Finding Forever

by Nika Rhone

  Daryl was less so. “I’m not sure this is a good idea,” he said, taking her aside.

  “Do you have a better one?” Amelia smiled when he scowled at her. “Don’t worry. I can handle a couple of kindergarteners.” Her smile faded. “I really am qualified, you know.”

  “I know. I didn’t understand all of that teacher talk you and the principal were exchanging, but I do know that you wouldn’t lie about something like this.”

  “Oh.” She looked sweetly confused. “Then, what’s the problem?”

  “The problem is…hell.” He pulled his hand through his hair in frustration. “I just don’t like the idea of you being exposed like this. We got away without anyone recognizing you at church the other day, but this is pushing our luck.”

  She had the nerve to laugh. “I doubt very many five-year-olds read the society page.” Placing a hand on his arm, she added, “Daryl, if I don’t do this, then Winona has to stay with her class. Do you really think she’s in any condition to do that?”

  No, he didn’t, dammit, but that didn’t make him like the alternative any better.

  “Fine. But I’ll be right outside the classroom door.”

  “Stay with your sister.”

  “But—”

  “At least until your mother gets here.”

  “Stepmother.”

  A scowl curled Amelia’s lips. “You need to stop doing that.”

  “Doing what?” he asked, confused.

  Amelia sighed. “Never mind. Go. Sit with your half sister.” He found he didn’t care for the emphasis she put on the word. “Did Kim say when she’d be getting here?”

  “Not long. Half an hour, maybe.” Which was about twenty-nine minutes too long for him to be left in sole charge of Winona’s emotional well-being. Especially when he went back into the room and found his sister—funny how he’d never noticed he never referred to her as his half sister before—had worked herself back up into another round of crying.

  Daryl had almost managed to get the waterworks stopped when Kim arrived and they started all over again. Daryl relinquished his spot to Kim with relief and gratitude. After promising to deliver Winnie’s car to the ranch, Daryl watched the two women walk arm-in-arm out to Kim’s car. A tiny piece of him, the piece he usually kept buried under years of cynical detachment, felt a pinch of jealousy. He’d never had a close relationship with Kim. His choice. One made by an angry, bitter boy who resented having his mother’s spot filled by someone else so soon.

  So he kept his stepmother at arm’s length, no matter how hard she tried to get closer. He liked her. He respected her. But he’d never quite been able to forgive her.

  Maybe it was time he started trying.

  As he walked down the quiet hallway to where Amelia was teaching, he couldn’t help but worry. She might have a degree, but she probably never set foot inside of a classroom full of rambunctious kids before. Amelia was too mild-mannered, her feelings much too tender. They might only be five-years-old, but those kids were going to eat her alive.

  They adored her.

  Standing to the side and looking in through the upper glass in the door, Daryl was shocked to see the class sitting cross-legged on the floor in a semicircle, listening with rapt attention as Amelia read from a storybook. The actual words were muffled, but he could tell from her animated expressions she was using an array of voices to go with the characters. The kids loved it. They giggled, groaned, gasped, until she reached the last page and they begged for another.

  And another.

  And another.

  Finally, Amelia put down the last book. Whatever she said had them scrambling to their feet and rushing over to the small kid-sized tables with an assortment of crayons, markers, and construction paper. Only one little girl stayed behind, staring up at Amelia with the saddest big brown eyes Daryl had ever seen.

  After putting away the books, Amelia went back to the girl and knelt in front of her. Following a few minutes of one-sided conversation, Amelia stood again and held out her hand. The girl shook her head and stayed where she was, hugging her knees, face pressed to her legs, curled up on herself like a pill bug trying to hide in plain sight.

  Not looking frustrated in the least, Amelia went to the other children. She took the time to stop and talk to each one of them, bringing glowing smiles to their faces before they went back to work on their pictures with even more enthusiasm. A few minor squabbles broke out over possession of the choicest crayons, but Amelia handled them with calm efficiency, like she’d been doing it for years instead of hours.

  And through it all, Amelia kept circling back to the little girl sitting alone on the floor. She sat next to her, she talked to her, but as far as Daryl could tell, the child never responded. She’d just hide her face against her legs and sit as still as a rock until Amelia left her alone again.

  What Amelia couldn’t see, though, was that every time she walked away to interact with the rest of the class, the girl picked up her head and tracked her every move with a hungry gaze that tightened Daryl’s chest in sympathy. The child clearly wanted Amelia’s attention, but was either too shy or too afraid to accept it.

  As promised, Mrs. Mantooth came by several times to check on Amelia and the class. Daryl stepped away during one of those visits to call Kim. Winnie, it seemed, had insisted on staying at her apartment until they got news about Kyle’s condition rather than go to the ranch as planned. Kim was staying with her.

  When there was just half an hour left to go until dismissal, Mrs. Mantooth came by again, but didn’t bother going into the classroom. She just watched through the glass, a satisfied look creasing her face.

  “I have to admit, I wasn’t certain this was going to work out quite so well. Despite her credentials, Miss Westlake has no practical experience. But it’s clear she makes up for that with natural aptitude. It would be a shame for her to waste it.”

  It was the truth. He’d never seen Amelia so comfortable in her own skin before. Her affection for those kids was crystal clear. This was obviously what she was meant to be doing. So why the hell wasn’t she?

  Daryl’s attention sharpened when the principal let out a small “oh!” of surprise. He looked into the room over her head, expecting to see chaos and destruction. Instead, the children were once more sitting around Amelia on the floor, listening to her read. It wasn’t until she turned the page that Daryl saw the small girl sitting in her lap.

  Amelia had gentled the pill bug.

  “I can’t believe it.” Mrs. Mantooth shook her head. “How in the world did she get Annelise to trust her so quickly?”

  “So it’s not just Amelia she hides from?”

  “Oh, my, no. Annelise has to be one of the shyest little things I’ve ever met. At the beginning of the year, it was a month before she’d say a word, and longer still before she’d let Miss Raintree—that is, your sister—even give her a hug. She still won’t say more than a few words to me or any of the other teachers, and she’s known us all year.” She looked into the classroom once more and uttered a happy sigh. “Simply amazing.”

  Watching Amelia cuddle the girl as she read, a strange bubble of warmth welled inside him. “Yeah, she is.” When the principal gave him a knowing look, Daryl added, “With the kids.”

  “Hmm.” She didn’t look like she bought it. “Well, I happen to agree with you on that. If Miss Westlake is interested, we have a position opening in the next term, and we’d love to have her join our staff. If she’s going to be staying in the area,” she added with a questioning look.

  He tried to picture Amelia sticking around tired little Hayden, teaching at the small, underfunded, understaffed reservation school. It was like trying to picture a princess living in a mud hut.

  Or on a dusty horse ranch.

  “No, she’s got her own life to get back to.” He said it as much for his own sake as to answer Mrs. Mantooth’s question.

  “Pity.” With a sigh, the principal turned and headed back toward the office. “
Dismissal is in five minutes,” she said over her shoulder. “You might want to get out of the hallway before the bell sounds if you don’t want to get trampled.”

  Daryl thought she was joking.

  She wasn’t.

  A split second after the bell rang, doors opened and dozens of children of varying sizes swarmed out of the classrooms. The noise level went from zero to a hundred in a second flat, the seething mass snaking its way toward the main entrance reminding Daryl of a nest of fire ants that had been poked open. Despite the fact he was bigger than any three kids combined, he was still glad he had his back against the wall.

  When the door next to him opened, he expected the children to pile out in the same crazed fashion. Instead, Amelia came out first followed by her class in a tidy line, like ducklings waddling after their mama. She smiled at Daryl before leading her flock through the chaos, little Annelise clinging to one hand while a boy with a mop of curly brown hair claimed the other. She looked like the damned Pied Piper, with him following right along at the end of the line the same as the rest of them.

  When they got outside to where the children were supposed to line up for their buses, the boy holding Amelia’s hand tugged on it to get her attention. “Is he a giant like from the story?” he asked in what Daryl assumed was supposed to be a whisper.

  Amelia bit her lip and glanced at Daryl, laughter sparkling in her eyes. “No, David, he’s not a giant.” In a louder voice, she said, “Class, this is Miss Raintree’s brother. Can you say hello?”

  “Hello, Mr. Raintree,” they chirped obediently. Two of the boys broke formation and crowded around at his legs, looking up with expressions of awe on their faces.

  Squatting to their level, Daryl raised an inquiring eyebrow.

  “Miss Raintree talks about you lots,” one of them blurted. Encouraged by a nudge from his friend, he added, “She says you’re a horse whisperer.”

  Not sure if he was more surprised that Winnie had praised his talent with horses or that she’d told her class about him at all, Daryl said, “She did?” He glanced over at Amelia, but she just smiled.

  “Yeah.” The kid shuffled his feet, and when his friend nudged him again, he elbowed the other boy right back and said, “You ask.”

  The second boy, a little smaller than the first, squared his tiny shoulders. “Me and Luke were wondering…why do you have to whisper?”

  “Why…” Daryl scratched his head, fighting back a laugh.

  “Are the horses sleeping?”

  “Um…” Daryl shook his head. “No, they’re awake.”

  “Then why do you whisper?” Luke demanded.

  “Luke, I don’t think…” Amelia said.

  Daryl winked at her before giving the two inquisitive boys his full attention. “Because when you whisper,” he said, dropping his voice to one and waiting until the kids had unconsciously leaned in closer, “everybody wants to hear what you’re saying.”

  “Ohhh.” The boys looked at each other and nodded, satisfied with his explanation.

  “Okay, buses are here.” There was amusement in Amelia’s voice as she made the announcement. The kids all scrambled back into their line.

  “Will you be here tomorrow, Miss Amy?” Annelise asked in a shy voice from where she still clung to Amelia’s hand.

  “No, honey, I’m afraid not. This was only for today because Miss Raintree had to go home.”

  The girl’s lip quivered. “Didn’t you like us?”

  “Oh, sweetie, of course, I do!” Amelia dropped to a knee in front of the girl. “I love all of you. I had the best time this afternoon, truly. I’m not a regular teacher here, that’s all. I’m just visiting with Miss Raintree’s family.”

  Annelise thought about that for a second before she threw her arms around Amelia’s neck and hugged her. The girl’s eyes caught Daryl’s for a split second. When she pulled back from the hug, she whispered something in Amelia’s ear. Whatever it was made Amelia grin and whisper something in return, earning him another look from the little girl before she darted toward her bus with a final wave.

  Mrs. Mantooth was waiting at the doors when they walked back toward the school. “I can’t thank you enough for filling in, Miss Westlake.”

  “It really was my pleasure,” Amelia replied. “The kids were wonderful.”

  “Judging from what I saw, they think the same about you. You’re a natural.”

  Amelia ducked her head, and damned if there wasn’t a blush turning her cheeks pink. “I should go and put the classroom back in order.” It was an obvious bid to escape the principal’s praise.

  “No need. I’ll take care of it.” Mrs. Mantooth looked at Daryl. “Have you heard anything more on the condition of Miss Blackhawk’s brother?”

  “Nothing yet.”

  She sighed. “Well, please keep me informed if you can.” After pointing out where the teachers’ parking lot was located around the side of the building, she thanked them again before going inside.

  “ ‘Miss Amy’?” Daryl questioned as they headed for the parking lot.

  Amelia shrugged. “I knew you wouldn’t want me to use my last name, and they had a little trouble with Amelia, so…Amy.”

  “I like it.” Even if it was the nickname Chaz had used for her.

  “Yeah,” she replied with a small smile, “so do I.”

  They made it all the way to Winnie’s car before Daryl gave in to his curiosity. “So, what did Annelise whisper in your ear back there?”

  “She asked if I was sure you weren’t really a giant.” Amelia held out her hand and accepted the keys, opening the Honda’s door to let out the day’s heat.

  An early bloomer, his size had always made him feel awkward. Like he was different from everyone else, when he already had his mixed heritage to contend with on that front. It wasn’t until he’d become a teen and the rest of him had grown into the height that he started to appreciate it. But now, a twinge of that old self-consciousness poked him. “And what did you say?”

  “That you definitely weren’t a giant.” She slid into the car and started it, cranking the a/c. “I told her you were more like a knight, rescuing princesses and slaying the dragons that kept them prisoner in their towers.” She closed the door and put the car into reverse while he just stood there, staring at her in surprise. After backing up only a few inches, the car stopped and the window rolled down so she could add, “You know, kind of like Shrek.”

  Daryl watched the car drive away in stunned silence before he threw his head back and laughed. Well, hell. At least Shrek was a step up from Sloth, especially if he got to cast Chaz in the role as the pain-in-the-ass donkey sidekick.

  Chapter Nineteen

  There still wasn’t any news when they got to Winona’s apartment.

  Amelia tried to distract Winnie by recounting how things had gone with her class, but she was too far sunk in her misery to pretend to care. She barely gave a flicker of a smile when she heard how the two boys had asked Daryl why he whispered to the horses.

  Finally, Amelia gave up and hugged the girl she’d begun to think of as a friend. “You hang in there,” Amelia said, squeezing her tight. “Think positive thoughts.”

  “I’ll try.” Winnie hugged her back even tighter. “Thank you.”

  Kim walked them to the door. “I’m going to stay with her until we hear something.”

  “Of course.” Amelia wouldn’t have expected anything less.

  “That means you’ll have to handle getting dinner ready for the boys.”

  On the outside, Amelia said, “No problem.” On the inside, she was freaking out. Handle dinner? She’d barely mastered eggs, for pity’s sake! God only knew what she’d do to the steaks Kim informed her were marinating in the refrigerator. She had horrid visions of all the ways she could screw up the meal, all while smiling and reassuring Kim not to worry; she’d take care of everything.

  The minute they were in the truck, Daryl asked, “You don’t have the first idea of how to cook steak,
do you?”

  “Not a clue.” The admission came out as a sigh. “But I’ll figure it out. Kim needs to focus on Winona right now. She said everything I need is prepped and ready to go. I’m sure I can muddle through it.” She hoped.

  Daryl’s fingers tapped on the steering wheel. “I can handle the grilling if you want.”

  “Oh, thank God.” The last thing she wanted to do was disappoint the pack of hungry men who were going to be expecting something edible on their plates tonight. If Daryl handled the grilling, she could fake her way through the rest. Probably. “Yes. Thank you.”

  They drove a few minutes in silence before Daryl spoke again. “Shrek, huh?”

  Amelia wanted to disappear into her seat. She’d made the Shrek comment after seeing Daryl’s reaction when she called him a princess-rescuing knight. He’d looked a little taken aback and more than a little uncomfortable, so she used the humorous comparison to lighten the mood. There was no need for Daryl to know that she really had started thinking of him as her own personal knight errant. He made her feel safe. Not only in the physical sense, but he also made her feel safe to be herself, and that was worth more than all the zeroes in her father’s bank account.

  “Well,” she said, pretending to think about it, “you do have a lot in common. You’re both tall. You’re both a little intimidating. And you both got stuck rescuing the useless princess from the clutches of the evil dragon.” Although the dragon from the movie had been a thousand times cuddlier than her mother.

  “As I recall, the princess in the movie wasn’t anywhere near useless,” Daryl replied, turning the truck down the long dirt driveway to the ranch. “And neither are you.”

  “You’re right,” she said with a burst of surprise, “I’m not.” She had been, for most of her life. But now…now she was starting to see she had a lot more to offer than she’d been allowed to believe. She’d been trapped as surely as Princess Fiona before Daryl helped her escape. What she did with that freedom was up to her.

  It was a daunting prospect.

  “That doesn’t mean you’re getting out of helping with the steaks,” she said when Daryl helped her down from the truck. Having him lift her in and out of the monster truck was quickly becoming the highlight of each trip she took in it.