A Better Solution (Crowley County Series Book 2)

by T. E. Killian

  Finally, Penny was in bed. Finally, he could relax. He’d never realized being a parent could be this tiring. At the restaurant, he’d had to be on hyper alert the whole time, afraid Penny might pop Andy one or trip a waitress or something else equally bad.

  Even though it was only nine thirty, he was so tired that he went to bed with the hope that he’d be able to rest up from the wild afternoon and evening he’d had.

  He lay there thinking about that day.

  The restaurant had been a nightmare. Penny didn’t really do anything bad. It was just that he knew the threat was always there and he had to watch her every second.

  Now, he was just beginning to get his body to relax and thought he’d be able to go to sleep soon.

  That was when it sounded like a bobcat was loose in the next room. He’d never heard such a wail coming from a human before.

  He rushed to the closed door of Penny’s room and hesitated to go in or even knock at first. Then that sound came again.

  “Penny, are you all right?”

  A loud groan came from the room then she moaned, “Do I sound like it?”

  He decided that he had better go on in and see what was wrong with her. When he opened the door, the light from the hallway lit the room enough that he could see Penny clearly. She was doubled up at the head of the bed, holding her stomach, and moaning.

  He rushed to her side. “What’s the matter Penny?”

  “What’s it look like. I’m dying here.”

  “Is it your stomach?”

  “Yeah, must have been something I ate at that slop shop you dragged me to tonight.”

  Floyd didn’t know what to do. He started to call Jo, then realized she probably wouldn’t be able to do anything more than he could. The hospital! That’s it! He’d take her to the emergency room.

  He ran back to his room and changed into street clothes then came back into Penny’s room, scooped her up in his arms, and rushed out of the apartment with her.

  When Floyd went flying into the ER, he expected people to come rushing up to him to help his moaning daughter. But there was no one at the desk just a few people sitting in the waiting room.

  He shouted out and a woman came to the admitting desk through a door behind it and said, “May I help you sir?” She looked a little closer and said, “Oh it’s you Sheriff. What do we have here?”

  “My daughter. Her stomach is hurting her pretty bad. I need to get her in to see a doctor quick.”

  The woman smiled at him and said, “Sure thing, Sheriff, you just bring her right back through here.”

  She held the door open for him to pass through. Then she led him down the hall to an examining room.

  She entered the room and said, “Just lay her right here on this gurney, Sheriff.”

  Once he laid Penny on the gurney, she calmed a little and he stood there not knowing what to do next. He sure hoped the doctor would come quickly.

  About five minutes later, Penny had begun to moan loudly again and then started making that wailing sound again, just not quite as loud this time, when the doctor walked in.

  She walked up to the other side of the gurney from Floyd and said, “Good evening Sheriff. I’m Dr. Stella Martin. We’ve met a few times before.”

  “Yes, ma’am, I sure remember you.”

  Where had that come from? Yeah, she was a beautiful woman, a statuesque blond with bright blue eyes who looked to be about his age. But did he really say that?

  After smiling at Floyd’s inane comment, she looked down at Penny with a bright smile on her face. “Well, what have we here?”

  Floyd found his voice. “My daughter, Penny. And she’s hurting pretty bad. Must be her stomach.”

  The doctor looked down at his left hand then back to Penny. “Okay, Sweetie, let’s see if we can find out what’s wrong with you.”

  Floyd watched her as she poked and prodded his daughter. His daughter? He was still going to have to work on getting used to that.

  “What have you had to eat today Dearie?”

  Penny couldn’t or wouldn’t answer her. She just kept moaning, so Floyd said, “She had a hamburger with fries at Thelma’s this evening. But I don’t know what she had before that.”

  When Dr. Martin gave him a puzzled look, he said, “She just came to live with me this afternoon.”

  “Oh.”

  She turned back to Penny and said, “Okay, Penny, dear, can you tell me what all you’ve had to eat for the rest of the day?”

  Penny started wailing again and all of a sudden, as Floyd looked down at his daughter in pain, he began to get dizzy and had to find a chair to sit down. He just made it to a corner of the room and almost fell into a chair.

  Before he knew what was happening, strong cool fingers were on the back of his neck pushing his head down between his knees and holding it there.

  “Stay with me, Sheriff. You’ll be okay in a minute. Just breathe normally and try to relax. This happens to parents all the time in here.”

  The room stopped spinning after a minute and she let go of his neck then said, “Look at me with those big brown eyes Sheriff so I can be sure you’re okay.”

  She let go of his neck and when he brought his head up, he looked into those bright blue eyes and said, “I’m okay now, doctor.”

  “Stella.”

  He almost got dizzy again as he kept looking into those eyes and especially when the intent of her one word statement hit him.

  He tried to smile back at her and said, “My name’s Floyd.”

  “Okay, Floyd, if you’re not going to pass out on me, would you step out of the room for a moment. I’m sure your daughter would like a little privacy while I examine her more thoroughly.”

  Five minutes later, as Floyd was pacing back and forth in the hallway outside the examining room door, the doctor stepped out and walked up to where he had stopped.

  “You may go back in now, Floyd.” She smiled at him and the force of that smile almost knocked him down. “But I need to talk to you a moment before you do, okay?”

  “What’s wrong with her Doctor” When she frowned at him, he said, “Stella.”

  “Nothing.”

  He wasn’t sure he heard her right. “Did you say nothing?”

  She was still smiling and he was having trouble concentrating on anything but that smile.

  “Yes.”

  She motioned for him to follow her to where several chairs were sitting against the wall. She took one and gestured at another one and he sat down next to her.

  “You see, Floyd, Penny and I had a nice little chat in there just now.”

  He wasn’t sure he was going to like where this was going.

  “She told me all about growing up with her mother and being told that her father was dead. Then when her mother died, they brought her here and told her you were her father.”

  He thought he was following her up to the point where Darcy had told Penny that he was dead. He got mad and he knew his face was turning red.

  “I can’t believe Darcy was that mad at me back then. How could she have my baby and never tell me, then to tell Penny that I was dead.”

  Stella patted his knee and said, “If it will help I can understand that quite well. You see, my parents divorced when I was five and whoever I happened to be with was always cutting the other one down. It got to where I didn’t think I really knew either one of my parents.”

  He looked up at her and said, “That must have been tough.”

  She nodded and said, “Have you been having trouble with Penny’s adjustment to living with you?”

  He snorted. “Like I said before, she just came to live with me this afternoon but I can already see that she’s going to have an awful hard time adjusting to life here in Crowleyville and most especially with me.”

  “May I make a suggestion . . . Floyd?”

  “Sure.”

  “I think that Penny is missing her mother terribly and to be suddenly thrown in with you is too much for her.�
�� She chuckled. “You are an imposing man after all. I would suggest that you find a woman who can spend some time with her and you so that Penny can more or less make a transition to you alone.”

  Floyd thought about that and decided that she was probably right. “That sounds like a great idea. Are you volunteering, Stella?”

  She smiled and said, “I’m off all day tomorrow.”

  “I can be too.” He chuckled and said, “After all, I am the boss.”

  Chapter Three

  Sue Ann was only half way through her day and already she was tired and desperately wanted to be anywhere but in her shop doing hair.

  She kept thinking about supper last night. Floyd had been different. And they hadn’t fought once. Was it because he had Penny with him? Maybe it was because he suddenly realized that he had to change since Penny was now a part of his life.

  She’d often wondered if Floyd would be a different person if he had someone else to look after, a wife or maybe even kids too. Was Floyd changing because of that?

  Suddenly, Sue Ann decided that she wanted to spend some time with Floyd so she could find out all those things for herself.

  That meant that she’d be spending time with Penny too. That kid sure had been rude last night. As Sue Ann thought about that though, she wondered if Penny’s behavior was mainly due to the fact that her whole life had just been turned upside down. That would tend to make anyone upset and even angry.

  She finished with her customer and went into the back room to replenish some supplies the last customer had purchased. As she went, she decided that maybe she should try to cut Penny a little slack. The poor kid definitely needed it.

  She heard the bell over the door ring as she started out of the back room. She was looking down at the supplies in her hands and only caught a glimpse of a tall man who had his back to her as he shut the door.

  When he turned to face her, she nearly shouted out and ran out the back door. She put her hands on her hips, glared at him, and said, “What are you doing here Ray. This is only Thursday and besides that, you just had Andy last weekend and you’re not supposed to get him again for another week.”

  Her ex-husband grinned that all-knowing grin that she hated and knew always signaled that he was about to tell her something he knew she wouldn’t like to hear.

  She was determined to wait him out. She stayed where she was, twenty feet away from him. He started walking toward her slowly.

  “Stop right there.” She placed her hand on the wall phone next to her. “Or I’ll call the police.”

  He laughed a nasty sounding laugh. “I’m sure that good friend of yours, the sheriff, would love to have an excuse to throw me in jail, wouldn’t he?”

  He had stopped though and Sue Ann breathed a sigh of relief.

  “What do you want Ray?”

  At first, she thought he was going to ignore her but then he sighed dramatically and said, “I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to be staying in Cornyville for a month or so.”

  Sue Ann waited for him to continue. She wasn’t about to correct him for the way he always intentionally got the name of the town wrong. That was what he wanted her to do. She wasn’t going to fall into any of his traps today, verbal or otherwise.

  “Aren’t you going to ask why I’m going to be staying here?”

  She snorted. “Knowing you, Ray, that’s probably why you’re bothering me right now and you’ll tell me when you get good and ready so why ask?”

  He laughed loudly and said, “I’m the architect for that new shopping center going in on the east side of town.”

  “Good for you, Ray, but don’t expect to see any more of Andy than the court allowed you.”

  His smile disappeared and a snarl replaced it as he started to say something.

  “No, Ray, you listen to me. Andy’s school will only release him to me or my mom, period. And on top of that, one of us takes him to school and picks him up afterwards every day.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “You see, Ray, we’ve already made sure that you won’t get to see him any more than you’re supposed to. And if you try, you’re right, my friend, as you called him, will be happy to throw your rear end in jail.”

  His face had turned red during Sue Ann’s verbal attack. He shook his finger at her and said, “When I have custody of Andy, the shoe is going to be on the other foot. You’ll see.”

  Just then, the bell over the door rang and Gil Turner walked in, which interrupted Ray. Sue Ann was sure he had been going to say more.

  Gil froze by the door. He took one look at each of them and especially took note of Ray’s threatening posture. When he looked back at her, he said, “Sue Ann, is everything okay?”

  Just as she was about to answer, Ray turned on Gil and said, “Stay out of this. This is between me and my wife.”

  “Ex-wife.” Sue Ann shouted.

  Gil pulled out his cell phone and punched a speed-dial number. After a pause, he said, “Floyd, I think Sue Ann could use some help here in her shop. Her ex-husband is here and he’s threatening her.”

  Ray blew out a breath and said, “I’m out of here.” He turned back to Sue Ann and said, “This is far from being the end of it, woman.”

  When the door slammed behind him, Gil said, “That’s okay, Floyd, the guy left, but you might want to check on Sue Ann later after you get back to town.”

  Sue Ann almost fell into one of the chairs against the wall. Gil was beside her immediately.

  “Did he hurt you Sue Ann. I’ve still got Floyd on the line. He’s in Springfield but he can have one of his deputies pick that guy up right away.”

  She shook her head. “No Gil, he didn’t hurt me.” She looked at the door. “And I’m okay, at least for the time being.”

  He spoke into the phone again. “She’s okay right now. but she’s pretty upset.” He listened then said, “Okay, I will. Goodbye.”

  Gil sat down beside Sue Ann and placed a hand on her shoulder. “What was that all about Sue Ann? If you don’t mind my asking.” He paused. “After all, my wife is your best friend and she’ll fuss at both of us if she has to find out later.”

  Sue Ann giggled. She hadn’t thought she could actually do that right now, not after another encounter with Ray.

  “He said he’s going to be staying in Crowleyville for at least a month. He’s the architect for the new shopping center.”

  “Oh. Then he’s going to want to see more of Andy while he’s here. Is that it?”

  “Yeah, but I already told him that wasn’t going to happen. He tries to poison Andy’s mind too much when he has him every other weekend as it is. I can’t have him doing it more often. The poor kid’s so confused now that it’s beginning to give him nightmares.”

  Gil looked her in the eyes and said, “I can call Jo and she’ll be here in no time, if you need her.”

  Sue Ann smiled at him and said, “That’s okay, Gil. I just need to sit here and calm down for a few minutes. Besides, we don’t want to upset our little mother now, do we?”

  He laughed and said, “Just the same, I’m not leaving until we’re sure that guy isn’t coming back.”

  Sue Ann giggled again. “Well, if you came in for a haircut, that should be enough time, shouldn’t it?”

  Gil laughed with her and said, “If you’re sure your hands will be steady enough. I don’t want that scalping that I thought I was going to get the first time I came in here.”

  Sue Ann stood and walked over to the styling chair. “That was before I knew you and also before I knew you weren’t going to hurt my little friend.”

  They both laughed again as Gil sat in the chair.

  * * *

  Floyd had been surprised and a little pleased to learn that Stella lived in the same apartment complex that he did. As he drove around to the other side where her building was, he marveled at how he’d seen her several times since she’d moved to Crowleyville to be one of the ER doctors but they’d never really
talked before.

  He snorted. He figured he had Penny to thank for giving him an opportunity to talk to Stella and even a reason for their outing today.

  Stella was waiting for them at the door to her building, and came out right away. Floyd jumped out of his Cherokee and just beat her to her door to open it for her.

  When he sat back behind the driver’s seat, Penny was laughing almost hysterically in the back seat. He had just decided to ignore that little outburst when Stella turned and leaned on her seatback.

  “Hi Penny, it’s good to see you today. How are you feeling this morning?”

  Penny stopped laughing and said, “Fine.”

  Floyd could see that Stella wasn’t going to give up on her that quickly. “Are you laughing at your dad because he opened the door for me?”

  Penny didn’t answer and Floyd couldn’t see her but was sure she must have nodded her head for Stella said, “I’m a professional woman and I don’t really need a man opening doors for me, but I’m just old fashioned enough to enjoy it.”

  Floyd was watching her as much as he could and she was still looking at Penny, not him. But he felt that her message was just as much for him as it was for the little girl. And he was pleased with her answer. Penny must have been too since she didn’t respond.

  Stella turned back toward the front. “How are you this morning Floyd?”

  He tried to smile at her when he said, “I’m much better than I was last night.”

  They spent the day at a large shopping mall in Springfield stopping for lunch at their café court. With Floyd’s blessings, Stella helped Penny pick out some new clothes and other items that she might need now that she was living with him.

  He needed to take Penny to the school to enroll her and had planned to take Stella home first, but she insisted that they stop there first since it was on the way.

  So he had enrolled her in the fourth grade. She had told the principal that she knew her way around and therefore didn’t need any help from her. Floyd was sure that hadn’t gone over too well with the principal. He was already preparing himself to be getting phone calls from the principal about Penny’s behavior.