by Tessa Gray
“No, he doesn’t.” She paused for a few seconds and frowned. “He was married once, but he doesn’t talk much about it. That’s the one thing that frustrates me a little about him. He’s helped me enormously in just about every way, but when we focus on his past, he kind of clams up.”
“I’m sure he’ll open up to you as time passes. It’s clear he cares very much about you, honey.”
Meredith nodded and smiled, hesitating a moment before speaking. “You’re probably right, Daddy. In time he’ll open up to me. I guess one way we could get to know each other better would be if-if . . .”
“If you moved in together?”
The relief on her face after he said it was comical.
“I haven’t told Mom this, but Adam asked me to move in with him. The kids would each have their own room. He has a fairly large house on the north end of town.”
“That sounds like a pretty good plan to me.” He barely got the words out before his daughter laughed aloud.
“Oh, Dad. I’m so glad you’re on board with this.” She paused and a frown swept over her face. “Please don’t mention this to Mom. I haven’t even talked it over with the kids.”
“As long as you promise not to tell your mother I knew about this before she did. She always likes to be the one in the know.” After he said it, his mood darkened.
Meredith quickly changed the direction of their conversation. “Maybe you should buy that lamp for the lake house, Dad.” She held it up as she spoke, scrunching up her face as she studied the weathered-looking face of the rider.
“I do believe it would look great on the end table near the sofa. Sold.” He took the lamp from her and smiled.
“We probably should get going. Mom will think we’ve abandoned her.” Meredith headed toward the counter, but stopped and began examining all the items he’d placed in the basket. “You’re spoiling the kids, you know . . . buying them all this stuff. Carly will love the earrings though. She’s crazy about dream catchers, ever since Adam told her the legend.”
“Maybe you can all come up to the lake house later on this summer. I suspect Adam would enjoy doing some fishing.”
“He’d love it, Dad, at least, I think he would.”
By the time they left Ivey’s Emporium, Bob realized that if things continued along the same path, Meredith would no doubt be making Alpine her home. And it appeared she’d found a good man to share her life with. What Meredith didn’t know, what he didn’t have the heart to tell her, was that his wife was already plotting with Carly about getting Meredith to move back to Dallas.
Chapter 18
Carly Chapman glanced into the mirror of her small makeup compact, noting how much lighter the shade of ivory was than her normal, beige-colored foundation. She scrunched up her face for several seconds, trying to get used to the new look. As she studied the black lipstick she wore, along with the heavy eye makeup, she decided she liked the Goth look. It made her look older.
She stared down at the short, black, skintight skirt she wore, wondering what it looked like from the back. If her mother saw her, she’d pitch a fit. And if she knew Carly was skipping school again, she would totally freak.
When she thought of how her mom had started telling everyone how great she and Travis were doing in Alpine, she almost barfed. Adam, of course, was always on her case, always reminding her and Travis that they needed to work harder in school, needed to get into team sports. The guy went on and on, ever since they’d moved in with him last month. She had spent days plotting how to get her mother away from Adam. And she finally had her answer.
She’d take the train to Marfa, stay all day, just long enough to scare the crap out of her mom, and then return home. If that didn’t wake her mother up and force her to move out of Adam’s place, maybe her grandmother would pitch a fit and she and Travis could move back and stay with her.
Carly had gotten the ticket ahead of time last Friday, when she’d told her mom she was studying at the library. A lady named Ellie had sold her the ticket, and Carly regretted not paying more attention to the train schedule. All she knew was that it would leave Alpine at 1:00. She’d left the school grounds right after lunch, and she was lucky that Travis’s class hadn’t been out on the playground. He’d never even seen her leave. Geez. He will totally freak when she wasn’t there to walk him home.
As she walked up to the platform to wait for the train, she thought of Gram and all the clothes she’d given Carly. It used to be that way with Mom, but not anymore. They never went shopping and all her mother seemed to think about was Adam.
He seemed to be trying to take over, and that pissed her off. Travis had started jogging with him in the morning, and that was all the two of the talked about: which running shoes were the best, which type of cool down exercises were good ones, and what their goal for the week was.
She didn’t really dislike Adam, but she didn’t want him trying to act as though he was her dad, because he wasn’t.
Although her mom and Adam never got all mushy in front of everyone, Carly had seen them holding hands under the kitchen table. They always seemed to be looking at each other in a weird way, as though the two of them shared a secret.
The most disgusting thing, of course, was that her mother shared a bedroom with Adam now that they were all living together. Of course, Carly knew that lots of kids had similar situations, living with people they weren’t married to, but to Carly, that didn’t set well. Her dad should be the one in the bedroom with Mom, not this guy.
Why do people even bother getting married if they’re just going to get divorced?
When the train whistle shrieked in the distance, Carly backed away from the platform, fearful of getting too close. The train barreled down the tracks, slowed when it reached the bend, and came to a grinding halt. Its brakes squealed loudly and she found herself staring at the freaking huge train. She’d never been this close to a train except for the time her Grandpa Gustafson took her and Travis to the Dallas Zoo on the DART rail. Gram had pitched a fit, telling him never to take her grandchildren on public transportation again.
Tucking her new purse tightly beneath her arm, she waited for the train’s metal doors to open, then got on board. When she heard the metal of the heavy doors scrape together as they closed, she realized there was no turning back now.
~ ~ ~
Travis stood outside the school for thirty minutes after the dismissal bell rang, waiting for his sister. He looked about the row of cars lined up, wondering if Mom had gotten off work early, and headed over to get them. Maybe she and Carly were already waiting in the car for him.
“Hey, Travis? Isn’t Carly here to walk you home? I saw her this morning. Did she go home sick or something?” Mrs. Ewing, his fourth-grade teacher smiled at him and knelt beside him. “Why don’t I go check with the office? Come inside, Trav. We can call your mom and see what’s going on.”
He nodded and followed Mrs. Ewing inside the building and together they headed toward the office. As he stared up at the pictures of lighthouses the fourth graders had done in art class, he looked for his drawing. When he spotted his-the big smudge of blue on the black construction paper-he grinned proudly. He stunk at art, but the project had been pretty fun. He couldn’t wait until they took the pictures down so he could take it home for his mother to see. She seemed happy now, especially since he and Adam had started jogging. Dad never did all the stuff Adam did with them.
“Travis, do you know if your mom’s working today?” Mrs. Ewing held the receiver to the phone up, as though she was about to call someone.
“Yeah, but it’s okay to call her at work. I have her number in my folder.” Travis began fidgeting with his backpack, wondering if he should have just told Mrs. Ewing to call Adam. “Maybe I can just walk home by myself.”
“No, Travis. You can’t do that. Your mother
gave us strict orders not to let you do that. Let’s check the emergency card and see who else is listed.” Mrs. Ewing raced up to the head lady in the office and began asking her some questions. Travis heard most of the conversation, enough to know the school people were trying to figure out what had happened to Carly.
“I just got ahold of your mom, Travis. Her friend, Adam, is coming to get you. He should be here in about five minutes.” After Mrs. Ewing said it, Travis felt glad Adam was coming. He always made everyone feel safe, and the best thing was, of course, was that he made Mom smile.
Travis walked back outside to wait for Adam. He started opening his backpack to pull out his Gameboy when Adam drove up in his pickup truck. He jumped out of the truck and helped Travis gather his things. His face had a worried look on it as he asked, “Travis, do you have any idea where your sister might be?”
“No.”
“Nothing to worry about, buddy. We’ll find her.” When Travis nodded his head, Adam reached over to help him buckle up. “Let’s swing by the diner and let your mom know that Carly left school early. For all we know, that sister of yours is probably at a friend’s house.”
“I guess . . .”
“Know what we’ll do, pal? We’ll get you a snack at the diner. I need to talk to your mom about Carly.” Adam sounded really serious now, and that made Travis even more upset. “But like I said, Trav, everything’s going to be okay. I promise.”
~ ~ ~
Meredith paced about the parking lot of Penny’s Diner, feeling like a caged lion as she waited for Adam and Travis. The school had phoned her, relaying a message that had played out many times before. Carly had skipped all her classes after lunch, and no one had seen her since.
By the time Adam’s pickup truck careened into the driveway of the diner, Meredith was frantic. She wanted to put on a brave front for Travis, but the notion of her daughter missing left her heartsick. Wiping away tears, she ran toward the truck.
Adam bolted from the vehicle and raced over to meet her. Wrapping his arms about her, he began reassuring her.
“We’re going to find her, Mere. Everything’s going to be all right.” His gaze held her, and despite the nagging fear that everything would not be all right, she nodded.
As Adam led her to the truck, she asked about her son. “How’s Travis doing? He must be scared to death.”
Travis popped open the door to the passenger side of the truck and hopped out to join them. When he raced over to Meredith, wiping away tears, she dropped to her knees, her arms outstretched.
“Oh, buddy. Don’t worry. We’ll find your sister.”
Her heart ached for a little boy who, at nine years old, was having his share of problems. His father rarely saw him since the divorce was finalized, and now his sister had run off.
“Carly wants to go live with Gram. That’s why she’s running away. I bet she’s going back to Dallas. She told me she wants everything to be like it used to be, before we lived here.” Travis crossed his arms as he made the comment, as though agreeing with his sister’s sentiment. Adam’s brows narrowed and he exhaled loudly. Without a word, he led Meredith and Travis to his truck. Putting Travis in the back seat, he helped him buckle up.
When Adam seated himself in his truck, he turned to her. “Mere- would you rather split up and drive separate vehicles? That way we can cover more territory? Or do you want to stay with me?”
Staring straight ahead, she could feel her heart pounding. What if something horrible happened to Carly? What if they found her lying by the side of the road in some remote area, bruised and bleeding? Or what if something far worse happened to her? What if . . . ?
Never in her life had she felt more vulnerable-felt so out of control. She hung her head and choked back tears.
Adam placed a hand on her knee. As he started the truck and shifted it into gear, he glanced at her. “Actually, it would probably be better if we all stuck together.”
She nodded, and his dark eyes searched hers. “We’ll find her, Meredith. And remember, we’re all in this together. We’re all here to support you.”
Nodding, she smiled weakly, remembering the incident at Big Bend a few months back. She’d nearly fallen off the cliff, but Adam had rescued her, reminding her that whatever happened, she’d always have a village of people in Alpine helping her. She just needed to ask for help.
“You know,” Adam began, “If Carly was talking about going to Dallas, maybe she took the train. Let’s check the train station and talk to the ticket lady, Ellie. Nothing gets past her.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Meredith crossed her arms and reminded Adam of the obvious. “The ticket window isn’t open all the time. That means that if Carly bought the ticket in advance and Ellie wasn’t at the ticket window, no one actually saw her get on the train.”
Adam took his eyes off the road for a second and stared at her. The flecks in his dark eyes had dimmed, as though the futility of finding Carly might be sinking in. He looked discouraged, and Meredith wondered if Travis’s comment about his sister wanting things like they used to be had caused Adam to feel like an outsider. He’d probably never admit to it, but she wondered if the remark had caused him to rethink their relationship.
~ ~ ~
Adam and Meredith had been on the road for five hours, searching for Carly. The sun had set hours ago, and the further into the evening they got, the more hopeless things looked. Jake and Rachel had let Travis spend the night with them which was a godsend. The last thing a nine-year-old needed was to be dealing with adult problems.
Adam stared straight ahead into the darkness, wishing he’d had a clue that Carly was so unhappy. To say he hadn’t seen this coming was an understatement. Meredith had moved in with him less than a month ago, and in his mind, things were going pretty well. Carly hadn’t skipped school during their time together, so her running away like this had shocked him. Of course, with teenagers, you never knew from one minute to the next. Exhausted from all the stress and sick of driving around in circles, he exhaled sharply.
Meredith had picked up a call, but when he heard her sigh, he realized it wasn’t from Carly. She spoke for several minutes and quickly hung up.
“I gather that was Rachel.” He hoped talking about how Travis was doing might take her mind off Carly.
“Travis settled right in. His head barely hit the pillow when he went to sleep.” She sounded as though she was grasping at straws, trying to find something positive about this entire ordeal.
He kept the conversation centered around Travis. “It was nice of Rachel and Jake to let him stay the night with them.”
“Yes-yes, it was. I appreciate how everyone here has stepped in to help.” Her voice trailed, and she grew silent. He reached for her hand and squeezed it. When she continued their conversation, he already knew what she was going to say. “I blame myself for this. If I hadn’t been so caught up in my own life, I probably would have seen this coming.”
She began crying softly, and he couldn’t think of a thing to say. As she rested her head against on shoulder, he cradled the top of her head with his hand.
He was pretty certain he and Meredith were thinking the same thing. Not one to mince words, he got straight to the point. “I know what Travis said about Carly wanting things to be like they used to be struck a nerve with you. I could see it in your eyes the instant he said it.”
“Adam, this in no way changes the way I feel about you . . .” she stifled a sob, “but . . .”
He decided to finish her sentence, the way people often do who understand and love one another. “We probably never should have moved in together.”
“Yes, Adam. It was probably a mistake. Maybe if we hadn’t- “
“Carly had problems long you arrived in Alpine.” After he said it, he wished he could take it back. Even if there was
some truth to it.
“You’re absolutely right, Adam-about her having problems long before I moved here.” She chewed on her lip, and when she spoke again, her eyes pooled. “The thing is-I’m overwhelmed trying to juggle too many things. I care very much about you, but I don’t think I’m contributing much to our relationship. I feel distracted. You deserve more from me, Adam. Much, much more.”
Her honesty surprised him, and as she stared out the window, he realized they’d both jumped into this relationship too quickly. Her phone rang, and he bristled, hoping the news was good.
When she let out a loud squeal, he braced himself.
“Carly, oh, my god. You’re safe! You’re all right. Where are you?”
Pulling over to the side of the road, he waited to find out the girl’s exact location. He stopped the truck and folded his arms, waiting for Meredith to let him know what was going on.
Finally, she hung up. “Carly’s in Marfa. She took the train in, just like you thought. Oh, thank god she’s okay. Let’s go get her. I can’t wait to see her. I’ll phone the police and tell them we’re on our way to get her.”
He made a U-turn and they began heading to Marfa, the details about Carly’s adventure slowly unfolding. She’d taken the train, but when it was time to head back to Alpine, she discovered that the last one had parted nearly an hour earlier. She was stuck in Marfa for the evening. Not a bad place to be, but for a teenager with no connections, it was probably her worst nightmare.
While it served as an enormous relief that Meredith’s daughter was safe, his frustration mounted as he thought about the way Carly had gone about getting what she wanted. But Meredith’s mind was made up. She’d already decided that living with him was somehow detrimental to her daughter. He wouldn’t try and talk her out of her decision. It was pointless.
