LOVE in a Small Town

by Janet Eaves

  A couple of kids popped around the corner of the building. “Let me go. Sit here and wait.” Not giving him a chance to respond, she left the car, waiting to hear his door open and slam. It didn’t and she finally let out a breath.

  She rounded the corner where the small group of kids milled about. There, standing with his back to the wall, one foot propped up behind him flat against the bricks, his fists pushed deep into his pockets, stood Danny. He turned toward her and an expression of relief washed over his face. She stepped closer.

  “You ready to come home and talk about it?”

  Danny searched her face.

  “Is he with you?”

  Her stomach tightened. She nodded. “Is that okay?”

  He stared off for a second, a hint of grin touched the corners of his mouth. He nodded.

  “Yeah. I’m ready.”

  ****

  One ham sandwich, two handfuls of potato chips, an apple, a large tumbler of milk, and three chocolate chip cookies later, Danny leaned back at Kate’s kitchen table and looked to the three adults staring at him. “Sorry, I was hungry.”

  Kate leaned against the kitchen counter. Michael sat across the table. Mark Jamieson stood to his left.

  “It’s okay, Danny. How long has it been since you’ve eaten?”

  He shrugged. “I guess since yesterday morning.”

  Jamieson cleared his throat.

  Michael looked to the boy.

  “Tell us what happened,” Mark Jamieson said.

  Danny peered at the social worker, then Kate. “There really wasn’t nothing that happened. I just left. I started walking to school yesterday morning and I kept on going.”

  “But why?” Kate moved from the counter to the empty seat at the table. “There has to be a reason.”

  He sat, drumming his fingers on the oak table. He stared at them as if in a trance. Abruptly, he pounded the table and stood.

  “I told you. I just left. The Elliston’s didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t do anything wrong. It just don’t seem like much of a family. I guess I wanted a family and they ain’t it. This weekend was so—” He stopped short, glanced back and forth.

  “I told you that I’m working on it,” Jamieson said calmly.

  Danny squeezed his eyes shut. A tear oozed from the corner. Kate choked back a tear, herself. She watched as he began to let go and suddenly, her arms were around him, his head was on her shoulder, and she was making a heartfelt attempt to console the sobs that wracked his body.

  “My mom and dad never was any good to me,” he cried. “I thought… I thought a foster family would be like a real family. It’s not. I want a real family.” He twisted around to look at Michael. “I want a real dad. I want…” He turned back into Kate’s arms. “A real mom.”

  Her gut clutched as she stroked his back. His cries eventually subsided. Inside, she wept along with him but she was trying to be strong. At that moment, she hated the parents who had abandoned him. She swiped her own eyes with the back of her hand as she glanced across the table to Michael. He returned her gaze and she saw the anguish on his face, as well, along with compassion and caring for Danny.

  And maybe something else. She wasn’t certain. Love?

  For who?

  Closing her eyes, she focused all of her attention back to the boy.

  It was all she could give.

  Michael viewed the scene unfolding before him. He watched as Kate coddled and cooed, as though Danny was a small child who had fallen and scraped his knee. Her cream-colored hands stroked his back, her lips whispered encouraging words. His stomach tightened and warmth crept over him as he witnessed the tenderness between the two.

  Kate looked up and caught his stare. An emotional connection united their hearts at that moment. Every nerve in his body yanked alive.

  He loved her.

  And if she loved him back, they could fix this.

  Danny broke Kate’s embrace. He swiped at his face with the back of a shirt sleeve and then plunged his hands deep into pockets, retreating back into himself.

  “So, what happens now?” he asked, focusing his attention on Mark.

  “Well, as I see it, we’ve got a couple of options, and both of them aren’t perfect.” He rubbed his chin with his fingers. “We can take you out of the Elliston home immediately, but then I’d have to put you in a halfway house somewhere in the state for about thirty days. I don’t know where that would be until I see what’s available.”

  Danny stared at the floor. Kate turned a horrified expression toward Michael. His heart went out to her

  “What’s another option,” Michael intervened.

  Danny’s face twitched.

  “Going back to the Elliston’s until I find another, a good one, in the area.” He walked over to Danny, who outwardly cringed. “I know it’s not the ideal situation, but you’re in no danger there. They care for you adequately, even if not emotionally. Legally you have to be placed in an approved foster home. Until I find one in the area, you’ll have to stay there, or we have to find a halfway house. I can’t guarantee where that would be.”

  “What if he stayed with one of us until then?” Kate questioned.

  Mark shook his head. “The paperwork would take too long. I can’t jeopardize my job. There’s no any other way.”

  Danny returned Jamieson’s gaze. “How long?”

  “Not long. Maybe a few weeks. Hopefully by the first of next month. I’ve already made some inquiries. There are not many foster homes in Legend.”

  Danny interrupted, “I want to stay here.” He squared his shoulders. “I’ll tough it out.”

  Jamieson turned a stern look his way. “You have to stay put. I can keep the running away under my hat this time, but the next time, I can’t. I’ve stuck my neck out too many times already. I can’t do it anymore. Understand?”

  Danny nodded.

  “Good. Now, are you ready? I’ll take you back to the Elliston’s.”

  Again, he agreed.

  The four of them headed for the back door. Michael placed a friendly arm across Danny’s shoulders. “If you need anything, all you have to do is call me.”

  Danny’s eyes searched Michael’s. “I know. I will.”

  “Or me.” Kate smiled. “And I’ll see you every day at school.”

  “You won’t have to tough it out too long, I’m sure,” Jamieson said. They reached the door. “Danny, why don’t you wait for me in the car? I’ll be out in a moment.”

  Each adult watched as Danny made his way across Kate’s deck to Jamieson’s car parked in the driveway.

  “We really appreciate this.” Michael shook hands with Jamieson.

  “No problem.” He scratched his head. “I was wondering, though, Danny seems to have taken a liking to the both of you. Have you thought of adoption?”

  Kate’s eyes widened. “Adoption? I didn’t think a single person could…”

  Jamieson perused the both of them. “Well, it’s possible but I thought, uh, actually I thought you were a couple. Danny seems so involved with both of you.” He stepped onto the deck. “Think about it. I’ll keep in touch.”

  Michael and Kate waved toward the car. Danny waved back through the window. Then he was gone.

  Michael silently took Kate’s hand and led her through the house and into her living room. He sat her down on the sofa and eased himself down beside her, taking both of her hands in his. For several minutes they sat. She studied Michael’s face as he searched her eyes.

  “It’s not a bad idea,” he finally said.

  “What?”

  “To get married.”

  Kate jumped back. “What do you mean, get married?”

  “He assumed we were married. If we were, we could give Danny a real home, a real family. Didn’t you see how he was hinting around? He wants us to be his parents.”

  Kate snatched her hands from his grasp. “And that’s it? That’s all? We do it for Danny’s sake?”

  “Well, maybe not exa
ctly.” He gathered her hands in his again. “I mean, you and I, we, well, we do have something between us. We both know that Kate. I’m sure in time…”

  “No!” She pulled away and rubbed her forehead. “This is too much. I can’t, Michael. I simply can’t. We don’t even know each other that well.”

  “Not even for Danny?”

  She looked stricken. “No! Not even for Danny. It’s not fair.”

  “What he’s living right now is not fair.”

  She shook her head. “No, Michael. We could probably play the game for a while, but what about later, what about years from now when things aren’t going so well. What would it do to him if we ever broke off the relationship? No, we haven’t had enough time yet to even think about marriage.”

  “Kate, I love you.”

  She closed her eyes.

  “Marry me, Kate.” He was pleading, and that was not something he did on a regular basis.

  “No, Michael. It’s impossible. I can’t consider it.”

  He stayed in front of her for a moment, frozen, his gaze caught in the indecision of hers. Finally, he rose and left, and didn’t give her a backward glance. He simply walked through her house, exited the back door, and out of her life.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The phone rang several hours after midnight. Kate wasn’t sure exactly what time. “I’ll get help,” she said into the phone, “and be back in touch as soon as I can.”

  Slamming the receiver back into its cradle, she grabbed a pair of jeans she’d tossed over a chair earlier and pulled them on. She rummaged for a bra and t-shirt, slipped into a pair of sneakers, and pulled a brush through her hair.

  I have to call Michael.

  He’d written his cell phone number on the refrigerator. Right! She flew down the stairs, stared at the message board, puzzled. The number was gone.

  Frowning, she grabbed her cell off the kitchen charger and called Patti, instead. In four rings, she answered.

  “What time is it?” she asked sleepily. “What’s going on?”

  “Danny’s missing again. The social worker left him at the Elliston’s but later he was gone. I’ve got to find him. I should call Michael. I think…”

  “Of course you should call him.”

  “Um, I’m not so sure he wants to hear from me.”

  “Call him. He’d want to help. Where do you think Danny is?”

  Kate paced. “I don’t know. The social worker said the older kids at his foster family told him he might have ran off with the carnival people.”

  “Oh shit. No! Surely he wouldn’t.” Patti groaned

  “I’m not so sure. He was fascinated by them.”

  “What are you going to do? You can’t go traipsing off in the wee hours looking for him yourself. You’ve got to call Michael. He’d want to help.”

  “That’s the thing,” she glanced at the message board and frowned. “He’s sort of irritated with me, I think, and… I’ve lost his number.”

  “Get in your car and go. Wake him up and tell him it’s an emergency. Tell him you need him. Now.”

  The implications of her words hit home hard. She did need him. It was a moment of crisis and she had turned to him. Rob’s memories could not fill the empty void in her life any longer. But Michael could. And she needed him.

  She grabbed her jacket off the kitchen chair. “You’re right. I’m going now. I’ll call. Oh, and Patti? Thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  Starting to hang up, she had another thought. “Patti? Can you call Mr. Hamilton? I might need a substitute today.”

  “Sure thing, sweetie. I’ve got you covered. I’ll pull out your lesson plans.”

  She tucked her cell in her pocket and raced out the back door and into her old SUV, praying that today would not be the day that it decided to die. “Don’t fail me now,” she muttered as she turned the key in the ignition, pumped the gas peddle, and felt a rush of relief as the engine turned over.

  The fifteen miles or so to Michael’s farm took forever. Things looked quite different at this hour of the morning. Finally she turned into the tree-lined drive that led up to his farmhouse. The full moon reflected the white siding into the dark night. A security light burned between the house and the barn. As she grew nearer, she noticed lights in an upstairs room. A shadow crossed the window.

  Skidding to a halt on the gravel drive, she parked the truck and bounded toward the house. A dog barked as she approached the porch. Light flooded the area.

  Michael jerked the door open just as quickly as Kate reached it. He stood before her, in a pair of black sweatpants, a silly half grin/half frown spread across his face. His near nakedness set her blood afire. His broad chest smattered with damp hair glistened in the lamplight as if he’d just stepped out of the shower. Her heart did flip-flops.

  “Kate?” His look turned solemn. He grasped her upper arms and brought her into the house.

  “Michael, I need…” She wanted to say she needed him, but that would have to wait, “your help. Danny is missing again.”

  “The carnival?” he asked. “I was thinking earlier about how he was so enamored with that boy.”

  “I think so. Will you help? Mark had to report it so the local authorities have been alerted, but I thought…”

  “Wait here. I’ll be right back.” His athletic legs took the stairs two at a time. Soon he returned in jeans, boots, and t-shirt. His revolver was strapped in a shoulder holster, a baseball cap tucked under one arm. He grabbed a light jacket out of a nearby closet.

  “Let’s go,” he ordered, taking her hand and half-dragging her out the door.

  Michael patched through a couple of calls as they flew down the road—one to his command post and another to Matt Branson in Legend, a local cop who might have information. Kate listened and watched out the passenger window until he clicked off his radio.

  “The carnival is headed north, to a town in eastern Kentucky. It’s over a hundred miles from here but mostly interstate once we get to Knoxville. The caravan left somewhere between two and three a.m., so they’ve got at least a two hour start on us. But we can move a lot faster than they can pulling that heavy equipment. Maybe we can catch up.”

  Kate nodded, watching his profile, concentrating on staying on her half of the front seat of the cruiser. His tousled look made him incredibly attractive at the moment, not to mention irresistible.

  He pulled off a side road toward the main highway. Gradually, he increased his speed and turned on his flashing lights.

  “The traffic won’t be heavy this time of night, but with the lights on, at least anyone on the road will stay out of our way,” he told her.

  A long silence spread throughout the cruiser. Michael concentrated on his driving, Kate on Danny…and the words Patti said earlier. Tell him you need him. Now. It was like firecrackers had gone off in her head. She did need him and wanted him in her life and she prayed and hoped that he wanted her too. There was too much there, she had decided. Too much electricity between them when they barely touched, and a strong physical pull when they didn’t. A connection of their hearts. A meeting of their souls.

  And making love with him would only confirm her feelings.

  Surprised, she hadn’t thought of making love to anyone since Rob. As much as she loved him, somehow this was different. She had never possessed the kind of physical desire that was now coursing through her body.

  She wanted Michael.

  Did he still want her?

  She warmed at the memory of his hot lips against her neck earlier, of his hands firmly massaging her buttocks, pulling her closer. He wanted her then, she knew it, could feel it—physically, his desire more than apparent.

  “You’re too quiet,” Michael said, breaking the silence. They’d been in such a rush at first. Maybe the silence was calming for both of them.

  “You too.” She angled her body towards him, drawing her legs up under her.

  “I want to apologize.” He stared ahead.
>
  “No, I should be the one to apologize.”

  “No. It was too fast, too sudden.” He slowed some and glanced her way. “But everything I said was true. I love you, Kate. I want to make that perfectly clear. I didn’t ask you to marry me for Danny’s sake, I asked you to marry me for mine.” He risked a long look into her eyes. “So, for now, please understand that that’s where I’m coming from and I’ll wait for you until you’re ready. It’s all up to you.”

  Kate’s gaze dropped into her lap. “Michael, you have to understand. It was such a surprise, so sudden. I didn’t mean to react so violently.”

  “I know.” He reached for her. “Come here.”

  She did. Snuggling up against him, she relished in the feel of his body next to hers. It was not only a comforted but fueled her desire.

  “Keep your eye out for anything that looks like carnival rides,” he said. “We should come up on something soon.”

  “Look for the Spider. I think he liked that guy. I’ll bet he’s with him.”

  “I’ll bet you’re right.”

  She sat up straight in her seat, still next to Michael’s shoulder. She peered down the road stretched out before them. In no time at all they spotted a couple of food stands pulled by old pick-up trucks. Then further on down the road they passed the Tilt-a-Whirl and the Ferris Wheel.

  Without notice, he turned on his siren. “Hot damn.” He pointed at the back of something that looked almost like a car carrier. Round black seats were positioned within its confines.

  “That’s it!” Her stomach turned to jelly. “Now, if only he’s there.”

  “I have a feeling he is.”

  Michael filed in behind the ride, lights flashing and siren screaming, willing the huge tractor-trailer to pull over. Reluctantly, it seemed to Kate, it did. Then they came to a full stop.

  “Stay here,” he told her, pulling on his jacket. Fat raindrops dotted the windshield. “This shouldn’t take too long.”

  Michael stepped out of the cruiser and slowly walked the length of the trailer. Soon, he was out of sight. Kate prayed that Danny was there and that he would not put up any resistance. Michael was gone several minutes. Finally, he returned—alone.