Tory thought about her other wish and wondered if Slade could help her with that one. Her fear had been with her for so long she was afraid it wasn’t possible.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Do you—think—Dad-dy—will—let me go to—” Mindy scrunched up her face and thought for a few seconds “—sch-ool?”
Tory shifted the bag of clothes from one hand to the other in order to open the truck door for Mindy. The child pushed her walker away and lifted herself into the front seat. “Do you want to go back when school starts?”
Mindy screwed her face up into another thoughtful expression. After a minute, she nodded. “I—miss my—” she searched for the right word “—friends.”
Tory closed the door and folded up the walker to put in the bed of the truck. Remembering the battle she’d had that morning to get Mindy to use the walker brought a smile to her mouth. By the end of their trek through the mall the little girl had been leaning heavily on the walker. Even though she doubted Mindy would say she was glad she’d insisted they take the walker, Tory was sure Mindy was thankful. She hated admitting she still needed occasional help, especially if she was going to be doing a lot. She still tired easily and didn’t want to take a nap when she needed to. Gus had changed that. He’d declared one day how important his catnaps were to him each afternoon. Since then Mindy had taken her “catnaps” without complaint. Slade and his daughter were a lot alike, Tory was discovering. Slade didn’t think he needed any help, either. But he was hurting, and she intended to help him any way she could.
After stowing the walker, Tory slipped behind the steering wheel and started the truck. “Then we’ll just have to convince your father how important going to school is to you.”
“Let’s—go see—him—now,” Mindy said, in all the eagerness she was known for.
Tory checked the clock on the dashboard. “It’s close to lunchtime. We could take him out to eat.”
“Yeah! Sur-sur—” Mindy struggled for the word and ended up frowning.
“Does your dad like surprises?”
“Yes! Sur-prise—him.”
“Then that’s our next stop before we go to speech therapy.”
Mindy smiled, displaying the new gaping hole where her loose tooth had been the evening before. She dug into her purse and produced her five-dollar bill from the tooth fairy. “I’ll—buy.”
Tory headed toward the company headquarters about a mile from the mall. “I’ve got a better idea. Let’s get your dad to treat us.”
“Oo-kay. I—can—get—can-dy—la-ter.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of ice cream before we head back to the ranch.”
“Yes!” Mindy clapped.
When they arrived at Donaldson Corporation, Mindy hurried ahead, her fatigue forgotten in her haste to see her father. Tory quickly followed, never having been to Slade’s headquarters. She glanced up at the four-story building and had visions of running around lost in the large place. One of the security guards waved at Mindy as she made her way toward the hallway off to the left.
“I’m with Mindy,” Tory said to the guard.
“You must be Mrs. Donaldson.”
Hearing her new name sent a rush of excitement through her. She really hadn’t thought much about her being Tory Donaldson. It had only been two weeks since their marriage. “Yes, I am.”
Mindy disappeared through a door at the end of the corridor. Tory quickened her pace, eager to see Slade in his work environment. The company was so much a part of him as her riding stable was a part of her.
When Tory entered the outer office, the secretary behind the desk smiled at her. “Mindy’s inside with her father, Mrs. Donaldson.” The older woman stood and extended her hand. “I’m Mrs. Hardmeyer. I’m sorry I couldn’t make your wedding.”
After greeting Slade’s secretary, Tory approached the double doors that led to his office. When she stepped inside, she found Mindy sitting on his lap, giggling. “We came to steal you away for lunch.”
“Lunch? Already?” Slade glanced down at a gold clock on his desk. “I’ve been so busy I’d forgotten the time.”
“Then you’ll let us take you out.” Tory scanned the large office with a bank of windows behind Slade’s massive oak desk, littered with stacks of files and papers. Off to the left sat a cozy area for conversations with a long brown leather couch and two comfortable-looking plaid chairs. Bookcases were along the other side of the room. The office reflected Slade’s personality.
“Plee-ze, Dad-dy.”
He grinned, his eyes gleaming. “How can I refuse an invitation from two lovely ladies?”
“You—can’t.” Gripping the desk, Mindy slid off her father’s lap and stood next to him. “Rea-dy.”
“I guess I am.” Laughter laced his voice as he rose.
“One day when we have more time I’d like a tour of your company.”
“Just let me know and I’ll set aside some time.”
“Me—too.”
Slade ruffled his daughter’s hair. “You, too, sweetheart. We’ll make it a family outing.”
“Like—uh—lun-ch.”
Walking toward the exit with Slade and Mindy reinforced the feeling of family that was growing in Tory. She settled into Slade’s car, parked near the entrance, and let him pick the restaurant while Mindy told her father about their shopping trip. With Gus at the stables, she could afford to take some time off and enjoy this outing with Mindy and Slade. She didn’t have to worry like she used to about what she had to do at the ranch.
“I—got—new—dress—for—chur-ch.”
“I bet you look pretty in it.”
“Will—you—come? In play—Sun-day.”
Slade shot Tory a narrowed look. She raised her eyebrows and shrugged.
“I’ll see, sweetheart.”
“Plee-ze,” Mindy said from the back seat.
With tiny lines creasing his forehead, Slade maneuvered his car into a parking space next to a hamburger joint. “I’ll be there to see you. What part are you playing?”
“Hor-se.”
“Horse! What’s the play about?”
“Noah’s Ark. Mindy’s representing the two horses. She wanted to since she rides them. Different pairs of animals are being played by one child since we don’t have enough children to do two of every animal.”
“Are you wearing a costume?” Slade asked, opening the door for Mindy to slide out of the back seat.
The little girl nodded. “Mrs. Pl-ank’s—do-ing—it.”
“Because I don’t know how to sew other than sewing on a button in an emergency.” Tory fell into step next to Mindy with Slade on his daughter’s other side.
“That’s okay. If you ask me to do anything other than change a light bulb around the house, I’d have to hire someone to do it.”
While Mindy went ahead of them and stood in line behind a young boy and his mother, Tory hung back with Slade. “Are you okay about church on Sunday? The play isn’t that big a deal. Some of the Sunday school classes have been working on it the past few weeks. They’re going to perform in the rec hall on the stage after the nine o’clock service.”
“I’m fine. It’s a big deal to Mindy. I’ll be there. Are you sure she’ll be okay in front of an audience?”
“Yes. Will you come to the church service, too?”
He blew out a breath of air. “You’re a very determined woman.”
“Yes.”
“We’ll make it a family outing, then.”
“Good.” The pleasant warmth that coursed through her veins at Slade’s mention of the word family caused a sharpening of her awareness of the man beside her. He might not be handy around the house, but she was beginning to depend on him, and that frightened her. Her emotions had been locked up so tight for a long time. She was afraid to release them and feel again, afraid her judgment somehow would be wrong again. Or that Slade wouldn’t be able to accept her for whom she really was.
Tory started for Mindy. Slad
e placed a hand on her arm to halt her movements.
“Thanks for making this easy, Tory. I do feel we’re becoming a family and Mindy thinks so. She told me last night while I was putting her to bed.”
A tightness jammed her throat. She felt it, too. She might never have the children she wanted, but Mindy was like a daughter to her and this man was responsible. She owed him a lot, but she didn’t know if she could ever totally be free of her past to unconditionally give of herself in a marriage. Slade deserved that.
* * *
“Thank you again for agreeing to go to church Sunday with us.” Tory tore the fresh spinach and placed it in the large wooden salad bowl. “Mindy talked all day about you coming to see her be a horse in the play.”
“Does she have a speaking part?” Slade opened the cabinet door and extracted the dinner plates.
“Yes.” Pausing in chopping up a tomato, Tory glanced at her husband setting the table as though they had been working side by side in the kitchen for years instead of weeks. “Just a small part.”
“But still, she’s speaking in front of an audience.” He shook his head. “I don’t know if that’s wise. What if someone laughs at how slow she speaks? What if she forgets her lines?”
Tory put her balled hands on her waist. “They won’t, Slade Donaldson. And even if they did, we’re here to help her get through it. You can’t constantly protect Mindy from life.”
Looking up, he frowned. “Frankly, I don’t know that I’ve done such a great job of protecting my daughter from life so far.”
“She wanted to do this play. I’m not sorry I told her yes.”
“You should have checked with me.”
“Then come to church with us each week and you’ll know what’s going on. If I’m going to be responsible for taking care of Mindy when you aren’t here, then you’ll have to trust my judgment about what is good for her.” Her fingernails dug into her palms, remembering her own qualms earlier about her judgment.
“I do trust you.”
“Then quit acting like you don’t. Mindy has enjoyed rehearsing with the others. No one has made fun of her. Not everyone is like those children in the mall.”
The tense set to his shoulders relaxed. The hard lines of his face smoothed. “Did we just have our first fight?”
Tory dropped her hands to her sides. “I guess we did.”
“Just like an old married couple.”
“Speak for yourself. I’m not old,” she said with a laugh, needing to lighten the mood before she began to dream of them as a real old married couple.
“Seriously, I don’t know if I’ll ever stop worrying about Mindy and how people will receive her.”
“I know. That’s part of being a parent. I worry, too.”
Slade finished setting the eating utensils on each bamboo place mat. Tory continued cutting the rest of the tomatoes, listening to him moving around the table. There were still times that it seemed strange to wake up in the morning and find Slade in the kitchen fixing the coffee or coming out of the only bathroom in the house after having taken a shower, his hair wet, dressed in a robe. When she had been in college, she’d shared an apartment her last two years. It was like that but of course different since Slade was a male.
“I’ll get the barbecued chicken. It should be done by now.”
Slade stood right behind her and the sudden sound of his voice so near her ear caused her to jump and gasp. Laying a hand against her chest, she drew in deep breaths and twisted about to look at him. “You scared me. I didn’t hear you approach.” The rapid beat of her heart still pounded against her rib cage. His lime-scented aftershave swamped her senses.
“Sorry.” He offered her a smile. “I didn’t know making a salad could be so absorbing.”
“Just thinking,” she said, turning back to complete the task. The hand that held the knife trembled.
“Anything you’d like to share with me?”
No way. “You know Dave Patterson is meeting with me on Monday about the plans for the indoor riding ring.”
“He’s a good man. I think you’ll be impressed with his work.”
“Mindy can’t wait. She told me once we have the indoor ring she can ride every day even when it’s raining or snowing.”
Slade picked up the large platter and walked to the back door. “That’s the whole idea.”
“I’ll go find Mindy and have her wash up.”
As Slade disappeared outside, Tory put the salad bowl in the middle of the table then headed toward the front porch where she’d left Mindy earlier to play. The heat of a summer day blasted her when she stepped out onto the porch. A breeze ruffled the stray strands of her ponytail but did nothing to relieve the warmth.
She scanned the area. “Mindy.” Walking to the edge of the porch, she searched the yard. Mindy knelt by a bush along the front of the house, her face pressed down as she looked beneath the shrubbery. “Mindy, what are you doing?”
“A ba-by.” Mindy scooted closer to whatever she was looking at.
One of the kittens? Tory hurried down the steps to where Mindy was. Standing a few feet behind her and to the left, she stooped down to see what the child was so fascinated by. Curled in a ball was a small black fluffy animal with white markings.
Mindy started to reach for the animal. Tory shouted, “No.”
The fluffy ball uncurled, his dark eyes opening. It hissed, arching its back, its raised tail pointed toward Mindy. Before Tory could grab the child and yank her away, the baby skunk sprayed the arm still reaching toward it. Mindy jumped back, landing on her bottom. The skunk scurried away, disappearing under the house, its horrible odor left behind.
“Ph-ew!” Mindy waved her arm around, the pungent smell quickly spreading.
Tory covered her mouth and nose, her eyes blinking from the intense odor emanating from Mindy.
“I—thought—it was—a new—kit-ten.” Tears welled in the little girl’s eyes. “I—uh—stink.”
“I guess we found out what’s living under the house. A family of skunks.” With tears streaming down Mindy’s face, Tory couldn’t resist hugging the child, keeping her sprayed arm away from her. “We’ll take care of this.”
“The—play!”
“By Sunday. I promise.”
“Mindy, Tory, what’s going on?” Slade sniffed the air. “I smell a skunk.”
“Those raccoons under the house are really skunks.”
“We have a problem.”
“That’s an understatement.” Tory gestured toward Mindy. “She got just a little too close.”
He made his way toward them, a grimace forming on his face. “What should we do about the smell?”
Tory started walking with Mindy toward the house. “I’ll need you to go into town and buy several bottles of hydrogen peroxide. I have one bottle but I don’t know if it will do the trick.”
“Hydrogen peroxide?”
Tory waved her hand. “Go. I’ll explain later.”
Inside she had Mindy remove her shirt. “I’ll put this outside until I can get rid of it.”
After that Mindy sat on the lip of the tub while Tory went about mixing up a homemade remedy. Using the hydrogen peroxide she had on hand, she combined it with baking soda and liquid dishwashing soap. While foaming, she spread it on Mindy’s sprayed arm and hoped for the best.
Thirty minutes later, Slade hurried into the house with five bottles of hydrogen peroxide, ready to do battle with the odor. He stopped when he saw Mindy, dressed and smiling. He sniffed the air. The skunk scent still lingered but definitely not as strong as before.
“What happened?”
“I had enough hydrogen peroxide to take care of it this time. Thankfully the skunk sprayed Mindy’s arm. Not too large an area. We’ll treat the area again. The odor should wear off completely by Sunday. The more important question is what are we going to do about the family living under the house?”
“Good question. Skunks are definitely out of my expertise.”
“Well, we need to do something. I don’t want a repeat of today.” Slade’s nose wrinkled up, trying to get used to the faint odor that peppered the air as a reminder of their guests under the house.
“I—won’t—bo-ther—again. Prom-ise.”
“I know, honey. But I don’t think it’s wise to have a family of skunks living under the house. Do you think a loud noise will work?”
Tory shrugged.
Slade retrieved the stereo from the kitchen and placed it on the bench on the deck. He switched on a radio station with rock-and-roll music and turned it up loud.
“If that doesn’t drive them away, it sure will take care of me,” he shouted over the din.
Back inside the house the noise was marginally softer. At least they didn’t have to yell at each other to hear. But the sound of the bass vibrated the house and dinner was eaten in quiet to the background music of the eighties and nineties.
Afterward Tory began clearing the dishes. “Why don’t I ask around and find out what might work? I don’t think I can take much more of this noise.”
“Just our luck. We’ll drive ourselves nuts while the skunks have a good old time.” Slade went outside and switched off the radio.
Silence blissfully filled the air. Tory released a long sigh. Then she suddenly heard a crash and ran toward the back door. Slade flew over the railing and jogged toward the hose. He turned it on and pointed it toward a large skunk scurrying across the grass. From the safety of the other side of the yard Slade tried to drive the animal away. Instead, he ended up drenching the ground and forming several mud puddles.
The skunk disappeared into the meadow, out of reach of the water spray. Slade set his face in determination and stretched the hose as far as he could. It didn’t do any good. The water fell short of its target.
Mindy and Tory stood on the deck, watching the battle. Tory covered her mouth, trying to contain her laughter. Because the nozzle wasn’t on tight enough, it leaked water from the hose connection and ran down Slade’s arm and onto his pants and tennis shoes.
A Family for Tory Page 11