Last Call (A Place to Call Home Book 3)

by Laura Browning

  "We become a family."

  "You mean you move back in?"

  Now his stomach was beginning to roll. "We could start with that."

  "Where would we end?"

  "You could marry me." The words were out of his mouth before he knew what he was saying, but in the silence that followed his bombshell, he let them roll around in his head a bit more and found they fit. When he studied Leah's expression, he saw a flash of what looked like hope, but it disappeared before it could grow.

  "For Jonah's sake." The words came out of her mouth with no inflection.

  It would be easy to say yes, it was for Jonah, but it wouldn't be the truth. Caleb covered her hand with his and drew it away from her mug, toward him. At first, he met with resistance, but as he continued to gently tug, Leah relaxed.

  "For our sake," he murmured.

  Now the hope did bloom on her face, but once again, it faded away almost as soon as it was born.

  "You have no idea how much I want to say yes. Four years ago, I would have jumped across the table."

  This was not going the way he had hoped.

  "But?" he prompted, his tension rising. "Because I hear a very big but coming."

  "I finally have a chance to feel like I am standing on my own two feet."

  "You can't be independent with me?"

  She pulled her hand from his grasp. "I don't know."

  Leah shoved her chair back, jumping to her feet and pacing around the confines of the kitchen.

  "I thought you just said you were worried DSS might think you're spending too much time at the business? I'm offering a way around that and you tell me you need to stand on your own two feet." Now Caleb was out of his chair, frustration making his voice rise. "Which one is it, Leah? Jesus. You're driving me crazy!"

  Caleb shook his head as he stared at her. "You know what. We're still not ready for this discussion."

  He grabbed his car keys off the counter and began heading toward the door.

  "Caleb," she called after him. "Wait."

  He turned slowly on his heel. "For what, Leah? For you to make up your mind? For you to figure out what it is you want out of life?"

  "All I've ever wanted was what is best for Jonah."

  "And there it is. The implication my agenda is different."

  "That is not what I meant." Her voice had risen along with his.

  "Well, it sure as hell sounded that way."

  "Mama? Daddy?"

  Caleb turned in synch with Leah. Jonah stood in the doorway, tears welling in his eyes. Before he could move, Leah was across the room, scooping Jonah into her arms.

  "What's wrong? Are you having trouble breathing?"

  Jonah laid his head on her shoulder, his wide, watery gaze focused on Caleb.

  "No fighting."

  Caleb went dead still. Leah did the same. He sucked in a loud breath as he raked his fingers through his hair. What were they doing? How had they ended up at odds with each other again? Swallowing the lump in his throat, Caleb took the two strides needed to bring him to them. He wrapped his arms around them both and pulled them back against him.

  "I'm sorry," he told his son. Jonah wiggled wanting away from his mother and into his arms. As she relinquished her hold on him, their gazes met.

  "Me too," she whispered. A tear tracked down her pale cheek. "Can we push reset on this and start over?"

  "Absolutely. I will put Andy in charge tonight. We can have dinner as a family, and figure this all out."

  "Thank you, Caleb."

  He glanced at his watch. "You need to get going, don't you?"

  Her gaze darted around the kitchen.

  "Yes." She stopped. "Would you mind taking a look at the paperwork Mack gave me yesterday? See if you think everything's in order?"

  Some of the tension drained out of him. If she was asking him to look over the deal with Mountain Meadow Plants, surely it was a good sign. He, at least, was going to take it that way.

  "No problem. Jonah and I will stay here today, get some things done around the house, and cook dinner for you. How does that sound?"

  "Wonderful." Her smile was all the reward he needed. It gave him hope they could find a way to make things work.

  Once Leah had left, Caleb took some time to read with Jonah before helping his son make his bed. The next thing he tackled was the kitchen, giving smaller chores to Jonah, while he did the major cleaning and took a look at what was on hand he could use to cook dinner.

  "Think we might have to make a trip into town, buddy. There are a few things I'd like to pick up at the grocery store."

  "Pancakes."

  When Caleb looked down at Jonah, the little boy grinned up at him.

  "You've got pancakes on the brain today."

  Jonah touched the top of his head as if to feel if he really did have pancakes there. Caleb was about to tell him they might think about something they could do with pancakes when his cell phone vibrated.

  He saw the unknown number and started to decline the call, but it was a local exchange.

  "Caleb Allred."

  As soon as the woman on the other end of the line identified herself as being from social services, his glance slid to Jonah who was still sweeping at the kitchen floor with a smaller sized broom.

  "Hang on a moment, please," he told the caller before setting the phone on the counter. "Jonah, I need to take this call, buddy. Why don't you watch some TV and play with your cars in the living room for a few minutes."

  "Okay."

  Never one to miss playing with his cars, Jonah leaned the broom against a chair and scurried out the doorway. Caleb took a deep breath and picked up the phone.

  "Okay, Mrs. Weeks, what is it you would like to know?"

  Caleb did his very best to be polite until the caseworker said she would like to speak with Jonah without Leah or Caleb present.

  "We like to make sure the child feels free to speak without inhibition," she told him.

  "We're more than happy for you to speak to Jonah, ma'am," he told her, "but one of us will need to be nearby. Jonah has had life-threatening bouts with asthma. In fact, you're welcome to speak with Jenny Richardson, his doctor to verify what I'm telling you. Then we'll be happy to work with you within whatever guidelines Dr. Richardson prescribes."

  After hanging up with the woman, Caleb stared out the window over the sink to the hills beyond. He had a feeling Doc Jenny might give Mrs. Weeks a whole new perspective on Jonah, Leah, and who in the Scott family was truly guilty of abuse or neglect.

  Before he did anything else, he contacted Leah to tell her about the call, then calmed her down before dropping the rest on her. "I think there's a good chance Mrs. Weeks will want to come by tomorrow, so if you can get hold of Mack, it might be a good idea to have him handle everything and free you up."

  "Do we need to have an attorney?" The slight quaver in her voice gave away her nervousness.

  God, how he wished she were with him so he could take her in his arms to reassure her. If they could get some peace and quiet, they might actually be able to work out their relationship.

  "I can ask George Mathis," Caleb volunteered. "I know he's representing Noah, and it might seem a bit strange, but he is a good attorney. My dad's known him forever."

  "That would be a huge relief, Caleb," she said. "I just don't trust my parents."

  "Don't forget, Leah," he reminded her. "If you have any suspicion they filed this complaint knowing it's false, that's a crime."

  Chapter 28

  Leah wasn't sure how long she stared into space after getting off the phone with Caleb. She felt as though she had been hit with successive punches to her sternum. Once the shock wore off, she slammed her palms on the counter.

  Why couldn't her parents simply leave her alone? They had never wanted Jonah, so why even acknowledge a connection now.

  Her thoughts were interrupted as the bell rung over the door. Of all people, her father was the one walking through the door. Very little had change
d about him since she'd taken Jonah and left. He was a hard, bitter man, and it was reflected on his face. Slashes cut both cheeks, deeply ingrained lines from spending years out in the weather. His eyes narrowed on her.

  "I came to see your boss. He needs to know what kind of woman he has working for him."

  Leah threw off her initial, ingrained reaction, which was to cower from him. She was done with that now. If this was the final showdown, then by God she was ready for it. Sometimes she found it hard to believe this man was actually her father. The only thing she could ever identify she had inherited from him was a gift for growing plants. But he had long ago lost that in his miserly refusal to give back anything to the land from which he tried to wrest a living. So every year his living had become leaner and meaner...just like him.

  She stepped out from behind the counter, her hands on her hips and her chin high. "I am the boss here, Daddy. As soon as I finish signing all the paperwork, Mountain Meadow Plants will be mine."

  "What kind of lies are you spreading now?" he demanded.

  "No lies. You don't believe me, you're welcome to step out back and ask Mack. He's finishing up this week, and then this place is mine. When that's official, you can take it as a given your line of credit at this business is over and done with."

  "You can't do that. I been trading at this store since Landrum's daddy first opened this place."

  He took a threatening step toward her, but Leah didn't back down. Not anymore. He was done bullying her, and as soon as she could talk to an attorney and the lady from social services, she would make damn sure he was done bullying anyone else in her family.

  "I can and will. You are no longer welcome here as a customer. You can take your business to the big blue store in Hillsville."

  His hand twitched at his side as if he meant to raise it. Leah took another step forward, instead of back. The move had him taking an awkward step backward. When he hesitated, Leah brushed right past him to open the door.

  "Get out. Do not come back. Do not contact me. Do not contact my son or any member of the Allred family."

  He shoved past her, bumping her shoulder and nearly knocking her off her feet. "We'll see 'bout that. Them folks at social services are gonna take that sickly little bastard you spit out and put him in foster care. As for this business, I'll let everyone know how you whored your way into it."

  Leah had never considered herself to be a violent person, but in that moment she realized for the first time she had indeed inherited something else from her father. She followed him out to the battered pickup truck he used around the farm. Her mother was huddled in the passenger seat.

  As her father snatched open the driver's door, Leah grabbed it and prevented him from closing it. She glared at them. "Let me see if I can make this absolutely clear to both of you. If you ever set foot on this property or come anywhere near any of the people I care about, I will kick your asses."

  "You can't talk to your mama and me that way," her father blustered, seeming shocked she was matching his aggression with her own anger.

  "I just did. Now get out of here before I call Jake. You might do well to remember not only is he the police chief, he's Jonah's uncle."

  She slammed the truck door, banged her fists on the hood of the rusty old truck, and totally bent out of her frame, flipped them both a bird before she spun on her heel and stomped back inside.

  Mack stood inside the door, his jaw hanging. "Did I just see you give your mama and daddy the finger?"

  Leah glared. "As far as I'm concerned, those people are not my parents."

  And then she burst into tears.

  "Oh God," Mack moaned. "Don't do that. I've told you I can't take that crying stuff."

  The door jingled again, this time admitting Mary Allred and Noah. Could this get any more humiliating?

  "What's going on?" Mary asked. "Your father almost hit us with his truck on his way out of here. Are you all right? Jonah? Caleb?"

  Leah swiped her fingers below her eyes, wiping away tears more motivated by anger than sorrow. There was some sadness too. Her grief was for the loss of something she had never had to begin with, parents like John and Mary Allred who loved their children unconditionally. The example was right there in front of her.

  They hadn't turned their backs on Noah. They were there for him after the accident that had taken his hand. They rallied around him when he came home. Even now, with the problems he faced because of the drinking and the drugs, they hadn't turned him away. They had heaped on more support. They weren't trying to sugarcoat the issues he had, but they were there to make sure he got the help he needed, making sure he was able to face down the demons and deal with the problems he'd created as a result.

  She was never going to have similar backing from her parents.

  But she could have it here.

  All she had to do was reach for it.

  "Leah? Sweetie, what can we do to help?"

  Mary stood right in front of her.

  "My mama and daddy filed a complaint against Caleb and me with social services."

  Mary glanced back at Noah. "We know. We also know there is no merit to it, honey."

  When the older woman opened her arms, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world for Leah to allow herself to be wrapped in her warm embrace. This was what she had tried to find—unconditional love and acceptance. She let herself be warmed by it.

  "I told them to leave," Leah whispered, a shiver running through her whole body. "I told them if they ever came back here, ever bothered Jonah or any of you I would kick their asses."

  If she thought she was going to shock anyone, it didn't happen. Mary patted her back comfortingly.

  "It's okay, Leah. Sometimes people need their asses kicked."

  "Mama," Noah said.

  "Don't you mama me, Noah Allred. You're one of 'em. Call your brother. He needs to come over here."

  Leah pulled back. "He was at the house with Jonah. The caseworker called him this morning. She wants to see Jonah and the house tomorrow. I-I think Caleb was going to talk to an attorney."

  Mary patted her shoulder and handed her a tissue. "Well, he can come on over here and let me take Jonah, if you don't mind him riding with Noah."

  Leah turned her gaze on Caleb's twin brother. "Noah's his uncle. I want Jonah to know him. He needs real family."

  The green gaze, so like Caleb's, grew misty. With a shock, Leah realized it wasn't her tearing up again, it was Noah. He cleared his throat, ducked his head, and called Caleb. Leah couldn't hear what Noah was saying because Mary was still busy organizing.

  "Y'all can go see George together. Mack will mind things here, won't you Mack?"

  As if he recognized a greater authority when he saw one, Mack nodded without saying a word.

  As traumatic as the day had been, Leah began to relax. An odd feeling came over her, one she didn't really recognize. For the first time she could recall in a long, long time, the worry dogging her almost every waking hour eased. She didn't need to worry about Jonah, didn't need to worry about the nursery, or anything else. Standing in the room with her, with more on the way, were people who were going to support her—no matter what.

  The band that had wrapped itself around her heart so long ago, even before she'd found herself pregnant and essentially alone with Jonah, eased. Maybe the sense of discomfort was her heart being allowed to beat freely, to feel the love all around her.

  "I would love a cup of coffee while we're all waiting on Caleb and Jonah to get here," Mary remarked. "You wouldn't happen to have a coffee maker around, would you?"

  Leah was relieved to be able to turn her attention to something mundane. After she showed Mary where everything was, she started to help, but was shooed back into the front of the store where she found herself face to face with Noah.

  He cleared his throat again. "I'm going to AA. Over in Hillsville. Luke's sponsoring me."

  Leah's gaze shot to his. "Luke?"

  "Yeah. He...uh...had some p
roblems. Caught it before it got too outta hand. So anyway, I thought you should know because," he cleared his throat again. "I would never do anything to hurt Jonah or you. I'm sorry if it didn't seem that way."

  Leah nodded.

  If she was going to take the unconditional acceptance this family was offering her, then she needed to be able to give it back. Standing in front of her was the man who probably needed it the most.

  She took the steps required to bring her face to face with him. Not allowing herself to overthink it, Leah wrapped her arms around his waist. Leaning her head on his chest, she hugged him tightly. For all he looked so much like Caleb, he wasn't. She didn't get the same zing, just a warm feeling this was yet another person who she could count on to stand by her, especially since he was getting things back on track.

  After a moment in which he remained as stiff as a board, Noah relaxed, his arms circling her. A shudder vibrated through him.

  "I know you would never intentionally hurt Jonah, Noah, but if you ever get behind the wheel after you've been drinking, I will kick your ass too."

  He leaned back and grinned at her, reinforcing how identical he and Caleb were. "You're going to give my brother hell, aren't you?"

  The door jingled behind them.

  Chapter 29

  Caleb had been locked in a whirlwind ever since he'd taken Noah's call. He was sure he hadn't heard him right. He couldn't see Leah getting into a confrontation with her father, but then a few days ago, he would have told anyone who asked that she never lost her temper.

  He'd certainly seen a different side of her the day he pulled into the driveway and found her bodily trying to block Noah from leaving.

  So when he pulled up to the front of the nursery and saw through the glass in the window she was locked in his brother's arms, he wasn't sure what to think. He knew from his conversation with Noah that their mother was in there somewhere too. Caleb hurried to get Jonah out, his heart thumping with worry.

  As angry as Leah had been with Noah, it had to be something serious driving her to seek any comfort from him. In fact, he'd rarely known her to turn to anyone for comfort, and that had been part of their problem. Other than Jonah, she had always seemed closed off from other people. Sure they had connected in bed. She was sexy as hell, but he'd sensed the distance even then.