perhaps Beatriz, hovered around her.

  Each girl spoke over the other, without taking a breath, getting more and more worked up.

  He glanced toward the entrance. He was way out of his depth.

  “Enough!” Zita yelled and the girls shut up. “Julio is going to be fine. His fever is probably related to his teething, which is something every baby goes through. Elena, you don’t need to worry about Xaviera catching anything. She’s crying because she’s hungry, not because she’s sick. Now, it’s time we all ate. Mama prepared some chili before she left. Larissa, set the table, and the rest of you wash up.”

  To David’s relief, the girls all left to do what Zita had told them, with the exception of Elena, who stood crying in the center of the room. “I didn’t know Xaviera was hungry. I’m a bad mother.”

  Oh hell. He hated tears.

  Zita went over to the young girl and led her to the sofa. “Sit down.”

  She did, clutching her baby to her chest.

  “You’re a new mama, so it will take a while for you to distinguish the cries and learn the signs. I know because I’ve been through it with Julio and several other babies over the years. When they’re so young, all they do is eat, cry and sleep. Now, is your milk flowing all right?”

  “Yes.” Elena lifted up one side of her top to start breastfeeding.

  David glanced away, staring at the family photos on the opposite wall. What was he supposed to do now? Hang around here with Zita while not looking at the breastfeeding mother? Was it all right to acknowledge her breastfeeding or should he ignore it completely? He didn’t know the conventions for this kind of thing.

  “David, do you want to help me dish up?”

  Relief poured through him at the escape she provided. “Yes.” He followed her into the kitchen.

  “Breastfeeding is a perfectly natural and normal thing,” Zita commented as she turned on the stove.

  “I know,” he said. “But where am I supposed to look?”

  “The baby’s head covers most of the breast, so you don’t need to worry. Looking at Elena is fine. If she was uncomfortable she would have gone out of the room to feed, but in Guatemala no one makes a fuss about these things.”

  “I haven’t spent a lot of time around babies.”

  “I can tell,” Zita said with a grin.

  He laughed. “That obvious, huh?” He was fascinated by how calm and patient Zita was, particularly with how tired she was. “So you’ve had a lot of experience with this?”

  “Five babies so far,” she said. “We help those who want to keep the child and arrange adoptions if necessary.” She stirred the pot of chili.

  It was another aspect of the immigration process he’d not known about. As the girls gathered in the dining room, he asked, “Can I help with anything?”

  “Can you grab the jug of iced tea from the refrigerator?” Rich aromas of chili filled the air and David sniffed in appreciation as he did as she asked.

  When they were all sitting down, and Zita had introduced him, she said grace and they started eating.

  “Have you got any homework this weekend?” Zita asked.

  Larissa grimaced. “Math and English.”

  “Same here,” Tiana said.

  “Do you need any help?”

  David smiled. He remembered his father asking if he’d done his homework, though he couldn’t recall any offer of help.

  “The math is difficult. I don’t understand it,” Larissa complained.

  “Neither do I,” Zita muttered. “We’ll work it out together.”

  “I can help,” David offered. “Numbers are my thing,” he reminded Zita when she stared at him.

  “That would be great,” she said. “It won’t take nearly as long with you helping.”

  Elena came into the room, holding Xaviera.

  “Let me take her while you eat,” Zita said, getting to her feet and taking the baby from Elena.

  “Thank you.”

  The baby was calm now, her eyes wide as she lay in Zita’s arms. She was so unbelievably tiny, with her arms and legs tucked up in the blanket.

  Zita glanced at David as she sat back down. “Do you want to hold her?”

  “Hell no.” He held his hands up. “I’d probably break her, she’s so small.”

  The girls laughed at him.

  “You get used to it,” Elena said, dishing herself up some chili.

  “Not up to the challenge?” Zita teased him.

  “Nope,” David said, quite happy to admit he was out of his depth. But Zita wasn’t. The way she rocked the baby was unconscious and natural. She’d obviously had plenty of practice. She’d make a good mother one day.

  He flinched. He did not want to think about motherhood and the woman he was dating in the same sentence. Parenthood was a long way off as far as he was concerned.

  After the table was cleared and the dishes stacked in the dishwasher, David sat at the dining table with Larissa and Tiana. The television was on in the next room and it sounded like a reality show. Larissa was listening.

  “Do you like the show?” David asked her.

  “It’s a good way to learn English,” she said. “People on those shows talk like normal people and they talk fast. It is hard to understand at first, but gets easier with practice.”

  He hadn’t thought of it that way before. The different accents in the States must make it difficult for those learning English.

  “This is what I’m stuck with,” Tiana said when she’d unpacked her books and notepad.

  David turned to her and focused on the problem.

  An hour later, the math work was done, and Tiana and Larissa had moved on to English. Zita was upstairs putting Beatriz to bed, so David went into the living room where Teresa and Elena were now watching a different show. Teresa eyed him somewhat warily, so he took a seat on the opposite side of the room.

  It was easy for him to forget what had happened to the girls. They appeared like any other teenagers until they were alone with him. Then their fear reminded him how they’d been abused. He couldn’t imagine living with that every day.

  When Zita came back downstairs, she was holding a phone to her ear. “That’s good news. I’ll tell the girls.” She hung up. “Julio is fine. The doctors gave him some pain relief and his temperature is coming down. They’re keeping him there for another hour for observation and then they’ll be home.”

  Elena crossed herself. “Gracias a Dios.”

  Zita’s shoulders were slumped and her eyes were a little dull.

  “Come, sit down.” David patted the spot next to him.

  She complied, sinking onto the sofa with a sigh.

  He pulled her close and massaged her shoulders. “You’re very tense.”

  “Oh, don’t do that. You’ll put me to sleep.” She leaned into the massage, belying her words.

  He continued to rub the knots in her back. “You need to relax.”

  She didn’t say another word, but slowly, her muscles relaxed. The show ended and the girls said goodnight and went upstairs to bed.

  Zita sat up. “I’m sorry about tonight. I was looking forward to our date.”

  “It’s fine. I still got to hang out with you.” He felt good about being useful and had a real appreciation for what she actually did here.

  “I bet you didn’t picture your night involving algebra and crying babies,” she said with a small smile.

  “Not exactly,” he admitted. “But it was fun. The girls are great. Why you ever said what you do isn’t work, I don’t know. You’re like a mother to all of these girls, and that’s got to be one of the hardest jobs there is.”

  “Mama usually does all the work. I just help out.”

  “That’s not what I saw.”

  “But do you understand why I ca
n’t leave her alone? If there wasn’t someone else here, who would have cared for the girls tonight?”

  “Both Larissa and Tiana are old enough to care for the others, and I’m sure if Daniella was home, she would have come over. You said she lived on the property, right?”

  She nodded. “The girls wouldn’t have known what to do with Xaviera.”

  “They would have figured it out if it had come to that.” Perhaps he was being too optimistic. He knew nothing about babies, but his first thought would have been food and then to check its diaper. “Besides, Carly said there was money for a caregiver, didn’t she?”

  “Yes,” she admitted.

  “Have you investigated law school?”

  “Yeah, I registered to do the LSA test, which is in a couple of weeks.”

  “That’s great. What happens when you pass?”

  “If I get a high enough score, I might get straight in with my experience.” She shrugged. “If not, I need to enroll into college.” She shifted a little more on the seat.

  “Awesome.” He pulled her closer and kissed her. He loved the way she melted into him.

  Somewhere in the house, a door slammed shut. “Sounds like Mama’s home,” Zita said, sitting up.

  Sure enough, a few minutes later Carmen came into the living room with Alejandra holding a sleeping Julio.

  David stood up with Zita.

  “How is he?” Zita asked.

  “He’ll be fine. Everyone’s a little tired,” Carmen said. Alejandra continued upstairs with her baby. Carmen nodded to David. “I didn’t get a chance to say hello to you earlier.”

  “You had bigger concerns,” he said. She looked as tired as Zita. “You all need a good night’s sleep. I’d better be going.”

  Zita took hold of his hand. “I’ll walk you out.”

  “You’re more than welcome to stay,” Carmen said. “It’s late and you’ve got a long drive home.” She went upstairs.

  OK, that was weird. He’d been invited to stay by his date’s mother.

  Zita squeezed his hand. “You can stay if you want. My bed’s big enough for two, but I thought you might feel awkward.”

  There was such sadness in her eyes and he wanted it to go away. He wanted to hold her and make her feel better. It was a strange feeling. “I’d love to stay.”

  She smiled then, big and bright. He felt like a hero.

  “Come on then.” She took his hand and they climbed the stairs.

  ***

  David groaned as a baby’s cries woke him. This time at least it was light outside, but the other four times during the night it hadn’t been. No wonder Zita was so damn tired. At least twice she’d got up to help and now she was stirring in her sleep again.

  He snuggled into her and whispered, “It’s not time to get up yet.”

  She mumbled something in her sleep and settled back down. Outside the room, there were loud voices in Spanish. One sounded upset, the other angry.

  Zita stirred again.

  No, she needed to sleep. Carefully, he got out of bed and dressed and checked his hair in Zita’s mirror, before slipping outside. Maybe there was something he could do to help, even if it was just to make breakfast, so they could take their argument downstairs away from Zita.

  Alejandra was standing with her hands on her hips, glaring at Elena who was holding a crying Xaviera.

  “Morning,” he said.

  The shock on the girls’ faces would have been comical if it hadn’t been accompanied by a split second of fear as well. He stopped where he was, keeping his distance, and gave his friendliest smile.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “She won’t take her baby downstairs. Her crying is going to wake Julio,” Alejandra said.

  “Mamita said I could stay in bed today,” Elena said. “I’m so tired.”

  “We’re all tired, but you’re a mother now. You have to be strong,” Alejandra told her.

  Before Elena retorted, David asked, “Has Xaviera been fed?”

  Elena nodded.

  “Changed?”

  She nodded again.

  That ruled out what he knew about babies. “Why don’t I take her downstairs for a walk?” he suggested, thinking only to get the crying baby away from Zita. “You can go back to sleep.”

  “Do you know anything about babies?” Alejandra asked, at the same time that Elena said, “All right.”

  Alejandra flounced back into her own room as Elena handed him the crying bundle. Shit. The baby was tiny, her neck kind of floppy, and he used one hand to brace it. He forced a smile to his face. “I’ve got this.” He wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince, Elena or himself. She went back into her bedroom and he moved toward the stairs, walking slowly.

  Hell, when had stairs become a trap for the unwary? They were so steep. One false step and he’d tumble down them, baby in his arms. He couldn’t use the banister because both hands were occupied by Xaviera. He inched his way to the bottom, sweating profusely.

  Praying Carmen was in the kitchen, he headed there, but the kitchen was empty. He gently shushed Xaviera, swaying the way Zita had at dinner the previous night. It didn’t have any effect. He glanced around and spotted a folded stroller in the laundry, but one look showed him it was going to be much too complicated to work out while holding a baby. A baby that was surprisingly getting heavier the longer he held her.

  Walking over to the window, he peered outside. It was overcast, but not raining. Perhaps some fresh air would be good. He managed to hold the baby and support her head with one hand, while he quickly opened the back door and stepped outside. There was a bit of a chill in the air, but Xaviera was bundled up. To be on the safe side, he wrapped one side of his leather jacket around her as well.

  He was a few steps along the path before his mind registered what he was seeing.

  The garden was amazing. In every direction there were lush green plants falling over each other in a competition as to which was the most beautiful. It was a jungle begging to be explored.

  With a grin, he wandered down the path to see what he could find.

  ***

  Zita woke from a lovely dream starring David. She rolled over and stretched, reaching for him so she could reenact it. The other side of her bed was empty.

  David had stayed the night. She was sure of it.

  But where was he?

  Quickly, she got up and dressed. The house was surprisingly silent. Maybe the others had gone to the early session of church. She hurried downstairs and found her mother in the kitchen making coffee. “Have you seen David this morning?”

  “Yes, he’s out in the garden with Xaviera.”

  Zita frowned as she headed outside. What was he doing with the baby? He wouldn’t even hold her last night. “David,” she called.

  “Over here.”

  His response was hardly more than a whisper. Following the sound, she found him seated on one of the garden benches, Xaviera cradled in his arms and his jacket half covering her to keep her warm. Her heart stuttered at the sweet picture. “What are you doing?”

  “Shh. She’s just gone to sleep.”

  Zita pressed her lips together to stop from smiling at his slightly panicked tone. She lowered her voice. “How long have you been out here?”

  “I don’t know. It was about seven when I got up.”

  It was now eight o’clock. “How come you have Xaviera?”

  “She was crying and Elena and Alejandra were arguing. I didn’t want them to wake you, so I offered to take her downstairs. Then I wasn’t sure whether you’d still be able to hear her in the kitchen, so I brought her outside.”

  Zita’s heart melted. He’d taken care of the baby so she could sleep a little longer. She bent over and kissed him. “Thank you.”

  He smiled. “You’re welcome.”

  “Why don’t you come inside and I’ll cook you a big breakfast? You deserve it.”

  He hesitated, glancing down at the baby. “I don’t want to wake her.” />
  Zita did chuckle then. “She’ll be fine. The house is quiet and babies can sleep through all sorts of things.”

  He peered at Xaviera again.

  “I promise,” Zita said. “Besides, it’s cold out here.”

  “All right.”

  Inch by inch, he got to his feet. Zita swallowed her laughter. He had no experience with babies, which made him doubly sweet for doing this.

  “This garden is incredible,” he said quietly as they walked back to the house.

  “It’s Mama’s passion,” she said.

  When they got inside, David insisted on putting Xaviera in the stroller so Elena could sleep longer too, so Zita set it up. He carefully laid the baby inside, freezing in place when she stirred for a moment. Then he pushed the stroller into the living room where it was warmer and they’d hear her if she stirred.

  When he was happy, Zita started breakfast. His heroics deserved the full Desayuno Salvadoreno, and the girls would enjoy it as well. Through the doorway, she saw her mother sitting at the dining table, drinking a coffee and reading the newspaper.

  “Mama, I’m making Desayuno Salvadoreno. Do you want some?”

  “Sí. Gracias.”

  Zita poured David a coffee and pointed to a stool. “Sit down and rest your arms.”

  He grinned. “They get heavy, don’t they?”

  “Sure do. Next time I’ll show you how to use the baby sling.” She grabbed the ingredients she needed from the fridge.

  “Can I help?” he asked.

  “Nope. You got extra brownie points for letting me sleep in, so you can sit there and look pretty while I cook you a meal.”

  “If I’d known all I needed to do was hold a baby to get you to cook for me, I would have done it sooner.”

  She laughed. “It was incredibly brave of you.” And for that she kissed him again, this time a little longer. “You’re my hero.”

  Beatriz came charging into the room. “I’m hungry.”

  Zita smiled at the young girl. “Can you feed Bess and Saint for me, and I’ll make you breakfast?”

  “All right.”

  After she’d fed the dogs, Beatriz and David chatted while Zita cooked. David slowed his speech to make it easier for her to understand. Beatriz was telling him about Guatemala and why she had left. Zita had heard the story before, but it didn’t make it any easier. The girl’s stepfather deserved to rot in hell.