“Did you really think your brother would have embarrassed me?”
John stole another glance at her. Was she actually angry with him? “No, that’s not what I meant.”
“You want to know what I think?”
He was pretty sure he didn’t, at least, not this time. But he had agreed—insisted, in fact—to full disclosure. Anything less would make a hard situation even more difficult. “What would that be?”
Her eyes met his, defiant and something else, not angry exactly. Something more like hurt. “That the only person you were worried your brother would embarrass was yourself.”
John opened his mouth, then thought better of it. What was the point of arguing over something that happened years ago? But seeing the pain reflected in Merrilee’s expression bothered him. Was she really that hurt he hadn’t told her about Mattie? He’d thought he was doing her a favor, not unloading his problems on her, but obviously he’d been mistaken. Was he just as wrong in thinking he’d done it to protect her or was there some truth to what she’d said?
Was she right? Was I embarrassed by Mattie?
John gritted his back teeth together, a dull ache settling in at the base of his skull. The past few days hadn’t gone as he’d hoped, but when did life ever go as planned? Within the house, a door clicked shut.
Merrilee must have heard it, too. “Maggie was in the kitchen getting some saltines to take back to her room.”
“Morning sickness?”
Merrilee nodded, pressing her cup against her lips. “It’s rough right now, but give it a few weeks and things are bound to be better.”
John gave a brief nod. Was she only talking about her niece or was she also referring to their situation? “If you’ll show me your cases, I’ll get them loaded into Aurora’s car.”
Merrilee hesitated, making him wonder if she was going to back out on their deal. Then she turned and walked quietly into the house.
* * *
How could he have kept that kind of secret from me?
Merrilee glared out the passenger’s-side window, her arms crisscrossed tightly over her ribs, her body welded close to the door. Fresh patches of color whizzed by, announcing the arrival of spring, but she barely noticed. She’d almost reneged on her promise to help him, would have if Aurora and the kids didn’t need her. Without this year’s crop, they’d be hard-pressed to make it through the winter. She couldn’t back out, not without explaining her reasons why.
She stole a glance over at him. What other secrets had John kept from her? Maybe Major Evans and his investigation would give her answers. A heaviness settled over her. Why was she so disappointed at the thought?
“I’m sorry.”
Merrilee blinked, not sure if she’d heard John right. “What?”
A heavy sigh filled the cab of the truck. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I was a little ashamed of Mattie.”
His pained expression vaporized whatever anger she felt. “You were a kid. We both were. And people, well, some aren’t very kind when it comes to folks who are different.”
Leaving one hand on the steering wheel, he looked at ease, but there was an underlying tension in his shoulders, a few tiny lines around his eyes that testified to the struggle going on underneath. “Is that why you’re so determined to help Claire get well?”
She wanted to get mad at him, but there was no malice in his voice, just concern. Besides, he was right. That was what she wanted for Claire, yes, but also for her. “I don’t want to talk about this right now.”
“Why not?”
Really, why wouldn’t the man just let the subject go? But then, he was Claire’s father. He had a right to know. “I’m afraid she’s going to give up trying.”
“Why do you think that?”
The words came easier now. Maybe having someone to share the burden of the past twelve months would lighten her load. “It’s been a year since Claire came down with polio and she still struggles.”
John’s lips flattened into a straight line. “Folks have been struggling since Adam and Eve bit into that apple.”
“Yeah, but...” She hesitated. Really, baring one’s soul was a little too much first thing in the morning. “Why Claire? She’s only a kid.”
“Just like the kids Ms. Aurora takes in?”
She nodded. “Exactly. I mean, why would God allow these kids to suffer like that?”
“Why wouldn’t He?”
His words were like a punch to the stomach and for a moment, she couldn’t breathe. Merrilee shook her head but didn’t respond. God wouldn’t deliberately choose to let children suffer, would He? “Why would you say something like that?”
He stole a glance at her, then turned his attention back to the road. “Because sometimes God uses those things in our lives that cause us the most pain to grow us in our faith.”
Merrilee sank back into her seat. Was what John said true? Could Claire be growing in her relationship with the Lord through her bout with polio? She didn’t see it, but then she’d felt alone, abandoned with no answers since she and Beau had raced Claire to the hospital that night.
“How will you feel if Claire always has a little limp?”
Merrilee’s hands grasped the sides of her overalls, fisting her fingers into the stiff cotton. She might be foolish not to take the idea in account, but she refused to fill her thoughts with the negative possibilities. “If she still has problems walking after we’ve tried everything, then so be it. But I’m not giving up on her, not yet.”
“Honey, I’m not giving up on her, either. She’s a strong-willed girl just like her mama.”
The crooked grin he flashed her made her heart flutter just a bit, causing her to stare straight ahead. “Still, I worry about her,” Merrilee replied. “She may be strong, but she’s extremely tired of all the doctor’s visits and therapy sessions right now.”
“Then let’s give her a break.”
“What?” She jerked her head around to glare at him.
“I’m not giving up on her, just saying a small break in the action may be just what she needs to catch her breath.”
“I don’t know,” she answered, eyeing him cautiously. Was he sincere or just placating her after their rough start this morning? “I’ve been working on getting her into a new rehabilitation program.”
“Is it her best shot?”
She nodded. Should she give him a notion of what they were up against, how every doctor and most of the physical therapists had given up hope of Claire ever recovering the use of her leg? No, Claire just needed the right therapies. Which was why Merrilee needed to get her daughter to the little town of Pine Mountain. “Yes, in Warm Springs.”
“Isn’t that where the president has a home?”
She nodded. “But it’s also known for its work with polio victims. They say the mineral waters there have healing properties that particularly help those trying to regain the use of their limbs.”
“Hmm. Odd that the president likes to go there, don’t you think?”
She’d thought it was odd, too. President Roosevelt always seemed so full of vigor in the newspapers and speaking on the radio. “Maybe he knows someone who was stricken with polio and has a home in Warm Springs to support them. That sounds like something the president and Mrs. Roosevelt would do.”
He nodded slightly, as if he sensed there was another part of the story not being told. “So what do we need to do to get Claire seen there?”
“I’ve put her on the waiting list.”
A grimace came across his face. “Not too crazy about waiting.”
Merrilee didn’t have much patience when it came to waiting, either, particularly when in regards to Claire. Why else would she have made the deal with Major Evans? “It shouldn’t be too bad. Maybe by the end of the summer.”
&nb
sp; “Then maybe a break before we get her into Warm Springs might give her the energy she’ll need to tackle the new treatments,” John said, turning on the blinker.
“I don’t know. It can’t be good for her not to exercise her leg for that length of time.”
“Oh, she’ll exercise the leg, only we’ll make it fun for her. Remember the lake on the back corner of Ms. Aurora’s property?”
Of course she remembered that lake. It was where John had taken her on their first date, for a picnic that he’d put together himself. Afterward, he’d dug out a baseball and two mitts and taught her how to play catch.
Her best first date ever.
The only first date she’d ever gone on, she told herself. “Yes, I remember.”
“Maybe we could take her out there, with the other kids, of course. Get her swimming a little, build up those muscles.”
It was a plan. There was only one hitch. “Claire doesn’t know how to swim.”
“Then I’ll teach her.”
She tilted her head to the side to stare at him. “I don’t remember you ever knowing how to swim.”
His warm chuckle vibrated through her. “When I was assigned to a ship the Japs were trying to bomb out of the water, I thought it would be in my best interest to learn.”
A wave of laughter rumbled up her throat. “Survival of the fittest, hmm?”
“Well, you know me. Always the optimist. Figured if anyone could make it to shore, it would be me.”
Knowing John, she didn’t doubt he would at least try. So why had he given up so quickly on their marriage? Had their union not been worth fighting for, at least, not to him?
What did it matter now? They’d been apart for more than a decade. The only reason John had come back to Marietta at all was to be part of his daughter’s life. But all the reasoning in the world didn’t silence the questions she had. Why did she feel that if he ever told her the truth behind the demise of their marriage, she might not be able to fight these feelings she’d buried away so long ago?
As the truck bumped through the clearing to Aurora’s house, Merrilee noticed the black truck parked next to the barn. It looked vaguely familiar. Who would be visiting Aurora at this time of the morning?
“Do you know who it is?” John asked, slowing down to glare out of the windshield.
What if these were the people running the black market Evans had her investigating? Had they learned about Aurora’s illness and come to close down her part of their operation? Merrilee’s heart knocked against her ribs as she scanned the area. “I don’t see any of the kids, but there’s someone standing near the far edge of the front porch.”
The truck jerked to a stop. Merrilee’s body lunged forward, her eyes slamming shut, tensing as she continued to move toward the glass windshield. She hung there for a moment, her forward movement interrupted, John’s arm a steel belt across her middle. The truck rocked backward, gently tossing her back into her seat before settling.
Seconds passed. The bench seat gave a little beneath her as she felt John move toward her. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
His breath whispered across her cheek, raising the sensitive hairs along the nape of her neck. She drew in a steadying breath, but the combined scents of clean soil, coffee and something purely John brought back mornings of waking up alongside him, causing her insides to jitter even more.
Time to stop this foolishness and find out who was waiting on the porch. She pressed herself back against the seat and away from the warmth of his arm still draped around her waist. “Nothing broken or banged up.”
“Are you sure?”
His voice carried a note of concern, and for the briefest of moments, she almost gave in to the urge to stare up at him. Instead, she sat completely motionless, save the slight nod she gave him to answer his question. “Don’t you think we should find out who is here?”
John let go of her then, retreating to his side of the truck. “Why don’t you stay here, at least until I find out who they are?”
The man was sadly mistaken if he was under the delusion she wasn’t going in with him. “It’s probably just one of the neighbors. More than likely they heard Ms. Aurora was doing poorly and brought something for supper.”
“It could be someone dropping off another kid for Ms. Aurora.”
The matter-of-fact way he said it bothered Merrilee. Could people really be that cruel, leaving a poor defenseless child, their poor defenseless child, with a person they didn’t know? Then she remembered that it could be worse. The reprobates could have left them out on the street to fend for themselves...the way John’s father had. A disgust for the unknown man welled up inside her. Merrilee studied the vehicle. “The truck looks familiar.”
“Probably someone from out of town. Ms. Aurora says it makes it easier for them to forget about what happened if there’s not a chance of running into us in town.”
Merrilee gave a vicious shake to her head. “It will take me dying before I could ever stop thinking about Claire Bear. You just don’t stop caring about the people you love.”
“You’re right,” he whispered, a sad smile playing along the corner of his mouth before he climbed out of the truck. “Would you stay here, just until I find out who this person is?”
Merrilee fell back against the seat as the door clicked shut. “‘Stay here,’ he says. Stay here, my foot,” she muttered to herself. But despite his being so unreasonable, the feminine part of her thrilled at his protectiveness. She’d been so long on her own, she’d forgotten how it felt to have someone else watching out for her, ready to do battle for her. But was his protectiveness for her, or for the mother of his child?
Of course, he’d done it for Claire, not her. Her mood suddenly cooled, she climbed out of the truck and slammed the door shut.
The warm steel stung the tender flesh of her arms as she leaned along the railing of the truck bed, her gaze turned toward the porch. There was something familiar about the man standing there, the way he held himself erect as if his battle wasn’t fought over in Europe or in the middle of the Pacific, but here in Marietta. Sunlight caught on the badge on his chest. Sheriff Mack Worthington. Had Ms. Aurora had another spell? Or was it one of the children this time? Merrilee ran around the truck and across the dirt yard, passing John along the way. “Is something wrong, Mack? Are the kids okay?”
“Ms. Merrilee, I didn’t expect to see you here.” The tall man lumbered across the porch, a smile plastered on his face as he stood at the top of the stairs. “I’m sorry I didn’t make it to Beau and Edie’s wedding the other day, but I was on duty. Heard it was pretty, though.”
“Yes, it was,” she answered breathlessly, pressing her hand against the stitch in her side. “But you didn’t answer my question. Are the kids and Ms. Aurora okay?”
“As far as I know. Billy came down a little while ago and told me he couldn’t open the door until Mr. John got back. Said he was under strict orders.” Mack grinned. “Good kid, that Billy.”
Merrilee smiled. The boy reminded her so much of John when he was not much older than Billy, taking on more responsibility than any child should. “Yes, he is.”
John stepped up beside her, his breath steady, eyeing Mack as if he were public-enemy number one instead of a peace officer. “Is this a friend of yours?”
Was there a hint of jealousy to his question? That was ridiculous. Then why did the thought make her stomach flutter? “You remember Mack Worthington. He hung around with Beau back in high school. He’s the sheriff now.”
Mack came down one step and held out his hand. “And you are?”
He shook his hand. “John Davenport.”
“John Davenport.” Mack’s jet-black eyebrows furrowed, then released, his pale blue eyes growing wide, his finger pointing at one, then the other. “I remember when you two—”
; “—ran off and got married,” Merrilee finished for him. Well, if there was anyone in town who didn’t know of John’s return, that would change before lunchtime. Time to get down to business and find out what brought the sheriff out here in the first place. “You still haven’t told us what you’re doing here.”
“Oh, I needed to talk to Ms. Aurora. I overheard something this morning at the diner and thought she ought to know about it.”
“Ms. Aurora’s sick, Mack. She had a spell with her heart yesterday.” Merrilee placed her hand on the sheriff’s arm and lifted her gaze to meet his. “John and I are going to be taking care of the kids and the farm until she gets back on her feet. So whatever it is you heard, you can tell us.”
Mack’s mouth flattened into a harsh line. “You’re probably going to be the ones who have to deal with this, then. Dr. Adams is talking about reporting Ms. Aurora to the state. If he does, they’ll send a social worker from Atlanta out here to decide if the kids should be sent away.”
Chapter Eleven
“But those are Ms. Aurora’s children. The state can’t just take them away.”
Merrilee had said it so matter-of-factly, no one besides John would have recognized the slight tremor in her voice for what it was.
Sheer and unadulterated fear.
Well, she had a right to worry; they all did. “Ms. Aurora never legally adopts the kids under her care, just takes them. Since the parents don’t want them, there are no questions asked. It’s better than having the families send them away.”
“But that’s not fair. She loves those kids like they’re her own.” Pleading green eyes full of compassion stared up at him, begging him for some resolution to this problem.
Her sweet protectiveness toward these children no one but Aurora had ever cared for warmed John’s heart. He’d been wrong not to tell Merrilee about Mattie, should have remembered it wasn’t in her tender nature to be anything like her father. Maybe she’d been right. Maybe he had been protecting himself. But there were other concerns that needed his attention now. John met the sheriff’s gaze. “Do you have any idea when he might be doing this?”
Hearts Rekindled Page 11
