by Kim Watters
“No problem. It’s right across the hall. Just sign in at the front and get a visitor sticker.” Mr. Buchanan leaned back in his chair and hid a grin behind his stern face. “But that’s all. I can’t allow you to roam the halls during school hours. It’s against district policies. And behave, Mr. Pellegrino. Stories about the frogs in the cafeteria still circulate in these halls. It wouldn’t be good to have to reprimand a Purple Heart recipient for misconduct, now, would it?”
“No, sir. Holly?” Heat crept to Ethan’s cheeks as he helped Holly to her feet. He didn’t realize that prank all those years ago would still echo in the conservatively painted brick walls.
“Frogs?” They left the principal’s office. “Frogs? I don’t think they have frog legs on the lunch menu.”
“They don’t. My friends and I let a bunch of frogs loose in the cafeteria the last day of school in eighth grade. We really didn’t like the head lunch lady.”
“And I’m letting you help with Cameron?” Holly’s laughter belied her words.
Despite everything going on, her attitude had lightened over the past hour, and for a brief moment he wondered what it would be like if they were to go out and do something that wasn’t related to Holly’s business or the sanctuary or Cameron. Maybe they could attend another event like the Fall Harvest Festival or go to the movies.
Wrong. Because that would be a real date, something they agreed to do together, independent of what anyone else wanted or needed. He wasn’t going to go there.
“Let’s just say I had an intervention that summer.” He signed them both in at the register on the front counter and handed her a visitor sticker. “I only had a few more problems after that.”
“Which would be?”
Ethan held open the door leading into the hallway. Memories hit as soon as they stepped through. This time, though, the visit to the principal’s office had gone much better than previous ones. “One of my old neighbors left his garage door open one day, so my friends and I took his motorized wheelchair out for a spin.” Shame and remorse filled him. “It was fun, but we rode around so long, we ran the thing out of juice several blocks from the house and had to push it back.”
“Sounds like you learned your lesson.”
“More than that. When my mom found out, she marched me across the street to apologize and sign me up for free labor. I had to mow his yard that summer, rake his leaves in the fall and shovel his driveway in the winter.” More memories filled him. “We actually bonded because of that incident, and Mr. Witherspoon ended up paying me a few bucks each time I helped him out, once he felt I paid for my crime. He was like another grandfather, one I could see on a daily basis.” Ethan glanced up, wondering if Mr. Witherspoon could see him now. Because of his influence, he’d changed his life. Now Ethan had been given the chance to pay it back with Cameron and other boys in his position.
“He never had any children, so when he died, he left me a small inheritance. Enough to put the down payment on my house in town. I was also a pall bearer at his funeral.”
Holly reached down and squeezed his right hand. “He sounds like a special person. I’m glad you had him in your life. And despite the frogs and the wheelchair and whatever else you did, I’m glad that you’re in Cameron’s life. These past few weeks have made me realize that he needs a man’s influence.”
Ethan tried to pull away, but Holly’s grip remained strong. She held up his hand and smiled as she enclosed her other hand over his. Then she gently ran her fingers over the nubs.
His heartbeat quickened and moisture broke out on his forehead and under his arms. Unsure of what to say and needing an escape, Ethan spied the restroom sign. He needed to get away for a second. “Excuse me.”
He opened the door, went inside and crossed the white tile floor to the sink. The cold water splashing against his face relieved some of his tension. He’d wanted Holly’s acceptance, but now that he had it, he wasn’t so sure it was a good thing. Or was it? Okay, Lord, I’m trusting You on this one.
Glancing up, an errant chuckle escaped his lips as he stared at the wads of dried toilet paper clinging to the ceiling. Things hadn’t changed in here, but they were changing at an amazing speed in other areas. God was good.
Forty-five minutes later, Ethan let out a whoop at the mailbox. Maybe things at the school hadn’t changed over the years, but like the oncoming winter, he sensed a change in direction with the sanctuary and maybe, just maybe, with Holly. The sun seemed to shine brighter, and in his mind’s eye, he could see the renovated barn clearly along with the brand-new fencing of the dog run. He inhaled the crisp scent of fall underlined with a hint of burning wood. “Thank you, Lord.”
He pulled out the check for twenty thousand dollars from one of the prominent state representatives from Phoenix with a promise of yearly contributions. Meredith’s letter campaign had worked. The retired military officer believed in the sanctuary. Believed in him.
Adrenaline surged through his veins, and he couldn’t wait to get started. Things could only get better.
* * *
“Dear Lord, thank You for the food and drinks before us.” Ethan’s strong, unwavering voice drowned out the almost-muted professional football game playing on the television in the family room at Kristen’s house Thanksgiving Day. “This table is full of Your abundant blessing. May all of us know that all good gifts come from You, and may each and every one of us serve Your heavenly will on a daily basis. Thank You also for bringing family and friends together to share this day of Thanksgiving in Your loving presence. And bless those who are still overseas fighting for truth and freedom and especially for those and their families who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Amen.”
Belief and hope in his voice mingled with a touch of sorrow as he squeezed Holly’s hand. She did the same before she released his, knowing he thought about the men who had died beside him. “Amen.”
“My turn,” Kristen’s daughter piped up from the children’s table, a rectangular folding table placed next to the elegant dining table that sat the fourteen adults. “Rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for the grub. Yeah, God!”
Everyone laughed at Kira’s words and began to pass the platters and bowls of food around.
Abundant blessings was right. Kristen had outdone herself again. Not only was the main table full of food and guests, there was also the children’s table of eight, and the five teenagers and Cameron sat at the counter. Most of the people in attendance were family, but her friend always invited people with nowhere else to spend the holiday. With both Holly’s parents gone now and then Jared, and the rest of her small family in Tucson, Holly now fell into that category. But what was Ethan’s story? He had family here. Even though he’d told her his mother went to Phoenix to be with her sister and he’d stayed behind because of the dogs, she knew there had to be others. So what story had Kristen concocted to get Ethan to sit by her side?
She grabbed the bowl of cranberry sauce and plopped some on her plate. When would her friend realize Holly wasn’t interested in replacing Jared?
Or was she just fooling herself? Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she watched Ethan pour gravy on Kristen’s grandmother’s turkey and potatoes. The gentle way he treated the ninety-year-old woman endeared him to her and reminded her that there was more to him than he let on. He carried his scars on the inside, too. No doubt he had nightmares about the day that changed his life. They had that in common.
Two kindred souls, trying to make sense of the useless deaths while struggling to achieve a normalcy that always seemed beyond their grasp.
“Gravy?”
Holly’s heart beat a bit faster as she caught his gaze. This time she saw him as a man, not a landlord or as someone helping her to keep Cameron in line. A man with hopes and dreams and feelings like she had. Catching her lip between her teeth, she nodded. “Yes, thank you.”
>
“So tell us, Ethan, how does it feel to be back in Dynamite Creek after being on tour so long?” Kristen’s husband, Tony, spoke from the head of the table.
Before Holly looked at Tony, she spied the tightness around Ethan’s lips and sensed him stiffen. She knew firsthand he had a hard time talking about his time over there. In fact, outside the accident that took his fingers, he hadn’t talked about Afghanistan at all. From the few articles she’d read online recently, most people didn’t understand the returning vets or what it took to assimilate back into the general population, especially injured ones.
“It’s good to be back. A little cold, but I’ll get used to it again.” The way he flexed his right hand made Holly wonder if it bothered him. If there weren’t so many people around, she might have grabbed it and tried to massage some warmth back into it.
What was she thinking? Feeling the heat explode on her cheeks, she shoved some turkey into her mouth and chewed.
“It has been an unusually cold fall so far, and I can’t believe how much snow we’ve gotten so early in the season. I can only hope that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a horrible winter. Now, who needs more cranberry sauce?” As if sensing his discomfort, Kristen held up a small white serving bowl.
“I imagine it gets pretty hot over in Afghanistan. Kind of like Yuma or Lake Havasu on a bad July day. And wearing all that gear and being away from family, that’s gotta be tough.” Tony kept talking, even after Holly saw Kristen poke him in the stomach.
“You know, I just don’t understand this war or why our men and women are over there. Now, World War II, that made sense.” Kristen’s grandmother spoke up. “Why are we there again? The deaths, the violence, it seems so senseless. I can’t watch the news about it anymore.”
“I know what you mean, Nana,” Kristen’s cousin said from the other end of the table.
Ethan tensed even more, and Holly saw him struggle to not jump from his seat and storm out the door. Before the conversation spiraled out of control, Holly placed her hand on his arm, squeezed gently and stared into the old woman’s faded blue eyes before she made eye contact with everyone at the table. “We’re there to defend freedom. Something this country was founded on. Something we shouldn’t forget.”
“You’re right. Nana, we should all be thankful for our military and all that Ethan and his fellow soldiers have done and sacrificed for our freedom,” Tony said.
When everyone at the table voiced their agreement, Ethan’s muscles relaxed, yet the tranquil mood of the day had changed.
“Did you know Ethan’s building a dog sanctuary outside of town for our service men and women who don’t have anywhere for their pets to go while they’re away?” Holly pursued a neutral topic.
“And I’m helping out,” Cameron announced from the counter. Holly saw him puff up with pride, and it gladdened her to see him so interested in something. Her heart stalled for a moment. Or was it the attention he received from Ethan? Attention that he hadn’t been getting from her because of her preoccupation with the shop? “I get to feed and play with the dogs, and when the sanctuary is fully operational, I’m going to be on the staff. Isn’t that right, Mr. P.?”
Those weren’t the exact words Ethan had said to Cameron, but the boy had been a big help to him, and he liked having him around. He liked having Holly around, too. She helped drive away his loneliness and made his nightmares recede. She brought him hope.
Ethan caught her gaze. He hadn’t had a chance to mention his more permanent solution to her yet because of timing issues, but that had to change. Holly’s stunned expression told him she wasn’t particularly happy about it, and he couldn’t blame her. Again he’d overstepped his boundaries with Cameron. “With your mother’s permission, of course.”
“Mom?”
“We’ll discuss this later, okay?” Holly hid behind a wall of hair as she stabbed at her pile of mashed potatoes. Gravy slid out of the gash she’d put in the side and spilled into her green beans, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Okay.” Holly’s son wasn’t pleased with the answer.
“Dogs?” Kristen’s grandmother spoke up next to him. “I like dogs. Always have. Too bad my Fred was allergic to them. Maybe I should get one.”
“Nana, I bet Ethan would be happy to bring a few into the nursing home for a visit.” Kristen broke in, saving Ethan from a reply.
“That’s a great idea. I’ve heard stories of how animals, dogs in particular, are good for the emotions of the elderly and shut-ins,” the woman he identified as Kristen’s sister Kate piped in. “I bet the dogs are lonely without their owners. No offense, Ethan, I’m sure you take really good care of them, but it could be beneficial for all of them.”
“None taken.” He acknowledged the blonde before his attention returned to Holly. Having Cameron and even Holly at times helping with the dogs had been helpful for all of them, too. He liked their company, and if he wasn’t mistaken, they liked his, as well. Their gazes caught as she looked up from her plate and gave him a half smile, but it was the compassion written in her eyes that made his pulse accelerate.
“Dogs are good for everyone.” Her hand covered his and she squeezed gently. For a moment, he forgot about the others gathered in the room, the food, the football game in the background and the nightmares from Afghanistan. The warmth of her touch before she pulled away put hope in his heart.
“I’ll speak with the manager when we drop Nana off tonight.” Tony’s words broke the connection.
“So is that all you’re doing, then? I’d heard Pastor Matt was trying to recruit you as the youth pastor for our church,” Kristen’s father said from the other end of the table.
Ethan shook his head to clear away the lingering effects of Holly’s gaze. He had to focus on the here and now, not on the woman who carried around the same amount of emotional baggage as he did. “He’s trying, but I’ve got another idea in mind.” He eyed Holly’s son but remained silent. If these people didn’t know of Cameron’s troubles, he wasn’t about to be the one to tell them. “I’m also working with another organization to rescue abused dogs, get them out of Afghanistan and reunite them with the men who’d adopted them but then got shipped home.”
“Interesting. You hear so much about the poor people over there, but you never really hear about much else. I guess they would have dogs just like the rest of us.” Kate scooped out more mashed potatoes onto her plate and held up the bowl. “Anyone else?”
“I’m good, thank you. Yes, they do have dogs and cats but unfortunately, they don’t think about them in the same way we do.” Ethan wiped his mouth and stared at his empty plate, thinking about Scooter, the yellow mutt that had strayed into camp one night, bloodied and battered from abuse. His appetite disappeared. The dog had ended up losing his mangled leg and one eye, and as far as he knew, Scooter was still in that base camp. Ethan expected a phone call any day requesting his services to help bring Scooter stateside.
The redhead he recognized as Stephanie with the twin girls spoke up from the far end of the table. “Finding the funding and supplies must be a challenge.” She turned to her daughters. “Girls, quit fidgeting. You may be excused, but take your plates to the kitchen first.”
“It has been. But I’ve been praying a lot and sending out a lot of letters. I’m finally finding support.” Like a moth drawn to light, his gaze sought out Holly’s. He wanted to reach for her hand and feel the connection, feel complete, but her attention was focused on her son.
“Praise be to God. It’s important for our men and women to know their pets are safe while they’re away.” Kristen’s mother, Hannah, broke in and began to pile the empty dinner plates. “Keep doing what the good Lord is telling you to do. Everything will fall into place. You’ll see.”
Kate’s husband, Cory, snapped his fingers and pointed at Ethan. “I know the general manager of that pet-food
chain store. Sometimes he gets in broken or damaged bags of food and doesn’t know what to do with them. I’ll make sure he has your name.” He pushed back his chair and patted his belly. “Another wonderful meal, Kristen. Thanks for putting up with us again this year.”
“No problem. I love having you. All of you.” At her direct stare, Ethan shifted in his seat. “Does anyone need anything else?”
“No, dear. Boys?” She motioned for the teenagers to step forward. “Start clearing the table, please. Ethan, we sometimes get donations that aren’t quite resalable at the church thrift shop. I’ll make sure to save all the towels and blankets for you,” Hannah announced, daring anyone to refute her.
Despite the noise and activity, Ethan sat there stunned. God continued to answer his prayers each and every day with the generosity being bestowed upon him. Let go, let God.
He had, or at least was trying to, and things were starting to fall into place. This time he caught and held Holly’s gaze. But would He answer Ethan’s other prayer? The one with the mixed-up feelings about the woman beside him that he had a hard time putting words to?
* * *
“Ethan likes you.” Kristen handed her a rinsed plate.
Denial sprung to Holly’s lips, but she couldn’t force the words out. Something had changed between her and Ethan over the past few weeks, even today, and it frightened her. Entertaining any type of romantic ideas with her soon-to-be former landlord was out of the question. Holly’s hand shook as she set the plate in the dishwasher in front of the last one she’d put in. “We’re almost out of room here. We’ll have to do the rest by hand.”
“Quit changing the subject. He likes you. You know it and you’re running scared.”
“He’s just being friendly and helping out with Cameron,” she retorted a bit defensively. There, she’d said it. The truth. So why did it hurt? Could Holly be a tad bit jealous of her son because of the attention Ethan was giving him? Nonsense. She only had platonic feelings for the man.
