A Dusty Dreams Wedding

by Kat Carrington

  Mitch nodded. "He did. I left Steve in charge so I could come out here, and he asked if he could come along. We've been on the search together the whole time."

  Devon's knees gave out, and she would have collapsed in a heap if Brady hadn't been holding onto her. She began to weep with deep, wracking sobs. "Oh, my God, he's out there in the dark. And it's so cold. Oh, God, help him, help him."

  Annie Richardson strode forward and gestured to Jessie and Kayla. The women flanked Devon and herded her, half supporting her, to the house. Deanna Peters came along with them. Once they got inside, they bustled her into a chair and pulled off her coat, wrapping her in a blanket. Jessie went through the cupboards until she found a bottle of good whiskey. She poured a glass and brought it to Devon while Deanna and Kayla pulled off her boots and pulled her feet up onto a stool. Jessie coaxed her into taking a sip of the whiskey, and gradually, her trembling slowed.

  They soothed her as best they could, and Deanna took her cold hands and looked calmly into her eyes. "You found my son for me. I'm not leaving here until we find yours. He's going to be all right. I swear he is."

  A little while before dawn, Jessie started a pot of coffee. Before the sheriff got there, she had put a steaming cup into Devon's hands. They had all sat with her the whole night, talking with her when she needed it, praying with her often. None of them had really slept, just dozed for a few minutes here and there. When the searchers got there, they were ready to go again. Mitch brought a pair of big coffee urns and the owner of the little grocery store sent over boxes full of pastries to fuel them for the search. They started out, and Brady brought Indy again. Devon insisted on joining the search and Jessie took her hand and pulled her along with her and Indy. It was still fairly early in the morning, when Indy began barking and Jessie ran up to find what she was looking at. It was the little clay horse Jacob had made and named Pokey.

  "Devon! He's been here." Jessie's heart was pounding as she gazed all around them.

  "We're a long way from my house," Devon said.

  "Yeah, we are," Jessie said thoughtfully. "We're going toward our place. Our south pasture is only about a half mile that way."

  Devon looked at her with a spark in her eyes. "Do you think he could have been going to your place?"

  "I don't know. I don't know if he'd know which way to go."

  "We took off for a long walk one time to look for a beehive. You know, after he heard that story about Brady and his sister. I pointed out which direction your place was. He's an awfully smart kid, Jessie; he could have remembered." There was a touch of hope in her eyes.

  "I'm going to call Brady." Jessie called him and asked him to go to their place and comb the south pasture. Then she and Devon started off again, with Indy leading the way. When they reached the pasture fence, they gave each other a look, hardly breathing.

  "Let's go through the fence. Look at Indy," Jessie said. The dog was dancing around, eager to go.

  "Maybe she just knows we're headed toward home," Devon pointed out.

  "I don't think so. She's a little too excited. Come on, let's go." Jessie was getting agitated.

  They went as quickly as they could while still being thorough. Climbing a hill, Indy got even more excited. As they made it to the top, they could see a small bunch of cows and calves at the bottom of the hill. Jessie shaded her eyes with her hand and looked carefully. There were several small dark bundles lying in the grass amid the grazing cows. The two women looked at each other and then started down the hill, gripping each other's hands so hard that it was painful.

  Chapter 24

  Devon and Jessie made their way down the hill, stumbling and sliding in their haste. Indy ran ahead of them, and as they leveled out and began to run toward the cattle, the dog disappeared from sight among the cows. When they got closer, Jessie grabbed Devon's arm and slowed her down so they wouldn't spook the cattle. They moved through the scattered cows that raised their heads to look at the humans, chewing and gazing at them with their big, liquid eyes. Jessie saw a flash of movement and realized it was Indy near a little bunch of calves that were lying down, most of them still sleeping. As they watched, transfixed, one of the dark bundles rose from the ground where Indy was dancing in joy, and they heard a voice say, "Indy! Where did you come from?"

  Laughing and crying, the two women surged forward toward Jacob, who was on his knees hugging the ecstatic dog. He twisted around and grinned at them. "Mom! And Miss Jessie! I got lost."

  Devon snatched him up, hugging him tight and covering his face with kisses. Jessie was laughing, with tears streaming down her face. She called Brady to let him know and he promised to call the sheriff. A few minutes later, Brady came roaring up on the four-wheeler. Devon had checked her son out from head to toe and confirmed that not a bit of harm had come to him. After they had calmed a little, they crowded onto the four-wheeler and trailer and Brady drove them to the house, with Jacob draped in an adult-sized jacket. Then he loaded them into his truck and drove them back to Devon's, where the sheriff had blown a siren repeatedly to call the searchers back in. There was a confused babble of voices, but they all heard Jacob exclaim, "Doughnuts! I'm starving!"

  Half a dozen people hurried to fix a cup of hot chocolate and urge fruit and pastries on the little boy. Finally, the sheriff turned to Devon and said, "Let's go into the house so we can get his story about what happened. Jessie and Brady, you two come along, since he was found at your place."

  They went inside, and Jacob explained about how he had come down the stairs and found his mom asleep on the couch. "I got my own snack because I'm big now. It was an apple and cookies, Mom, and I went outside to eat it on the swing. Then I heard a puppy, and I had to go find it. I walked and walked, and after a while, I couldn't hear the puppy anymore. But I couldn't see the house, so I walked some more. There were some butterflies and I saw bunnies. They were so cute! But then I got a little cold and I saw that big rock, Mom. You know, when we went to look for the beehive and we saw that great big rock?"

  Devon nodded at him and she said softly, "That's almost to Jessie's pasture."

  "Yeah! I remember you told me that was the way to Miss Jessie's. So, I thought I could just go to Miss Jessie's house and see if she could call you. There was a big hill and I got tired by the time I got to the top, but I could see the cows then. It was starting to get dark, so I went down by the cows."

  Devon had tears in her eyes again. "Jacob, weren't you cold? How in the world did you get through the night out there all by yourself?"

  "I wasn't by myself, Mom! I slept with the baby cows. They're all soft and warm, remember? I got to pet them a long time ago and I remembered how soft they are."

  The adults all looked at each other, speechless. Then the sheriff patted him on the knee and said with a broad grin, "You did really good, son. That was good thinking, about the cows. In fact, that was really smart."

  Jacob grinned back at him. "I love the baby cows. I'm sorry I got lost, Mom."

  Now, the sheriff looked at him with a serious expression. "You did good finding a warm place to sleep for the night, Jacob. But I want you to promise that you will never, ever go outside without your mom knowing where you are. Even if you have to wake her up."

  Jacob's eyes were huge, and he nodded solemnly. "I promise. I love the baby cows, but it was awful dark out there. And my tummy was growling like all night long."

  The adults had to laugh. Jessie said, "I bet you're still hungry, aren't you?"

  Jacob declared, "I sure am. I bet I could eat a whole boxful of doughnuts!"

  Laughing, Jessie said, "How about some cheesy eggs? It was my favorite breakfast when I was your age and my dad always made it for me if I had a rough night."

  "I didn't have a rough night," Jacob said matter-of-factly, "I was just hungry. But cheesy eggs sound good."

  Jessie gave Devon a questioning look and Devon waved at her kitchen. "Make yourself at home, please. Cheesy eggs sound wonderful."

  Sheriff Bret
got to his feet and said, "I need to go have a few words with the searchers. Looks like everybody's made it back in. There's a lot of doughnut eating and coffee drinking going on out there."

  Devon scrambled up and said, "I need to thank everyone. Jacob, how about if you come out and say thank you to all our neighbors? They all came to look for you."

  Jacob's mouth fell open. "They did? That was so nice!"

  His mother nodded. "It sure was. Let's go thank them."

  A cheer went up when Jacob came out the back door. He looked startled, then he gave the crowd a big grin. "My mom said you're all our neighbors. I didn't even know we had lots of neighbors! It was so nice that you came to look for me. Next time, I'll just ask one of you guys how to get home." There was laughter at his words, but then he looked at his mom and said, "But I won't get lost again. I promised to never go out without telling my mom." The crowd clapped at that, and he grinned at them again.

  Devon addressed them when the noise died down. "I can never thank you all enough for coming out here to help us. I don't even know most of you, but I know today what it really is to live in a small community. I'll be getting to know my neighbors a lot better; that's my promise. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. Every one of you was here to protect the most precious person in my world. Bless you all!"

  Pastor Dean stepped forward and offered a prayer of thanks, and after he was finished and the searchers had offered their heartfelt Amens, the crowd began to disperse, headed back to their homes and families. Devon, Jacob, and the sheriff trooped back into the house, where Jessie was just finishing a huge skillet full of cheesy eggs. She had Brady buttering toast and Jacob ran off to wash his hands before they ate. Jacob was halfway through his cheesy eggs when he suddenly stopped. "Mom! Am I late for school?"

  There was a split second of silence as everybody stopped eating; then they all burst into laughter. Devon ruffled her son's hair and said, "Nope. This is Sunday, no school."

  "Oh, good. I thought I was going to have to hurry really fast."

  Devon smiled at him. "We're going to spend the day together, and we're going to do whatever you want to."

  "Cool! Can we watch Ironman?"

  They all laughed again, and Devon said, "We can watch whatever you want. Except that really scary movie that we had to turn off the other day."

  Jacob shuddered and said, "Good. I don't want to watch that, ever!"

  When they'd all finished eating, Jessie offered to clean up the mess, but Devon shook her head. "No, you've done so much for us already. We have all day to clean it up. Thank you all so much! And I know, for a fact, you didn't get any rest last night, Jessie. I appreciate everything you've done, so much."

  Jessie smiled at her and said, "It was worth every second, to see this guy back here and safe. We'll talk to you soon."

  Brady hauled Jessie to her feet and said, "Let's get you home. I think I see a long nap in your future." They said their goodbyes, giving Jacob hugs, and went on their way.

  Brady was dead right in his prediction of a long nap, and he tucked a blanket around Jessie where she had collapsed on the couch and then quietly let himself out of the house to start his days' work.

  A couple of weeks went by. Grant went back to Georgia after demanding that Devon contact him and send him a copy of the test results once she received them. Jessie was alternating between panic and excitement about the approaching wedding. She was on the phone with Linda, Becca or Kayla almost daily. She spoke to Devon a few times, keeping up on how Jacob was doing, and one day, Devon called with an invitation.

  "Jessie, I'd like to invite you and Brady here to have dinner with Jacob and me. He talks about you two all the time. I haven't said anything to him yet, in case you don't want to come."

  Jessie was silent for a moment and then said, "How could we turn that down? We'd be happy to come. When did you have in mind?"

  Devon felt a huge wave of relief. "Would Saturday evening work?"

  "I don't believe we have anything going on, so yes, that sounds good. What can I bring?"

  "Absolutely nothing! But I hope you like spaghetti and meatballs. It's Jacob's favorite meal, and I know he's going to request it."

  Jessie laughed and said, "We love spaghetti and meatballs. What time would you like us to be there?"

  "We usually eat at six, so five or so? We can have a glass of wine before dinner."

  "Sounds good. We'll see you then. And, thank you, Devon."

  On Saturday, Devon bustled around the house, making sure everything was perfect. She made her meatballs and sauce early and let it simmer, filling the house with the savory smell. She mixed up a salad and ran to the store for a fresh loaf of French bread and then went back home to bake cupcakes for dessert. She and Jacob frosted the cupcakes and then sampled them, laughing themselves silly when Jacob ended up with icing on the end of his nose. A few minutes before five, Devon realized she hadn't checked the mailbox that day, and she and Jacob walked out to the end of the driveway. She pulled the mail out of the box and they started back to the house, Jacob chattering excitedly about the dinner to come. She leafed through the mail while listening to Jacob and then stopped suddenly.

  Devon stared at the envelope from the US Army, her heart pounding. Her hands began to shake, and her face drained of color. Jacob looked at her, puzzled at her sudden stop. "Mom, what's wrong?"

  She fought for control. "Nothing, I just figured out I can't read and walk at the same time."

  Jacob laughed. "That's silly. Are they going to be here soon?"

  "Yep, could be any minute." Devon forced herself to start walking again and, once inside, set the mail aside and stirred her sauce while her mind raced. It was only minutes until her doorbell rang and Jacob raced to the front door.

  By the time Devon got there, Jacob was pulling the door open and talking a mile a minute. Jessie and Brady laughed at him until they saw Devon's face. Jessie nudged Brady and said softly, "Keep Jacob busy."

  Brady complied immediately, asking Jacob about his room and his action figures. The two of them went upstairs and Jessie took Devon by the elbow and walked her into the kitchen. "You look like you just saw a ghost. What's going on?"

  Devon picked up the envelope and said shakily, "I just got this out of the mailbox."

  Jessie's lip trembled when she saw what it was. "Oh, my God, that has to be the results."

  "I know."

  Although it tore at her gut, Jessie asked, "Do you want me to go up with Brady and Jacob so you can open it?"

  "No! No, please, can we do it together?"

  The wave of relief that Jessie felt was overwhelming. "I was hoping you'd say that."

  They gave each other a long look, and then Devon carefully opened the envelope. She held it so they could both see it and they skimmed the words until Devon said, "Oh, my God, it's positive! Jessie, it's positive. Jake is Jacob's father!"

  Jessie was weeping, and Devon burst into tears too. Jessie wrapped her arms around Devon, and they clung together for dear life, the emotions pouring out of them. When their tears finally turned to smiles, they stared at each other and Jessie said shakily, "I think we need that glass of wine."

  "Yes, we do." Devon busied herself with pouring the wine and handed a glass to Jessie. Staring at each other, they clicked their glasses together and sipped wordlessly.

  Jessie said, "Now, what do we do?"

  Devon hesitated and then said, "I know that early on, I said I'd have to think about how I would handle all this with Jacob. But I've realized that we've all missed out on time that we could have shared, and I want him to know about his dad. I can't give him that; you can. I also want him to know that you're his family. I hope that's all good with you."

  Jessie's eyes were shining with tears again. "It's the best thing I've heard since all this began!"

  "Then I can't imagine a better time to tell him than right now, while we're all getting together for dinner."

  Jessie's phone buzzed, and she looked at the t
ext from Brady. Is everything okay?

  She typed back, Everything's great. Come on down; we've got good news to share with Jacob.

  Almost immediately, she heard footsteps on the stairs. Brady and Jacob came into the kitchen, Jacob still talking earnestly to Brady about Ironman. Jacob frowned at his mom and Jessie; it was obvious that they had been crying.

  "What's wrong?" he asked anxiously.

  Devon gave him a big smile. "Nothing's wrong. Everything's good."

  "But you look like you were crying, Mom."

  "Well, we were, but it was because we were happy."

  Jacob stared at them both then looked at Brady and said, "Girls are weird."

  Brady laughed and said, "I can't argue with that."

  "Hey!" Jessie protested. "Girls are not weird; they're just in touch with their emotions."

  Jacob and Brady nodded at each other and chimed together, "Weird."

  Devon laughed and said, "Jacob, sit down. I have something important to tell you." She poured him a glass of juice and set it in front of him. "You know, we've talked a few times about your dad, and I've explained that he wasn't in my life for very long, so you never got a chance to know him."

  "I know. But we had each other, right?"

  "Right. Well, I finally found out more about him, and I need to tell you."

  Jacob looked puzzled and said, "Okay."

  "Remember when we got that test done, where they swabbed your cheek with that big Q-tip?" Jacob nodded and Devon went on. "Well, that was a test to prove who your dad was. I never knew who he really was because we were only together for a couple of days and then he went away. It took a long time before I found out that he was Miss Jessie's brother."

  Jacob looked confused. "You mean Miss Jessie's brother who died in the war?"

  "Yes. That was why he never came back. Because he was killed in the war. And he was a hero. And there's another important thing. That makes Miss Jessie your aunt. And your Aunt Jessie is going to be able to tell you all about your dad, so you can kind of get to know him."