A Brother's Promise

by Mindy Obenhaus

  Her thumbs moved over the screen.

  I’ll just have to hope it doesn’t.

  Hitting Send, she tucked her phone away and headed for her office, determined to ignore any more texts. She was an intelligent woman; surely she could figure something out.

  Perhaps she could stay with one of her friends. Maybe Rae or Paisley. They both lived in town. Rae was just around the corn—no, Rae was in Costa Rica on a mission trip. Still, Paisley had a big Victorian house she’d recently started offering as a bed-and-breakfast.

  She retrieved her phone again and called Paisley.

  “Hi, Christa.”

  “Hey, Paise. I’m thinking about staying in town tonight. Have you got a room Dixie and I could rent?” Paisley rarely had a full house, and if she did it was only on the weekends or holidays.

  “Darlin’, you know you wouldn’t have to pay for a room here.” Yes, she knew, but she wasn’t one to take things for granted. “Unfortunately, I don’t have a bed to spare.”

  “You’re kidding?”

  “I wish I were. That Schmidt boy is getting married this weekend, and the bride’s entire family has taken over my house.”

  “Oh, you poor thing.”

  “They’re not bad. And at least it keeps me busy in the kitchen where it’s nice and warm. But if you’re in a pinch, you’re welcome to bunk with me.”

  “That’s all right. You’ve got your hands full.”

  “If you change your mind, just let me know.”

  “Will do.” She ended the call, her gaze traversing the empty store. No point in delaying the inevitable.

  Returning to the checkout counter where her employees continued to gape out the window, she said, “Y’all may as well go on home.” She hated the resignation in her voice. And that Patsy was right.

  Dwayne Gentry, her right-hand man when it came to knowledge of all things hardware, eased off one of the padded stools behind the counter. “You sure you don’t want one of us to stay in case someone needs lumber or something heavy?” Bless the sixtysomething man’s heart. He was ever chivalrous.

  Patsy shot him a look. “You really think somebody’s gonna want lumber in this weather?”

  Hands tucked in the pockets of his jeans, the lanky fellow shrugged. “You never know.”

  “Thank you, Dwayne, but I’ll be fine. I’ll probably close soon anyway.” They’d run out of most of the stuff people wanted.

  Once her employees were gone, Christa did a once-over of the store, then parked herself behind the counter, eyeing the darkening sky.

  Wait!

  She jumped to her feet, remembering the portable propane heaters she carried here at the store. She could use those at home.

  Making her way to aisle five, her heart sank as she perused the empty shelves where the heaters had once been. If only she’d thought about them sooner.

  The bell rang at the door and she hurried up front as Mick and Sadie blew in, along with a bone-chilling wind that had her pulling her cardigan close.

  She couldn’t help smiling at the little girl bundled in her fur-hooded coat. “What are you doing here?”

  Mick’s gaze drove into Christa. “We’re here to take you home.”

  * * *

  Mick could tell by the fire in Christa’s eyes that he’d said that all wrong. “Er, what I meant to say is that we’re here to escort you home. Things are turning slick fast out there, ’specially on the river bridge.” Despite the cold, he found himself sweating. “Since we were already in town...” He lifted a shoulder, knowing he wasn’t being totally forthcoming with his neighbor.

  She crossed her arms. “So you don’t think I’m capable of getting myself home?”

  “It’s not that. I just figured it wouldn’t hurt to have someone watching out for you, that’s all.”

  Christa studied him a moment before turning her attention to his niece. “Sadie, there’s a small silver bucket on the table behind the desk in my office—” she pointed toward the room with the door standing open at the far end of the main aisle “—that has candy in it. You’re welcome to go grab yourself a couple of pieces if you’d like.”

  “Yeah!” Sadie looked up at Mick. “Want me to get one for you, too?”

  “Sure thing, princess.” He winked.

  As her boots clomped across the floor, Christa said, “Care to tell me what’s really going on?”

  He faced her again, knowing she wasn’t going to like the full truth any more than the partial truth he’d been trying to get by with. “With them closing the school, I wasn’t able to finish puttin’ out hay. Something the cows really need when it’s cold like this. The calves need it for warmth.”

  “How warm can it be when it’s covered in ice?”

  “You’d be surprised. At any rate, I’ve got one more load I need to haul up the road, but I don’t know what to do with Sadie. I mean, it’s a closed cab, heated and all, but I just don’t know how safe it’d be for her.”

  “You want me to babysit Sadie?”

  He lifted his hat and shoved a hand through his hair before replacing it. “I reckon I do. And I hate to ask. You probably think I’m taking advantage of you because you live so close and all, but I’m in a real pickle.”

  “Mick, didn’t your mama ever teach you that honesty is the best policy?”

  “Yes, ma’am. And I wasn’t lying. I just wasn’t giving you the whole truth.”

  “You expect me to believe that you would have stopped by here to escort me home even if you didn’t need someone to watch Sadie?”

  Put like that... “I don’t know. Would’ve depended if I was in town or not.”

  “Mmm-hmm.” She glanced toward her office as Sadie emerged. “I don’t mind watching her.” Turning, she eyed the window at the front of the store. “Looks like the snow has let up, though.”

  “No, it’s just switching over to ice.” He stepped toward the door and opened it to reveal the hissing sound of ice pellets. “Hear that?”

  “Yes. Now close the door.” Concern filled her hazel eyes and she snugged her sweater tighter. “I guess I should think about getting out of here.” She looked at Sadie. “How would you like to hang out with me and Dixie for a little while?”

  “I would love that.” She looked up at Mick then. “But what about Uncle Mickey?”

  “He has to feed the cows.”

  “Oh.” The worry on his niece’s precious face had him suddenly concerned. Maybe she didn’t want to stay with Christa after all.

  He dropped to one knee. “What’s wrong, princess? I thought you might want to play with Dixie.”

  “I do. But—” her eyes filled with tears “—what if you don’t come back?”

  Mick’s heart nearly split in two. He wrapped one arm around Sadie’s shoulders and pulled her close, blinking through the moisture that suddenly made it difficult to see. “I won’t be gone very long. Just up the road a little way. I’ve got some calves that need hay to keep them warm.” He peered up at Christa, hoping she might have some words of wisdom to offer.

  She knelt beside him, taking hold of Sadie’s hand. “You can go with your uncle, if you want to.”

  Those weren’t exactly the kind of words he was hoping for.

  “But Dixie is going to be sad. Just this morning she was telling me how much she enjoyed meeting you.”

  With a sniff, Sadie looked at Christa. “Does Dixie have a babysitter?”

  “No, she stays by herself when I’m here at work.”

  “Doesn’t she miss you?”

  “Yes, she does. When I get home, she runs all over the house like a crazy dog, barking her excitement. Then she drops at my feet and rolls onto her back, expecting me to give her a big ole belly rub.”

  Sadie giggled. “That’s funny.”

  “You could see for yourself, if you like.” C
hrista pushed to her feet. “You can ride with Uncle Mickey and follow me back to the ranch, then he could drop you off at my house while he goes to feed the cows.” She moved behind the counter, retrieved her scarf and slid it around her neck. “Perhaps you could help me figure out what to make for dinner, too.” Moving past them and toward her office, she continued. “I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking this is perfect soup weather.” After disappearing for a brief moment, she emerged, shoving her arms into her coat as she started back toward them. “Or you can go with your uncle to put out hay.” She zipped up her coat. “It’s up to you.”

  Whoa. She was good. Mick could only watch in amazement. Christa had laid out Sadie’s options, glorifying a few things along the way, trying to nudge her in the right direction, all the while allowing Sadie to choose what she wanted to do instead of telling her what she had to do.

  Question was, what would Sadie choose?

  After a moment, Sadie grinned. “I want to see Dixie.”

  Christa perched her hands on her hips. “That is going to make her so happy.” She looked from Sadie to Mick. “Why don’t the two of you wait in the truck while I lock up?”

  “Okay.” Sadie started for the door without any further discussion.

  “I owe you,” he whispered to Christa as he turned to follow his niece.

  “Oh, you have no idea, cowboy.”

  He wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that. But given the way she’d tempered what could have been an explosive situation, there was no way he could say no.

  Chapter Three

  Christa couldn’t fault Mick for scrambling for a sitter. This storm took a lot of people by surprise, including her. Who knew they’d dismiss school? She was proud of him for dropping whatever it was he’d been doing in order to hurry to town. And taking Sadie on the tractor with him certainly wasn’t ideal, even in the best of weather.

  She gripped the steering wheel tighter and leaned forward in the driver’s seat, eyeing the wet pavement for any ice as the wipers worked in tandem with the defroster to keep her windshield clear. Though she’d never admit it to Mick, she was glad he’d encouraged her to leave when she did, regardless of his motivation. Otherwise, she probably would have hung around the store until five, and there was no telling how bad things would have been by then.

  Eyeing Mick’s headlights in her rearview mirror, she couldn’t help thinking about Sadie’s reaction to Mick leaving. Christa understood just how she was feeling. For months after her mother’s death, Christa wouldn’t let her dad out of her sight, except when she went to school. Looking back, she supposed there was something comforting about being with her friends in a place that was familiar.

  But poor Sadie didn’t have that. Everything was new for her. Home, school, friends.

  Christa fixed her gaze on the road ahead. Sadie’s circumstances had stirred more than Christa’s compassion, though. They reminded her how alone she was. Christa had lost everyone she’d ever loved. Her mom, her dad... Brody.

  Sadie wasn’t the only one who was insecure.

  Five miles outside of Bliss city limits, she turned from the two-lane county road onto the narrow road that led to her house and promptly hit a patch of ice. Heart pounding, she took her foot off the gas pedal, let go of the steering wheel and shot up another prayer for safety. Her back end shifted slightly, but thanks to the heavy bags of sand Mick had insisted she put in the back of her SUV, she avoided fishtailing.

  The next two miles seemed to take forever. A thin layer of snow already coated the less-traveled road. The freezing rain falling now only added insult to injury. Finally, she pulled into her drive and continued under the carport, grateful to have made it safely.

  Moments later, Mick’s truck eased beside her. Christa exited her SUV, hastily closed the door, then moved to Mick’s vehicle to get Sadie.

  Reaching for the rear passenger door, she hoped the little girl hadn’t changed her mind. Just in case, Christa glanced toward the dining room window that faced the drive and saw Dixie in her usual spot. Good girl. And just the ammunition she needed.

  She opened the door, pointing toward the house. “Look over there, Sadie. Dixie’s waiting for us.”

  Spotting the dog, her green eyes went wide. “We need to go save her.” She unbuckled her seat belt.

  “Yes, we do.” Christa helped her out of the truck, then looked at Mick.

  “I shouldn’t be more than an hour,” he said.

  “Be safe. Dinner will be ready shortly after you get back.”

  He touched two fingers to the brim of his hat. “I like the sound of that, little lady.”

  One eyebrow shot up as she closed the door. Little lady? Ha! If her time with Brody Hathaway had taught her anything, it was that she’d never be anyone’s little lady. He’d trounced all over her heart and squashed her dreams of a family.

  Holding tightly to Sadie’s hand, she moved cautiously toward the back porch. As they neared the steps, a gust of wind threatened to knock them over. “Whoa. Hold on, Sadie.” They both reached for the railing. “Be extra careful, okay? These steps might be icy.”

  Sadie moved slowly until they were both safely on the covered porch.

  Another blast of wind had the icy rain pelting Christa’s cheeks as she fished her keys out of her pocket. When she unlocked the door, a happy Dixie was in the mudroom, waiting to greet them.

  “Dixie!” Sadie reached for Dixie’s golden mane, but the dog took off into the kitchen, barking, running back and forth through the house, sending area rugs sliding and inadvertently rearranging the wooden chairs around the kitchen table. The child giggled as she watched the crazy dog.

  “Hold up there, Dix.” Christa opened the door as the dog headed their way again. “You need to go outside.”

  In a flash, the active pup whisked past them and nearly lost her footing when she bounded down the slippery steps.

  Moments later, Dixie raced back up the steps with no more grace than she’d descended.

  “Uh-oh. Sadie, you need to mo—” Before Christa could get the words out, Dixie plowed into Sadie, knocking her down.

  “Dixie!” Christa tossed the door closed and dropped to her knees. “Shame on you.” She shoved the dog out of the way. “Sadie? Honey, are you all right?”

  The child rolled onto her back, snickers continuing to bubble out. Thankfully, she was still bundled in her coat. All that padding probably protected her.

  Christa pulled Sadie to her feet and urged her into the kitchen before shoving her hood back to reveal flyaway golden-brown hair and pink cheeks. “Please tell me you’re not hurt.”

  “No.” Breathy titters still came from the child as she looked up at her. “That was fun.”

  Unzipping her own coat, Christa said, “Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it.” She, on the other hand, was worn out.

  Sadie clumsily removed her coat, shoving her hair out of her face. “What are we going to do now?”

  Christa reached around the corner to hang their coats on hooks in the mudroom. “First, we’re going to wash all the dog slobber off your face, then I have to start fixing dinner. You can either help me or you can play with Dixie—please don’t let her lick you—or you can tell me what you’d like to do.”

  Once Sadie was cleaned up, she opted to play ball with the dog while Christa set to work on the chicken soup she’d been contemplating for two days. Once the meat and veggies were on to simmer, she turned to find Dixie lying on her back next to the kitchen table while Sadie happily rubbed her belly.

  “Dixie loves belly rubs.”

  “That’s why she’s smiling.”

  Cocking her head, Christa peered down at the goofy dog. “Yep, she sure is.” She turned her attention back to Sadie. “I have some dough in the refrigerator. Would you like to help me make cookies?”

  “Oh, yes, please.” She bolted to her feet. “I
love making cookies. Not as much as I like eating them, though.”

  “Well, then we may be cut from the same cloth.”

  Sadie cocked her head. “What does that mean?”

  “It means we’re alike.”

  Christa retrieved the tube of chocolate chip cookie dough.

  “Those are the same kind of cookies I used to make with my mommy.”

  Christa’s steps slowed. Had she just turned what could have been a happy moment into one filled with sorrow? Then she recalled making cookies with her own mother.

  Grabbing the step stool from beside the fridge, she placed it in front of the counter to the right of the stove. “You can stand on this.” While Sadie complied, Christa retrieved cookie sheets from the cupboard. “I used to make cookies with my mom, too. Except her dough came from a bowl, not a tube.”

  “We really are from the same cloth.” Elbow resting atop the concrete countertop, Sadie looked contemplative. “Our mommies both died and we bakeded cookies with them.” She smiled then, as though she’d just realized the same thing Christa had. That, perhaps, God had brought the two of them together for a reason.

  When the cookies came out of the oven, both Sadie and Christa sampled the fruits of their labor. Okay, so there hadn’t been much laboring, but they still deserved a treat.

  Midway through a game of Go Fish with Sadie, Christa eyed the antique schoolhouse clock that ticktocked on the kitchen’s far wall. Mick would be back anytime. After being out in the cold, he’d be more than ready for something hot, so she turned up the heat a notch on the simmering soup and added the noodles.

  Thirty minutes later, dinner was ready. Fifteen more passed and there was still no sign of Mick. Not the first thing that hadn’t gone according to plan today, she reminded herself. But after a second loss to Sadie, another round of cookies and the incessant sound of ice pelting the window, Christa began to worry.