Peace in the Valley

by Ruth Logan Herne

  “We don’t work that way, Lucy. Never did. We’re rearranging because he and Trey are on a tight timeline. For Trey to get things done here in a timely fashion, we need the roofs in place. It just makes sense.”

  Trey was on a tight timeline. Of course he was. He’d be heading south after Sam’s surgery, another reason to put a lockdown on the sweet rush of emotion he inspired whenever he drew near. She wasn’t a crushing groupie or an awe-struck teen anymore, but it wasn’t hard to see and appreciate the guy’s allure. Her task was to make sure she didn’t get sucked into a single-mom romance under bright summer skies.

  “You’re not leaving anyone high and dry, are you?”

  “I’ve got the first crew working the other orders. I’m teaming with the second crew here, and it’s the first time in seven years I’ve needed two crews. It actually feels mighty good, Lucy.”

  “All right.” She followed him through the screen door. Across the driveway, on the south side of the barn, Trey was setting up shop. He’d erected a sawhorse table and some kind of a saw. A box of tools sat on the open tailgate of the truck. Thick, orange electric cords stretched from inside the main barn to the table, and three little kids watched, eyes wide.

  She couldn’t hear what he was saying, but the kids nodded and stared, intent. She called them in to do some quick summer schoolwork.

  Cody grumbled instantly. “I don’t wanna do stupid number stuff and stupid reading. I want to watch Trey!”

  “Mom, can’t we skip it today? Trey might need our help!” Cade took a step closer to Trey. “He said there’s a lot to do.”

  “He did, huh?”

  Trey put an easy hand on Cade’s shoulder. “And there’ll still be plenty to do when your schoolwork’s done. I promise.”

  They could have calmly crossed the yard, making life easier.

  Nope.

  Always argumentative, the two boys had gotten more vocal since Ashley had moved in, and Lucy needed to nip that trend.

  She descended the steps, walked their way, then crossed her arms and stood, quietly.

  “Arrggghhh!” Cade didn’t need any words. He glared up at her, stomped across the yard, and banged through the porch door.

  Cody planted his feet in the stones like a little mule. “I’ll do my work tomorrow.” He folded his arms, just like hers. “I wanna watch Trey today.”

  “Get inside and pull out your folder or no treats.”

  “That’s not fair!” He stomped his foot.

  “One…”

  “Come on, Cody, I’ll color while you do your work.” Ever the peacemaker, Belle urged him forward in a promising tone, as if working with your little sister offered the best of both worlds. Trey had turned his attention back to the cutting table, but she saw his smile while she hid her own.

  Cody scowled at Belle, then tipped his stubborn little face up to his mother. “I don’t want to work.”

  “Two…” Lucy gave the six-year-old time to make a more rational decision because losing treats this early would make for a long day for both of them.

  “Why do you always make us do dumb work?” He uncrossed his arms, still scolding, but moved toward the house. “I don’t even like living here with all this stupid work, and I keep telling you that!” He stomped across the yard as loud as he could, banged in through the door, and let it slap shut in his wake.

  She glanced at Trey.

  He winked.

  Not a flirting wink either. It was an I-get-it kind of wink. He turned and slid a board off the truck, from one of the neatly stacked rows.

  Barn boards.

  A new roof. Repaired siding.

  She didn’t dare get too excited. She’d had things snatched out from under her before. Disappointment had pockmarked her existence for years, but the steadiness in this Stafford’s gaze seemed genuine. “Listen, Hank—”

  Trey grinned but didn’t look up from his task.

  “I’ll keep a close eye on these guys so you can work in relative peace, okay?”

  “I’d appreciate it.” He eyed up the barn, then switched his attention to her. “I’m going to reinforce a couple of structural beams with Josh and his brother before I start replacing the bad siding.”

  “You know how to do that?”

  He shook his head and laughed, and when he did, the day seemed sweeter. More inviting.

  “No, they’re coming back. I can do simple carpentry, but the sophisticated stuff gets left to the experts. We’re going to erect a scaffold too. That way I’m operating from a level ground, not hanging in the air on a ladder.”

  “The boys will love that.”

  He winced on purpose. “I thought of that, so I’ll make sure to put the ladder in lockup every day. I can just see the pair of them on the scaffold, wrestling. I’m going to try to avoid trips to the ER for you and me if at all possible.”

  “I concur.” She moved a wayward strand of hair from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. She needed to turn right around, ignore the handsome singing cowboy, and get back to the kids. She knew that—but a part of her liked talking to him. Seeing the thoughtfulness of his expression. “I’ll have them busy for about an hour with schoolwork, then cleaning up bedrooms.”

  “There’s a fight for you.”

  “Did the Stafford boys go at it like this?” she wondered, stepping back. “Because you don’t seem like a fighter.”

  Trey settled the first board onto the makeshift table. “I don’t like to fight, that’s true. But when the Good Lord saw fit to put me in a family with Nick and Colt, I learned pretty quick to stand my ground.”

  “I didn’t have any siblings, and I’m picking my way as I go with the boys.” She started walking backward toward the house when Cade called for her. “How badly can I possibly mess them up?”

  He looked up at her. Right at her. “I don’t think you’ll mess them up at all, Lucy. I think you’re real good with all the kids.”

  Her heart did a merry dance in her chest.

  It wasn’t so much his words, but his tone, as if he believed in her. Lucy Carlton couldn’t remember the last time someone believed in her.

  Be careful.

  She wanted to ignore the stern mental warning, but she couldn’t because a host of bad choices dogged her heels. Yes, Chase had refused to grow up, refused to stop partying, and never put family first. But she’d picked him, which made it her fault too.

  She went inside, determined to keep her distance. The whir of the saw repeatedly reminded her of the music-loving cowboy working in her barnyard. She enjoyed talking to him. That was a surprise because she’d painted Staffords with a tough brush of dark antagonism ever since she’d moved next door. As she got to know Colt and Nick, she realized she’d been wrong to judge all by the actions of one.

  And now Trey. Different from the others. Deeper. And if her instincts were correct, maybe even more wounded.

  Something about him called to her. Maybe because they’d both lost a spouse to substance abuse? Maybe because he was a good-looking cowboy with desert camo-toned eyes that seemed to see too much?

  Or maybe she was just plain lonely and tired of being the bad guy all the time, the lot of a single parent.

  He started whistling as he worked. The sound invited her to return.

  She resisted and sat with the boys, guiding their work. For all of Cody’s resistance, he buckled down once inside and did his numbers practice and reading quickly. An avid learner, he was above grade level in all subject areas.

  Cade had to work hard to stay ahead of his younger brother. He’d started to notice the difference this year. Lucy had shrugged it off as normal, because it was. Kids had different learning styles and aptitudes. She understood that.

  Cade didn’t understand it though, and when Cody was done with his work in twenty minutes and moved on to reading a third-grade-level book, Cade dug his pencil into his spiral-bound summer notebook. “Why can’t I be done now?”

  “Because you still have three problems to f
inish.”

  “Cody’s done.”

  “Yup.” She’d picked up a pencil to doodle while Cade finished. If she left the table, he’d find something to distract him, so she sat right there, close by, ruing the work she couldn’t get done. But this was more important, so she jotted random thoughts while he frowned.

  “I’ll do one more.”

  She shook her head. “All three.” With Cade, if she didn’t make a big deal out of it, neither would he. Usually. And right now things were kind of peaceful. Cody and Belle had gone off to their rooms, and she wasn’t naive enough to think they were really cleaning, but it was quiet and that was nothing to scoff at.

  Trey’s cheerful whistle came through the open windows again. She didn’t recognize the tune. It was light. Sweet. Almost humorous as the notes picked up speed and danced.

  “Look at them, look at them, slim and nice and pretty.” She jotted the words to match his notes.

  “All dolled up and workin’ in the city.

  “Or stoppin’ for a latte with their yoga pants on.

  “Lord, you coulda made me a coffee shop mom.”

  “I’m done.” Cade made the announcement as she crossed out a few words, then finished the last line.

  “Really?” She smiled at him, and he slid the paper her way.

  He’d done the last three problems as asked. She went over them, they made a minor correction together, and then she sent him off to read while she checked the progress upstairs.

  The creaking stairs should have warned the younger two, but their pillow fight was too loud to hear her approach. When she tapped on Cody’s door, he swung around, guilt-ridden, a bed pillow clutched in his hands. A quick meek and mild expression replaced the manic grin. He crossed to the bed and pretended to be putting the pillow in place.

  She pointed to the clock on the blue dresser. “Ten minutes. Here’s your list.” She handed it to him, written in simple printed script. “Clothes put away, toys put away, bed made. Got it?”

  “Yes.” He rolled his eyes and set the list on the bed.

  “You.” Lucy reached down and lifted Belle. “Come with me. You are distracting your brother. He’ll get things done a lot quicker without you underfoot.”

  Belle put a hand on each of Lucy’s cheeks, stared right into her eyes, and spoke in a monster-type growl. “Can I go to Noah’s house?”

  “No.” Lucy shook her head as she moved toward Cade’s room to set his list on his bed. “I’m sure they’re busy. We were just there yesterday.”

  “But Mizziebo said I could come back anytime. And Mizziebo doesn’t tell wies, Mommy.” She dropped the monster voice. An earnest tone lent credence to her words. “She always tells the twuth. She says it’s vewy, vewy important.”

  “She’s right, and you still can’t go over. We have to stay here in case Trey needs help.”

  Her eyes lit up instantly. “I can help him?”

  “No.” Lucy cringed. She’d dug her own hole with her choice of words. “But we need to be here in case he needs help.”

  “I think that’s wike the same thing,” Belle told her, suspicious.

  “It’s not the same at all. We’re being proactive, but we’re actually staying out of Trey’s way.”

  “So we should go!” The logic in Belle’s assumption made Lucy smile, but they couldn’t go chasing over to the Double S just because she needed to keep the kids out of Trey’s way.

  “Whereas I think we should practice self-discipline and stay here and follow directions.”

  “That doesn’t sound like fun.” Cade glanced up from his book, and when she looked, she realized he’d only read one page—if that—in all this time.

  “I’m going to give you a pop quiz on the ten pages you need to read, kiddo. In ten minutes. Get a move on.”

  He groaned, tucked himself farther into the overstuffed chair, but actually started reading.

  Victory. But at what cost of time? A lot, and she had Christmas trees to shape up and the greenhouse to tend. She needed to make sure the remaining planters and baskets were ready for the coming Saturday market. She couldn’t do that now though. If she went outside, the boys wouldn’t stay on task. Motherhood first.

  “Belle, I’m going to get the laundry to hang out. Stay in here until I bring it out so we don’t get in Trey’s way. Then you can help me hang things.”

  “Okay.”

  The phone rang as Lucy carried the basket of wet towels up from the basement. Maude Carlton’s number flashed in the display.

  Lucy wanted to ignore it. Her former mother-in-law’s caustic personality wore on her, but Cade spotted the name and said, “Grandma’s calling, Mom!”

  “Thanks, honey.” She picked up the phone and headed outside. “Maude, good morning.”

  “Did you give Ashley a hard time this morning about her clothes?”

  “I most certainly did, and I’ll do it again.” Lucy set the basket down and tucked the phone between her cheek and shoulder. “Appropriate school clothing is important, and she shouldn’t be going anywhere dressed in things that are too tight, too short, and skimpy in all the wrong places.”

  “To help keep her on the straight and narrow, I suppose? Like you did in high school? All your uppity ways didn’t keep you from bedding with my son, did they? Which means the clothes don’t matter all that much. It’s what’s inside a girl’s head that counts.”

  Maude never let her forget her youthful mistakes, and getting pregnant at seventeen ranked high on the list. Lucy had spent years trying to get along with her because she was Chase’s mother. Maude’s increased drinking had driven her further downhill after Chase died, and she laid a thick slab of that responsibility at Lucy’s door. Even so, Lucy could fight with Maude or move on. She chose to move on.

  “Nothing wrong with looking nice and respectable, Maude. Is there a reason for this call? Because I’m working and have to get back to it.”

  Maude’s snort showed what she thought of Lucy’s work. “I didn’t want to tell Ashley on the phone and upset her before she went to school, but I’m telling you now, so’s you can tell her. I’m leaving Gray’s Glen.”

  Leaving?

  The Carltons had lived south of the town for three generations. “What do you mean? You and Ashley are moving?”

  “Ashley’s at your place now, and that got me thinking it’s time to change things up. I’ve spent my whole life sacrificing for others. Now it’s my turn.”

  Sacrificing for others?

  Lucy bit her tongue because Maude didn’t do sacrifice. In the ten years Lucy had known her, the older woman had never put either of her children first. She’d lost her first husband in a boating accident when Chase was a toddler. More than anyone, Maude should realize how difficult the single parent gig was. She’d lived it until she hooked up with husband number two, a hard-drinking, coldhearted man, reminiscent of Lucy’s father.

  But not once had she ever offered Lucy help. No babysitting, no hands-on help with the trees or the garden or the house. Not a thing. And if Lucy didn’t stop by with the kids to see their only living grandparent, they’d never see her. “You’re leaving Ashley? Is that what you’re saying? Because if it is, then come right out and say it.”

  “I’ve got the house sold, and I’m on my way. Just passed the state line. I’ll contact Ashley when I get settled.”

  She was abandoning her daughter.

  She’d sold her house and was walking out of Ashley’s life. “You can’t do this, Maude. You can’t just walk away from a kid. How will she feel? How will this affect her? In a few years she’ll be eighteen; surely your adventure can be put on hold until then.”

  “She’s got a place with you, and that’s all there is to it.” Decision deepened her voice, layered with self-absorbedness. “I’ve got to look after me. I’m not ready for another winter, and having her gone opened a door of opportunity, so that’s what I’m doing. I’ve signed papers givin’ you permission to raise her and do all the stuff she might
need. And if you’re smart, you’ll get her on the pill before time slips away and she ends up like you.”

  Maude had aimed the sharp words at Lucy’s heart, and they made a direct hit. Her choices…her fault.

  “I left a letter at the school saying you can make decisions for this, that, and the other thing. So you’re all set. Good-bye, Lucy.”

  Lucy opened her mouth and was pretty sure she was about to rant and rave, but the phone clicked, then offered a dial tone.

  Maude had left. Walked out on her daughter and grandkids, thinking nothing of the consequences of her actions except as they affected her. Like mother, like son.

  Lucy wanted to scream.

  She couldn’t.

  She wanted to wail about how foolish and ungrateful some mothers were, but Belle came bouncing down the steps just then, laughing and twirling like a music-box dancer. “I’m going to dance just wike this when I gwow up, Mommy!”

  Lucy bent low and caught her up. She held on tight, wondering how anyone could callously walk away from their own child. “I love you, Bella-mia.”

  “I wove you too!” Belle hugged her tight, then wriggled to get down. “I’ll do the wittle towels, okay?”

  “Washcloths.”

  Belle nodded agreement as she butchered the word. “Smoshcwoffs.”

  Lucy couldn’t correct her right now. Not with this latest bombshell.

  Could she keep Ashley here? Should she?

  She’d already seen the heightened disrespect in the boys’ behaviors. If Ashley mouthed off or treated her disrespectfully, how long would it be before the boys followed along?

  And Belle. Innocent little Belle who loved making people happy. Should impressionable children be around a pot-smoking, looking-for-trouble teen? She’d been on the verge of sending Ashley packing two nights ago. Now there were no options with Maude gone. It was either here with her or out on the streets, and what kind of Christian throws a fourteen-year-old out on the street?

  “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Paul’s words to the Philippians, to not despair. To pray and believe and put their lives in God’s hands.