The Marine's New Family

by Roz Dunbar

  “A puppy.”

  “Puppy?” She looked over at Luke, one brow raised.

  Luke pointed to the shelves of stuffed animals behind the counter, including several dogs in pastel hues. She gave a relieved nod and smiled gamely at the boys as she positioned herself in front of the tank, tossing the ball in the air and catching it a few times while eyeing the police chief, who had begun to heckle her.

  “Come on, Tess, give it your best shot. I bet you couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.” He was clearly enjoying himself.

  “Probably not,” she agreed serenely, unaware of the small crowd that had gathered behind her until she heard appreciative laughter.

  She almost froze then, suddenly shy in front of so many people. She knew she wouldn’t be graceful, with her leg still giving her problems. Now, she just wanted to go back to the cottage. Stupid of her to think she could get through even part of a day without the old insecurities and issues rearing their ugly heads. Fight through it, she ordered herself sternly. She forced herself to wind up and release the ball.

  Her first throw missed the mark by a wide distance. A collective groan issued from the peanut gallery as they vocally commiserated with her. She bit her lip and looked over at Joey and Caleb. She didn’t want to let them down.

  The little boys just shook their heads before smiling at her encouragingly and giving her a thumbs-up. Oh, to have the blind faith of a child, she thought.

  “Aw, she can’t do it,” one of the other boys said, looking at Caleb with disgust.

  “Yes, she can. First ones don’t count,” he declared. “You got this, Miss Tess. Shake it off.”

  “Oh, I’m so scared. That was too close for comfort!” Joe chortled gleefully from his perch, egging her on as she picked up the second ball and weighed it carefully in her hand. Unfortunately for the chief, his next words sealed his fate. “Come on! You throw like a girl. A girlie girl!”

  “I am a girl,” Tess affirmed with quiet confidence, then mentally blocked out everything and everyone around her, concentrating at the target just past the laughing man sitting smugly above the water-filled tank.

  In her mind’s eye she visualized herself on the pitcher’s mound in the state play-offs fifteen years earlier. The release lever became the snug pit of Ally Gleason’s catcher’s mitt as Tess wound up and quickly discharged the ball in one smooth, underhand motion, taking dead aim at her target. The ball traveled with such speed and force that it bent the lever on the booth as Joe went feet first into the water, an incredulous look on his face. She heard a loud whoop from Joey and Caleb, and appreciative applause from the group around the booth as she found herself being lifted in Luke’s strong arms.

  “Good girl!” His laughing eyes locked with hers before he kissed her soundly on the cheek. Then she was on the ground again, feeling more than a little unsteady. Her cheeks flushed, and she reached instinctively for her cane as the boys rushed to join them.

  She could have imagined that kiss on the cheek, it had happened so quickly. Had she imagined it? She peeked at Luke from under her lashes, but his face gave nothing away. Evidently, it hadn’t affected him as it had her. He looked perfectly relaxed, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Tess felt a small stab of irritation with herself for her reaction, and with him for his nonreaction, then pushed it away. It was only a congratulatory peck on the cheek, nothing more. He was probably used to casually kissing all sorts of women for all sorts of reasons.

  “Here’s the prize, Miss Tess. Her name is Jackie O, but I call her Jack.”

  “Jack?” Tess asked faintly, looking down at Joey as he shoved a small white wiggling bundle of fluff into her arms.

  “Yeah. Our dogs Bogey and Bacall had puppies and Jack is the last one left.”

  “Joey, this is a real puppy.” Tess pointed out the obvious.

  “Cool, huh? We had the best grand prizes in the whole festival. Mom wanted to sell the puppies, but I talked her into giving them to the winners. Well, if they wanted one. ’Course, not everyone did. Can’t figure out why not. Who wouldn’t want a puppy?”

  Tess’s gaze traveled from the earnest face of the ten-year-old standing in front of her to the fuzzy white face of the small dog in her arms and back again. How could she say no? She suddenly became aware of the small group around them watching the scene with avid interest. The puppy chose that moment to lick her hand and wag her curly little tail as she stared up at Tess with brown button eyes. Tess knew she was lost.

  “I can’t imagine who wouldn’t want a puppy, Joey. It is the best prize ever.”

  “I told you guys she was the coolest girl.” Joey looked at his friends, who were in turn looking at Tess with a mixture of awe and respect. “She even likes turtles and snakes.”

  Luke put his arm casually around Tess’s shoulders and gave her a small squeeze of approval before pointing out that she would need to get a few things for the puppy before going home.

  “We’ve got you covered on that.” Joe had joined them, towel in hand, grinning from ear to ear. “There’s a sack of puppy chow and a small bed behind the counter. Sure you want the puppy, Tess? Don’t let Joey bully you into it. And where in the world did you learn to throw like that, girl?”

  Tess started to answer, but was cut off by another voice.

  “Yes, Tess. Do tell. Where did you learn to throw like that? And you, Luke. You’ve been showing her around? More of those random acts of kindness you’re so fond of?”

  Sarah Fulcher’s voice was pleasant, but one look at her and Tess knew the woman was feeling anything but kindly. Her violet eyes were flashing fire as she glanced from Luke to Tess and back again. Tess noticed the small crowd was watching them avidly. Time to go home, she thought, hugging the puppy a little closer. She was abruptly very tired. Her leg was aching and the last thing she wanted was to be the center of more attention.

  “Hi, Sarah. Nope, not me being kind. Tess is being kind in taking the puppy.” Luke didn’t miss a beat, a genuine smile on his face as he spoke to the other woman.

  Sarah looked doubtful for a minute and then turned a charming smile on Tess. “How generous of you. It’s a cute little thing, isn’t it?”

  “I didn’t adopt her. I won her. And she is cute.” Tess couldn’t keep the abruptness out of her voice. Turning to Luke, she added, “I really need to go home now.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement.

  He must have seen the strain in her eyes because he didn’t say a word, just nodded and went to collect Caleb.

  “Luke, I need to speak with you about something when you have a minute,” Sarah called out to him.

  “I’ll phone you later, Sarah. Right now I want to get Tess home.”

  Sarah hesitated, then said, “Of course,” and walked away, her high heels clicking loudly on the pavement.

  Chapter Seven

  The air was thick with humidity as Luke put the truck in gear and left the parking lot of base legal. Dark clouds were building to the east and he heard the menacing rumble of thunder in the distance. A storm was brewing. It suited his mood today.

  The packet that contained the newly changed legal documents was sitting on the seat next to him. He had changed his will, making Caleb the beneficiary. He had also made Jen’s parents Caleb’s guardians in the event that anything should happen to him. Those had been easy decisions. It was the threat of them taking Caleb from him in the near future that had Luke worried. The lawyer had advised him that there was nothing he could do except wait, something he was not very good at doing. The lawyer was researching the laws in Tennessee and would get back to him. The best thing Luke could do for now was to make sure that he had a stable, healthy, happy home for his son, which he was trying very hard to do.

  There was still the issue of adequate child care. He had thought hard about asking Tess, as the sisters had suggested, but he balked at the idea. She had enough on her plate with working through her PTSD issues. A kid running around wouldn’t be any help. But it was coming down
to the wire and he had to do something. He was interviewing another candidate this afternoon. He prayed that this one would be it. He needed to get home, pick up Caleb from the Masons’ house and get ready for the interview.

  His thoughts turned to Tess again. It had been five days since he had seen her at the festival last Saturday. She had been conspicuously absent from church services on Sunday. Whether she was deliberately avoiding people or her faith was still in question in her mind, he had no idea. It could be a combination of the two. For his part, he was certain that her faith in God had never left her, but she was too angry to forgive Him for what had happened. Only God could help her with that, and Luke had no doubt that He would.

  The fact of the matter was that he wanted to see how she was getting on. He was concerned about her but didn’t want to be pushy. Still, it might not be a bad idea to check on her. He made a mental note to call her later this afternoon, but first things first. The nanny.

  His jaw was set with determination as he pulled into the neat, hedge-lined driveway of the Mason house. Large raindrops began to spatter forcefully on his windshield as lightning flashed overhead and thunder boomed loudly all around him. The storm had started, but it was nothing compared to the one raging inside him. He had to make this interview work, for his sake as well as Caleb’s.

  Linda met him at the front entrance, ushering him inside and out of the elements. “Come in, come in.” She closed the door and faced him with a grin. “The boys are playing in the bedroom. I’ll get Caleb. Want a cup of coffee?”

  “No, I’m good,” Luke called after her departing figure. It didn’t take the boys long to hit the living room with an almost supersonic burst of energy.

  “Hi, Dad!” Caleb came to sit on the sofa next to him, an eager look on his young face.

  “Hi, buddy. Have a good day?”

  “Yep! Can I camp out with Joey tonight?”

  “Can he, Mr. Luke?” Joey asked, plopping down on Luke’s other side.

  Before he could say yes or no, Caleb jumped in again excitedly. “It’s for our camping merit badge for Scouts. Mr. Joe said he’d help us.”

  Luke looked at Linda for guidance.

  “It’s true. They’re going to camp in the backyard. Tent’s already up and the fire pit has a stockpile of wood under a tarp. Joe wanted to know if you’d like to join them, if Caleb can stay. Didn’t quite count on the rain, though. Hope the lightning subsides.” Linda didn’t look too concerned about the weather as she glanced out the window at the raging storm. A loud clap of thunder made them all jump a little, however.

  “Well, that sounded close,” she admitted, before turning back to Luke.

  “I don’t see why not. In fact, I’d like to go camping with the boys and Joe. Great idea! But I have an interview for the nanny position in—” His words were cut short by the ringing of a cell phone. It wasn’t his; he had left it in the car.

  “Not mine. It’s in my purse.” Linda was looking around the room. “Maybe Joe left his?” She had a puzzled look on her face as the phone kept ringing insistently. “No, he called about an hour ago, so he has his with him.” She had gotten up and was searching the room, trying to locate the phone, when it stopped. Then it started again. It was at that moment that Luke looked down at his son. He saw the stricken look on the boy’s face and realized the sound was emanating from the vicinity of his leg. Caleb had a cell phone? Caleb had a cell phone!

  “Hand it over,” Luke said, as the boy tried to inch his way off the sofa. Luke put a hand on his arm to stop him, holding out his other palm. Caleb hesitated, then heaved a defeated sigh as he reached in his pocket and handed over the phone, his eyes fixed on the floor.

  “Where did you get this, Caleb?” Luke asked gently.

  “Grampy gave it to me.” His eyes were still fixed on the carpeted floor.

  “Look at me, Caleb, please. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Grampy said not to ever tell you because you would take it away and I wouldn’t be able to talk to him then.” The words came out in a rush, and Luke’s heart broke at the hurt look on his son’s face. But this was wrong on a couple of levels and he needed Caleb to understand that. “And you did take it away and now I can’t talk to Grampy when he calls me.”

  “Caleb, have I ever tried to stop you from calling your grandparents?”

  Luke pulled Caleb closer as he spoke, draping an arm around his shoulders. He felt the boy stiffen and try to pull away, but Luke wouldn’t allow it. There was a problem here and he needed to get to the bottom of it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Linda usher Joey out of the room.

  “No, sir.” Caleb’s voice was low and he sounded on the verge of tears.

  “And I never would. I told you, you can call them whenever you want to and we’ll go to Nashville to see them a lot. I want you to be in touch with them. I know they love you and you love them. Family is important.” Luke kept his voice gentle as he spoke, trying desperately to make his son understand. “But being honest with each other is important, too. And that means not hiding things like this from me. Grampy should have asked me before he gave the phone to you. That was wrong.”

  “But he couldn’t ask you, Dad. He couldn’t.”

  “Why not?” Luke was trying to follow what Caleb was saying, but it didn’t make sense.

  “Because you weren’t there. I mean, he gave me the phone last year, when Mom was with me. He told me not to tell her, either, because she would take it away from me, too.”

  Caleb looked absolutely miserable by this point and Luke was at a loss. Why would Dave Lockard have felt Caleb should have a secret phone to hide from his mother? They needed to sort this out, but for now Luke put the phone in his pocket.

  “We’ll work this out, son. It will be okay. I’ll talk to Grampy.”

  “Are you mad at me again, Dad?”

  Luke was caught off guard by the question. Mad? Again? “Of course not, Caleb. And why did you say again?”

  “You were mad at me when I went to the island with Joey,” the boy reminded him.

  “Ah, I see. Yes, I was angry,” Luke admitted. “And I was scared. You could have been hurt and I would have had no way of knowing where you were or that you needed my help. You have to understand that you can’t just take a boat out on the open water when you don’t know what you’re doing. We have rules for a reason. They keep you safe and make you a better person when it’s time for you to go out in the world. Rules help teach life’s lessons. Do you understand?”

  Caleb nodded, hesitating before he spoke. “Can I have the phone back?”

  Luke shook his head. “No, you can’t. Sorry, buddy, but you’re too young to have a cell phone.”

  “But Grampy will be mad at me.” The boy looked so close to tears that Luke almost gave in, but he held fast. He knew that consistency was important with a child.

  “I’ll deal with Grampy. Don’t you worry about it. It’s over. Got it?”

  “Got it.” Caleb was obviously not happy, given the deep frown on his face, but at least he wasn’t arguing.

  “I’m sorry, son, but that’s the way it is. We’ll talk about it when you get a little older.”

  “I might not be here when I’m older.”

  “Why do you say that, Caleb?” Luke was taken aback. Surely the boy didn’t know about the custody issues. Had his grandparents been talking to him about going back to Tennessee? Luke looked at him closely. What was going on in that young mind?

  “You might not want me to stay with you because sometimes I’m not nice to you. Or you could die. Mom did.”

  “I see. You’re afraid that I might die, too? So you don’t want to get too attached to me.”

  Caleb nodded, and Luke saw the pain and uncertainty in the boy’s eyes. He could only imagine how frightened and bewildered he must be after everything that had happened to him in the past year.

  Luke had made certain that he found someone on base that both he and Caleb could talk to, a therapist that could hel
p them navigate the shoals and eddies that their new circumstances were bound to create, had created. But just now he was wondering how to reassure a child who had already lost one parent that everything would be okay? This problem had never come up in their sessions. Luke felt his heart swell with overwhelming compassion and love for his son as Caleb stared intently at the carpet.

  Luke was a combat-tested marine who had just discovered his Achilles’ heel. His boy. Caleb’s pain was his pain right now, and somehow, he had to make things better for him. Somehow he had to come up with the right words, and so he prayed hard to find them. He took a deep breath before he spoke.

  “Caleb, your mother and God have tasked me with the most important mission of my life: taking care of you. They both have faith that I can do it. I believe that I can, too. But I can’t do it without your help. I need for you to meet me halfway. I need you to believe that I can do it—that I’ll be here for you no matter what.”

  He stopped then, gauging Caleb’s reaction to his words, but the boy’s face was shuttered. Luke couldn’t tell what he was thinking, so he continued. “As for me dying and going to be with God, we will all die someday, son. It’s God’s plan for us. I hate that your mom died, but she is with God. And just for the record, I plan to be around for a long time.”

  “Grampy is mad at God for taking Mom away.”

  Luke shook his head. “Caleb, God is all-loving. Don’t ever be angry with Him, like your Grampy is.” Like Tess is, as well, he thought fleetingly. “He loves you, just like I do. It’s a special love. A love like no other.” Luke paused, again searching for words that would comfort the child. But he didn’t have to look for them long; they came quickly, and he knew they were right, as surely as he knew the sun would set that evening and rise again the next morning. Thank You, Lord, he prayed silently.

  “As for not wanting you to stay here with me, I will always want you. Always. You are my son and I love you unconditionally. Do you know what that means?”

  “No.” The kid looked positively miserable, and Luke’s first instinct was to hug him, but he held back.