Pumpkins, Cowboys & Guitars

by Patti Ann Colt

  Lindy gripped the flashlight with both hands and flashed it around through the bushes. “I don’t think this was such a good idea.”

  “We have to stay put. Mr. Chad will find us.”

  “I have to go to the bathroom, Boo.”

  “Me, too.”

  “So what do we do?”

  “We do what Bessie does and go on the ground. Let’s take the flashlight and go over there a little bit.”

  “What if we can’t find our way back?”

  “We won’t go that far.” Boo shook off the blanket. They shivered in the cold air. After taking her pants down and going on the cold ground, Lindy promised herself she would never run away from home again. She wanted a bath and some hot chocolate. And Mr. Chad’s warm lap. And Mommy’s hugs.

  “I can’t see our way back.” Lindy started to cry again.

  “I can. It’s over this way.” Boo grabbed her hand.

  Bessie helped herd them back to where the blankets were and plunked back in the middle.

  “Let’s eat something. Maybe that will make us feel better.” Boo split the cheese and cookies. She gave half to Lindy and then wrapped them both back in the blankets. Sharing tidbits with Bessie, they quickly finished off the snack.

  “What now?” Lindy squeezed Boo’s hand.

  “We color for awhile.”

  Crawling to the wagon, Boo took the coloring book and crayons and dragged them toward her.

  “Boo, I don’t want to color. I want to go home.”

  “I know. Me too. But we can’t yet.”

  Sticking her thumb in her mouth, Lindy snuffed up her runny nose and watched Boo half- heartedly color the picture from their Star Wars color book. Bessie licked her face to try to make her feel better. It didn’t work.

  The flashlight flickered.

  Suddenly, it went out. Lindy screamed and started to cry.

  They clung together in the darkness. Boo started to sob, too.

  The pumpkin magic had let them down.

  And so had Mr. Chad.

  It was dark. Another hour crept by. They could hardly see. The oncoming storm darkened the sky. Little light could be seen except what was coming from the flashlights and the headlights of the truck. Chad shivered as the wind sent another draft of cold air down his neck. They fanned out in roughly the direction they thought the girls had gone, but what if they were wrong?

  Chad squeezed Robin’s hand and approached the spot where Tom had met up with Jed Anderson and his sons. “What now?”

  Tom glanced at the sky and looked at his brother. “I’m not quitting, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  Chad blew out a breath. “No, that’s not what I’m asking. Where to next?”

  “We keep following the grid.” Tom’s phone rang.

  He looked over at Robin. She was holding her breath. After a short conversation, he hung up. “Dad’s group reporting in. They haven’t had any luck.”

  Robin exhaled loudly.

  Chad rubbed his chin. “The next grid will take us to the ravine. I don’t think they went that way.”

  “Why?” Robin huddled in her coat, grim worry on her face.

  “They were pulling a wagon. It’s full of food and books and blankets. That’s heavy for a couple of little girls. And the ground is soft from all the rain. Even with both of them pulling. There are lots of potholes and rocks. It’s a pretty tough path. They wouldn’t have gotten very far without having to turn around or at least abandon the wagon.” Chad looked across another field, pointing another direction. “A little to the east of this ravine is a stand of trees. The pumpkin patch runs right up to the edge because I toyed with taking out those trees last spring. Let’s skip this grid and take a look over there.”

  Chad looked at Robin. “Is that all right with you?”

  “You know the farm.” Robin squeezed his hand.

  Rover returned from a sniff around the area and sat at Chad’s feet. Jed took his sons and started toward the trees. Rover took off again, sniffing every little clod. Chad, Robin and Tom trailed behind. Praying he wasn’t wrong, Chad turned to Tom. “How long do you think before it starts to snow?”

  “Temperature’s been dropping rapidly. Feels like it could be any minute.” Tom rubbed his hands together.

  “That’s what I thought, too.”

  Robin stifled a gasp.

  Chad pulled her closer. They trudged on in silence for several hundred yards before Josh, Jed’s son, stopped them all. “Do you hear that?”

  Everyone tensed to listen.

  A muted wail carried on the wind.

  “Animal or person?” Jed turned a circle.

  “Person.” Chad started to run. “Boo! Lindy!”

  No answer.

  Robin followed close behind. Stopping for a moment, he listened again. The wail sounded again, closer this time.

  “Boo! Lindy!” Robin’s yell was whipped away by the wind. Moving as quickly as possible, they stopped every few feet to check. Within minutes, he could hear two girls bawling.

  Chad yelled again. “Boo! Lindy!”

  No answer.

  “They can’t hear you over their crying.” Tom paused near Chad, tipping his head to sort out the direction.

  Rover barked frantically and took off on an arrow straight path into the strand of trees. Bessie’s answering bark was nirvana to Chad’s ears.

  Chad tightened his hold on Robin’s hand and ran.

  Tom kept up with them step-for-step. “We’re almost there.”

  Moving faster, they followed the barking dog.

  Chad and Robin found the girls sitting in a pile of blankets under the trees.

  “Lindy! Boo!” He swept them up and turned to Robin, folding them into a family hug.

  Rover and Bessie danced at their feet.

  “Mommy! Mr. Chad!” Both girls sobbed.

  Shaking, Chad tightened his hold.

  “Our flashlight went out and we got scared.” Lindy sobbed.

  “God, girls what did you think you were doing?” Robin’s voice shook with relief and anger.

  “We’re sorry, Mommy. We didn’t want to go to that other house.” Boo wiped her tears. “We wanted to stay with Mr. Chad.”

  “Let’s get back home. We can talk about it there.” Chad shifted Lindy to Robin and he carried Boo.

  Tom pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed Bret. “We found them. They’re fine. We’ll be back in about ten minutes. Call off the other teams, will you?”

  Chad could hear the cheering as Tom hung up.

  “Hi, Uncle Tom.” Boo leaned to kiss him.

  He kissed her cheek, then Lindy’s. “Hi, sweeties. I’m glad you’re all right.”

  “We did something bad didn’t we?” Boo ducked her face against Chad’s neck.

  “We’ll talk about that later.” Chad answered her, stifling his anger and inhaling her precious scent.

  Robin was silent, holding Lindy tight.

  “Dad went back for our truck.” Josh stood with his brother. “We’ll gather up their stuff and bring it back to the house.”

  “Thanks.” Chad walked to the clearing at the edge of the pumpkin patch, Robin close behind him.

  Tom followed, calling to the dogs who were running through the field.

  Jed came toward them with his truck, the headlights giving off an eerie glow as the truck bounced across the ground. Feeling something wet touch his cheek, he looked up.

  “It’s snowing, Mr. Chad.”

  “Yes, it is, sweetheart. We found you just in time.”

  Robin stopped and stared at the sky, then shivered and kissed Lindy’s forehead.

  Tom lifted his hand, palm up. A few flakes landed there and melted.

  When they reached his truck, Chad let Robin slide in the middle and got in the passenger side beside her. Tom ordered the dogs into the back of the truck and slid in the driver’s seat. Chad stared at Robin, but she had her head buried in Lindy’s hair, her hand reaching for Boo’s. Boo twiste
d in his lap, so she could hold her mother’s hand.

  The truck headlights highlighted the Anderson boys lifting the girls’ wagon filled to overflowing with coloring books, blankets and food into the back of their truck.

  Tom turned the truck around and drove toward the house.

  Robin rubbed her nose in Lindy’s hair and squeezed Boo’s hand. Intense relief made her knees shake. She bit her lip to keep from screaming at them, the blessing of having them safe more important. The truck bounced across the field, finally moving onto the smoother service road by the market. Tears slipped down her cheeks.

  “I’m sorry, Mommy,” Lindy whispered.

  “Me, too. We didn’t mean to be bad.” Boo leaned over so their three heads were pressed together.

  “You really scared me.” She stopped talking—couldn’t say any more.

  Tom stopped the truck in the driveway. Chad opened his door and slid out, lifting Boo to the ground. He took Lindy from Robin and set her beside Boo. The girls clasped hands. Robin scooted across the seat and got out, too. With the girls between them, they held hands and walked to the porch. Like a family. Like they belonged together.

  “Let’s go inside and get everyone warmed up,” Olivia called to them.

  Helen and Meg stood behind her on the porch. The girls dropped Robin and Chad’s hands and ran to Olivia, accepting her hugs and kisses. Robin wanted to pull them back, hold them against her and claim them as hers to protect. But that was exactly the kind of thinking that got her stuck in this situation. This was Chad’s family. They loved the girls, too. The thought that she wasn’t alone anymore tossed around inside, pounding on her heart and her mind.

  Robin turned to Tom who had joined them after putting the dogs in the yard. “Thank you. I don’t know what we would have done without you.” She brushed a kiss across his cheek.

  “My services are always available.” He gripped her hand. “But I’d appreciate it if you would lock them in their rooms for about twenty years or so.”

  Robin snorted. “Yeah, I’ve got that covered.” She looked over and found Chad staring at her. Awkwardness rose between them and Robin didn’t know what to do. Her fears were wasted, torn apart with confusion. Her heart and mind told her one thing. Her past and experience told another. She didn’t know what to think or to feel. Olivia had been right. She’d been on the verge of doing the same thing to him, and to the girls, that had been done to her all her life. But he hadn’t given up on her or changed his mind. He’d honored her decision. He respected her.

  Robin’s eyes widened at the thought.

  “Let’s go inside.” Chad reached for her hand and she clasped his. Several other trucks pulled up.

  Bill, Rick and Bret got out of the vehicles. The Anderson’s dropped off the girls’ things, depositing them with the men. Several of the drivers called to Chad and Robin, glad to have things work out.

  “Where are they?” Bill walked to the back door with his arms full of the girls’ supplies.

  “In the kitchen with Grandma,” Chad said. Robin watched the exodus down the driveway.

  “Good. I could go for a cup of hot chocolate and some hot food,” Bill said.

  “Thank God my kids never ran away from home.” Rick slapped Chad on the back on his way by.

  Tom reached out and shook Bret’s hand. “Thanks. I owe you. Come in for some coffee.”

  Bret shook his head. “I should get back to work.”

  “One cup.” Tom glanced at his watch. “Then we’ll both go.”

  “All right.” Bret followed Tom into the house. Robin followed Chad. In the kitchen, she smelled the casserole Olivia must have made and her stomach growled. Bill had already managed to fill a plate of food.

  Boo sat in Grandma’s lap. Lindy sat with Helen. Their coats were in a heap on the floor. Olivia, ever thorough, was checking them for injuries. Meg stirred hot cocoa warming in a pan on the stove. Rick ribbed her for not doing it right. Meg’s eyes kept darting to Bret. Bret poured a cup of coffee and escaped to the far corner of the room.

  Chad stood silent for a long moment. Finally, he released Robin’s hand to shrug out of his jacket. She watched Chad from the corner of her eye as she took off her own coat.

  The girls loved him. She loved him. Whether she liked it or not, they’d become a family of sorts.

  “Mommy.”

  Boo tugged on her hand. “It was my idea.” Robin went to her knees in the middle of the kitchen so she could look Boo in the eye.

  Lindy slipped out of Helen’s lap and took Boo’s hand. “It was her idea, but I went, too. I’m sorry, Mommy. The pumpkin magic was supposed to make Mr. Chad our daddy, but it quit working and we didn’t know what to do.”

  “The pumpkin magic?” Robin glanced at Chad, but he shrugged. Everyone quieted.

  “We’ve been trying our daddy spell for a long time. It wasn’t working until we met Mr. Chad and we came to his farm and he told us about the pumpkin magic.” Boo hiccupped.

  “What spell?” Chad squatted by her side.

  The girls chanted together. “Shasta, masta, lasta, poo. Please magical pumpkin in the patch. Make Mr. Chad our daddy, just like that.”

  “Bibidity, bobidity, boo.”

  Boo rolled her eyes and elbowed Lindy in the side. “I keep telling you not to add that.”

  Several adults chuckled.

  “Then it started working.” Lindy rubbed her hands together.

  “How do you know?” Robin watched the girls. Their eyes flashed with pleasure.

  “Because Mr. Chad knew Old McDonald and ate peanut butter and jelly.” Boo grinned.

  “And he didn’t yell when I broke his clock.” Lindy nodded, reaching for Chad’s hand.

  “Yeah, and he has a nice warm lap and likes Dr. Seuss and gives good baths.” Boo twisted her fingers in front of her.

  “Yeah, and you kissed him. So we thought everything was set.” Lindy leaned against Chad. “But then you were yelling at each other and then we were going away.”

  “We don’t want to go away, Mommy. We belong with Mr. Chad.” Tears flooded Boo’s eyes.

  Robin looked at Chad, but he was focused on the girls, studying each face as if to memorize it. Before she could say anything, he cupped a hand on each girl’s cheek.

  “Running away was the wrong answer,” he told them. “You understand? Running away won’t solve your problems. It only makes it worse. You promise me you’ll never do that again.”

  Chad ran a thumb over Boo’s nose and then Lindy’s.

  “We promise, Mr. Chad.” Robin studied her daughters’ faces as they recited the promise together.

  “You scared your mother to death. She loves you very much. You belong with her wherever she says that is. Understand?”

  They looked ready to argue, but Chad didn’t give them the chance. He rose to his feet and walked out of the house. His clouded expression broke her heart.

  Silence echoed like those first moments when the electricity goes off. Robin looked at the hopeful expression in her daughters’ faces.

  Running away only makes it worse.

  The truth of that struck Robin in the heart, tightening, binding.

  Wasn’t that what she was doing? Running away because she was scared, scared to choose love over fear?

  She looked at Olivia whose eyes were filled with hope.

  Robin turned back toward the back door and then stared at the girls.

  He’d been there for them.

  He’d helped them with the dog he didn’t want, taken care of Robin when she’d cut her hands, come when there was trouble in their neighborhood.

  He’d helped her when the girls had chicken pox.

  Most of all, he helped her find her girls when they were lost.

  What more does the man have to do to prove to you that he won’t leave you like everyone else?

  Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. The word pounded in her brain.

  Robin punched through her fear, shooing it out of her heart. Battl
ing down the doubts, she made the decision she’d been longing to make, a decision to take a chance. Gripping her daughters’ chins, she lifted their eyes to hers. She pointed at the floor and gave them orders. “You stay here. You understand? Do not move from this spot.” They both nodded at her, eyes wide.

  Everyone made a path for her as she rushed to the porch.

  Chad had stopped in the yard. He stood silent and still. When the door slammed, he watched her walk to him. She couldn’t see his expression, but she chose hope over doubt.

  He raised his face to the sky to watch the snowflakes fall. “I think I understand what you were trying to tell me.”

  He did?

  She was the one who hadn’t understood. Joy, nerves, fear all clogged her throat. “Will you marry me?” Robin blurted, owing him the faith, the belief.

  “What?” Chad turned around, a light sheen of tears on his face.

  “Will you marry me? Give me your name? Adopt my daughters and give them your name? And be there every time we need you?”

  He straightened his shoulders, turning so she could see his eyes. “Yes.”

  He said it so matter-of-factly.

  Like that kind of promise was such an ordinary thing.

  But it wasn’t.

  “Nobody has ever done that for me.”

  His silence made Robin hold her breath. “I will.”

  Released from fear, her heart surged. Robin threw herself into Chad’s arms. Her mouth sought his, the warmth of his lips made her sigh. The kiss was moist with love, with passion, with commitment.

  Chad pulled away and kissed her eyelids. “I will stay with you until my dying day.”

  She reached up and wiped away the tears on his cheeks. “What was it you said about happily-ever-afters being made?” Robin studied the fierce expression in his blue eyes.

  “Yeah?”

  “I promise you that ours will be a happily-ever-after.” Settling her mouth over his, she savored her victory over the fear, the promise feeling right.

  He eased out of the kiss, but kept his mouth close to hers. “I wasn’t letting you go, you know.”

  “You weren’t?” Robin tilted her head, wondering at his smug expression.

  “No. I had burgers and fries planned for dinner on your living room floor and Dr. Seuss for dessert. My sleeping bag is in the truck.”