Coming Home: (Contemporary Christian Romance Boxed Set): Three Stories of Love, Faith, Struggle & Hope

by Debra Ullrick

  The child rolled over and rubbed his eyes.

  “Come on, sweetie. We’re going to be late for breakfast.” She went into his closet and grabbed an outfit. “I’ll be right back to help you.” With that she ran across the hallway to Isabella’s room. The blinds were shut, causing the room to be a deep, shadowy gray. “Baby girl. Hey. Good morning.” She went to the crib and laid her hand on the child’s back. “Wake up, little one. It’s breakfast time.”

  In Isabella’s closet, she turned on the light and took out a pink outfit complete with baby capris. She snapped the light off and strode for the crib. Still asleep, Isabella barely moved as Maggie picked her up and took her to the changing table. It was like she was on autopilot, and in no time the little girl was changed and ready—except that she was still asleep. Maggie tucked her onto her shoulder and went to help Peter.

  “Morning, little man. How are you?” She laid Isabella on Peter’s bed and helped him with his shirt and then his pants. Frantically she raced to the closet for socks and shoes. Sitting on his bed, she swept him up to her lap and worked the socks and then the shoes on the little feet.

  He rubbed his eyes. “Are you leaving today?”

  “No. Sweetheart, but we’re going to be fired if we don’t get down to breakfast like super-fast.” Maggie stood him off, leaped to her feet, and grabbed up Isabella. “Come on.”

  “What are you going to do then?” his father asked in dissatisfaction as Keith sat across from the desk, having been summoned for a meeting he would rather have skipped.

  “I’m not sure, but Devonshire is not it.” That much, and only that much he was sure of.

  His father frowned. “You do realize that Dallas is accustomed to living at a certain level. Lewell is beside himself with worry for her.”

  “I’m sure.” Not to mention himself, Keith thought. “But there are things in this life that are more important than having enough money to make everyone else respect you.”

  “Hhrump. Like what?”

  “Like respecting yourself, and having values and principles you don’t sell down the river for a few bucks.” How he felt so calm, he had no idea. He slid his fingers together loosely. “We’ll be okay.”

  Displeasure crossed his father’s face. “How do you know that? You don’t even have a job lined up nor according to Lewell a house.”

  “Because something’s going to work. I just have to wait for the right doors to come open.”

  His father’s face fell further. “You’re talking in riddles, Keith. You have to make some solid plans here. You can’t keep a wife happy on dreams and hopes and wishes. Dallas needs you to be a man and to start accepting your responsibilities.”

  “Even if that includes selling myself to the highest bidder?”

  That stopped his father’s rant.

  Keith shrugged. “I’ll find something, but it’s not going to be at Devonshire.”

  Seeing no way to convince his son, his father stood. “Well, I hope you know what you’re doing because Lewell is going to eat you alive if this doesn’t work.” He led the way to the door as Keith stood and followed him. “I’ll tell you one thing’s for sure, Lewell is not pleased, and that’s a dangerous line to be crossing.”

  They walked into the hallway. Two steps and his father changed the subject.

  “So is there a race this weekend? I was wanting to take Vivian if it’s not too far away.”

  “Yeah. Q-Main is racing at Harrah’s tomorrow.” Keith stopped at the base of the stairs, and his attention snapped up as Maggie and children came nearly flying down them.

  “So Ike and Tanner are gone already?” his father asked.

  “Uh, yeah. They left yesterday afternoon.”

  “Oh!” Maggie pulled up short midway down the bottom curve. “I’m sorry, Sir. Umm… we’re a little late for breakfast.”

  Concern slid through Keith. She looked pale and harried and not at all like the Maggie he knew.

  “Yes. I believe Mrs. Ayer is waiting for us all,” his father said. He turned to Keith. “I guess that means you’ll be taking care of things this weekend?”

  “Here?”

  His father glanced at his children and pursed his lips. “I think it might be wise if you check in on things, just to make sure.”

  On cat feet and without directly looking at Keith, Maggie slipped past them. Her heart was set on permanent spin. “I smell waffles.” She shook her shoulder a bit. “Izzy, time to wake up, baby. Waffles.”

  They walked into the dining room, and a face that would’ve frozen Africa met them. “Well, it’s about time,” Vivian said. “Ms. Montgomery, if you are going to take time off to go on your little rendezvous, I expect you to not be late and keep the rest of us waiting.”

  Mr. Ayer stepped in behind her.

  “I’m sorry, Ma’am. Really. My alarm clock didn’t…”

  “This is not a time for excuses.” Vivian rapped on the table. “Inez.”

  Like she was a trained seal, Inez appeared with a stack of waffles and a plate of sausage. “It’s turkey sausage, just as you requested, Ma’am. Would you like anything else?”

  “A glass of orange juice please,” Vivian said, and Inez walked out. “You would think after all these years, she would know not to set the milk in front of me. Ugh.” Vivian picked up the crystal pitcher and handed it to Maggie to put down the table.

  Maggie was still trying to wake Isabella up. She set the pitcher next to Peter. “Izzy. Sweetheart.” Only then did the child move just a little.

  “Vivian,” Mr. Ayer said as he forked into the waffles, “Keith just informed me that one of the horses will be racing in Louisiana this weekend. I thought it might be a good time to get away—what with the wedding coming up and all. It might be our only chance before the middle of June. I thought we could leave this evening if you want to go.”

  “Do you have the box secured and the hotel booked?”

  He waved the question off. “I’ll get Cherise to do it when I go into the office today.”

  Mrs. Ayer glanced at Maggie. “Who will be watching the house?”

  “I asked Keith to keep an eye on things, and Patty Ann will be here too.”

  She looked all-but horrified. “Keith? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  He stopped eating for a moment. “He needs some responsibility on his shoulders. Maybe that will help him get his head on straight.”

  She sighed dramatically. “Well, I guess it would do me some good to get away for a weekend. I certainly won’t have a chance after this.”

  “Iz,” Maggie said, pulling the child off her shoulder and sitting her on her lap as she tried not to listen to the conversation. “Let’s eat some waffles, little one.”

  The little girl shook her head slowly, her curls sliding across Maggie’s ribcage.

  Worry snapped into Maggie. “You don’t want waffles? But they’re your favorite.”

  Again Isabella shook her head. Maggie corkscrewed her mouth as she looked down at the child. “I don’t think you feel very good. We’re going to have to let you lay down a little.” She stood from the table. “I think I’ll just take her upstairs.”

  Instantly Peter was on his feet. “I’ll go too.”

  Maggie looked down at his plate with a full sausage and nearly as much waffle left. “Why don’t you stay down here and eat?”

  He wound his hand through hers. “I want to go with you.”

  Seeing no other option, Maggie nodded. “If you’ll excuse us.”

  By lunchtime Isabella was decidedly sick. Even the pediatric hydration liquid hadn’t stayed down. The night before was looking less and less worth it all the time. For the third time that day, Maggie put Isabella in her crib with the child already asleep. She laid her hand on her back and said a soft prayer. Then she turned and took Peter’s hand as they tiptoed out.

  “Ms. Montgomery,” Patty Ann said, striding down the hall and meeting them at Isabella’s door.

  Instantly Maggie held he
r finger to her lips. “Shh. Izzy isn’t feeling good.”

  “Yes. Well.” Patty Ann waited until the door was closed but didn’t lower her voice. “I wanted to inform you that the Ayers are going out of town this evening, so they will not be at dinner.”

  There were moments to thank God for small favors. This was one of them. “Okay.”

  “They will be back Sunday afternoon at four, so I hope you are not planning any last minute absences.”

  “Uh, no, Ma’am.” Maggie felt Peter huddling behind her knee. “I’m here for the duration.”

  Patty Ann scowled. “Good.” With that she turned on her heel and stalked off.

  Maggie looked down at Peter. “Ugh. She’s fun. Let’s go see what we can do while we wait for your sister to get better.”

  It was stupid to even think it, but he knew they wouldn’t get many more chances like this. At 5:30, Keith left the stables and drove to the mansion. His parents were gone. He’d seen them leave. Dinner was at six, and he didn’t want to miss it.

  “Oh, baby girl. Your little eyes look awful.” Maggie sighed and looked at her watch. Across the room, Peter played with his blocks. “I guess I’ll have to see if Inez will let us eat up here. You don’t look like dinner material.”

  Knowing she was going to get reamed for it, Maggie went down to the kitchen. “Izzy’s still sick. Is there any way we can take some plates upstairs and eat up there?”

  Inez looked horrified. “Eating upstairs? Patty Ann would fire me on the spot.”

  “Well, Patty Ann is gone for the day.” Maggie put her hands on her hips, not willing to roll over and play dead. “Peter is hungry, and so am I. Izzy can’t come down here, and I’m not leaving her up there in the shape she’s in. So that doesn’t leave us many options, does it?”

  Keith heard the voices in the kitchen and followed them that direction.

  “But Ms. Montgomery, one spot on the carpet, and you know…” Her words trailed off as Keith walked in.

  He looked at Maggie and overwhelming worry snapped into him. “What’s wrong?”

  Maggie crossed her arms. “Izzy’s sick, and I can’t just leave her up there to bring Peter down here to eat. And unfortunately I can’t split myself in half to be in both places at once.” She glared at Inez. The oppressiveness of the house was obviously beginning to grate her nerves.

  “Oh.” Keith didn’t want to make the suggestion because he had really hoped they could eat together, but it was the best option. “Well, I could eat with Pete, and then I could watch them while you eat.”

  Her gaze was less than certain. “You’re eating here tonight?”

  “Looks like it.”

  Maggie was in the rocking chair with Isabella again, holding her, stroking her hair when suddenly she felt something strange at the back of the child’s head. Worry collapsed over her. “What’s this?” Rounded out, it felt like the outside of a golf ball. Isabella let out a whimper of pain as Maggie lightly rubbed across it.

  “Knock. Knock,” Keith said softly knocking on the door as he and Peter appeared there.

  Maggie barely looked up.

  “We brought you some dinner. Smuggled it up ourselves. Right, Pete?” Proudly Keith produced the plate, but Maggie hardly noticed. The plate in his hand lowered along with his eyebrows. “What’s wrong?”

  “Come here, and feel this.”

  Keith set the plate on the dresser and strode to where she sat. He sat down on his heel and gently ran his fingers over the place Maggie was feeling. The second he touched the spot, Isabella whimpered past the thumb in her mouth and huddled closer to Maggie. Concern dragged Keith’s eyebrows together. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know. I was just holding her and rubbing her hair, and I felt that.”

  His scowl deepened. “Did she fall today?”

  “She’s been sick all day. Even this morning, I couldn’t get her to wake up.”

  “Did she fall last night?”

  “I don’t… I don’t know. She was with…” Maggie’s mind snapped into gear, and she looked over to where Peter stood pressed against the door. “Peter, did Isabella fall last night?”

  Keith spun slowly to look at the child who looked like he was facing a firing squad. “Pete?”

  Maggie reached her hand out to stop Keith. “Don’t scare him.”

  Keith nodded but stood and went to the little boy. He sat down on his heels to be eye level with Peter. “Pete, what happened to Izzy?”

  Peter looked over Keith’s shoulder to Maggie for help. “I didn’t do it.”

  Anger and guilt slid through her. She should never have left. “It’s okay, Peter. We know you didn’t do it. Come here.”

  It was clear he didn’t want to, so Keith picked him up and carried him to Maggie. “It’s all right, slugger. You can tell us.” At Maggie’s chair he stood the child on the floor but kept his hand on Peter’s back as he sat back down on his heels. “It’s all right. We won’t be mad. We just need to know what happened.”

  Tears the size of grapefruits welled in the little brown eyes. “She slipped.”

  “On what?” Maggie asked, her heart turning over.

  “On the floor.” His gaze fell to his shoes. “Mrs. Haga was mad.”

  Maggie’s gaze went to Keith who looked at her with horror. “Can you start at the beginning, Pete? Tell us everything that happened.”

  He didn’t start immediately, but Keith rubbed his back slowly to assure him it would be all right.

  “We were taking a bath, and Izzy was playing like she always does when she hits the water. Mrs. Haga told her not to, but Izzy didn’t listen. So Mrs. Haga said she had to get out.” The story slowed to a crawl. “She took Izzy out of the bathtub and stood her next to it. I don’t know why, but Izzy started to walk away, and…” He was obviously fighting not to cry. “Mrs. Haga grabbed Izzy’s arm and pulled her backward. Izzy slipped.”

  “And hit her head on the tub,” Maggie finished for him.

  Miserably he nodded. “I didn’t know she was going to do that, or I would’ve told her not to.”

  There were tears in Maggie’s eyes too. How could she have been so selfish? She knew something like this was going to happen.

  “Mrs. Haga didn’t tell anyone?” Keith asked, his voice strangling through the question.

  Peter shook his head slowly. “She told me not to.”

  “I should’ve known,” Maggie said in horror. “I should’ve known.”

  Keith looked at her with patient, gentle eyes. “How could you have known?”

  She gazed right at him. Lying wasn’t even an option. “Because it’s happened before.”

  The words hit Keith like shots from a double-barrel rifle. They knocked him backward on his heels. “What do you mean it’s happened before? When?”

  Maggie hesitated, but only for a second. “The last time I left. When I went to your party.”

  “My…?”

  “With Greg.”

  The volleys to his heart were coming fast and hard, and Keith had to force the air in to keep himself calm.

  “Peter had marks on his arm the next morning. Bruises.”

  Fury knocked through him as he stood and paced away from her. “And you didn’t tell anybody?”

  Her voice shook, and fear snaked through it. “I didn’t know who to tell. They were as liable to blame me as anyone, and then where would the kids be?”

  He spun. “Well, you could’ve told me.”

  She shook her head. “You were busy with Dallas, and besides…” Her gaze fell. “I tried.”

  That stopped him. “Tried…? But you never said anything.”

  Tears crowded her eyes, and anguish slashed across her face as she looked up at him. “I… We went… down to the stables, but…” Her gaze fell from his, heavy with words she wasn’t saying.

  “But…?”

  Twisting as if in the breeze her gaze darted one way and then the other as she fought not to cry, but she sniffed anyway. “Ike saw
me waiting for you, and… Well, he wasn’t very happy I was there.”

  Slow understanding sunk into Keith. “That day Tanner found you walking.”

  She nodded as despair crumpled over her. “I didn’t want to make things bad for you. I didn’t want to get you into trouble.” Her tears overflowed their banks as she ducked her head. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve told someone. I should’ve done something…”

  “Oh, no. Maggie.” He knelt down in front of her and reached his hand to just under her ear. “No. Listen, I’m the one that’s sorry.” He pulled her to him as the tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.” His own grief pulled to the surface as he held her there sobbing. “Ike didn’t know. He couldn’t have.”

  She nodded but pulled back. There, she wiped the tears from her eyes even as new ones took their place. “I think he thought we were… That I was…” Maggie’s gaze fell between them laden with embarrassment. She corralled the tears, but the effort was obvious. “I figured the less we bothered you the better.”

  Keith closed his eyes, willing himself to stay calm. When he opened them again, his determination to protect them all was steel hard. “Now you listen to me.” He narrowed his gaze at her. “If you ever, ever need anything, all you have to do is call. I am right here.” His gaze burrowed through hers. “Got it?”

  Slowly she nodded, and the tentative trust was clear.

  “Good.” His gaze fell to Isabella. “Now, do you think we need to take her in or what?”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It was midnight before they got back from the emergency room. Thankfully the bump was just that—a bump with a very slight concussion that would not be a problem. Because of lack of sleep and the emotional day, Maggie was completely exhausted by the time they laid the kids down and made it out into the hallway. She didn’t even have the sanity to make a fast get-away.

  “Maggie,” Keith said softly when they were standing at her door, “I wanted to tell you thanks.”

  She turned to him incredulously. “Thanks? For what?”