Chapter 12
Monday was rainy and cool when she dropped Danny at the front of the school and watched as he ran in the doors. A teacher standing just outside the big double doors, waved. With the umbrella over her head, and coat collar pulled around her face, it was hard to tell who it was, but Ellie probably knew her. So many of her friends from high school were teachers at Candle Cove Elementary. A warm feeling settled inside of her as she drove away. Danny was in good hands.
With the rain beginning to slack, Ellie took a leisurely drive back through town, admiring the Christmas decorations along Main Street. Mrs. Parks had up her usual all-white display in the Candy Store. Bob Moulton had the tree in his window decorated in fishing lures, and a large mounted bass, wearing a Santa hat finished off his décor. He did a brisk business at Christmas with the antique fishing lures and old fishing books that he kept stocked in his small sporting goods store.
She slowed as she approached Deidre’s Family Clothing. The large plate glass windows showed a display of a sweet family scene. Mom, Dad, and children, all frolicking in the cotton snow. The antique sled, holding one of the children, was mounted on a revolving base. A nice touch.
A glance at her watch and she knew it was time to get to work. She, Willa, and Rory would finish Farmhouse Finds decorations today. The store was officially closed for the day, but she would keep the front doors unlocked, just in case a lone shopper wandered by and wanted to step inside.
***
“I heard that Judy and Doug Dart had new locks put on their doors and windows last week. Looks like maybe Bob’s Expert Locksmith is getting some more business,” Rory observed from the window, pausing in his chore of setting up a snowman display. “His company van has driven past twice this morning. I guess people are pretty nervous.”
Willa went to the front and stared out, as well. “I don’t blame them. You know, I was thinking, wasn’t Judy Dart one of the people in that story that mentioned the store?”
Ellie, down on her knees, continued to string the lights around the small tree, in the front corner. She carefully worked the tiny wires in among the branches. It was the sixth string of lights and at least two more were going to be necessary. If all went well, the major Christmas decorating would be done by the end of the day. “What story was that?”
Rory jumped in before Willa could answer. “I know the one she means. The article about the old Sinclair place. You remember, don’t you, Ellie? The paper listed the names of people who bought items from you that had been purchased at an auction old Mr. Sinclair had several years ago.”
She tucked the last bit of wire behind a branch, and stood, stretching her back. “I knew I’d heard something about the Dart’s lately.”
“Maybe they broke in just to steal the little box she bought,” Rory suggested. “You know, a Sinclair souvenir. People will be wanting them, once the house is gone.”
“Well, there’s no need to break in here for a souvenir,” Ellie laughed. “They could hardly carry away that old desk. It weighs a ton. It took four men just to get it inside the building and into my office. I figure it’s there to stay.”
“I don’t know,” Rory argued. “People steal things a lot bigger than that desk. Remember when they stole the big vault in that bank over in Oklahoma?”
Ellie gave a short laugh and ignored the icy streak that ran down her spine. The incident with the trash cans Friday night had scared her more than she had acknowledged. And it was silly that it had. A hungry dog was all it had been. It had been a dog, hadn’t it? If only Gabe hadn’t spent so much time staring at the plate around the lock on the back door. He had definitely been thinking something that he had refused to share with her.
She cleared her throat. She had spent enough time dwelling on something that didn’t happen. “What do you two think about putting a tree up in the little antique section?”
“Sounds great to me,” Rory said. “And how about that old ladder out back? I could bring it inside and secure it to the loft and we could put that big Santa on it, like he’s climbing up there to leave some presents. Don’t you think that would look good?”
Ellie hesitated. She could picture Danny, along with any other child visiting the store, climbing up to the loft. “It might be dangerous to have that up, Rory. I mean, kids would be so tempted.” And sometimes it wasn’t just kids she had to worry about.
“No problem,” he answered. “I noticed yesterday that several of the bottom rungs are broken off of it. I’ll just make some cardboard slats to replace them, and then no one can climb on it.”
“Sounds good to me. It will be nice to get to use that old Santa. He’s sat in the storage room for the past two years.” She watched as he started for the back of the store. “Rory?”
He turned. “Yes?”
“When was the last time you saw the ladder and the rungs weren’t broken?”
He shrugged. “A couple of weeks ago, I guess. Why?” After a moment, his eyes narrowed and stared at her. “Do you think...?”
Ellie shook her head. “No. It’s an old piece. Probably just rotted out.” That or the hungry dog tried to climb the ladder.
***
After lunch, Ellie finished decorating the front windows of the store, hanging several wreaths and putting lights and ornaments on two more trees. The windows spanned the front of the entire shop, so they would be what drew in the crowds.
A flash of light from a car caught her eye and she looked up to see Gabe pull in front of Marshall’s Pharmacy and park. He got out and came around and helped his mother from her seat. Closing the door he glanced at the store and waved. She waved back and watched as they went inside.
He had barely spoken more than a hello to her yesterday at church. But, there was no need for her to feel disappointed. His heart was promised to another and she was happy to see that he had finally realized that God and family were the most important things in his life. At least that was the way his conversations had impressed her.
She pulled her eyes from the pharmacy door and finished hanging the wreath she held in her hands. A large, red plaid bow at the top, the wreath was made of pine branches, lightly dusted in white imitation snow, embedded with pinecones, and tiny battery operated lights. The lights gave a nice twinkle to its stark simplicity. She had been tempted to keep it for herself, but something told her it would sell right away. And there were five more in a box in the storeroom. Maybe she should to get a couple more out, she decided.
Back with the box of wreaths, she turned and faced the street just as Gabe and his mother emerged from the pharmacy. His mother motioned to him that she was heading on down the sidewalk. Gabe nodded and pointed toward Evan’s Hardware, just up the block.
Ellie ducked out of the window and headed back to the storage room. There had been no reason to hope that he would come inside the store. But she had. “I’ll be right back,” she called to Rory, as he brought the ladder inside. “I’ll help you set that up.”
She flipped on the switch and let her eyes wander around the box-filled room. Rory had opened several bins of decorations and left them scattered across the maze of Christmas merchandise. She was going to have to have a talk with him.
Willa stuck her head in the doorway. “Phone for you, Ellie. It’s the school.”
***
Ellie got out of her SUV and opened the side door, sliding in beside Danny. “I think we better talk about this before we go inside, don’t you?”
Danny nodded, but kept the sullen expression on his face. “I know I shouldn’t have hit him. But he said some mean things to me.”
“Like what?”
“Like I don’t have a daddy and he does.”
Ellie closed her eyes for a second. For some reason, lately, Danny was having a harder time than usual with that fact. “Well, you do have a daddy. He just lives in heaven with God, instead of down here with us.”
“I know. And it’s not fair. I need him to live down here with us.”
Ellie s
wallowed back a sob. She needed Harry to live down here with them, too. “No. It doesn’t seem fair.” She paused and sifted through her thoughts. Anything to make him feel better. “When I was growing up I didn’t have a mom or a dad. I lived with my grandparents.”
Danny sighed, and kicked the back of the seat. “I don’t have any of them, either.”
Technically, he did have a grandmother. But Harry’s mother wasn’t much interested in him. Her life seemed to be dominated by dance classes, bridge clubs, and cruises. Danny got a present and a card from her on his birthday and at Christmas. Other than that, she was a silent grandmother.
“The thing is, Danny, we can’t dwell on what we don’t have. We have to think about what we do have. That’s what we’re supposed to focus on and be thankful for. We have each other.” The thought didn’t take away the hole in their lives that Harry had left, but it was the best that she could do.
Danny sniffed and wiped away a wayward tear. “I know. And we have a nice place to live and a lot of food to eat.”
Ellie let her thoughts drift to the slim grocery budget for the rest of the month. She was thankful that Danny had never known hunger, never worried about where his next meal might come from, or where he might sleep, or what he might wear. Taking a deep breath, she smiled through the tears in her eyes. “We have enough, and that’s what counts. Now, I want you to promise me that you’re going to apologize to Bobby, OK?”
He nodded. “I will. Even if he is mean.”
“Then this will give you the chance to be a good example. If you forgive him for what he said, he might change how he acts toward you.”
“Maybe.”
“We can pray about it tonight. All right?”
He nodded and sniffed. Her heart ached with a longing to say the right words that would take away the pain that he suffered. But he would have to learn to deal with his father being gone.
Someday, Danny would understand just how much his dad had loved him and it would make him proud to be his son. How she was ever going to convey that to him, was still a mystery. But God had a plan in all of this, somewhere, and she was going to find it.
“OK. Now, let’s get inside and see if Willa has any cookies for you.”
Danny gave a loud snuffle and grinned. “Willa always has cookies for me.”
Ellie laughed and held the door as he climbed out to the sidewalk. They both looked up to see Gabe crossing the street.
“Gabe!” Danny ran to the edge of the sidewalk and waited.
“Hey there, Danny. “I thought you would be in school. You aren’t sick, are you?” His eyes met Ellie’s.
“No, he’s fine.” She answered before Danny had a chance to tell about his problem. “He just needed to come home for the afternoon.”
“We could go play basketball at the church,” Danny suggested, his eyes on his hero.
Gabe laughed and patted Danny’s head. “Not this afternoon. I have to finish installing the carpet in my mom’s back bedroom. But, I could come by after I’m finished and maybe the two of us could take your mom for a walk down by the lake. I picked up a small sack of feed down at the feed store, so I was thinking that maybe we could feed the ducks?” He looked at Ellie. “Would that be OK?”
Her heart skipped several beats as their gazes locked. Memories swam through her head. Their teenage years had included a lot of time down at that lake. Picnics and swimming in the summer, fishing in the spring and fall, and watching the ducks in the winter. Her teeth chewed the inside of her lip. How could she refuse?
Chapter 13
Ellie shivered in the cold breeze and picked up the pace of her steps. Danny and Gabe were going to leave her behind. An icy wind fluttered through her hair, sending shivers down her back. Her fuzzy hat was still hanging on the hook next to her front door. If she hadn’t been so vain about her hair, she would have a warm head. And, it wasn’t as if Gabe was looking at her. His complete attention was on Danny.
Am I jealous? Forgive me, Lord. Maybe we shouldn’t have come on this walk. My heart’s not in the best shape right now.
The lake shore came in sight, and Danny scampered away, sack of grain in his hand. “Be careful! And don’t get your feet wet,” she added, watching as he stopped just short of a mud puddle left by the recent rains.
“He’ll be OK. It’s just a little bit of dirt and mud,” Gabe laughed. “Nothing that can’t be remedied with a good bath.”
She shook her head. “That’s easy for you to say. You aren’t the one scrubbing the mud off of his shoes,” she reminded him.
“I thought moms loved doing things like that,” he teased, his sea blue eyes twinkling in the fading light.
“Well, we love our children, so we do it with a smile—usually. But, secretly we just wish they’d pay a little more attention to their actions and try to stay clean, at least some of the time.”
“Hurry!” Danny shouted, breaking into a run. “The ducks are coming!”
Taking their time, Ellie and Gabe arrived at the wet, windy shore a few moments before the first duck couple sailed in. Ellie pulled her jacket tighter around her throat, and watched as the pretty pair floated near the shore.
“Those are wood ducks,” Danny announced, his eyes on Gabe.
Gabe stuck his hand in the open sack of grain. “I believe that you’re right on that, Danny. What about that other pair, coming from those rocks?”
They all watched the black and white pair for a few moments. “Those are. . .” he looked at his mother. “I can’t remember.”
“Muscovy,” Ellie said. “Mr. Benson brought them out here last summer.”
Gabe crouched down beside Danny. “I used to raise ducks when I was a kid,” he said, as he threw a handful of feed out on the shifting water.
“You did?” Danny’s eyes were wide with admiration. He swung around to Ellie. “Can we get some ducks, Mom?”
She swallowed a laugh. “I don’t know where we’d put them, son. We need the bathtub for ourselves.”
“But, Gabe had some. Where did you keep yours?” he asked, digging his chubby hand deep in the bag.
Gabe pointed to the row of houses behind them. “See that yellow house over there?”
Danny nodded.
“That’s the house where I grew up. I had a little pen in the backyard. On nice days, the ducks would follow me down here to the water and I’d watch them swim.”
“Did you feed them, like this?” Danny asked, throwing another handful of feed to the hungry fowl, now grown to a mixed crowd of eight.
Gabe shook his head. “Not here at the lake. I waited until I was ready for them to come home. They’d line up and follow me back to their pen, because they knew that they were going to get something good to eat.”
Standing, he took the sack from Danny. “Let’s save some for another afternoon walk.”
“OK. I’m going to go stand on that rock and look for pirates,” Danny informed them as he took off for a crop of low boulders, forming a slight peninsula into the lake.
“I can see he keeps you busy,” Gabe said, watching as the boy climbed atop the flattest stone.
“And he’s calm today,” Ellie laughed, and headed for one of the wooden benches that were scattered along the shore. She sat down and tried to get comfortable on the cold, hard surface. They were much nicer when warmed by the summer sunshine.
Gabe sat beside her. “I don’t know how you do it.”
She turned to face him, her eyes lingering on the laugh lines beginning to form around his eyes. She had thought him so handsome when he was twenty-two, but ten years had done nothing but improve him. “How I do what?”
He shrugged. “Run a business, keep a household, and be mother and father to a child.”
Ellie turned her face from his and stared out across the water. Streaks of light floated on the waves, reflecting the sun as it made its way down in the west. “You do what you have to do. Nobody would choose to do it alone. Look at Willa. She’s twenty-one years old and rai
sing eight year old twins. She is the one with the big job.”
Gabe sighed. “Agreed. Still, you do a great job, yourself.”
“Why Gabe Chandler, I do believe that’s a compliment,” she teased, in her best Scarlett O’Hara imitation.
He threw his head back and laughed. “You just took me back about twelve years, Ellie. It’s nice to see you smile and joke.”
Embarrassed, she looked down at her gloved hands. “I guess I am too serious most of the time.”
He reached over and took her hand. “Life is pretty serious. Just don’t let it steal the joy from all the little things that make you happy.”
“I see one! I see one!” Danny shouted from his lookout. “Ahoy, mates! A ship is coming in!”
Gabe released her fingers and stood, staring out across the water. He took a few steps toward the shore. “He’s right. There’s a boat out there.”
Ellie stood beside him, and shaded her eyes against the setting sun. “Probably Bob Porter’s small houseboat. He lives on it most of the year.”
“I used to want to do that,” Gabe commented, making his way back to the bench.
Ellie followed and sat next to him. “I can imagine you wanting to do something like that. You’ve always had an adventurous spirit, looking for the fun in everything. And I’m just, I don’t know, dull, I guess.”
His fingers caught under her chin and turned her face to his. “No. You’ve never been dull, Ellie. We just managed to clash at the wrong time. If not for that—”
“Mom! Gabe! It’s getting dark.”
Ellie moved away from Gabe and stood. “You’re right, kiddo. Looks like maybe we should be getting home.”
“First, I promised Mom we’d stop in and let her see Danny,” he said, watching the boy run in front of them, circling back every minute or so. “She loves kids. It’s a shame she and Dad didn’t have more. I know she wanted a big family. It just didn’t work out for her and Dad.”
Christmas in Candle Cove Page 6