by Mary May
“Here, Scarlett…Come on, girl…Who’s a good girl? Come on! That’s right…Come on, good girl! Just…a…little…bit…closer! Gotcha!” Gideon took no chances at losing his prize. He wrapped both arms and then both wings around the dog who all at once took great exception at being caught and held by what she instantly decided must be a giant chicken.
Edgar turned his head at the sudden sound of snarling, deep growling and then a strange high pitch squeal. The air around Gideon exploded into a mass of black and white fur and cloud of glossy black feathers as Scarlett tore free from her prison and jumped back into the stall with Rhett and Moppet on her own, still rumbling deep in her chest. Edgar stared at Gideon, who had a look on his face that could only be described as confused terror. He looked from the angel to the stall and then back to the angel again.
“If the deep growl came from her then the squeal had to come from… YOU!” The old man roared with laughter, slapping his knee and pointing at the feathers that littered the barn like a black snowfall. Gideon’s face now looked like a thundercloud as he slowly approached Edgar. He stepped right up to the butler until his sandaled feet touched the tips of Edgar’s polished dress shoes. He scowled down at him and waited until Edgar swallowed his laughter and stared up at him quietly. Leaning down, he whispered…“We NEVER speak of this, old man!”
Gideon stomped past him, leaving the barn, ignoring the still-chuckling Edgar as they made their way across the yard. Sabrina smiled as Edgar came up the front steps.
“Hey, did you have any problems getting the dogs put up?” For some reason her question made him laugh and laugh until tears ran down his wrinkled old cheeks, and he walked off into the house just shaking his head…
Within hours the yard was filled with children running and playing having a grand time. Keelie sat and bounced a now year-old Kinsley on her knee. The baby still wasn’t sitting up on her own, which was to be expected for a child with Downs. She smiled and laughed, waving her chubby little fists as she watched the children run and play. Gideon stood and made faces at the precious little girl smiling as she chortled with baby laughter. He had to stop himself from making a complete fool of himself. He knew that Zareck was watching, but he really didn’t care. He got such joy from making these little ones laugh. He glanced over at the stony-faced warrior. Did he ever play with Devon like this? Did he ever tickle his face with the tip of a feather until the baby squealed? Somehow he doubted it, and he found that very sad. He glanced up when a red truck pulled into the yard and stopped. A young boy a little older than Charlie got out. As he ran across the yard toward Seth, Gideon’s eyes grew wide.
“Grandpa! Grandpa!” Seth turned from where he was getting ready to set a little red- haired girl in pigtails onto Dandy’s saddle. He smiled when he saw his grandson Nate racing across the yard toward him, followed by his son and daughter-in-law.
“Hey there, Nate! I’m sure proud you could make it!” He hugged the boy then turned to shake his son’s hand and gave his wife a warm hug. Sabrina and Devon were coming across the yard all smiles, anxious to meet some of his family.
“Miss Sabrina, Devon, this here is my son Ricky and his wife Kate, and this fine young lad is my grandson Nate!” Sabrina’s eyes widened much like Gideon’s did at the mention of Nate’s name, but she turned a welcoming smile to the boy and then likewise to his parents.
“It’s so nice to meet you. Seth has just been a lifesaver out here; I don’t know what we would have done without him,” Sabrina exclaimed.
Devon grinned and slapped a hand on one of Seth’s still-broad shoulders. “I know what I would have done…a lot more work!”
Nate looked around the yard with interest in his dark brown eyes. Sabrina tried to resist the urge to brush back the lock of black hair that had fallen into his face. Suddenly a bright smile broke across his face. Sabrina turned to see what he had seen and she saw Charlie come racing around the barn with two of her friends. Nate looked up at his mother.
“Look, mama! That’s the little girl I was telling you about! She has the curliest hair I have ever seen!”
The little girl in question spotted the group of people she didn’t know and, always one to meet a new friend she headed their way. As she circled around Nate’s father, she spotted Nate; her whole world changed in an instant. “YOU! What are YOU doing at MY birthday party?” Charlie turned to Sabrina and Devon with sparks of fury filling her blue eyes. Sabrina knelt down and explained.
“Sweetheart, this is Seth’s son and daughter-in-law. Nate is Seth’s grandson. We invited them here today so we could get to know some of his family.”
“Mama, this is the boy that chases me and pulls my hair…why did you invite him?” She whispered, glaring at Nate accusingly with her fists planted on her hips. Kate looked to her son with a fierce frown.
“Nathanial Tyler Jackson! Is that true? Did you chase this little girl and pull her hair?”
Nate looked down and kicked the dirt with his boot, shrugging his shoulder.
“I just wanted to play with her curls, Mama…I didn’t mean to pull her hair, honest! She just kept running off every time I got a hold of one!” Ricky patted his son’s back and then nudged him toward Charlie.
“Well, you go apologize to the little lady, Nate. Tell her you’re real sorry for pulling her hair.” Nate walked over to Charlie, who was still giving him a pretty mean stink eye for a five year old.
“Charlie, I’m sorry for pulling your hair. I really didn’t mean to. I won’t do it again, I promise! Are we even?”
Charlie looked at him for a solid minute as she considered his offer. To everyone’s surprise she hauled back and popped Nate with a solid punch in the mouth. “Now we are!”
Later that night Devon was still chuckling over the haymaker that little Charlie dealt out to Nate; Sabrina was still in shock.
“Where in the world did she learn something like that? We are not a violent family. I don’t let her watch violent cartoons or movies.” Deep furrows creased her forehead as she pulled back the comforter and then slid under it.
“Devon! Stop laughing! This isn’t funny!”
He glanced over at her and laughed some more. “Darlin’, some things are just in the human DNA. They don’t have to be exactly shown or taught. I was kind of proud of Charlie girl today. She stood up for herself and I promise she taught ole Nate a lesson that no one else could teach him.”
Sabrina sat up in bed, sighing and rubbing her face. “Devon, I don’t want her thinking that punching people out is the answer to everything. We can’t have her smacking her way through life. Do you think we should have her see a therapist?”
Devon slipped under the covers and pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head. “Sweetheart, one little punch to a little boy who had been chasing her around and pulling her hair does not warrant a trip to a head doctor, ok? Now we talked to her and I really think she understood that what she did wasn’t exactly what Jesus would do. But again, having the strength and the fortitude to stand up for herself isn’t a bad thing, and I don’t want you telling her that it is.” Devon grew quiet as they lay there.
“You’re thinking of Sherrilyn, aren’t you?”
He nodded as he brushed his knuckles against the softness of Sabrina’s jaw. “I was just thinking that maybe if she would have had the same tenacity that Charlie showed, maybe she would still be here today.” He looked down and kissed her sweetly then reached and turned out the light…
Gideon watched as Charlie slept peacefully, her bedroom littered with birthday toys. Today had been a day filled with love and a few unexpected surprises. Charlie had surprised every one of them today, Gideon included, and he felt that he knew her better than anyone, with Sabrina being the only exception. But when she pulled her fist back and let it fly, you could have knocked him over with a feather! The only other person more surprised was poor Nate, but the boy took it like a trooper and might have even respected her for it. Gideon reached down and slipped a long fi
nger through a golden curl, letting it wrap around his finger. She was growing up so fast he could only wonder at what other surprises she just might throw his way.
Chapter 5
Two years later…
A now seven-year-old Charlie flung her backpack on the sofa then headed into the kitchen for a snack. Cleo was standing at the sink washing up some dishes, humming softly.
“Hey, Cleo, where’s mama?” Charlie stuck her head in the fridge and rummaged around until she found the bag of green grapes she had hid in the back. She turned around, stuffing three grapes in her mouth at once.
“You will turn into a grape, bebette, instead of my little bebelle, if you keep stuffin’ yourself like that! One at a time, child…one at a time!” Cleo admonished.
“What does bebette mean?” Charlie asked as she poked in yet another grape.
Cleo took the bag and snipped off a branch of grapes then placed them in a bowl before answering. “Bebette means little monster, and bebelle means doll. So I told you that you were going to turn into a little grape monster instead of my little doll.” Then she handed Charlie the bowl of grapes.
“Oh. Where’s Mama?” She asked again.
“Your mama went to the doctor this afternoon; she should be home real soon. She told me to tell you to stay away from the east wing of the estate. The workers should be arriving soon to start working on the center.”
Charlie nodded then started to walk off into the den, but she stopped and turned around. “Is mama sick, Cleo? Is that why she went to the doctor?”
Cleo smiled and shook her head. “No, child, I reckon your mama is just fine… just fine…Why don’t you go watch some TV? Remember what I done told you about staying away from the east wing.” Cleo watched as Charlie walked on down the hall and entered the den. “Mister Gideon, I suspect we are gonna have us a baby around here soon…yes, sir! I surely do!”
Gideon looked at Cleo in surprise. A baby? He looked around for something to write on and spotted a purple crayon; then he found a piece of junk mail on the bar. Sabrina is pregnant??
Cleo nodded. “We are just getting it confirmed but I have known for a couple of weeks now. Yes, sir! Gonna have us a sweet baby!”
Does Devon know??
“That man don’t have a clue! Most men don’t notice things liked missed cycles or morning sickness. I calculate the babe to be due around the middle of April; just wait and see if ole Cleo ain’t right!”
A couple of hours later Sabrina and Edgar, followed by a beaming Charlotte, came home carrying a few brown paper bags from the local grocery store. Gideon looked at Sabrina carefully. He could see right away that she had that same happy glow that she had while she was carrying Charlie. What he hadn’t seen was her dashing off to the bathroom to be sick several times a day. Maybe this pregnancy would be easier for her. He saw her smile and nod at Cleo, who scurried around the counter to wrap her up in a tight hug, groceries and all, dancing her around in a circle.
“Oh, my Jesus, I knew it! I just knew it! A sweet baby! When is it due?” Sabrina laughed as she tried to untangle herself from Cleo’s arms so she could set the bags on the counter.
“The doctor said April 16th and that everything looked fine. I’m nearly three months along, Cleo. We have six months to prepare for a baby. Oh, my gosh!”
“That Mr. Devon is gonna be fit to be tied when he finds out! This house won’t be big enough to hold his big ole head, it’s gonna swell up so big!” For some reason Cleo’s statement took the wind right out of Sabrina’s sails. She sank down in a kitchen chair, her cheeks suddenly pale.
“We haven’t even discussed having children, Cleo…we have been married over three years and have never even talked about it. Why haven’t we talked about it? Most people talk about having children before they ever even get married! Here it is more than three years later and it has never been brought up. He doesn’t want children. Oh, sure, he loves Charlie, no doubt about that. But he doesn’t want any of his own. I just know it! That’s why we have never discussed it. What have I done? Cleo, what have I done?” Sabrina wailed as she laid her head on the table and sobbed.
Edgar looked at Gideon and shook his head. Now this part Gideon remembered well…Sabrina’s crazy mood swings, laughing one minute and crying the next. He didn’t know how Luke coped with it so well.
“Well, now, what you have gone and done is gotten yourself all worked up over nothing. You know that Devon will be plumb tickled over this baby. Why, he just thinks the sun rises and sets over Miss Charlie. What in the world makes you think he won’t feel the same over his own child? It’s just these old hormones that have you all upset. Listen, I think I hear his truck outside now. I want you to go upstairs, wash your face and get pretty for when you tell him that he is going to be a daddy again. Now scoot! I’ll keep him down here. Go on now; do as I say.” Sabrina hurried up the stairs and Cleo got busy helping Edgar put away the groceries.
Devon pulled up into the drive and killed the motor. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off the killer headache that had been threatening to go full throttle ever since he got off the phone with his former boss.
For the hundredth time he wondered why he had picked up the call when he saw the familiar number on the screen. Nothing good ever came from that number…ever. But like a fool he answered it, and now here he sat with dread weighing heavy on his heart over what was he was about to tell his wife. Sabrina wouldn’t understand why he had to leave, even if it was only for a short while. He had promised her that he wouldn’t go back to bounty hunting, but this case was different. The guy they were after was bad…real bad. When he had quit the force, he had promised he would still work what he called the BYOBB cases, which stood for Bring Your Own Body Bag, meaning the probability was high someone wasn’t going to make it out alive. But things had changed…he had changed. Since turning his life over to Christ, he wasn’t the same man. He used to love the hunt and lived for the fight. The dirtier and the nastier, the more he liked it. The problem was he knew that the anger and rage that he had felt at the world, and at himself, that had kept his skills honed to a fine edge, wasn’t there any more. Still, he had made a promise to both Sabrina and to his former commander and he felt torn. Bowing his head, he prayed.
“Lord, I come to you this evening with a heavy heart. I made a promise to one person when I was still under the yoke of sin, and I made a promise to Sabrina while wearing the yoke of salvation. Both promises are valid and honorable, Lord. This man they seek to capture needs to be caught, and, according to several different men, I’m the only one that can do it. But, Lord, I would be going into that battle a different man, a man with something to lose. So I pray for your wisdom and your guidance tonight as I talk to Sabrina about this. Help me to find the right words to say, Lord, because she just might toss me out on my rear, and I wouldn’t blame her one bit. Amen.”
Devon opened the door. With dread increasing with each step, he started up the circular steps to the front door. He walked into the kitchen where Cleo and Edgar were chopping vegetables. He glanced around for Sabrina.
“Evening, where is my beautiful wife at?” Reaching over he stole a slice of cucumber from the small pile on Edgar’s plate.
“She is upstairs. I’m sure she will return in a moment, sir. Would you like a glass of tea?” Edgar offered, reaching for a glass.
“No, thanks, I’ll just go find her.”
Devon turned to head for the stairs when Cleo called out, “Mr. Devon, why don’t you let me fix you a bite to eat first? I know you have got to be near starving! Sit down; it won’t take me just a minute.” Devon didn’t even slow down as he approached the stairs.
“That’s ok, Cleo; I’m good until supper, thanks!” He had reached for the rail when Cleo hurried out of the kitchen and latched onto his arm.
“Mr. Devon, wait! I ummm… That is, I need to speak with you about a…about a…”
“About what, Cleo? Can it wait until later? I really need to spea
k with Sabrina.”
Cleo desperately tried to come up with a plausible reason to stall Devon when she realized it wasn’t needed any longer. Whatever she did now short of setting off a bomb was sure to go unnoticed by the man because Sabrina had just stepped up to the top landing.
Devon’s gaze landed on Sabrina as she stepped up to the landing at the top of the stairs. She was wearing a soft pink slip dress with a handkerchief hemline that swirled just above her knees. The thin spaghetti straps showed off her delicate shoulders and beautiful collarbones that were bare except for a few loose tendrils of curls that fell from the messy knot on top of her head. With her blue eyes bright with excitement and a smile on her lips for him, she had him feeling dumbfounded and pole axed. His eyes followed her as she made each step downward until she stopped two steps above where he stood, putting her at nearly eye level with him.
“Hi,” she whispered.
“Hi, yourself, darlin’. You sure do look mighty pretty tonight, Mrs. Lane, and it’s making me kind of nervous. It’s not your birthday or our anniversary or anything, is it?” He gave her his slow smile complete with dimples that never failed to curl her toes, and Sabrina laughed.
“No, nothing like that! You didn’t forget anything, so you can relax; you’re not in trouble. But tonight is a special occasion, or at least I hope you think it is…Oh, now I’m nervous!” Devon took her chin between his thumb and forefinger to hold her still as he softly kissed her lips. Sabrina smiled after she opened her eyes.
