Lost & Found Love

by Laura Browning

  Tabby closed her eyes and leaned heavily against Joe. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but could the rest of you go downstairs for a few minutes.”

  Joe squeezed her hand. Evan nodded to the other men standing in the doorway. Tabby waited until she heard the last one finish going down the steps.

  Tabby sat on the edge of Melodie’s bed, looking around the room. The walls were painted a pale pink, the windows trimmed in white with lacy curtains that gave everything outside a kind of fairytale quality. A lot of pain could be hidden in even the best of surroundings. Tabby struggled to her feet, limping to the table and the paper lying there. Angels. Melodie loved to draw them, and in this picture they seemed to be hovering over someone… Tabby’s eyes filled. It looked like her. Melodie had been drawing her.

  Tabby sucked in a shaky breath.

  “Where are you, baby?” Tabby said softly. She stared around the room again, thinking back to her own childhood. Melodie’s room had a ceiling like Tabby’s childhood bedroom in the attic they had converted. Tabby chewed her lip. Her room had contained a crawlspace at the back of her closet. What were the odds….?

  After limping slowly to the double doors, Tabby opened them and flipped the switch that turned on the light.

  “Melodie,” she said in a louder voice. “It’s Miss MacVie. Everyone’s worried about you. I’m worried about you.”

  Nothing stirred.

  “Oh, sweetie, I know you’re scared. I know your mama hurt you, but she can’t hurt you anymore.” Tabby paused, clearing her throat to ease the tightness of the tears clogging it. “I’m here to help you, but I can’t stay long. I can see from your drawing that you know about my accident. I’m still hurt, and I bet you are too.”

  “Please come out now, honey. It’s safe. It’s just me. No one else is here until you tell me it’s okay, but I need you to come out for me.”

  Tabby leaned against the door, supporting some of her weight as she waited. She thought she heard a slight noise, but wasn’t sure. The seconds ticked by with incredible slowness.

  After an eternity, what appeared to be simply a stack of storage boxes moved. One box at the base pushed outward to reveal a hole only large enough for a child. Slowly, a little girl with tangled black hair and blood still on her face crawled out. She crept cautiously forward, clutching her teddy bear and a blanket in one hand. Her other arm she tucked close to her. It was bruised and discolored between the elbow and shoulder. Blood stained her shirt and her face was bruised as well. She didn’t say a word, but as she looked at Tabby absolute trust shone from her eyes.

  “Oh, honey,” Tabby said, and her voice broke. “I’m too hurt to come to you.”

  Melodie stumbled over to her and carefully leaned her bruised head against Tabby’s uninjured side. “I knew you would come,” she whispered. “You said you would help, and you came.”

  Tears choked Tabby stroked Melodie’s tangled hair. “Everything will be all right, but we need to get you out of here. I can’t pick you up, honey, because I’m hurt, too. Is it okay if I ask Joseph, Mr. Evan, and Chief Jake to come up here?”

  Melodie trembled but slowly nodded. Tabby gently caressed the little girl’s tangled hair as she called down the stairs. Melodie examined the three men who soon surrounded them, but her eyes came back to Joseph. She held her hand with the teddy bear and blanket out to him.

  “You can carry me,” she said. Joseph blinked and swallowed, then bent down to lift her carefully in his arms. She leaned her head against him trustingly. Her blue eyes gazed steadily into his. “You’re the man who sings. Will you sing to me too?”

  “Anytime, sweetheart,” he murmured, his voice a husky rumble. “Anytime.”

  Tabby bit her lip as the tears flowed. When she started to sway, Evan caught her and lifted her into his arms. “I’ve got you. Let’s get you two back downstairs. Jen will have my head.”

  Jake put his arm on Evan’s shoulder as they left the house and said quietly, “The girl has to be examined, Evan, but I’m afraid the hospital will traumatize her even more. Can you get Jenny to look at her at your house? I’ll contact social services and see what we can do about placing her somewhere temporarily.”

  “Could she come home with me to Daddy’s?” Tabby asked.

  Jake seemed surprised. “I don’t know. Evan?”

  “I’ll talk to the judge, Tabby, while Jenny’s making sure Melodie doesn’t have any serious injuries. Right now, we need to get her away from here so we can move the bodies.”

  As soon as Jenny had looked at Melodie, Tabby and Joseph were cleared to take her to back to Richardson Homestead. From the moment Stoner stared into Melodie’s solemn blue eyes, Tabby could see he was a goner. Melodie had taken one look at him and lifted her arms in complete trust. He picked her up, cuddled her close, and asked if she liked dogs.

  “I do, but Mama said we couldn’t have one ’cuz they stink.”

  Stoner grinned conspiratorially. “We have lots of dogs here. And if you go to sleep like a good girl tonight, I’ll take you out tomorrow morning to show you the puppies we have.”

  Melodie’s mouth formed an O of surprise. Some of the sadness left her face. “Oh, Mr. Stoner, that’s awesome. Even Jamie Gardner doesn’t have puppies.”

  Joseph wrapped an arm around Tabby’s waist. She leaned into him gratefully as they watched Stoner climb the stairs with Melodie in his arms.

  “Has it struck you just how much his life has changed?” Joseph whispered into her ear. “How much he has changed? In befriending you, he found a daughter. Now he’s opened his home and his heart to a lost little girl. Let’s pray he can soon claim her as a new grandchild.”

  Tabby sighed, a mixture of weariness, sorrow, and relief. “I wonder how often he missed these same opportunities with his own children? Probably too many times to count.”

  “I suspect you’re right.”

  “I think that’s the past, though. I have the feeling he’ll be making up for lost time.”

  Catherine joined them, her gaze moving from the staircase to Tabby. “I should have let you meet him five years ago. I should have told him then instead of trying to exact my own revenge. You have made such a difference in him, Tabby. I…” she paused to gather her composure before she finished. “Thank you.”

  Tabby touched her arm. “She doesn’t have any other family, Catherine. Joe and I have already talked. We—we want to see if the court will give us custody once we’re married, and I’m back on my feet.”

  “That’s a big burden for a young couple, but if any two people can handle it, you can.” She looked up the steps again. “You’d also get an instant grandpa.”

  “We were just saying that. We’d also get a grandma.” Tabby smiled.

  Catherine nodded. “I love Peter, but it would be nice to have a little granddaughter to spoil.”

  Melodie settled in quickly. Tabby thought it was possible she didn’t fully comprehend that her parents were gone for good, but for now, she appeared to be adjusting. Evan stopped by the following afternoon to tell them the judge had given temporary custody of Melodie to Stoner and Catherine, who let out a small sigh of relief. Tabby had worried they might not get custody because of Stoner’s criminal record.

  While Melodie sat at Stoner’s desk drawing pictures, Evan said quietly, “Jake and I will need to take a statement from Melodie. We’ll bring a social worker and a child psychologist with us. You all may sit in as well, if it makes her more comfortable.”

  “Isn’t there any way to spare her that?” Tabby asked.

  Evan shook his head. “Although we’ve pretty much pieced everything together, she is the only surviving witness to what happened. If her statement verifies what we have already gathered, then that will be it. The case will be closed.”

  Tabby nodded. “It might be for the best. It might help her put some closure on it.”

  “There are two other things you should know. Dennis Underwood put in a request for ea
rly retirement effective immediately.”

  Tabby felt relieved at that news, but certainly no sense of triumph. There were no winners and losers in this whole situation—only losers. Melodie had last her parents. Tabby had lost her job, and so had Dennis Underwood.

  Stoner arched his thick brow. “Was that his idea?”

  “Jake and I stopped by his office this morning. When I pointed out that some people might construe his failure to immediately report Tabby’s suspicions to social services as negligence that resulted in not only injury to the child in question but also the deaths of both her parents, Dennis decided it was time to retire and pursue other interests.”

  “What was the second thing?” Stoner prompted.

  Evan’s lips thinned. “Missy Matthews’s minister and his wife have contacted an attorney to begin proceedings seeking custody of Melodie in the absence of any other blood relatives.”

  “No,” Tabby stated fiercely, her heart thudding heavily. “No, Evan. You can’t let that happen. You’d be putting her right back into the atmosphere she came from.”

  “We can fight it,” Evan said and looked at Stoner, “especially if you and Mom will agree to temporary guardianship. You still have a fair amount of clout around here.”

  “You don’t even need to ask, Son,” Stoner said. He lifted his gaze to meet Catherine’s. Tabby smiled. She couldn’t help it. Amid all the tragedy, this new closeness between her father and Catherine filled Tabby with hope for the future.

  * * * *

  Joe returned after Wednesday service still feeling somewhat weighed down by a tragedy that touched his own congregation. He would have to set aside his own personal feelings to minister to the Underwoods, but right now, he wasn’t sure how to do that. As he entered Richardson Homestead, Melodie ran to the front door and held up her arms for him to pick her up. He swung her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. Her exuberance wiped away his bad mood. Faced with her smile, all he could do was give her a kiss and a grin. He glanced up the steps and caught Tabby’s golden gaze. He was the luckiest man alive, and he’d thank God every day for the blessings that had come to him in the form of Tabby and this sweet little girl.

  “Hi, sweetie.” Joe kissed the little girl’s cheek. “Already had your bath?”

  “Mama Catherine helped me ’cuz Tabby can’t yet. I needed one too ’cuz Tabby let me help her paint!”

  “She did? She’s never let me help. I only got to pose for her.”

  “I got to hold her pal-palette, and she showed me how to mix some colors.”

  “Wow. What’s she painting?”

  “Mr. Stoner making furniture.”

  Stoner approached them, held his arms out for Melodie, and she went into them happily. “Give Joseph a chance to say hi to Tabby, honey.”

  “Okay.” Melodie turned her face to Joe again. “Will you sing for us later? Sing about angels before I go to bed?”

  Joe laughed. “For my favorite littlest angel? Of course I will. You want me to sing for everyone?”

  “Yes. Peterson too. Sing in here. It’ll sound way cool.”

  Joe glanced around the big front hall and realized that she was right. Singing in the hallway would sound great. “All right. Why don’t you round everybody up while I say hello to Tabby?”

  When it was just the two of them, he took her into his arms, careful to protect her shoulder, and kissed her deeply. “I’ve missed you. I think about you all day long. Do you have any idea how awkward that is sitting in the middle of the countywide ministers’ council meeting?” His lips parted over hers, and he teased her mouth with his tongue. Their breath mingled and Tabby relaxed against him. Joe let his right hand slip down until he could cup her bottom. “Mmm. You feel so good here like this. I never want to let you go,” he whispered against her ear. “I’ve found a minister for us. The church council has given its okay for Reverend Calloway to perform the ceremony.”

  Tabby giggled at hearing the Presbyterian minister’s name. “A truly ecumenical wedding service.”

  He touched her cheek and looked at her tenderly. “I think what happened with Melodie and her parents has shocked everyone out of their sanctimonious attitudes and brought the community back together again. They saw how allowing pettiness, spite, and gossip to become too important clouded their minds so they didn’t see some other truths.”

  “Like a little girl being abused by a mother who was in desperate need of help?”

  Joe stroked his fingers across Tabby’s cheek. “Yeah. Once we’re married, Evan says he’ll help us work on adopting her.” He kissed Tabby on the nose and grinned at her. His finger traced the neckline of her blouse. “Mm. I have to stop before Stoner goes for the shotgun.”

  “Damn straight,” a deep voice muttered behind them.

  “You shouldn’t cuss, Mr. Stoner!” Melodie whispered wide-eyed with just a hint of a shadow in her expression. Stoner looked down at the little girl tugging on his sleeve and scooped her up.

  “You’re right, Melodie. I’m sorry.”

  Peterson, who had just walked in with the maid, stopped dead, his jaw dropping open in an undignified way as he gaped at his employer, no doubt because he had apologized for swearing. After Peterson had collected himself, he brought chairs for Catherine and Tabby. Stoner sat on the stairs with Melodie while Peterson, the maid, and the cook hovered near the entrance to the narrow hallway that led to the kitchen area and the servants’ wing.

  Joseph smiled at all of them, and then his eyes settled on Melodie. “This song’s for you, sweetie. It’s called ‘I’m Your Angel.’” He closed his eyes for a moment, and in a gesture Tabby had become achingly familiar with, he began to sing, looking right at Melodie. “No mountain’s too high, for you to climb all you have to do is have some climbing faith….”

  Tabby never ceased to be amazed at his clear, melodic voice. She glanced around the hall and observed the stunned expressions on everyone else’s faces. Only Stoner and Catherine had heard him sing, but that had been in the hospital room when he had needed to sing softly. Now his bell-like tenor rose powerfully in the huge front hall. When the last note faded away, Melodie stared at Joe with shining eyes. “Oh, Joe!” She laughed. “You don’t just look like an angel. You sing like one too.”

  He laughed, half embarrassed. “Come on, sweetie. I’ll put you to bed. Kiss everyone good night.” He looked at Tabby. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, darling.”

  * * * *

  Tabby watched Joe disappear up the stairs with Melodie. She was still watching the second floor landing when Stoner said, “Good God, Tabby. Joe shouldn’t be in a pulpit. He should be in a recording studio.”

  Tabby smiled. “He’s needed here, Daddy. Maybe once he’s not, he can explore using his gifts in other ways.”

  “And what about you?” Stoner asked. “Will you go back to teaching?”

  Tabby felt as if everything inside her shut down. “I don’t know.”

  It was a question she’d been asking herself. She thought about it repeatedly over the next several days. She’d enjoyed teaching, but there were other priorities she needed to consider. One of them was Melodie.

  She watched how hard it was for her to talk about what happened in her home, but she did and didn’t leave out a single detail. They kept the little girl at home for the rest of the week to give her a chance to recover. She alternated between helping Tabby in her studio, and then, when Tabby rested, she could be seen outside with Stoner, romping with the puppies and walking with him, or sitting quietly drawing in the corner of his wood shop while he worked, nearly finished with the occasional table.

  Catherine shared with Tabby the plans she continued to make for a showing at the Country Club. It would take place Saturday night. In light of what happened to Melodie, Tabby and Catherine agreed to set up two rooms at the club. One for the main party that would contain Joe’s painting and some of her other lighter work, but another room would be set aside to rai
se donations for a national organization to prevent child abuse.

  Tabby had to smile. Catherine, in her own element in planning any kind of fundraiser, ruthlessly played upon Tabby and Stoner’s story. She twisted arms and called in favors until suddenly not only was the entire community invited, but everybody who was anybody in political circles and Virginia society was trying to wrangle an invitation. However, the coup that had overjoyed Tabby and widened Evan’s eyes was that Sam had agreed to accompany Stoner, and on her own, Catherine had secured permission from the state for Stoner to be there.

  When they gathered for an early dinner before the showing, Catherine looked around at all of them before settling her gaze on Tabby. “You should be prepared. Several media outlets contacted me. Stoner agreed to talk to them in a short press conference just prior to the opening, and we have granted them limited access to shoot video and photographs.”

  Tabby’s eyes widened in alarm and her heart raced. “I don’t wish to talk to them Catherine. It was hard enough to see my picture in the newspaper. I would rather avoid as much publicity as possible.” Tommy MacVie’s face flashed through her head. Some part of her expected him to make contact. Unless he’d moved into a cave, he must now know where she was. Tabby’s stomach turned. It was simply too much to hope he wouldn’t come sniffing for money or something.

  Stoner patted her arm. “Catherine’s already told them you will not talk to them, and I will reiterate it.” He looked around at the other men gathered in the dining room—Evan, Joseph, Jake, and Sam. “I hope you will help Catherine and me keep them at bay. We wouldn’t have done this, but Sam actually planted the idea for the exhibit to raise money for child abuse victims. This seemed like the perfect time to launch it. Catherine has already received inquiries from several museums and galleries.”

  “That’s marvelous, Mother,” Evan said.