by Linda Warren
They crawled into the Ranger and headed for the barn. Rico jumped out as soon as the ATV stopped. He had to go, but he hesitated. He was the hired hand and did what the Rebels told him, but today he had to take a stand and he wasn’t sure how Elias would react. “I’ll help you tomorrow and a half a day Friday, but I’m taking some time off to help Dusty adjust. And I got a call from Wyatt that Mrs. Miller’s funeral is on Saturday at ten. I have to take Dusty to that.”
“Good luck, man.”
That was easier than Rico had anticipated. In that moment he realized the problem wasn’t with the Rebels. It was with him. He felt obligated and didn’t want to ever let the Rebels down. It was his mindset and he didn’t know if he could ever change that. He shook off the thoughts.
“Thanks.” Rico waved to Elias and got in his truck and headed for the bunkhouse. He noticed a car at the big house and he assumed it was Ms. Henshaw talking to Miss Kate. He had a few minutes.
He opened the front door and two things hit him at once. The delicious smell and a little tornado barreled into him. Mickey barked his head off. Rico picked up Dusty and glanced at the woman in the kitchen who looked at him with the most beautiful smile. For the first time he knew what it was like to really feel at home.
“Hey,” he said. “It smells heavenly in here.”
“Ana made sghetti for us.” Dusty pointed to the counter. “And a chocolate pie. I helped her.”
Rico patted his small chest. “Good for you.”
Dusty wiggled down and went back to his coloring book on the coffee table.
“Ms. Henshaw is at Miss Kate’s,” he said to Anamarie. “I’m dirty and sweaty, but I don’t have time to change.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she told him, laying a dish towel on the counter. “She just wants to see where Dusty will be living.”
A knock sounded at the door and he went to answer it. Ms. Henshaw stood there with a purse over her shoulder and a briefcase in her hand. They shook hands and he invited her inside.
“I just saw you drive up, but I didn’t see Dusty. Was he here by himself?”
“Of course not,” Rico told her with grit in his voice. “I wouldn’t leave him by himself.” He glanced toward Anamarie in the kitchen. “I have some help.”
At the sound of Ms. Henshaw’s voice, Dusty jumped up and ran to Rico and practically climbed up his body. “Don’t let her take me, Rico. Don’t let her take me.”
Rico patted his back. “Hey, buddy, no one’s going to take you. You’re staying with me until your mom can come get you. Ms. Henshaw is here to see where you live. Can you show her where you sleep and where you take a bath?”
Dusty was hesitant at first. Rico set him on his feet and he ran to his bedroom and Ms. Henshaw followed, as did Rico.
“This is my bed and that’s Elmo,” Dusty said, pointing to the stuffed doll. “He sleeps with me.” Mickey jumped up on the bed and Dusty added, “Mickey sleeps with me, too.” Mickey licked his face and Dusty giggled, running into the bathroom. “This is where I take a bath.” He darted to the kitchen. “And this is where I eat.” He went to Anamaria and she picked him up. “Ana makes good food.”
As if sensing that Ms. Henshaw wanted to ask questions, Anamarie said to Dusty, “Why don’t you color me a picture?”
“’Kay.” Dusty dashed back to the living room.
Ms. Henshaw frowned. “Don’t you work at the bakery in town?” she asked Anamarie.
“Yes, but I’ve taken some time off to help Rico with Dusty.”
“That’s nice. I think it’s good to have a woman’s influence.” Ms. Henshaw looked around and Rico expected her to ask more questions, instead she said, “This isn’t what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
“When Miss Kate said you lived in the bunkhouse, I pictured something very sparse and primitive.” She glanced around again. “But this is obviously a nice home and he seems very happy.”
“He is. Later in the week I’m taking him to his grandmother’s funeral and things might change. If he gets upset, we’ll just bring him home.”
Ms. Henshaw glanced at Anamarie. “Will you be there?”
“Yes.”
Ms. Henshaw nodded. “That’s good. Kids react better with women. No offense, Mr. Johnson. That’s just a known fact.”
“No offense taken. Anamarie will be with me all the way.”
Ms. Henshaw held out her hand and Rico shook it. “Everything seems in order. I’ll check in with you in a couple weeks or if I hear from Darlene before then. Her lawyer is working very hard to get her out and the parole board tends to be lenient when there’s a child involved.”
Ms. Henshaw left and Rico sank into his chair. He was tired and dirty and needed a break. Anamarie handed him a glass of tea. He took it and caught her hand with his other one and pulled her down on the arm of his chair. “Thank you for being here.”
“No problem, Mr. Johnson.”
He looked into her eyes. “You know that song ‘You Light Up My Life’?”
“Yes.”
“That’s what you do for me. Every time I look at you.”
Anamarie held a hand to her chest. “Oh, my goodness, you’re making me blush.”
Dusty spoiled the moment by crawling into Rico’s lap. He sensed they were having fun and he wanted to be a part of it. Anamarie plucked him from Rico’s lap. “Rico is tired and we have to let him rest. You can help me in the kitchen.”
“Why is he tired?”
“He’s been working all day.”
“Oh...”
Their voices trailed away and Rico thought this was what it was like to have family. A real family. A woman he loved and a child he adored. Except the child wasn’t theirs. They had to give him back. At that moment, Rico realized just how hard that was going to be. For him. And Anamarie.
* * *
AFTER SUPPER AND getting Dusty to bed, Rico took a shower and Anamarie curled up on the sofa, sipping coffee. In worn jeans, a T-shirt and no shoes, Rico sank into his recliner with his feet propped up. His feet were white and she laughed.
“They’re in my boots all day and never see the light of day.”
His long damp hair hung down his back and reminded her of a fierce warrior coming to right a wrong. She was happy to just be around him. After Greg’s rejection, she had shut down her emotions and her mother’s over protectiveness had reinforced the way she felt about herself, ugly, unattractive and unfeminine. Rico had changed all that.
“I thought Ms. Henshaw was going to ask questions about your presence here,” Rico said, sipping his coffee.
“Me, too. But she seemed okay with it.”
“Yeah. I think she trusts us to do the right thing by Dusty.”
“And she would be right,” Anamaria replied, tracing the handle on her coffee mug. She had to tell him her decision. She placed her cup on the coffee table.
“You don’t have to leave this early, do you?” he asked.
“No.” She leaned back on the sofa. “I don’t plan to leave at all.”
That got his attention. He removed his feet from the rest and sat up straight. “Does that mean...?”
She told him about her visit with her parents and he listened intently. “I put my things in the spare room.”
He reached out and grabbed her arm and pulled her onto his lap. “Let’s go over this again. You told your parents you’re moving in with me and they’re okay with that?”
She tilted her head to look into his dark eyes. “My dad is fine with it. My mother is my mother and she disapproves. I think we’ve come to mutual agreement and she won’t interfere in my life anymore.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “Wow. I didn’t expect this to happen so soon, but I’m happy about it. Dusty needs you here too, just as Ms. Henshaw had said.” He kissed the side of he
r face. “We need to take this slow so you’re sure about this arrangement.”
She nestled against him. “I’m sure, Rico.” He was right, though. They needed to take things slow, especially with a kid in the house. “But we need to take care of Dusty and then we’ll see where this relationship goes.”
He kissed her lightly. “Sounds like a good plan.”
She scrambled up from the chair, feeling cool after his warm touch. “I’ll check on Dusty, take a shower and go to bed.”
Dusty was curled up with Elmo and Mickey. When Anamarie came out of the shower, she noticed Rico was sound asleep in his chair. He probably slept there a lot. Unable to resist she walked over and kissed his brow. He stirred and touched her face.
“Shouldn’t you go to bed?” she whispered.
“I will, in a minute,” he replied sleepily.
She walked toward her bedroom, leaving him asleep. He was totally exhausted from the day’s work. Surely the Rebels didn’t expect him to work that hard. From what she’d heard he’d worked that way for a long time. Maybe he did it to fit in with the Rebels. He had no family and maybe it was his way of becoming a part of the family. She was sure Miss Kate didn’t expect that of him though.
She drifted off to sleep and hoped that one day she and Rico could have their own home. Their own family. She could prove to him how much she loved him just the way he was; scar, long hair, prison record and all. And he would never have to work himself to death for her. That was the wish of her heart. A fairy tale. But fairy tales were known to come true.
* * *
ON SATURDAY THEY scrambled to get ready for the funeral. Rico sat with Dusty in the living room trying to explain what was going to happen today.
“You remember you wanted to say goodbye to your grandma.”
“Yeah. When we gonna do that?”
“This morning.”
“Oh... I gotta wear my good pants.” Dusty darted to his room and suddenly came back. “Where’s my good pants?”
Rico had no idea where his good pants were, so he spent ten minutes sorting through Dusty’s clothes before he found them with a white shirt.
“That’s them!” Dusty shouted, looking at the wrinkled pants and shirt. “They got wrinkles.”
“Do you have an iron and ironing board?” Anamaria asked.
Rico turned around and stared at the woman in the doorway. She wore a black dress with high heels that made her appear more sophisticated and more out of his league.
“Whoa.” He took a step toward her, holding out his hand. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”
She smiled, but before she could say anything, Dusty intervened, “That’s Ana.”
With a shy grin, she took the shirt and pants from Rico.
“The ironing board is in the utility room,” he told her.
Within minutes they were all dressed and in the truck ready to go. They were quiet on the way into town. Rico was trying to figure out what would be easier for Dusty. He just had to walk him through it and do the best he could. Anamarie was there to help him.
They were early because Rico wanted Dusty to have private time with his grandmother alone. He released Dusty’s seat belt and asked, “Are you ready for this, buddy?”
Dusty nodded his head. “I have to say goodbye to Grandma.”
Rico lifted him out of the seat. “Okay, then, let’s do this.”
He took Dusty’s hand and then Dusty reached out his other hand to Anamarie. He walked between them into the funeral home. Rico had called ahead to let the funeral director know they were coming. Red carpet led to the front where the casket rested on a platform. The top of the silver casket was open and an arrangement of white roses rested on the bottom half.
Rico had called Lacey, Miss Kate’s sister-in-law, who was the only florist in town, and had asked if Connie Grimes had ordered flowers for the casket. She’d said no and he had ordered flowers. He might have been out of line, but he’d done it for Dusty. A big pink spray on the right was from the Rebel family and there were two more sprays on the left and some potted plants.
When they reached the casket, Dusty held up his arms to Rico and he lifted the boy up so he could see his grandmother. It surprised him that the woman had gray hair. A serene face showed the passing of the years. She looked at peace. Dusty stared down at her for a minute and then he leaned over to kiss her. “Goodbye, Grandma. I live with Rico now. I...” Dusty started to cry, big tears running down his cheeks and Rico gathered him into his arms and patted his back.
“Are you ready to go, buddy?”
Dusty nodded with his head buried into Rico’s shoulder.
Before they could leave the pastor came up and tried to speak to Dusty. “I’m so sorry about your grandma,” the man said.
“No, no, no!” Dusty cried.
“I don’t think he’s ready for this,” he told the pastor and carried Dusty out of the funeral home with Anamarie by his side.
Dusty continued to cry as Rico strapped him into the car seat. Anamarie sat in the back with him, wedged between two car seats, stroking his hair and kissing him, telling him everything was going to be okay. Rico wasn’t sure where to go, but he knew Dusty needed a break. He had to grieve and he had to do that in private. There was a newly updated park in Horseshoe and Rico drove there, hoping the slides and rides would get his attention on something else.
They got out and sat at a picnic table. Dusty wiped tears from his face. “I said goodbye to Grandma.”
Anamarie hugged him. “Yes, you did. You were very brave. I’m so proud of you.”
“She’s in heaven with Jesus.”
“Yes, she is,” Anamarie replied, staring at Rico over Dusty’s head. There was quiet for a moment as Rico and Anamarie tried to figure out what to do next. How to help Dusty?
Anamarie pointed to a slide in the distance. “If I got on that slide, would you come with me?”
Dusty nodded vigorously and she took his hand and walked to the slide. Rico followed wondering if Anamarie was going down that slide in the nice black dress. She kicked off her heels and started up the ladder. Dusty followed. When she got to the top, she took Dusty in her arms, sat down and pushed them off. They came down, down, down. Rico hurried to catch them before they hit the ground.
Giggles filled the morning air. Dusty jumped up and down laughing. “Let’s do it again, Ana. Let’s do it again.” He grabbed her hand and led her toward the ladder.
Up the ladder they went and down they came, over and over until Anamarie said, “Enough. I need to take a breath.” She sat beside Rico on the bench and he stared at her.
“What?” she asked.
“You’re getting your nice dress dirty.”
She looked at the smudges on it. “It can be cleaned.”
“I’ve never seen you like this.”
“You didn’t think I had a fun side?”
“I’m enjoying seeing all the sides of Anamarie.”
Dusty interrupted the moment. “Look.” He pointed to a swing set. “I wanna go there.”
Anamarie took his hand and they walked to the swing set. Rico followed more slowly. She put him in the kiddie swing and then she sat on another one. They both stared at him.
“What?”
She lifted an eyebrow.
“Oh. You want me to push?”
“Now he gets it.” Anamarie laughed.
He pushed Dusty off and then Anamarie.
“Higher!” Dusty squealed.
“Higher!” Anamarie yelled.
He pushed until they both were squealing. If he didn’t already love her, he’d be head over heels by now.
“We’re having fun, Rico.”
“I see, buddy.”
Finally they made their way back to the truck. The playing had lifted Dusty’s spirits and that’s what they’d wanted.
“Take us home, Mr. Wonderful,” she said, leaning her head against the seat. “I’m exhausted.”
Dusty was happy for the rest of the day and so was Rico. Just being with Anamarie made him happy. They watched a children’s movie and Dusty laughed and giggled all the way through it. With his arms outstretched, he zoomed around the house as an airplane, making airplane noises. He zoomed all the way into bed. They kissed him good-night and left the room. At the doorway they heard him say, “’Nite, Grandma. I love you.”
“Oh, that breaks my heart,” Anamarie said.
“I think he’s fine, though. This morning in the park did the trick.”
“Yeah, he had lots of fun.” Anamarie gathered toys from the floor and then suddenly caught her back. “Oh, I’m getting too old to play on slides and swings.”
Rico slid into his recliner. “I read in a fortune cookie one time that said age is just a state of mind, and your state of mind was young today. I enjoyed watching you turn into a five-year-old.”
She sat on the coffee table facing him. “It was a good day for all of us.” She turned a wheel on the tractor she was holding. “We’re good at this.”
“Yeah, but I couldn’t do it without you.”
“Mmm, but I have to start thinking about getting a job soon.”
“You’ll eventually go back to the bakery.”
She shook her head. “No, I have to get out from under my mother’s thumb and live my own life.”
“While we have Dusty I’ll pay you to take care of him.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re kidding, right? I wouldn’t take one dime to care for that little boy.” She tossed the tractor into the toy box and got to her feet. “But you owe me big, mister. At least every Saturday night out for a year.”
“Deal.”
He’d do just about anything to keep her with him.
CHAPTER SEVEN
ANAMARIE WOKE UP at three in the morning and couldn’t go back to sleep. Old habits were hard to break. She tossed and turned until about four and then got up and quietly made her way to the kitchen, not wanting to wake Rico. She made coffee and was about to sit at the table when Rico appeared in the doorway in pajama bottoms and a T-shirt. His long hair was all around him and she could sense his frown from where she was standing.