"Not since I was there on a call."
"A call? What kind of a call?"
There was silence on Charlie's end.
"Charlie?"
"Yeah, I'm here. Libby didn't want me to say anything to you." He got quiet again.
"What is it, Charlie? If it concerns Libby, I want to know."
"Okay, but you'll have to tell her you twisted my arm."
"Just tell me."
The story of Libby's ordeal with her ex-husband flowed out of Charlie as if he'd been given truth serum: the call from Ellen, Libby's bruised face, Dan's eventual escape and his time in jail.
Kipp fell silent until Charlie assured him Libby was not seriously hurt. "How is she now?"
"From what Ellen says, she's working and carrying on as if nothing happened," Charlie said. "But there was a block of time when Ellen wasn't in the room, and she doesn't know the extent of his threats, and Libby won't talk about it. I've seen this with victims all the time. They won't talk. They just deny. They won't press charges. She didn't want to press charges."
Kipp heard most of Charlie's words, something about pressing charges, but all he could do was picture Libby's face. His heart went out to her. His hand formed into a rock-hard fist, and he wished he could slam it into the face of the madman she called her ex-husband.
After Charlie finished his tirade on victims and abuse, he told Kipp another call was coming in. They agreed to keep in touch.
Kipp contemplated phoning Libby, but Kelly came around the corner, rubbing her eyes, and for the time being he had to set his idea aside. "Hi, baby bear. Time for breakfast?" He stroked her silky blond hair. "Does Kelly want cereal or pancakes this morning?"
She looked around the room, seemed disoriented. "I'm Sarah. Where's my other daddy?"
"Oh, baby." Kipp knelt and held her. Tears welled up, and his heart gripped with pain. "You're Kelly, honey. Sarah was the name you had for a while, but now you're Kelly, remember?" His inept explanation brought to mind Libby's warning, and he knew at that moment they would need help. He kissed his daughter on the cheek and hugged her close.
Tanya waltzed into the kitchen in another one of Kipp's tee shirts and stopped short, eyeing the two of them together. She bounded over and draped her arms over Kipp's shoulders. "Thanks for taking us out last night." She tried to kiss him, but he turned away.
After breakfast Kipp helped Kelly dress for the day. He made a note to take her shopping for clothes since Tanya hadn't made the effort. She seemed oblivious to Kelly's needs, which didn't surprise him. Little by little, the old patterns were emerging.
While Tanya showered, he put Cinderella in the DVD player. Kelly rewarded him with a crooked smile and an appreciative kiss. They both settled on the couch.
Kipp, after his and Tanya's first arguments, made it a rule to keep their heated discussions away from Kelly, so when Tanya came into the room and gestured for Kipp to join her in the bedroom, he made sure the doors were locked and left his daughter's side.
The curtains were drawn, and Tanya eased the door partway shut so only a slice of light from the hallway filtered through. "I'm leaving for Sydney tomorrow."
To Kipp, her announcement was a kick in the gut, and if he spoke now he knew he would fly into a rage.
"I know this is a surprise to you. We didn't discuss it, but I need to go back and finish the shoot. I promised them. Besides, I have a contract to fulfill."
A number of words came to his mind, none of which were complimentary.
"It will only be for a few days."
"When did you make this decision, or had you planned this all along?"
"Only last night."
"Is that what that call was about? I heard your phone ring."
"My photographer needs me to finish up."
"Your photographer needs you. What about your daughter? She needs you. She's still confused about her identity. In fact, she came into the kitchen this morning calling herself Sarah."
"She'll get over it. Besides, I'll only be gone a few days, a week tops."
He came so close to shaking some sense into her, his own body shuddered. "This is so typical of you, Tanya. I don't know what I was thinking. I had it in my head that being with Kelly after her ordeal might spark some maternal instinct in you, but I was so wrong."
"You're so unfair."
"That little girl needs you more than ever."
"And what about you? Do you need me? If you do, I haven't seen it."
"This is not about us, Tanya. It's about the welfare of our daughter. When is this going to register with you?"
Tanya turned her back on Kipp and pulled a suitcase from the closet. Kipp left the room.
* * *
CHAPTER 33
Kelly lay in her bed and stared at the streaks of light on the ceiling. Her daddy thought she slept through the night, but that wasn't true. She woke up two times, maybe three. She had dreams, dreams full of people, so many people in her nighttime dreams. She was lined up with other children, marched to breakfast and dinner, marched to bed in one large room, marched to a big white building with girls in braids and long dresses. There were dreams of car trips and mommies. There were so many mommies. But they all went away. That's what scared her most of all.
Last night in the hallway she had listened to Mommy tell Daddy she was going away today. Why did her mommies always leave her?
She rolled on her side and glanced around the room. On the wall next to the window was a bookshelf filled with her daddy's books. On a chair next to the bookcase was her mommy's sweater. She brought the sweater back to bed, held it to her face, and inhaled a big whiff of flowery-scented softness. She stuffed the sweater under her pillow, hiding it from view. That way, every night she would remember her mommy in case she never returned.
She closed her eyes so tight no light could sneak through, and Libby's face popped into the darkness. She wished she could see Libby again.
She heard voices. When she got up and opened the door, her mommy was coming down the hallway with a suitcase in her hand.
"Hi, baby." Her mommy set the bag down and whisked past her into her room. She looked around at everything. "Have you seen my pink sweater?" She charged to the bed where a bit of sleeve peeked out from under the pillow. "What's it doing here?" She draped the sweater over her arm and ruffled Kelly's hair. "I'm very late, baby. I don't want to miss my flight. I'll see you in a few days." She hurried out of the room.
Her daddy stood in the doorway. "Come here, sweetie." She ran into his arms and laid her head on his shoulder. She loved her daddy.
* * *
Kipp held Kelly tight. After the front door closed, he wiped a tear from her cheek. "Don't cry, baby bear. I'm here, and I love you." On an impulse, he said, "Would you like to visit Libby today?"
Her eyes brightened, and she squeezed his neck so tight he had a difficult time swallowing. It was the first time she'd reacted this positive all week. He helped her bathe and dress and fixed her pancakes with her favorite blueberry syrup.
While she ate, he called Libby and prayed she would be home because he didn't want to disappoint his daughter; she had suffered enough disappointment for one day. Ellen answered, and though Libby was out running errands, she encouraged him to come anyway. She knew Libby would want to see them, and she was anxious to see Kelly, too.
* * *
The sun broke through the clouds, and its rays stretched into the forest. It had sprinkled earlier in the morning, and beads of moisture on the fir needles twinkled like Christmas lights.
As soon as they turned onto the gravel road leading to Libby's house, Kelly's body language changed; she jerked to attention and peered out the window. He knew he had made the right decision. Being with Libby would be a shot in the arm for both of them.
Before the Jeep came to a complete halt, Kelly tugged on the seatbelt in an attempt to free herself, snapped the clasp open, and turned her attention to the door handle. Kipp hurried around the car and opened the door. Witho
ut a word, she scooted around him and up the sidewalk. By the time Kipp reached her side, she was trying to pry open the screen door.
Kipp was about to slow her down when the front door opened, and Libby greeted them with a smile. He opened the screen door. Kelly squeezed through the space and tumbled into Libby's outstretched arms.
Kipp stood back and observed. The change in Kelly's behavior, from the timidity she displayed around Tanya to the enthusiasm and warmth she exhibited with Libby, was obvious, and it was a sad commentary on how his ex-wife related to their daughter.
Libby had knelt to embrace Kelly, but when she rose and was eye-level with Kipp, her bruises were evident: a yellow rim around her eye and faded streaks running the length of her cheek. He couldn't help staring, and she instinctively brought her hand to her face, hiding it.
"Daddy, can we stay here with Libby?"
Distracted, he looked toward the rocking chair where Kelly had made herself comfortable. "For a while, baby."
"I want to stay here and sleep with Libby. You can, too."
Kipp and Libby exchanged amused glances.
"We have to sleep at our house, Kelly, but let's have a nice afternoon with Libby, okay?"
Kelly left the rocker, climbed on the sofa where Kipp and Libby had settled, and nestled into Libby's side. She peered up at Libby. "What happened to your face?"
"I fell down and hurt myself."
"I fell, too."
"When did you fall, sweetie?"
"In the barn where the cows were."
Once again, Kipp exchanged looks with Libby. It was the first time he had heard Kelly say anything about the community she'd lived in. He and Tanya never had a barnyard with animals.
"Do you want to tell us about the barn, Kelly?" Libby said gently.
She hitched a shoulder. "Do you like my daddy?"
"Of course I do."
"My daddy has a house, but my mommy went away."
Libby looked to Kipp. He explained Tanya's absence as positively as possible. He kept his opinions to himself. He didn't want to upset Kelly.
Ellen came in from the backyard. "Well, look who's here." And Kelly ran to her and hugged her around the waist.
"This is the happiest I've seen her since I brought her home," Kipp said.
"She likes it here because she gets great big chocolate chip cookies. Isn't that right? I've got a batch in the oven, and you can help me put the last batch on the cookie sheet."
Kelly's smile widened, and she tugged on Ellen's hand.
"We'll go into the kitchen and rattle around, so your daddy and Libby can talk."
Left alone with Libby, Kipp examined her face. "Charlie told me your ex showed up and--"
"He told you? I asked him not to say anything because you have enough to think about."
"Didn't you think I'd want to know? I care about you."
"I really don't want to talk about it."
"You said something about the guy on our trip, but you didn't tell me he was an abuser."
"He drinks. He gets angry. That's all."
"It's more than that, Libby. I don't like to see you hurt this way. If I had been here, I would have killed the rotten--"
Libby put her fingers to his lips.
He held and kissed her hand. "I've missed you." Until that moment he hadn't realized how much she meant to him.
Seeing Ellen enter the room, Kipp immediately let go of Libby's hand. Ellen broke into a huge grin. "Don't mind me." She set two cups of coffee on the table and hustled back to the kitchen.
"Kelly's not relating very well to her mother, is she."
"Just as I thought it would be," Kipp said. "They never bonded when she was a baby, so I didn't think it would be any different. But I was hoping."
"Maybe if you give it more time."
"Tanya's thirty-one years old. She's had six years to change, but her work means more to her than her daughter. It always has. I don't know why I pushed her into getting pregnant."
Libby touched Kipp's cheek, and he held and kissed her hand again. "You have to let go of the past," she said. "It serves no purpose."
"Why don't you do your psychic thing on me, and we'll see where this is going to take us?"
"You mean you and Tanya?"
"I'm talking about you and me, Libby."
"I wish I could tell you."
"Don't you have any feelings about it?"
"Don't you?"
Kelly skipped into the room and displayed hands covered in cookie dough. "Daddy, I'm making cookies."
"I see that, honey."
She ran back into the kitchen, and Libby smiled. "She's so sweet. So, tell me about your plans to go to Connecticut."
"You are psychic."
"It was just a hunch. You two have roots there."
"Tanya wants us to move back to the farmhouse. She thinks Kelly will do better where she used to live."
"How do you feel about it?"
"I don't think the location will make a difference. I think it's Tanya. But you heard Kelly talk about barns and cows. She's getting mixed up about the past and the present."
"That seems normal to me. It's still fresh in her mind. You need to let her talk about everything without any restrictions, even if the subject is painful for you."
"You need to help me with her, Libby. You're the only one I trust."
"I would love to, but she has a mother."
"You should be her mother." Kipp moved an arm over Libby's shoulder, and she flinched, obviously in pain. He quickly drew back. "I'm sorry."
She looked away.
"What did the bastard do to you?"
"It's nothing. Let's go see what your daughter's up to." She strode from the room.
That was the Libby he was accustomed to--the woman who could put the walls up in the blink of an eye. Someday, if he were lucky, he hoped to ease those walls down once and for all.
He wandered toward the sounds of laughter. Kelly was handing a cookie to Libby with an expression of sheer joy.
"Doesn't your daddy get one?"
Kelly snatched another cookie from a plate on the counter and offered it to Kipp. "Ellen said we could take cookies home, right, Ellen?"
"That's right, dear."
The doorbell rang, and Libby glanced at her watch. "Is it that time already?" She excused herself to answer the door.
A man's voice boomed from the foyer. "Hiya, babe. Boy, am I glad you could squeeze me in today. You're number one on my list. You know that, don't ya? When are you going to let me take you away from all this?"
"Oh, Gabe."
"At least let me take you to dinner. Say, what happened to you?"
"Just a run-in with the closet door."
"Musta hurt."
Curious, Kipp had moved to the doorway to put a face to the voice. Kelly stood beside him, staring up at the man, quiet for the first time since their arrival.
After Libby introduced everyone, she told Gabe she would meet him in her office, and he went down the hallway, whistling. She said to Kipp, "I've got to do this reading, and I have a phone reading after that. I'll be about two hours. I didn't know you were coming, or I would have cancelled."
"We should get going, anyway, before the traffic gets bad."
Kelly squeezed Kipp's hand. "No, Daddy. We can stay here and sleep with Libby."
"We have to go, honey. Libby has work to do. We'll come back again."
Libby gave Kelly a hug. "Thanks for coming, sweetie. You take good care of your daddy, okay?"
"Okay."
"I have to go now."
Kipp longed to hug her, but if he did, he feared he might cause her pain. He searched her eyes, hoping for a clue to her innermost feelings. No words passed between them. She squeezed his arm and fled down the hall.
While Ellen wrapped up a stack of cookies, Kipp leaned against the counter. "So, who's this guy Gabe?"
"Just an appointment."
"Has he ever taken her out to dinner?"
"Once or t
wice."
If Ellen was trying to pique his interest, she'd succeeded. He said, "I thought she didn't date clients."
"Do I detect a bit of jealousy?"
"Just want to know."
Ellen slid the cookies into a paper bag. "She went out to dinner with him before he became a client, nothing more, but he's not her type."
Satisfied he could let go of that concern, Kipp took the bag of cookies from Ellen and handed it to Kelly. "Ready to go?"
Kelly held on to Ellen's hand and declared, "I want to stay here."
"Not today, honey. Maybe another time."
"That's right, Kelly. Your daddy will be back here again. I'd bet my chocolate chip cookies on it." Ellen walked them outside.
"Have you seen Charlie?"
"We haven't seen each other much since Libby's ex was here. He had to work overtime on a case last weekend. But we've talked every night. He owes me a date."
"I'm sure he's good for it. He's a good guy."
"I know. Believe me, I know."
"I hope it works out for you two."
"If your psychic friend has anything to say about it, it will."
They were halfway to the car when Kipp said to Ellen, "I wish she could predict our future."
* * *
Libby hung up the phone, ending the reading for a woman in California, and leaned back in her chair. The wind had picked up, and the tree limbs swayed in a hypnotic dance outside her window. Kipp was in the forefront of her mind, and she wished he had decided to stay.
Ellen tapped on her door. "I've got everything on the table. Are you hungry?"
"I can eat." Libby went into the kitchen with Ellen. "I think it's going to rain again. We sure could use it."
"If this was November, I'd have your head examined." Ellen made a place for the tuna casserole on the table. "You know, that man is in love with you."
"Who, Gabe?"
"You know who I mean. The gorgeous hunk who was here a couple of hours ago."
Libby dished up her plate.
"Well, aren't you going to jump all over me and tell me I'm full of horse manure?"
Visions of Hope Page 25
