by Carrie Carr
"Why? 'Cause you're scared of animals?"
"I'm not scared! Horses are big and dumb," Teddy said. He stuck out his lower lip and crossed his arms. "You don't like horses neither."
Melanie shrugged. "They're okay, but they smell funny. So, if you're not gonna be a cowboy, whatcha gonna do?"
He puffed up his chest with pride. "I'm gonna be a fireman. My daddy took me to the fire station and let me meet the firemen. They're really strong."
"Cool. I'm gonna be a princess when I grow up."
"Really?"
"Uh-huh. Momma already calls me princess." Melanie twirled in a circle. "Do you want to come play with me and Mallory?"
"Sure." Teddy's bad mood evaporated as he followed her across the gym.
ON THE OTHER side of the gym, Lorrie bounced a basketball and looked around. She saw that Melanie was having fun with Teddy and Mallory, which eased her mind. Although they fought constantly, Lorrie always kept her eye on Melanie. She frowned when she saw a solitary figure sitting on the bleachers, away from the other children. Her mother's reminder from the other day rang in her head.
"Lorrie, don't just stand there," Allison yelled, "throw the ball."
With a shrug, Lorrie bounced the ball to her best friend. "I'll be right
back." She ignored Ally's entreaty and walked toward the bleachers.
When she got close, she put her hands in her front pockets. "Hey."
Jerry Sater looked up. "Hey."
"Whatcha doin'?" Lorrie asked as she sat next to him.
He shrugged. "Nothin'." He stared down at his dirty and scuffed sneakers.
"Um, are you okay?"
Jerry shrugged again.
"You know," Lorrie said, as she tried to think of something to say, "we've got to make teams for the next science project. Allie and I are together, but we need somebody else. Do you have a team yet?"
"No."
Lorrie rolled her eyes. "Would you like to be on our team? I bet we can come up with some good ideas."
"Really?" Jerry looked at her, his brows scrunched together in confusion.
"Yep. Hey, do you think your grandma will let you come to my house sometime? You could see my horse."
He lowered his eyes again. "I dunno. She's kinda old and doesn't drive or nothin'." He sniffled and started to cry. "I miss my mom."
"Is she coming back?"
Jerry shook his head and locked his hands behind his head, lowering his face until his elbows were on his knees. "Grandma says she's in heaven."
Unsure of what to do, Lorrie awkwardly patted his back. "Heaven's supposed to be nice. My grandpa and daddy are there."
"They are?" Jerry turned his head to look at her.
"Uh-huh. But my Gramma said they're there to watch us, like angels."
Jerry sat up and wiped his face with his hand. "My mom was sometimes bad. Do you think she's still in heaven?"
Lorrie considered the question. "Probably. Hey, do you want to play basketball with us? You can be on my team."
"Okay." Jerry sniffled and used his shirt sleeve to wipe his runny nose. "Don't tell no one I was crying, okay?"
"I won't. Come on." Lorrie jumped off the bleachers. "Let's go beat Russ's team."
WITH EDDIE AT Martha's and Lex napping in the bedroom, Amanda decided it was time to take care of a load or two of laundry. She had called Jeremy earlier and asked if he knew anything about Jerry's return to Somerville. The sheriff said he didn't, but would check it out and call her back. So, she kept her cell phone on her belt while she gathered dirty clothes out of the girls' rooms.
Melanie's room, as usual, was neat. Their youngest daughter liked keeping everything in its place, other than the finished pages from coloring books that adorned her "art wall," which was a deep purple. The other walls were a more sedate pale violet. Amanda took Melanie's laundry basket from her closet and cut through the Jack-and-Jill bathroom the girls shared.
She picked up two pink towels from where they were draped across the tub, as well as a royal blue one that had been tossed on the floor beside the toilet. "Lorrie, I swear, you're just like your Momma," Amanda grumbled. After getting two washcloths from the sink, she made her way into Lorrie's room.
It had taken Amanda time, but now she was warming up to the light gray walls that Lorrie had chosen. As she stepped across the threshold, a pungent odor assailed her senses. "Lord. What has that girl done now?"
Freckles, who was in Lorrie's room, excitedly pranced around Amanda.
"Calm down, you silly dog." Amanda started picking up dirty clothes from all over the room. She shook her head at how Lorrie had made her bed. The comforter was askew and there were several suspicious lumps beneath it.
When she bent over to pick up a shirt that was partially under the bed, Amanda almost fell back. "What the hell?" Freckles began to lick at her face. "Stop it."
Lex stood at the doorway. "What's the matter? Did you yell?"
"You'll never believe it." Amanda crooked her finger at Lex, who joined her beside the bed.
"Damn. That smells like a dead animal. Or has Lorrie been leaving dirty dishes in here?"
Amanda pointed under the bed. "I don't think this one's Lorrie's fault."
"Yeah?" Lex cautiously dropped to her knees, much to Freckles delight. "Freckles, no." She started to reach under the bed, when Amanda handed her a washcloth.
"Don't touch it with your hands."
"Why? I think it's dead." But to appease Amanda, Lex used the cloth to snare the item. As she pulled it from under the bed, Freckles tried to take it away from her. "Stop it, Freckles."
The dog barked and danced around. Lex removed the dead squirrel and held it away from her. "Ugh." She held it out to Amanda, who stepped away.
"Don't you dare," Amanda warned.
Lex waved the carcass back and forth. "It's definitely dead. Stiff as a board." She put her free hand on the mattress and levered herself up. Then she looked at the dog, who seemed proud. "Brought Lorrie a gift, did you? Good girl."
Amanda shivered. "Don't congratulate her. She brought a dead animal into the house." She wrapped her arms around herself.
"Aw, come on. It could have been worse." Lex walked out of the room, with Amanda and Freckles at her heels.
"How?"
Once down the stairs, Lex stopped by the back door. "It could have been alive. Imagine trying to catch a squirrel in the house."
"No thank you." Amanda opened the door. "Freckles, stay." The dog whined but sat next to Amanda. "What are you going to do with it?"
"If you'll bring me a trash bag from the kitchen, I'll wrap it up and have one of the guys bury it away from the house. No sense in having the trash stink."
Amanda shivered in revulsion, but quickly fetched a bag. "Throw the washcloth away with it. I'm not putting it in with our laundry."
"Why not? It'll get clean."
"No. Absolutely not. I will not wash something that touched a dead animal with our towels."
Lex shrugged, but did as she was asked. "Maybe I should turn Freckles loose in the barn. I've seen a few mice out there." Lex tied up the bag, walked to the gate, and placed it on the other side.
"Like hell you will," Amanda called after her. When Lex came back into the house, she pointed to the bathroom off the hall. "Go sanitize your hands, please." She patted Freckles on the head. "Good girl."
With a roll of her eyes, Lex went into the bathroom and washed her hands. Amanda stood at the door, watching. When she was finished, Lex held out her hands. "How's that, Mommy?"
"You are such a brat." Amanda turned and headed for the kitchen.
Lex grinned and followed, popping Amanda on the butt before she sat at the table. "Next time I'll let you remove the dead critter." She snapped her fingers and Freckles immediately came over. "You're such a good dog." She scratched the happy pooch behind the ears.
"Don't encourage her," Amanda said. "Do you think she really killed the squirrel?"
"It's hard to say. But I'm bettin
g the thing fell out of a tree or off an electrical wire, and she just brought its carcass in to give to Lorrie."
Amanda poured each of them a cup of coffee and joined Lex at the table. "Well, whatever happened, I hope she doesn't do it again. That was disgusting."
"At least she hadn't eaten any of it."
"Gross." Amanda held up her hand. "Please don't say anything to the girls. It's bad enough that I've got to move Lorrie's bed and disinfect in there before they get home."
"Do you need my help?"
Amanda glared at her. "No. I shouldn't have let you stretch under the bed to get the squirrel, but I just couldn't bring myself to touch it. It's easy enough to push the bed around on the wood floor."
"All right. Just remember I offered."
When Amanda's cell phone rang, they both jumped. Amanda took it from her waist and flipped it open. "Hello?"
"Amanda? This is Jeremy. I hope I haven't disturbed you."
She looked at Lex and mouthed, Jeremy. "No, not at all. Do you mind if I put you on speakerphone so Lex can hear?"
"Sure, go ahead."
Amanda placed her phone on the table between them. "Can you hear me okay?"
"Yes. Hey, Lex. How are you doing?"
Lex grinned. "I'm great. What's up?"
"Well, I have information about Jerry Sater. He's under the guardianship of his maternal grandmother, Isabel Brooks."
Amanda nodded to Lex. "That's what Lorrie told us, that he was living with his grandmother. Did his mother lose custody of him?"
"It's worse than that. A few weeks ago, Susan Sater and her live-in boyfriend, Vincent Walsh, were killed in a one-car accident. Jerry was in the backseat, but buckled in and not injured. I don't know all the particulars, but it seems that Susan's ex-husband and Jerry's father, Marvin Sater, is out of the picture. He left her before Jerry was born and took their other two children with him. The authorities tried to track him down, but there's no sign of him."
"That's so sad." Amanda shook her head. "So, it's just him and his grandmother?"
"I'm afraid so."
Lex tapped the table in a nervous gesture. "Is there anything we can do for him?"
"I don't know," Jeremy answered. "Hopefully, his grandmother will be a stabilizing influence on him. Anyway, you folks have a great evening. Lex, take care of yourself. Amanda, try not to kill her. I hate filling out paperwork."
Both women laughed, but Amanda was the first to gain her composure. "I'll do my best, Jeremy. Thank you for your help." She closed her phone and sighed. "That poor kid."
"Yeah. I hope he makes it through this okay. I'd hate for our kids to go through something like that."
Amanda held out her hand, which Lex automatically took. "It breaks my heart. But I suppose we can't take in every child, can we?"
"Unfortunately, no. But maybe he'll be okay with his grandmother."
"Maybe so." Amanda stood and tugged on their joined hands. "Let's go to Martha's. I have this need to see our son."
Lex stood and joined her. "You took the words right out of my mouth, sweetheart." She kissed Amanda on the cheek.
ELLIE LOOKED AROUND the kitchen and sighed. The counters were clear and all of the trash had been bagged and put in the garage. "I can't believe we finished."
"Looks great," Kyle said from her perch on the bar. She swung her legs. "I don't know about you, but I'm famished."
Although she hadn't thought about it, the moment Kyle mentioned food, Ellie's stomach growled. "I guess I could eat."
Kyle laughed and jumped down. "Let's go grab a burger. I know this awesome little dive not too far away."
"I don't know. I don't think I'm exactly dressed to go out." Ellie gestured to her clothes. Worn, faded jeans and a stained sweatshirt matched her ratty sneakers.
"You look perfect," Kyle said. She brushed a strand of hair away from Ellie's eyes. "Beautiful, in fact."
Ellie blushed, but couldn't take her eyes off of Kyle's. "Kyle, I--"
Kyle put her finger over Ellie's lips. "Shhh." She leaned in and removed her finger. "I really want to kiss you right now."
"Uh." Ellie's eyes grew wider and Kyle's face moved closer. "Yes," she whispered, just as Kyle's lips lightly touched hers. Warmth settled over Ellie as the kiss deepened. Her hands went to Kyle's waist, while Kyle's hands threaded behind her head.
Kyle finally moved back to breathe. "Thank you."
Ellie turned bright red and a nervous giggle escaped. "Thank you?"
"Yeah," Kyle whispered dreamily. "I've wanted to do that since the moment you chewed me out for parking in your driveway."
"Really?"
Kyle nodded. "Really." She put her hand on Ellie's cheek and left a soft kiss on her lips. The noise from Ellie's stomach broke the intimate moment, as both women laughed. "I guess we'd better feed that monster before someone gets hurt."
"Sorry." Ellie lowered her head and silently cursed herself.
"Hey." Kyle's hand cupped Ellie's chin and forced her to look up. "I think you're adorable. And to tell you the truth, my stomach's starting to grumble, too. Let's go eat."
Ellie's grateful smile caused her eyes to sparkle. "Sounds good." Before she could stop herself, she leaned forward and gave Kyle a quick kiss. "Let's take your car. I've always wanted to ride in a classic."
"You got it, pretty lady." Kyle held out her arm playfully, grinning wide when Ellie took it.
Chapter Twenty-Two
CHRISTMAS DAY AFTERNOON, Lex stood at the corral and watched as Ronnie led Stormy around in a circle, while Nora did her best to stay on. Lex laughed as Nora desperately hung on to the saddle horn with both hands.
"Ronnie, make her slow down! I'm going to fall." Nora giggled.
Ronnie laughed but stopped the horse. "Honey, she's not very tall and it probably wouldn't hurt if you did happen to slide off."
The redhead looked over at Lex. "Save me, Lex. My fiancé's a brute." When Ronnie scoffed at her, Nora stole his cowboy hat and put it on her head. "Okay, let's try again. I think I needed to be properly attired."
"Are you sure?" Ronnie asked.
"Yes, honey. I'm sure. Let's put this horse in drive, or however you make it go."
Ronnie let the lead out and clicked his tongue, which caused Stormy to break into a trot. "How's that?"
"F, f, fi, fi, fine," Nora stammered, as she bounced.
Lex was laughing so hard that she had to hang on to the top rail of the corral to keep from falling. She felt a hand on her back and turned around to see Amanda, bundled in Lex's old leather jacket. "Hi, sweetheart."
"What's going on?" Amanda asked, huddling close to Lex.
"Ronnie's giving Nora a riding lesson."
Amanda watched as Nora bounced around the corral. "It looks more like he's trying to turn her into a milkshake." She giggled as Nora started to slide from the saddle, and Ronnie jogged to keep her upright.
Lex put her arm around Amanda. "Where are the kids?"
"Eddie's being hogged upstairs by my dad and Lois. Lorrie, Melanie and Teddy are playing board games in the dining room. Martha and Jeannie are supervising, and everyone who's left is in the den watching basketball."
"And you left all that to come out here?" Lex asked, nuzzling Amanda's neck.
Amanda moaned and wrapped her arms around Lex's waist. "Keep that up and I'll drag you into the barn."
"And that's supposed to be a deterrent?" Lex asked, as she slipped one hand beneath Amanda's jacket.
"Not really. Yeow! Your hand is cold."
Lex chuckled. "Not for long."
Amanda slapped her hand away. "Stop it."
"Come here, sweetheart. I'll just warm my hands for a minute," Lex said, wriggling her fingers.
The squeal from the corral caused them both to look that direction. Lex immediately started laughing.
"Help!" Nora had slid over to one side. The only thing keeping her on the horse was the leg she had hooked over the saddle horn.
Ronnie was on his knees in the mi
ddle of the corral, laughing hysterically.
"Damn it, Ron. Help me!" Both of Nora's hands were full of Stormy's mane. "Lex! Do something!"
Amanda grabbed Lex's arm to stop her, then crawled between the rails and hurried to where Stormy stood. Well-trained, the horse stopped the moment she felt her rider slide. "Okay," Amanda put both hands on Nora, "let go, and I'll help you slide off."
"Noooo!" Nora wailed. "I'll be trampled!"
"No, you won't. Stormy will stay still, I promise." Amanda glared at Ronnie. "Get your butt over here, Chuckles."
"Yes, ma'am." Ronnie picked up his hat. He dusted it off against his leg before putting it on. In a gallant motion, he swung Nora from the horse and set her on her feet. "Are you okay?"
Nora slapped his chest. "No thanks to you, I could have been seriously hurt."
"Aw, come on, honey. Maybe a little dirty, but I doubt--" Ronnie cut his reply short when Nora pointed a finger at him.
"Not another word." She gathered what was left of her dignity and stomped across the corral. "Thank you for your help, Amanda."
Ronnie watched as his fiancée struggled through the rails. "Honey?"
"You know, I believe cluelessness runs in this family," Amanda muttered. "Give her time to calm down before you end up eating that hat."
"Huh?"
Amanda shook her head and walked away. She patted Lex on the side when she got outside the corral. "Why don't you give him some pointers on how to understand women, while he's brushing Stormy down?"
"You think I'm an expert?" Lex asked, incredulously.
"Not really. But you're getting better." Amanda blew her a kiss and headed toward the house.
Once inside the barn, Ronnie led Stormy into her stall and removed her saddle and blanket. He placed them, along with the bridle, over the gate and ran a brush over her coat. "I wouldn't have let her get hurt," he grumbled. "I don't see why she made such a big deal out of it."
Lex sat on a nearby bale of hay and stretched out her legs. "There's something you need to know about ladies, Ron."
"What's that?"
"No matter what you know, or perceive to be the truth, it's what she thinks that matters. And the sooner you remember that, the happier you both will be."
