The Ranchers: Destiny Bay Romances Boxed Set vol. 1 (Destiny Bay Romances - The Ranchers)

by Helen Conrad

  “I’m sure they’ve called everyone. Let’s just get there in one piece, okay?”

  The school loomed before them. The paramedics were there, all right. And so were three fire trucks and four squad cars. The three of them jumped out of the truck and ran toward where the crowd was gathering. Carly hardly dared to look up, and when she did, she gasped and felt as though she were about to faint. There was Jeremy, sitting on the edge of the high, flat roof of the two-story building. He looked very small, very young and very vulnerable.

  Her heart flip-flopped in her chest and she closed her eyes for a moment. “Oh God,” she began to pray. “Please, God...”

  “How did he get up there?” Joe was demanding to know. “What happened?”

  The principal fluttered nervously. “He climbed up there on his own. The children were at recess, and Mrs. Emind noticed he was missing when they came back in. We instituted a search, and there he was.”

  Joe shaded his eyes, looking up. “Has he said anything?”

  “No. Nothing. The police have tried to get him to talk, but so far...”

  Joe looked around for Carly. Grabbing her hand, he looked into her eyes. “Ready?” he asked her.

  She nodded. She was ready for anything he wanted to try.

  Moving too quickly to be challenged, Joe started through the crowd with Carly in tow. He walked right through the police lines. No one said a word. They got into the building and ran for the stairs, taking them two at a time. Guessing at which room they wanted, they tried three before they found the right one—the one that had a window facing right where Jeremy sat. They ran inside and shoved open the window.

  “Jeremy!” Joe called to him. “We’re here, kiddo. Why don’t you get on down from there now?”

  Jeremy looked at his father and shook his head. From where she was standing, Carly could see the tendons in Joe’s neck tighten.

  “What is it?” Joe asked Jeremy. “What are you upset about?”

  He shook his head again, not speaking.

  “Can you tell me why you’re doing this?”

  Jeremy just stared.

  “You’ve got to put your face where he can read your lips,” Carly urged Joe.

  “What?” He looked at her as though she were crazy.

  “Do it, Joe. I swear to you, he can’t hear very well sometimes.”

  “Carly, not now...”

  There was no time to argue. She squeezed out next to Joe, making sure her face was fully visible to the boy.

  “Jeremy, hi. I’m here too. What’s the matter, honey?”

  Jeremy looked up and stared at her.

  “Can you tell us what it is, sweetheart?”

  He stared longer, then finally spoke. “Is Carly staying for my birthday?”

  Joe turned and looked at her. She stared back. What could she say? The birthday. It was still about a month away, if she remembered right. And Joe had been acting like he wanted her out by nightfall.

  “We can’t lie to him,” she said urgently to Joe, plucking at his shirtsleeve. “That would only make things worse farther down the road.”

  He nodded, but his gaze kept flickering back out the window. “What do you say, Carly?” he asked, desperation just below the cool tone of his voice. “Think you could stand to stay with us a while longer?”

  “Oh, Joe.” She stared at him. What a question. Did he have any idea what he was asking of her?

  “Of course. I’ll stay as long as Jeremy needs me. Tell him...” She blinked and started for the window. “I’ll tell him…”

  “No.” He held her back. “I’m going out there. I want to tell him in a way he’ll believe it. No more chances.”

  She nodded, backing away. “Yes. Of course. Only... Joe...” She touched him, her hand to his cheek. “Please be careful,” she whispered.

  He kissed her quick and hard and turned, swinging up onto the window ledge. “Hey, Jeremy!” he called out. “You got room for two people up there?”

  She watched him disappear, her heart in her throat, and then she went to the window and watched him inch his way nearer to Jeremy. The boy began to move away. Carly gasped, her hand to her mouth. But Joe said something to him and he stopped. Joe came to rest a few feet away from Jeremy, and he began to talk. They were too far away for Carly to hear what he was saying. But after a few minutes of restlessness, Jeremy began to watch him closely.

  He’s reading his lips, she thought. “Oh Jeremy, Jeremy.”

  It seemed like forever. At times she thought she couldn’t stand it any longer. But finally, Jeremy was moving toward Joe, and Joe’s arms were around the boy, and the two of them were making their way back toward the window Jeremy had originally climbed out of.

  Carly could almost breathe again. She raced downstairs. She had to be there when they arrived, safe and sound.

  The principal, the teachers, Beth and Mark, everyone gathered around her, hungry for news.

  “They’re coming down,” she cried, laughing and crying at the same time. “They should be down any second.”

  And then, there they were. Joe came out through the doorway with Jeremy in his arms and Carly and Beth flew to them.

  “Oh, Jeremy, are you all right? We love you, baby. Oh, Joe!”

  Arms, faces and tears blended into a mass of confused relief and affection. The four of them hugged, a tiny knot of family against a cold, cruel world.

  Watching, Mark Cameron shook his head, a rueful smile on his face. Like any good politician, he knew when the votes were in. Today, he was the loser. But there would always be another day.

  “Are you staying?” Jeremy looked earnestly into her face, needing confirmation.

  She smiled and hugged him close. “Yes, Jeremy. I’m staying. For a long, long time.”

  His face relaxed. “I didn’t know,” he said softly, just to her. “When you and Daddy were yelling, I couldn’t tell what the words were...”

  Carly caught her breath and looked up at Joe. Yes. He’d heard it, too. She stepped back while Jeremy was getting his books from his teacher. He and Beth were going home for the day. When attention was focused elsewhere, Carly made her case to Joe.

  “I’m taking him for testing,” she announced firmly. “I don’t care what you say, Joe. If he can be helped…”

  His arm came around her shoulders. “Calm down,” he said dryly. “I agree with you. We’ll take him together.”

  The sense of relief in having him on her side was incalculable.

  “Let’s go home,” Joe said. His gaze found Carly’s, even as he held his son in his arms. “You ready?”

  She nodded, her heart full with happiness for Jeremy’s safety and a sense of wonder at being included as part of the family, if only for a little while.

  They climbed into the truck and were rolling toward the highway when Carly remembered something.

  “Wait! We forgot Mark.”

  Joe looked at her over the heads of his children. “Don’t worry about Mark. I’ll go back for him after I get you home.”

  There was something about his diabolical grin

  “What are you going to do with him?” she asked suspiciously.

  “Take him back into town. Hell, I might drive him all the way to the airport, if that will get him out of here faster.”

  His eyes met hers again and despite herself, she laughed.

  They got the children home and settled, and when they had a moment alone, Joe pulled her behind the kitchen door and kissed her soundly, his hands spreading across her back as though he could capture all of her and hold her there.

  Drawing back, he looked down and searched her eyes. “You don’t mind staying awhile longer, do you?” he asked.

  “I told you, Joe. I’ll stay as long as Jeremy needs me.” And as long as you need me. Couldn’t he see that yet? Didn’t he understand?

  But no, it really seemed that he didn’t. They went on with their day and every time they spoke, she realized more and more that he assumed she would be leaving a
s soon as she could—in fact, that she could hardly wait to get out of there.

  “Joe,” she said at one point, “haven’t you caught on yet? I like it on your citrus ranch. In fact, I love it here.”

  He nodded as though he’d heard that one before, but he looked at her oddly, as though it had finally occurred to him that she might be serious.

  Later that evening, when the kids were in bed and Phyllis had finished ranting on about how no one ever told her anything and why had they left her in the dark when her own grandson was stranded on a rooftop, his life hanging in the balance, Carly and Joe sat together on the couch and tried to unwind from their hectic day.

  “I should have listened to you about Jeremy,” he told her, looking down the couch at where she sat, just out of reach.

  “We’ll find out if I was right or wrong when we take him to the specialist.’’

  He nodded. “I guess it sometimes takes an outsider to see what’s wrong.”

  She stiffened. An outsider. Was that what she still was? An outsider, like Ellen had been. When was he going to face the fact that she wasn’t Ellen?

  The telephone rang before she had a chance to protest. She sat staring at the wallpaper while he answered it, talking in low, urgent tones. She couldn’t make out the words, but she knew something was going on. There was always something. One thing about this place, she never got bored here.

  Joe put down the telephone and came back into the room, frowning.

  “That was Jake. Trevor didn’t show up for avocado-grove patrol. I’m going to have to go take his place.” He grabbed his jacket and started toward the door. “I don’t know what’s got into Trevor lately. He’s screwing up all over the place. If you hear from that kid, tell him I’m this close to firing his ass and getting somebody to replace him. You tell him that.” He disappeared out the door with a bang.

  “Sure,” Carly murmured after him. “That’ll be the day.” She grinned, but her grin faded. It was disturbing that there was something wrong with Trevor.

  It was almost an hour later that she heard a car in the drive and found Millie at her door.

  “Carly.” Millie’s eyes looked puffy and red. “Where’s Joe?”

  “Gone. The question is, where’s Trevor? Joe had to go cover for him on avocado patrol.”

  “Oh.” Millie put a hand to her face, her expression harried. “I forgot all about that. And we were out in the corral, so we couldn’t hear the phone...”

  “Millie, what is it?” Carly took her by the shoulders and led her to a chair, concerned. The woman looked like death. ‘’Let me get you some tea.”

  “No.” Millie sat but she held Carly’s hand and wouldn’t let her go. “I don’t know what to do, Carly. I told him the truth. Everything. He.. .he...” Her eyes filled with tears and her voice choked. “He hates me now.”

  “Oh no, Millie.” Carly reached down and gave her a shoulder to lean on. “He doesn’t hate you. He’s just upset—“

  “He’s leaving. He’s packing a bag right now.” She started to get up, distraught. “I’ve got to find Joe. Maybe he can talk to him…”

  “Sit down, Millie. You’ve got to get hold of yourself. I don’t know exactly where Joe went. You could ride around for hours looking for him.” She turned toward the door, reaching for her keys. “I’ll go. I’ll talk to him.”

  “You?” Millie looked confused. “But you’re…”

  She came back and took Millie’s hand, looking down at her earnestly. “I’m the perfect one, Millie. In a lot of ways, he and I are in the same boat. And I’ve already worked through a lot of my anger. I can talk to him.” She went to the door and looked back. “You stay here with Beth and Jeremy. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  It took only moments to get to the house. Turning off the engine, she ran right in without knocking. Trevor was on the stairs, his bag in his hand.

  He saw her and raised his hand, pointing at her like a curse. “You—stay away from me. You’re the one. You’re the reason all this came out.”

  “Where are you going?” she asked him calmly, ignoring the accusations.

  “I’m getting out of here. I’m old enough.” His eyes were bright with anger, his face twisted with pain. “I can go on the road, find something better—people that don’t lie to you.”

  He came down the stairs, about to brush past her. She reached out and got a grip on his arm.

  “Trevor, no,” she said firmly. “You’ve got to stay.”

  He looked at her hand on his arm, then into her eyes. “Why? Why should I stay? Joe’s not my father. There’s nothing to keep me here.”

  She shook her head. “You have Millie. She’s your mother.”

  “Yeah? She’s been my mother for seventeen years. I guess that’s long enough. I’m out of here.”

  He broke free of her grip and started for the front door with her coming right behind him.

  “Trevor, you’re all she has,” she called out to him. “You can’t do this to her.”

  He whirled and faced her. “Why not? I didn’t ask to be born. I especially didn’t ask to be born a bastard. I especially didn’t ask to have to grow up without a father. I don’t owe her a damn thing.” He turned toward the door again.

  “Trevor,” she said softly, appealing to him. “You may be all she has, but right now, she’s all you have, too.”

  He froze, his back to her. “That’s what you think,” he said, but he didn’t keep going.

  “What are you going to do, go grab your girlfriend and go running off into the sunset like Bonnie and Clyde?”

  “Maybe.”

  She caught up with him and turned him so that he would have to look in her face. “Oh Trevor. Don’t you see? This isn’t the end of something. It’s the beginning.”

  His face was so full of hurt. But she knew exactly how he felt. She’d felt the same way only a day or so before.

  “It’s definitely the beginning of something for you and me,” she explained to him, gently touching his arm. “We’re brother and sister.”

  His eyes widened. Obviously, he hadn’t thought of it in those terms.

  “I never had a brother before, Trevor. And you never had a sister. How can you leave now, before we’ve had a chance to sort through what all this means to us?”

  His eyes were hooded and resentful. “I didn’t ask for this either,” he grumbled, but he put his bag down.

  She smiled at him. “Hey, neither did I.”

  Anger contorted his face again. “She did it. She’s the one who made the mistake.”

  “Was having you a mistake?”

  “It was for everybody else involved.”

  “Everybody but her. You’ve been the light of her life ever since you were born and you know it. How can you treat her this way now when she needs you the most?”

  He turned, restless, angry, frustrated because he didn’t know what he could do to change things, to make himself feel better.

  “She doesn’t need me. Why doesn’t she go find him somewhere? Your father.”

  She smiled at him. “Our father,” she said softly. “Nobody knows where he went, Trevor, and he never knew that you existed, or he surely would have come to see you. You can’t blame him for not being there for you when he didn’t even know about you.”

  “She should have told him.” He looked young for a moment, like a boy about to cry. “Why didn’t she tell him?” His bright eyes appealed to her for answers, things he needed to know to settle this in his mind.

  This was something Millie would have to explain to him as best she could, but for now, Carly could only give him her interpretation of what had happened.

  “She was sixteen and sick with shame for what she’d done. She went through hell.” She shook her head, looking at him. “And now you want her to go through that all over again.”

  He let out a long, painful breath and his shoulders sagged.

  “Give her another chance, Trevor. Give yourself another chance. Give us a chanc
e.”

  He stared into her eyes for a long, long moment. Then he shook his head and started to back toward the door. “I’m going to go see Tracy,” he told her defiantly.

  “Okay. Go see Tracy. But leave your stuff here.”

  He left the bag right where it was. She waited, standing in the middle of the living room, and listened to him leave. He revved his hot car and took off in a swirl of dust. But she knew he was coming back. His first burst of anger and hurt was over. He was a strong kid. He could handle it.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  MAKING MAGIC AND MIRACLES

  The long white halls of the hospital echoed with the sounds of steel pans and rubber tires and heels clicking along the tiled floor.

  Carly and Joe walked down the hall with Jeremy between them, each holding one of his hands.

  “We’re going to be with you, Jeremy,” Joe promised. Since the episode at the school the week earlier, Joe was being careful to look directly down at him. “We’ll stay with you through the whole thing. It won’t be like the last time.”

  They went into Dr. Kenton’s office and sat in big heavy chairs facing the doctor’s desk.

  “So, this is Jeremy, is it?” The doctor shook his hand and smiled at him. “And you suspect he may have a hearing problem?”

  “Yes.” Joe leaned forward. “We suspected it before, Jeremy’s mother and I, and he was tested. But I’ve recently found out that the testing was done by a health clerk at his school. She did the best she could with the training and equipment she had, but... We’re afraid she might have missed the problem.”

  Dr. Kenton nodded. “I see. This is not unusual. A bright boy like Jeremy has very little trouble fooling the ordinary tests and an inexperienced tester. And the people he lives with in some cases.”

  Joe nodded. “I’m afraid we haven’t been as vigilant as we might have been,” he admitted.

  “Well, he’s here now, and we’ll find out what’s what. We have the very latest in methods and equipment here.” He smiled at Jeremy. “So we’ll take a look in those ears and see what we can see, shall we?”

  Jeremy leaned toward Carly. “Will it hurt?” he asked softly, his eyes huge.