A Child's Gift

by Linda Warren

  Rico opened the door and they stood facing each other as the warm night air embraced them. She didn’t know what to say. It had been a long time since she’d been with a man and she wasn’t sure how to take the lead. But she needn’t have worried. Rico cupped her face with his hands and gently kissed her lips. She’d waited a long time and it was worth every minute. She rested her head on his chest.

  “You’re the most wonderful man, and I want our relationship to be honest and straightforward. I don’t want to be sneaking around. I just need to be sure of what I’m doing. Right now I’m still upset with my mother, but I’m not going to let her control my life.”

  “Do what you have to,” he whispered. She turned and walked to her car and drove away. She couldn’t help but feel she was leaving the best part of her life behind.

  * * *

  RICO WAS UP early the next morning, fixed breakfast and then woke up Dusty to get dressed for school. He had his backpack Stuart had sent with Dusty’s things. It wasn’t long before they were out the door. He put Dusty in the car seat and drove to the office, which was across from Miss Kate’s house.

  He didn’t want to leave Dusty alone in the truck so he took him with him. He wanted to speak to Miss Kate. All the brothers were there and their voices ebbed away as they entered the room.

  “Oh, my,” Miss Kate said. “He’s a cutie.”

  Miss Kate and Falcon were sitting at their desks and the brothers sat around in chairs. Grandpa Abe sat in the comfy chair.

  “You’re bringing the kid to work, Rico? What are you thinking? You can’t work with a kid.”

  “I don’t plan to, Elias. I just wanted to stop by to let you know I have to take Dusty to school, but I’ll come right back to work on the fence.”

  “What do you know about kids?” Elias asked, leaning back in a chair.

  “About as much as you do,” Rico shot back, and everyone in the room laughed. Rico was used to Elias. They bantered all the time.

  Soon all of the brothers filed out of the office to go to work, even Grandpa. But he didn’t go to work. He’d go to his house and take a nap and then eat lunch with Miss Kate. For years they tolerated each other, both blaming the other for John Rebel’s death. As they had grown older they’d found peace and they were all grateful for that.

  Until now Dusty had his head buried in Rico’s neck, a little shy with so many men around. After everyone had gone, except Miss Kate, Dusty raised his head.

  “He’s a handsome little boy,” Miss Kate remarked. “And you’ll do very well with him.” With salt-and-pepper hair and a friendly smile, she was the personification of what a mother should be. Everything she did, she did for family.

  “Thank you. And thank you for giving me a good character reference to Ms. Henshaw.”

  “I only told her the truth.”

  “I still appreciate it.”

  “Is something wrong, Rico?”

  “Huh... I just wanted to let you know that Anamarie will be spending a lot of time at my house.”

  “You think I might disapprove?” She lifted an eyebrow.

  “No, I know you’re not that type. Since it’s your house, though, I just wanted you to know.”

  She folded her hands on the desk. “Rico, the bunkhouse is your home. It’s yours and what you do there is your business. I can’t tell you the number of women who drove in and out of here when Phoenix and Paxton lived there. But as long as they kept it there and not in my home, I was okay with it. You’re more than welcome to bring Anamarie into my home or anywhere else on this property. She’s a very nice woman and I hope there’s a little romance going on there, too.”

  “Maybe.” He winked and walked out of the room.

  As he was putting Dusty in his car seat, he said, “Ana.”

  “Yeah, Ana. She’s going to pick you up from school today,” Rico told him.

  “Why you not picking me up?”

  “I have to work, and I’ll be there just as soon as I get off. You’ll be okay with Ana.”

  Dusty twisted his hands in agitation. He was getting attached to Rico. He felt secure and safe around him. And now that security was a little shaky and he didn’t know what to say or do. Rico didn’t neither, other than to reassure him.

  “I’m not going anywhere, buddy. I’ll always be here. Do you understand?”

  “Huh-hmm.”

  Rico drove to the school and helped Dusty with his backpack. He should’ve looked inside, but he hadn’t had time. He hoped everything Dusty needed was in there. Inside the foyer, he paused for a moment, glancing at the wall on the left. A large glass case showcased photos of the bombing of the school. There was a photo of him carrying the principal out of the rubble and of Elias running toward safety as he’d gotten the last person out. There was also a photo of them on horses. How they’d gotten that photo he’d never know, but he suspected it was one of the Rebels’ wives. At the bottom it read: Heroes of Horseshoe, Texas. Elias Rebel and Jericho Johnson.

  Rico hated going to the principal’s office. Every time he saw principal Gaston the man would shake his hand until Rico’s arm grew numb. The man was thankful Rico had saved his life and Rico understood that, but it was time to forget and move on.

  The visit was short. As usual the principal shook his hand and thanked him one more time, and then told him that he’d been notified by the sheriff about Dusty. Everything was okay and he could go to class.

  Miss Phyllis Holt was all of twenty-five years old, blonde and pretty. She smiled sweetly at Rico, telling him how sorry she was about what Dusty was going through and she would handle it as carefully as possible.

  “Thank you,” he replied.

  She glanced at Dusty’s backpack. “Is his lunch in there? Mrs. Miller always fixed his lunch.”

  Damn! He’d forgotten about lunch. He wasn’t used to this. “I’m sorry, I forgot about his lunch.”

  “Oh, no worry. He can get lunch in the cafeteria. I’ll go with him and make sure he does.”

  “I’d appreciate that and tomorrow I’ll pack his lunch.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I admire you stepping up and taking care of Dusty. If you need any help...” A wealth of meaning that Rico understood coated every word.

  “I have that covered, thank you. Anamarie Wiznowski will pick him up from school. If you can make sure he gets to her, I’d appreciate it.”

  “Oh...okay.”

  Clearly she didn’t like his answer, but he wasn’t getting involved with Dusty’s teacher. There was only one woman for him. He squatted in front of Dusty.

  “Have fun today. I’ll see you tonight at the bunkhouse.”

  Dusty nodded his head and suddenly threw his arms around Rico’s neck and squeezed tight. Rico patted his back. “You’ll be okay.” He stood and walked out of the room, resisting the urge to look back. He had to go and he couldn’t be swayed by emotion. Dusty would do fine.

  But he wondered if his life would ever be the same again.

  * * *

  ANAMARIE HAD A restless night. She was forty and trying to decide what to do with the rest of her life. It was an important decision and she wanted to make the right one for her and for Rico. She wasn’t going to let guilt make her feel less than who she was. Once she had quit the bakery she’d found her wings and she wasn’t going to be tied down anymore.

  By morning she’d made a decision and she knew it was the right one. She packed a suitcase of everything she would need. She placed it in the car and drove to her parents’ house. It was around lunchtime and she knew her mother always went home to fix her dad’s lunch. She wanted to catch both of them.

  She parked in front of the house and went through the front door. It was one of the older homes in Horseshoe. It had half brick columns along the front porch and her parents sat out there in the evenings and watched the traffic and the neighbors. It was a t
hree-bedroom two-bath house, but it wasn’t big enough for seven kids. They’d all survived, though.

  Her parents sat at the kitchen table, eating lunch. Her mother glanced up and said, “I guess you’ve come to your senses.”

  Anamarie knew how this was going to go and she was prepared. She pulled out a chair. “No. I’m not coming back, but I wanted you to know what my plans are. I don’t want you to hear it from someone else.”

  Her mother wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Most of the time I hear what my kids are doing from someone else anyway, so it wouldn’t be anything new.”

  “That’s because we can’t talk to you.”

  “Oh, now it’s my fault. It’s always the mother’s fault.” She pushed back her chair and carried her plate to the sink.

  “For heaven’s sakes, Doris,” her dad spoke up. “Let the girl talk.”

  Her mother came back and sat with her arms folded across her chest, indicating that she wasn’t going to listen with an open mind. But that didn’t matter. Anamarie had to tell her anyway.

  “Rico has asked me to help him with Dusty, Wendy Miller’s grandson. He has nowhere to go and Dusty’s mother has asked Rico to keep him until she can get out of prison. I’ve agreed to help. I’ve packed my things and will be moving into the bunkhouse with Rico. I’m sure he’s cleared this with Miss Kate.”

  “You can’t be serious.” Her mother’s eyes almost bugged out her head. “It will be the talk of the town. You’re making yourself available for this man. Can’t you see that?”

  “No.” Anamarie kept her cool. “I see a very nice man trying to help a little boy who has no home. That’s the type of person he is. If you would just let down your guard and get to know him, you’d see that. He’s not going to take advantage of me. He wouldn’t do one thing unless I wanted it. And if people want to talk, let them. I’m sorry it bothers you, though.”

  Her dad laid his napkin in his plate. “Well, Anamarie, it’s your life and I think you’re old enough to make your own decisions. And I’m gonna do what every father does, I’m going to support you because I believe it’s about time for you to get out from under your mother’s wings.”

  “How dare you, Willard!” Her mother was furious.

  “I’m more open-minded than you, Doris. You’ve been trying to protect her since the cancer scare and Greg breaking the engagement. It’s time to let go and let her live her life the way she wants.”

  “By moving in with an ex-con?” Her mother’s shrill voice scraped across her skin.

  Her dad got up from his chair. “I’m sure there’s a story behind his incarceration. I’ve heard the governor pardoned him, but that’s just a rumor, and unlike you, Doris, I paid little attention to rumors. The Rebel family has accepted him as one of them and that’s good enough for me.” He walked toward his chair in the living room, but suddenly turned back. “Since you’re up there on your high and mighty pedestal, you might want to tell your daughter why we got married.”

  “Willard!” Her mother’s face turned red.

  Her father could only mean one thing and Anamarie quickly counted the months from when her parents got married and her brother Frank was born. It didn’t add up. Her parents were married in October and Frank was born the next August.

  “If you’re counting months,” her dad added, “we didn’t get married in October. We got married January fifteenth, the same year Frank was born. Your mom just told everybody we got married in October. When she discovered she was pregnant, her mother sent her to live with her aunt in Temple, so no one here really knew what was going on until we came home that summer with the baby.”

  Her mother stared at her husband with steely cold eyes. “I’ll never forgive you for this. There was no need for her to know.”

  “Yes, there is. You’re human, Doris. Just like everyone else. So cut the apron strings and let Anamarie go live her life. You’ve held on long enough. Give her your blessings. Bubba’s already living with Margie so I don’t see the difference.”

  “Bubba’s a man. It’s different.”

  Her dad shook his head. “No, it isn’t. Now I’m going to watch the news and get back to work. I’ve said all I’m going to say.”

  “And it was more than enough,” her mother snapped.

  Silence filled the room and seemed to enclose Anamarie and her mother in a private capsule. What was said now would shape the rest of Anamarie’s life. Today she would talk to her mother as an adult.

  Her mother picked up a napkin from table and squeezed it in her hand, and kept squeezing it over and over. Her mother was embarrassed and didn’t know what to say. But Anamarie did.

  “Did you love Dad at the time?” There was no doubt in her mind that her parents loved each other. It was just hard to see that at times with her mother’s judgmental attitude.

  “What does a teenager know about love?” her mother mumbled.

  “A lot. Those feelings last a lifetime.”

  Her mother’s head shot up. “Are you still in love with Greg?”

  “Heavens, no. But I remember what it felt like at the time. I thought he was the one and my feelings were real and he crushed them. I’ll never forget that.”

  “This Rico thing, is it like your feelings for Greg?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “My feelings now are nothing compared to what I felt then. My feelings for Rico are much different. He makes me feel special. He tells me I’m beautiful and I’m perfect just the way I am. It feels good to hear that. He makes me feel like a woman and I needed that feeling to make me realize that I still am. Do you understand that?”

  Her mother nodded. “I’m just so afraid he’s going to hurt you.”

  Anamarie reached out and clasped her mother’s hand. “Then let me feel the pain and the joy of loving someone.”

  “If that’s what you want,” her mother murmured so low she could barely hear it.

  “Thank you.” She got to her feet. “Now I have to go pick up a little boy who desperately needs someone and then we’re going to the grocery store to buy food for supper.”

  “I still disapprove, Anamarie.”

  “I know, Mom.” She patted her mother’s hand. “If anyone asks you about me and Rico, you can tell them I’m having the time of my life.”

  “You go, girl,” her dad said.

  She had to resist the urge to skip all the way to her car. The meeting went better than she had ever imagined. Now she could go into this new relationship with Rico with her heart wide open.

  With a smile on her face she waited for Dusty outside his classroom. All the kids came out, except Dusty. She glanced in and saw the teacher talking to him.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked, holding out her hand. “I’m Anamarie Wiznowski and I’m here to pick up Dusty.”

  “Oh, yes,” the teacher said, shaking her hand. “I’m Phyllis Holt and Mr. Johnson said you would be coming for him.”

  “Ana!” Dusty cried and ran to her.

  “You ready to go home?”

  “Yeah. To Rico’s.”

  As they made to leave, the teacher asked, “May I speak to you for a minute?”

  “Sure. Wait right here,” she said to Dusty, and walked back to the teacher.

  “Our lesson today was to draw a picture of our families and I pulled Dusty aside and asked if that would make him sad and he said no. I just wanted you to know that. I wouldn’t want Mr. Johnson to be upset with me.”

  Anamarie caught that note in her voice. She was interested in Rico. And, oh, she was young and beautiful. But she wasn’t going to let that get to her. She was too happy and nothing was going to ruin this day.

  As she strapped him into the car seat, Dusty said, holding up a piece of paper, “Look what I drew.”

  She took the paper and stared at it. Three stick figures were at the bottom. One was tall and had lon
g brown hair. The other was a blonde woman standing next to the tall man. A little boy stood beside the woman. In the clouds was a gray-haired lady with wings. She had to look closely to figure that out. Darlene was nowhere in sight.

  Dusty had drawn them as his family. She wasn’t sure how to deal with this so she’d wait and let Rico handle it. They would probably just let it go, but she knew somewhere in their hearts they were becoming a family. There was no way to stop that.

  CHAPTER SIX

  AS THE SUN inched toward the west, Rico stopped nailing barbed wire to a post and pulled out his phone. It was five thirty. He wiped sweat from his brow with a sleeve of his chambray shirt. Ms. Henshaw would be at his house at six o’clock and he had to go.

  He had already texted Anamarie that the woman was coming, but he needed to be there. Elias wasn’t going to take this well. He was a workaholic.

  “What’s up?” Elias shouted. Elias pulled the wire with a wire stretcher and Rico always nailed it to the post. That was their pattern; the way they worked. “We need to keep working.”

  “I’ve got to go,” Rico called back. “The CPS worker is coming to my house at six and I have to be there.”

  “Oh.”

  Rico had never said no to a Rebel and he didn’t want to today, but he had to be there for Dusty. As words were about to leave his mouth, Elias’s phone buzzed. There was only one person who could keep Elias from working and Rico hoped it was her.

  It was. Elias talked for a few seconds and then clicked off. “I’ve got to go home, too. I guess this fence can wait.”

  “Is something wrong?” Elias’s demeanor changed drastically and Rico wondered if anything was wrong with Maribel.

  “I don’t think so,” Elias answered, picking up tools to put back into the Polaris Ranger. “Maribel’s at home with her feet up. They’re swollen and her back hurts so she’s lying down and wants me to come home. I swear, that baby’s going to weigh twelve pounds by the time it’s born. She’s only a little over four months and she’s huge.”