Kids on the Doorstep

by Kimberly Van Meter

RENEE PACED HER SMALL living room unable to sleep. She twisted her hands in agitation, not quite sure what she’d hoped would happen but definitely disappointed that nothing had.

  Yet, the very fact that she’d looked into his eyes and felt a tingle zing from her stomach to her feminine parts made her extremely wary. She wasn’t supposed to be attracted to John Murphy. The man had complicated her life in a way that should make him Public Enemy #1 in her eyes but she was slowly seeing him in a different light.

  And that was not good. Better to keep the battle lines firmly drawn. They were not on the same side. They were simply being civil to one another for the sake of the kids. Kinda like being stuck in a loveless marriage…yeah…she knew what that felt like.

  This year was not going to be Renee Dolling’s year of living dangerously but rather the year of practical and sound decisions that do not encourage her to drink. Okay, so the thought wasn’t something she could put on an inspirational button but it had to keep her on the straight and narrow. Thus far, it had. And that was saying something after all the stress and disappointment she’d endured while searching for her girls.

  She sighed. Technically, she could date. She was past the prescribed time of no dating after making her commitment to sobriety but somehow keeping her distance seemed so much safer for everyone involved. No entanglements. No conflicts. No…sex.

  That’s where the pacing came in. Renee stopped and rubbed her palms down her jeans to wipe away the sudden clammy feeling. Sex. She missed it. Needed it. God, craved it.

  But not with John Murphy.

  Anyone but him. Why not, a voice whispered in her head and she nearly barked in laughter. Why? Because that man would likely brand her soul if he so much as touched her in a sexual manner. If they breached that intimate barrier there’d be nothing stopping her from falling headlong in love with him. Was that a bad thing? Yes! She didn’t want to love John Murphy. She wanted to leave Emmett’s Mill and put this whole awful chapter of her life behind her. She wanted to start a new life with the girls somewhere else. Was that so much to ask?

  Her hormones seemed to think so because even as she berated herself for shooting periodic looks of intense longing toward John’s house, she couldn’t stop wondering what it might feel like to sample just one taste of that firm, sexy mouth.

  Climbing into bed, she closed her eyes with an unhappy frown and tried to ignore the twisting tendril of achy tension that taunted her lady bits without mercy, reminding her that no matter how hard she may try, her curiosity was not fading but simply becoming stronger.

  Well, she knew what curiosity did for the cat. She just needed to keep that reminder front and center in her mind when she started to feel her defenses drop around that man. That way her panties wouldn’t drop, as well.

  CHAPTER TEN

  JOHN AWOKE EARLY AND, BEFORE anyone else on the ranch was up and around, made a trip to town.

  Gladys needed a few things from the grocery store and the girls needed a laundry list of school supplies. But really, as he drove, it wasn’t his list that preoccupied his thoughts.

  It was Renee. Sleep didn’t come easy and when he finally did succumb to a fitful state of drowsing, Renee filled his dreamscape in a variety of different states of undress. Really, that was plain ridiculous. He hadn’t been so preoccupied with a woman since…well, it was in high school, he knew that much.

  Needing a change in scenery, he went straight to the sheriff station to talk with Sheriff Casey about something that was gnawing at him more so than Renee.

  Pushing open the double doors, he greeted Nancy with a nod. “The sheriff in?”

  “She is. May I ask who…oh, wait a minute, you’re John Murphy, aren’t you?”

  John nodded. “Guilty.”

  “How are those girls you inherited?”

  “Doing good as to be expected I suspect, given their circumstances. Ranch life seems to agree with them, Taylor especially. She loves the horses.”

  “Bless their hearts,” Nancy exclaimed then shook her head with a tsking motion. “It’s so good of you to take them in with their mother being a fruit loop and all. With a temper no less.”

  “Renee’s not a bad person. You just didn’t see her at her best.”

  “I’m not saying anything to the contrary, but she did seem a bit unstable if you ask me.”

  John resisted the urge to comment further realizing that the receptionist was an avid gossiper and just looking for fresh fodder. Well, she’d have to get it elsewhere.

  Nancy seemed to recognize her well of information had just dried up and buzzed him through to the other side. He went straight to Sheriff Casey’s office.

  Pauline Casey, a friend of John’s since high school, smiled when she saw it was him.

  “I see you made it past Nancy. What brings you into town? I know you hate to leave that ranch of yours. Oh, by the way, you worked a miracle with Tabasco. We were afraid we were going to have to put him down until you got your hands on him. Now he’s a wonderful horse. You’ve earned that reputation of yours.”

  John didn’t roll his eyes but wanted to. Somehow he’d been dubbed the Horse Whisperer of Mariposa County and he was pretty sure Evan had something to do with it. “Glad to hear he’s doing better. Can I talk to you about something?”

  Suddenly all business, Pauline nodded. “Sure. What’s wrong? Something with the girls?”

  “In a way. I’ve been thinking about the father. What happens if he shows up wanting to take the girls away? Can he do that?”

  Pauline’s stare hardened. “No way in hell that’s going to happen. We have an I&B out for his arrest on charges of child neglect, and cruelty to a minor.”

  “What about the arsenic? Can’t you slap him with attempted murder?”

  “Hard to prove. A defense attorney could just say that Chloe, being as young as she is, could’ve accidentally ingested the stuff when he wasn’t around.”

  “We have the girls’ testimony that he made Chloe eat eggs that he made for her special. Isn’t that enough?”

  “I wish it were. Damn, I wish it were. Trust me, I want to get this guy as much as you but we have to have something that will stick or it will hurt the case against him, which could land those girls back in his custody on a technicality.”

  John felt himself pale but he managed to grit out, “Not on my life. Those girls aren’t going anywhere near that bastard. He tried to kill Chloe. You and I both know it.”

  Pauline nodded. “I hear you, John, and believe you, but we have to do things the right way or else it could backfire and screw everything up. But before you get yourself all worked up, it’s likely the girls would end up in protective custody before they’d land back in his hands, at least at first. You know family reintegration is a top priority if the parent can be rehabilitated.”

  His mouth curled in disgust. “The only thing that would rehab that son of a bitch is a bullet to the brain.”

  “Careful now,” Pauline warned. “Talking like that can get you in trouble. But don’t worry, they’re not going anywhere just yet so let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.”

  He supposed she was right but it made his gut curdle at the thought of letting that man even a hundred yards within the girls and damn, if that didn’t make his trigger finger itchy.

  Pauline deftly changed the subject. “How are things going with the mother? She any trouble?”

  Distracted, he waved away Pauline’s question. “She’s not a problem. Not yet, anyway,” he grumbled, his thoughts still sour.

  “I’m surprised I haven’t had a call from you saying she’s tried to up and steal them in the middle of the night. She seemed the type to grab and run.”

  Pauline’s offhand comment startled him. He’d never thought of that. Suddenly, he felt uneasy. Would she do that? He didn’t know her at all and Alexis clearly didn’t trust her. Perhaps he’d been too quick to let her move in. And what if he’d kissed her? What a royal idiot he was. She could be playing him for all he k
new. It wasn’t like she was trustworthy. She was an addict for crying out loud. She was probably a pro at lying to get what she wanted. He realized Pauline was watching him closely and he gave her a short nod as if in thanks. “I’ll keep an eye on her,” he said. “Who knows what she’s capable of.”

  “Smart thinking.”

  Pauline seemed ready to play the amiable devil’s advocate as she added, “Then again, she got off to a bad start here but maybe, deep down, she’s a good person and if she’s given half a chance, she could be a good mother again. Who knows. Stranger things have happened. Remember that time Fudder found that two-headed snake down by Hatcher Creek? Creepy little thing. The snake, not Fudder,” she said with a small chuckle. “Anyway, hopefully things will work out for everyone involved. This is an unusual case.”

  Yeah, you could say that again.

  Pauline offered a wise smile and John realized there was a wealth of unsaid knowledge behind that subtle twist of the lips. “What?” he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing my ass. What’s with that look you just gave me?”

  She leaned forward, her gaze intent. “Have you considered what it’s going to be like when your chicks fly the roost? Their mom is going to regain custody eventually.”

  “I know,” he admitted with a slight scowl. “That’s good. My life can get back to normal.”

  “True. But what if normal to you now is what you want normal to be forever?”

  He balked initially at Pauline’s question but once it sank further into his brain he realized she might have a point. When the girls went on with their lives…he’d miss them. A lot. He drew a deep breath and shook his head.

  “We all adjust, right? No matter what the situation. That’s life.”

  “True again,” Pauline agreed.

  He cleared his throat and focused on the one thing he felt he could control. “I want a restraining order against Jason Dolling.”

  “For your protection?”

  “No, for his.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  John met Pauline’s curious stare. “If he comes on my property. I’m going to shoot first and ask questions later. He’s not getting near the girls. I made them a promise and I aim to keep it.”

  “Consider it done. But John—”

  “Yeah?”

  “Don’t shoot him. Just call us and we’ll take care of things.”

  He tilted his head at her and offered a slow, dangerous smile, saying, “I’ll call but no promises on what kind of condition he’ll be in when you arrive. Drive fast. See you later, Pauline. Give Roy my best.”

  RENEE FINISHED PUTTING the dishes into the dishwasher and caught a glimpse of Alexis lurking around the corner. Pretending not to notice, Renee began to hum a tune she used to sing when Alexis was small.

  Taylor and Chloe were in the rec room, attempting to play a game of pool, though neither could actually handle the pool sticks very well so they were just rolling the pool balls into the corner pockets on their own. Chloe was too short to really see much above the table so Taylor had to help her. Renee could hear their giggles from the kitchen and it warmed her heart.

  “How’s school so far?” she asked casually as she wiped down the tiled counter. “Do you like your teacher?”

  “He’s okay.” Alexis slid around the corner but stayed close to the hallway as if she wanted to remain near an exit. “He has really big ears. Like an elephant.”

  “All the better to hear you with, I suppose,” Renee said, holding back a smile.

  “That’s what he says, too.”

  “Sounds like he has a pretty good sense of humor about them.”

  Alexis shrugged. “I guess.” She slid a little closer.

  “Well, I hope no one is mean to him just because he’s a little different.”

  “No. Everyone likes him so they don’t call him names.”

  Renee folded her dish towel and hung it to dry on the oven handle. “What do you think of him?”

  Alexis’s expression was quietly reflective as she answered. “He’s very nice. He doesn’t make me feel behind even though I am.”

  Renee wanted to kiss this man. Or at the very least shake his hand. “That’s a wonderful trait in a teacher. What’s his name?”

  “Mr. Elliot.”

  “Nice name for a nice man. Taylor likes her teacher, too. Mrs. Higgenbotham. She calls her Mrs. H. for short.”

  “I would, too. That’s a long name and it sounds made-up.”

  “I agree.”

  With the kitchen clean, there was little else busy work to do so she took a seat at the kitchen table and hoped Alexis would follow. She held her breath as Alexis seemed to consider the idea and then slowly slid into the chair opposite her.

  “So, how long are you staying?” Alexis asked.

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Alexis looked up sharply, her eyes lighting with wary hope. “You mean, you’re going to stay here with us at the ranch…forever?”

  Renee sucked in a breath and proceeded with caution. “Alexis…when the time comes and we get this court situation figured out, you, me and your sisters will leave the ranch and John can get back to his life.”

  Alexis stood up abruptly, her expression darkening. “I don’t want to leave the ranch. Or Mr. John. If you want to leave, then go. But we’re not going with you.”

  “Sweetheart, that’s not possible,” Renee said, trying to appeal to her sense of logic. “This is not our home—”

  “It’s not your home. Don’t try to take us away from it.”

  “Alexis, wait…let’s think this through a bit. What happens if—sometime in the future—Mr. John falls in love with someone? And he starts a family with this person? Where does that leave you girls? Just because we don’t live with him any longer doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, though, right?”

  Tears welled in Alexis’s eyes but she didn’t let them fall. Renee almost wished she would just so that Alexis would allow her to comfort her. But her daughter remained stoic and it really broke Renee’s heart to watch.

  “You should marry Mr. John then,” Alexis announced as if that were the answer to everyone’s problem.

  “M-marry John?” Renee nearly choked on her own spit. She couldn’t quite believe those words had tripped out of her daughter’s mouth so easily. “That’s not going to happen.”

  “Why not? You made a deal to take care of us and clean the house, what else does a wife do?”

  Uh. “There’s so much more involved, sweetheart. Things that a nine-year-old wouldn’t understand.”

  “Like kissing?”

  Renee nodded reluctantly and felt her cheeks redden. “Sort of. But kissing is definitely involved.”

  “Well, maybe you could work on the kissing part. And maybe you could get him to like you enough to marry you. Because we’re not leaving.”

  And then Alexis turned on her heel and left the kitchen.

  Marry John…good Lord. The thought was enough to curl her hair.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  SATURDAY, THE CRISP WINTER morning broke early and bright despite the forecasts of rain and snow, and John wasted little time in getting outside to get some things done.

  His little shadow, Taylor, donned her alligator-green galoshes and her winter coat and promptly followed him out the door.

  He glanced back at her. “Going somewhere?”

  “We’ve got chores to do, right, Mr. John?”

  He nodded. “Want to help me feed the horses today?”

  “You betcha.”

  “You betcha? Where’d you learn that?”

  “From Mrs. H. She’s always saying it and I like the sound of it so I’m gonna say it, too.”

  “I see. Well, let’s get to the stables. I can almost hear Vixen kicking the stall door wanting to know what’s holding up the gravy train.”

  “Vixen is very big but not as big as Cisco,” Taylor observed, falling into step with Jo
hn. “Cisco is like a giant. But he doesn’t scare me. He’s sweet and he nibbles on my hand when I give him sugar cubes. I think it’s sad that someone was mean to him. He’s so pretty.” She looked up at him, a wealth of trust and childish innocence shining in her hazel eyes, as she asked, “Why are people mean sometimes?”

  He knew she was asking about more than cruelty to animals and he wished he knew the answer but, frankly, he didn’t know why people did the things they did. “I don’t know, honey. Sometimes people just aren’t right in the head and they take out their frustrations on other people or their animals. They’re bullies, plain and simple. But you know what? Bullies are really cowards because they only pick on those who they think won’t or can’t fight back.”

  After a long moment, Taylor nodded sagely. “I think my daddy was a bully. What do you think?”

  “I think you’re right.”

  She slipped her mittened hand into his and when she looked at him again, his heart contracted at the sadness and fear he read in her expression. “Mr. John, is it bad if I don’t want to see my daddy again?”

  “No.”

  “Good.” Her relief was palpable. “Because I don’t think I want to see him again ever. He was real mean to Chloe and he scared me. Sometimes when he looked at us, it’s like he wished we were gone. You never look at us like that and I like it here. You’re not ever gonna make us leave are you, Mr. John?”

  “If it were within my power, honey, you could stay for as long as you want but your mama is here and she wants to rebuild your lives together. Don’t you want that?”

  Taylor nodded solemnly. “Yeah, but why can’t we just all stay here? Renee has a nice little house in the back so she doesn’t take up much room. Plus, she makes really good cookies, as good as Grammy Stemming, don’t you think?”

  “There’s more to the situation at hand than good cookies,” John said, wishing it were really that simple. If only all of the world’s problems were easily solved by a warm batch of snickerdoodles. “But I’ll tell you what, let’s not worry about things we can’t do anything about today and just enjoy the time we have together. How’s that sound?”