by Kat Martin
“Nah,” said Willie, “just an ugly girl. What happened to your hair? Your mama shave it off?”
Ham appeared just then and jerked Willie away from her. “I told you to leave her alone. You and Milo get out of here or I swear you're going to regret it.”
“Ham's got a girlfriend,” the skinny boy chanted. “Ham's got a girlfriend.”
“Yeah, only his girlfriend looks more like a boy,” Willie said laughing.
Katie looked at Ham and her chest squeezed. He was the first real friend she'd made since she had been sick and now he would look at her the way the rest of the boys did. Her eyes filled with tears before she turned and started running back toward the house.
She might have kept going if she hadn't heard scuffling sounds behind her. A loud grunt and an oof! Then Rufus barked and Katie stopped and turned just in time to see Ham punch Willie in the nose. Blood spurted out and Milo screamed as Ham spun him around and threatened to hit him, too.
“Get out of here!” Ham demanded, his hands still clenched into fists.
“You'll be sorry you did that,” Willie sniveled, wiping away the blood streaming out of his nose. “My dad's the mayor. You can't hit me and get away with it!”
“Yeah!” Milo said. “Mayor Sanders will have you arrested.”
Katie stood frozen as both boys turned and started running. Ham leaned down and picked up her knit cap, walked over, and handed it back to her. The tears in her eyes spilled onto her cheeks. Katie dashed them away with her fingers.
“You shouldn't have done that,'' she said. “You're going to be in so much trouble.''
Ham blew out a breath. “Yeah, my dad's really gonna be mad.''
She pulled the cap back on her head, covering her shiny skin. “None of my other friends would have stuck up for me like that.''
Ham just shrugged. “They're idiots,'' he said.
Katie looked up at him and felt the tug of a small, slow smile. “Willie deserved it.”
Ham looked down at her and grinned. “Yeah, he did.”
Katie's smile widened. Turning away, she gazed wistfully up at the tree house. “I guess we better go home and tell your dad what happened.”
Ham nodded, looking a little glum.
“Whatever he says, you're the best friend I've ever had.”
Ham just smiled but as they walked back down the sidewalk, she thought that his chest puffed out a little.
Reed picked up Marly exactly on time. She wasn't really surprised. The sheriff seemed an efficient sort of man. She wondered if he was really as steady and dependable as he seemed, the kind of man she had never really known.
Probably not.
In her experience, none of them were what they appeared to be. Except maybe Burly. The man was a womanizing loser when she had married him and that never changed. She had never expected it would. But she had been desperate to escape her life in Dreyerville and Burly had been her only hope.
“You ready?” Reed asked as he stood in the living room next to the door. Winnie stood a few feet away, a big smile on her face.
“As I'll ever be,” Marly said mildly. But looking up at the handsome sheriff, she had to admit to feeling a little jolt of excitement.
As Reed opened the door, he turned back to Winnie. “We won't be too late.”
“Don't be silly. Katie's fine here with me. Gives us a little more time to enjoy each other's company. You two stay out as late as you want.”
Reed nodded. “Thanks, Winnie.”
Marly felt his hand at her waist, guiding her through the door and across the porch. It was an old-fashioned gesture she found oddly charming. “I don't suppose we're going in the patrol car.”
A corner of his mouth edged up. He had a very nice mouth. “I don't suppose.”
Instead, he guided her toward a brown Chevy station wagon and held open the passenger-side door. Once she was settled, he rounded the car and slid behind the wheel. With his dark hair and suntanned skin, he looked good tonight in a pair of jeans and a yellow oxford-cloth, button-down shirt.
As she studied his profile, the solid jaw and nicely carved features, she felt a little flutter beneath her ribs. She tried to remember when that had last happened but it had been too many years.
“So where are we going?” she asked.
He smiled, cast her a glance. “I made us a reservation at Barneys. You remember it, don't you?”
A slight pucker formed between her eyes as she tried to recall. “Is that the place out by the lake?”
“That's it. Good food. Not too fancy. I thought you might like looking out at the water.”
“That sounds great.” She leaned back in her seat. “Katie told me what happened today with Ham. Being the sheriff, I'm sure you weren't happy to have your son throwing punches.”
“I gave him what for, I can tell you.”
“I know it wasn't the best idea but I appreciate the way he stood up for Katie.”
Reed sighed. “The truth is, Willie Sanders is a bully. From what Katie said, he deserved a good smack in the nose.”
“What about the mayor? Will he be a problem for you?”
“I talked to him, told him the circumstances. I guess Willie had left out a few of the details. The mayor wasn't happy with his son's behavior. He said he'd talk to him again. I told him I'd already talked to Ham. In the end, we agreed it was best to let kids be kids.”
Marly found herself smiling. “Ham's been wonderful to Katie.”
“He's a good boy.”
She noticed the confident way Reed handled the car and thought that this was probably his general approach to life. “I have a hunch you have a lot to do with Ham's behavior.”
“I hope so. After his mother died, I tried to do my best but it wasn't always easy.”
“Believe me, I know. Being a single parent takes a lot of hard work.”
Reed slowed to make the turn onto the highway leading out to the lake. “What about you? I don't suppose you've tried talking to your mom.”
She straightened, feeling suddenly defensive. “Why would I? I tried to talk to her for years before I left home. She never wanted to hear what I had to say.”
“Things are different now. Virgil is dead. Winnie hasn't suffered one of his beatings for years.''
Her head jerked up. “She told you about that?''
He sliced her a glance. “No. I looked at Virgil's rap sheet. He was arrested sixteen years ago on a disturbing-the-peace charge. The charge was dropped but officers were at the house on domestic disturbance calls a number of times over the years. No formal arrests were made, so I'm guessing Winnie covered for him.''
Tension settled between her shoulders. She fought to hold back the painful memories. “That's right. No matter what he did, she wouldn't leave him. She ruined both our lives because of some warped sense of obligation to a man who beat the crap out of her whenever he felt the urge.”
The car hit a bump in the road but Reed's hold on the wheel didn't falter. “Is that the reason you ran off with Burly Hanson?”
None of this was any of his business, and yet she felt strangely compelled to answer, maybe even relieved to be asked. “There was nothing in the file about me and Burly Hanson.”
“My office manager, Millie Caswell, is a longtime resident. After I read Virgil's rap sheet, I mentioned you to Millie. I guess her daughter knew Burly. Being raised here, you should know there aren't many secrets in Dreyerville.''
Marly tucked a loose blond strand back into her neat French braid. “Not many, no. That's one of the reasons I'm glad I don't live here anymore.''
“Privacy is always a problem in a town this small but there are also a lot of advantages.”
“Such as?”
“Good schools. Very little crime. You don't have to be afraid that if your daughter goes to the show with her friends one evening, someone is going to assault her.”
It definitely wasn’t Detroit, where she worried every time Katie was out of sight. “I suppose that's tru
e.”
“You don't miss it?”
She glanced over as Reed made the turn onto Lakeside Drive, the road that wound alongside the lake to the restaurant. “I miss it. Sometimes, when I'm in the city, I miss the quiet life but I gave up most of my friends before I left. I didn't want anyone to know what was going on at home.”
Reed said nothing more as he pulled into the parking lot in front of Barney's and turned off the engine. It occurred to her that she had already said far more than she had intended. She took a steadying breath as he rounded the front of the car and opened the door.
“No more questions, I promise.” He helped her out of the car. “We’re here to have a relaxing dinner. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I guess asking questions is kind of a hazard of the job.”
She released a slow breath, felt the tension drain from her shoulders. If she couldn't trust a sheriff to keep his word, the world was in a sorry state.
“I'm really getting hungry,” he said, setting his hand once more at the small of her back. “How about you?” Barney's loomed ahead of them, a dark brown wooden A-frame structure with a row of glass windows along the lake side of the building and a big wooden deck to sit out on during the summer.
Marly looked into those warm brown eyes and felt a faint lifting in her stomach. “Me, too.” She smiled, beginning to look forward to the evening ahead. The past was behind her. In the fall, she would be starting a job as a full-time teacher, making a new life for herself.
They sat down at one of the wooden tables that looked out on the water and a waitress came over and handed them a menu. Barney's was rustic; the walls were wood-paneled and a large stone fireplace presided over one corner.
“The hamburgers are good,” Reed said, looking over the menu. “So is the fried chicken.”
“Fried chicken sounds great.” The waitress returned with glasses of water and they each gave her their order.
Marly sat back in her chair. “So what was she like?” She took a sip of water. “Your wife, I mean?”
“I guess you figure if I can ask questions, so can you.”
She smiled. “That’s exactly what I figure. Obviously, your marriage was nothing like mine. You loved your wife. What was she like?”
A fond smile touched his lips. “Carol was a romantic. I guess that’s the word I’d pick to describe her. She always looked on the bright side of things. She made our life brighter because she was always optimistic.”
“You were lucky.”
“I know.” He leaned back in his chair. “But she wasn’t perfect. No one is. She spent too much money and she never thought about the future. She just lived for the moment. We fought about it sometimes.”
“Everybody fights, I suppose. Still, you were happy.”
“I was. I think that to find real happiness, you have to look into yourself. I try to do that, more now that she’s gone.”
“Has it worked?”
“For the most part.”
“My Katie is like that. That’s how she survived those terrible treatments. She’s happy inside. And because she is, she makes me happy, too.”
“Except when you’re in Dreyerville.”
She sighed. “It’s hard being here. Too many memories.” Marly glanced away, trying not to think of the past. Trying not to think of her mother and how much she had missed her.
Trying not to think how, deep in her heart where she rarely allowed herself to look, she wished things could be different.
8
“How was your date?”
Winnie stood at the counter, coffee pot in hand as her daughter walked into the kitchen the following morning.
Marly yawned behind her hand. “We had a very nice time.”
Winnie filled a second mug with coffee. “You seem surprised.” She carried it over to the table as Marly sat down still wearing her blue quilted robe.
“I suppose I am, a little. Generally, I don't feel comfortable with men.”
She handed Marly the cup. “Because of your father.”
Marly shrugged. “And Burly. I dated a math teacher for a while but he was so full of himself, it drove me crazy. None of the guys I’ve dated were worth a damn.” She took a drink of coffee. “The sheriff seems different.”
“Maybe it’s because he lost his wife.”
“Maybe. We talked about her last night. Her name was Carol. I think he really loved her.”
“They say a widower who’s had a good marriage is happiest being married again.”
“Maybe.”
Winnie didn't press the issue. Her daughter was speaking more openly than at any time since she had come home. Maybe it was a good time for a little openness on her part, as well.
“Your father was that kind of man when I married him. The kind you could count on. I trusted him to be a good husband and to take care of us and he did.”
Marly quietly sipped her coffee. She didn't say anything but at least she wasn't leaving the room.
Winnie sat down on the opposite side of the table. “Do you remember the way your dad was back then?” Her heart lifted at the memory. “Remember those picnics out at the lake? Lord, he used to love the outdoors. In the winter, we'd all go sledding.”
Marly sipped her coffee.
“Remember the time he twisted his ankle trying to keep you from getting hurt when the sled turned over and both of you took a spill? His ankle swelled to the size of a melon. Do you remember any of that, honey?”
As she looked at Winnie, Marly's pretty blue eyes filled. “Sometimes I remember. When I do, it makes the awful times seem even worse.”
Winnie's heart squeezed. It took every ounce of her will to keep talking. “Even after the fire, there were good times. Like the day he took us horseback riding on his friend Jack Denton's old crow-bait nags.”
Marly smiled. “I remember. It was a good day.”
“I like to think of those times when I remember your father.”
The smile slid from Marly's face. She stood up from the table. “I don't like to think of him at all. If we can't talk about something else, I'm going to leave.”
“Please, don't do that, honey. I just... I want so much to fix things between us. As much as you hate it, it kind of seems like the only way it can happen is to tackle the past head on.”
Marly shook her head. “I can't, Mom. I wish I could but I can't.”
Winnie's chest tightened. For the first time, Marly had called her Mom. Winnie looked down at the mug of coffee in front of her, fighting to hold back the tears she didn't want her daughter to see.
“Katie's still sleeping,” she said. “Why don't I fix you something to eat?”
Marly looked toward the bedroom. “It's the cancer treatment, the radiation and chemo. Katie still gets tired pretty easily.” She sat back down in her chair. “Thanks for the offer but I’m not really hungry.”
Winnie sipped her coffee. So far, Marly wasn't leaving and Winnie felt a growing ray of hope.
“How about a couple pieces of toast? I bought some of that white Wonder Bread you used to like. I'll pop a couple of slices in the toaster. It won't take a minute.”
Marly grinned and shook her head. “I haven't eaten white bread in years. I try to stay healthy. Whole grains are a lot better for you.”
Winnie grinned, too. “I hate white bread.” She went over and opened a cupboard, took out a heavy, dark brown loaf.
“Mrs. Brenner down at the bakery started baking this and it's delicious. Has all kinds of seeds and nuts and things in it.” She opened the plastic wrapper, took out two yeasty slices, and popped them into the toaster. “I've got some of my homemade raspberry jelly. You haven't stopped eating jelly, have you?”
Marly laughed. It was such a good sound to hear. “Are you kidding? You make the best raspberry jelly in the world.”
Winnie's heart swelled. She managed to smile but her throat felt tight. She busied herself making a stack of toast, pulled out the butter and jelly, and they sat together drinki
ng coffee and eating the delicious bread.
Something was different this morning. Winnie couldn't exactly say what it was but she couldn't help wondering if it had something to do with Marly's date last night with the handsome sheriff.
“So . . . are you going to see Sheriff Bennett again?''
Marly finished her last bite of toast. “He's taking me to the movies tonight. We're going to see True Lies. Arnold Schwarzenegger's in it and Jamie Lee Curtis. You okay babysitting Katie?''
"You know I am. That sweet little girl is the joy of my life. I can hardly imagine what it'll be like around here without her.”
Marly's warm expression cooled. “I know what you're thinking, Mother. I enjoy Reed's company but Katie and I are going back to Detroit. That's where I live, where I'm going to be working.”
Winnie fought not to let her emotions show. “So, your job is right there in the city?”
“That's right. Chrysler Elementary. It's one of the best schools in the area. Teaching there is a great opportunity and I need the money.”
“Well, of course you have to work.” But Winnie was already thinking of her friend in the Garden Club, Mabel Simms, one of the teachers at Dreyerville Grammar School. Maybe they needed another teacher over there. Winnie was sure her daughter would be a very good one.
On the other hand, maybe the memories in Dreyerville were simply too painful. Maybe nothing she could do or say would keep her two beautiful girls from leaving.
If they did leave, Winnie wasn't convinced they would ever return.
And if they didn't, her heart would be broken all over again.
Marly was beginning to feel trapped and she didn't like it.
She had been out with Reed almost every night since the barbecue at his house. Last Friday, they had all gone out together for pizza. Everyone but her mother, who had politely declined, saying she had promised to go over to her friend Opal's house to work on their program for the next meeting of the Dreyerville Garden Club.
Marly knew it was more than that. Winnie was hoping to see her daughter's relationship with Reed turn into something serious, maybe even permanent.
Worse yet, Marly found herself occasionally wishing the same thing.
