by Caroline Lee
His announcement startled the kids as much as it did her, judging from their expressions.
Nellie glared at Joshua, her frown suspicious. “What’s that supposed to mean? Lie about what?”
Joshua shrugged. “It seems to me, since we don’t know what the police would say if they knew you two were from the reservation, then the smartest thing to do is just not tell them that information. Yet,” he added. “We could tell them later, once we were more sure of things.”
We... Allison liked the sound of that. She smiled gently at Joshua, thanking him for his help. He smiled back, and for one moment, everything was fine. But then, Nellie ruined the illusion.
“If you think we’re going to the police, you’re crazy.” She snorted in contempt. “I’m not going to let anybody know where we are. I’m just going to keep running, and running, and running, until we’re far enough away that no one can hurt my brother ever again. And then, when I get older, I’m going to learn some kung fu, and come back, and—”
“Nellie,” Allison gently interrupted. The girl’s plan was well and good, but not at all practical. “You can’t keep running forever. You have to trust that there are good people out there—good people right here—who want to help both of you. Who aren’t going to let you go back to wherever you came from to be hurt again.”
The girl stared back with a fierce set to her jaw, and Allison held her breath, praying for a miracle. Then, so slightly Allison was surprised she hadn’t missed it, Nellie’s lower lip trembled. And when the girl sucked in a breath, it trembled again.
It was just one word, but even that single word was spoken in a voice so small, so very clearly frightened, and it hurt Allison to her core when Nellie asked, “Promise?”
Colin spoke up from where he was sitting on the log. “I’m tired of running,” he confessed. “I want a home, like we used to have when Mom was alive.”
Nellie looked from her younger brother to Joshua, before turning her full attention back to Allison again. “You mean it? You’re not going to let anybody send us back, if we don’t want to go?”
Allison exchanged a glance with Joshua, wondering if she was doing the wrong thing. Praying she wasn’t. She forced herself to meet Nellie’s eyes, and said with all the confidence she could muster, “I promise.”
“And you’ll go with us? To make sure nobody does anything to Colin, like taking him away from me?”
Allison had spent years working with families. She’d heard parents make some outrageous promises to their kids, promises there was no way they could be sure of keeping. And she’d seen the heartbreak that resulted when a child realized his parents weren’t infallible; when they weren’t always able to keep their promises. Allison had wondered how a parent could say something like that, swear things would be one way, when they couldn’t guarantee it. She’d always wondered why someone would do something so illogical.
But kneeling there in the dirt beside River’s End Lake, Allison suddenly understood. Those promises weren’t made out of logic, nor were they made from rational understanding…they were made out of love.
“I swear it,” she choked out past a full throat. “Everything is going to be okay.”
CHAPTER FIVE
“…and that’s when I nudged Belinda towards Wyatt. You remember how the two of them used to be so in love, before she broke his heart?” Aunt Jaclyn cocked her head, staring off into space. “Or was that during the time you were in school and too busy to come visit your dear, lonely great aunt?”
Joshua lowered his tea and replied blandly, “Yes, that must’ve been it. I was a terrible nephew, et cetera, et cetera.”
“You were a terrible neph— Oh, you did that part already?”
“How could I be too busy to visit such a wonderful old woman?”
“How could you be too busy— Listen, are you going to steal all of my lines?”
Joshua lifted his tea cup and saucer once more to hide his smile. “Only if you’re going to be predictable, Aunt Jaclyn.”
“Harrumph.”
He raised a brow. “Did you just say ‘harrumph?’ Only old ladies say ‘harrumph,’ Aunt Jaclyn.” Teasing her was almost as much fun as teasing Allison.
“Anyhow, as I was saying, Belinda and Wyatt used to be all ga-ga over each other, but then… Well, water under the bridge, as I always say. She came back, the fairies kicked me in the tush until I agreed to intervene, and I did some gentle nudging…and some not-so-gentle nudging, and then bam! True love! Now they just welcomed little Warren—you met him, didn’t you? He’s the cutest little baby, and they considered naming him Wilber after his granddaddy, but thank goodness they settled on it as a middle name instead!—and I was able to move on to my next project. Wes and that pretty little lawyer, Amber…”
But Joshua’s mind had wandered already. Just the thought of teasing Allison had distracted him from his aunt’s ramblings—and it wasn’t like he hadn’t already heard it all anyway. So he crossed one leg over the other, sipped his tea, and nodded when he remembered to. The occasional “Hmmm?” also helped to make her feel like she was being listened to, when in fact he was a million miles away.
Or more accurately, about thirty miles away in Post Falls.
It turned out Allison had connections to social workers in that town, who were able to help Colin and Nellie. Joshua had been so glad she knew what to do with the kids, because he’d never felt so helpless or uninformed in his life. All he could do was curl his hands into fists to keep from reaching for Colin, and fight back his tears.
But Allison knew what to do. She knew exactly what to say to gain the kids’ trust, to convince them to let her help. And then, when she’d turned slightly and had taken Joshua’s hand in her own, he knew he was going to be able to help too.
So, the best first date he’d ever been on quickly turned into… Well, it was still the best date he’d ever been on. On their way to the parking lot at the main house, Allison had held Colin’s hand. But when Joshua had tried to take Nellie’s hand, the girl scowled at him and moved away.
“Fair enough,” he’d said with a shrug, knowing how much it had taken for the girl to trust them enough to help; he couldn’t expect her to accept his comfort too.
He’d driven to Post Falls, while Allison sat in the back seat between the kids. She kept them entertained on the way with stories of her life on the reservation with her grandparents. Joshua had known that the stories were for the kids’ sake, but he couldn’t help listening too. It sounded like Allison very much respected her grandparents, and everything they had taught her.
The stories seemed to help; she’d kept Nellie and Colin distracted all the way to the CFS office. Once there, she left them in the car while she went in to talk to her friend. Joshua spent the time sharing stories about Aunt Jaclyn, and the summers he’d spent on the ranch growing up. Colin fell asleep with his head against the car door, but Nellie was interested enough about the ranch to ask questions. Joshua did his best to share his love of the land with her.
Sitting there in that car, Joshua felt a nudge he’d never felt before. No, that wasn’t true. It was the same feeling that had nudged him down the path earlier that day. The same feeling that nudged him across the clearing to speak with Allison for the first time. Was it his heart? Or something more outrageous, like the fairies?
While he’d been talking to Nellie in the car, Joshua had felt that nudge again. He knew suddenly, clearly, and beyond all doubt, that Nellie could be as happy at River’s End Ranch as he had been. She could find peace there. He could help her, and so could Allison. Nellie needed a strong woman in her life, and Allison could be that woman.
The sudden clarity had shaken Joshua, and he was still bemused when Allison had come out and escorted them all inside. True to her promise to Nellie, she and Joshua had stayed with the kids through the whole process. While Allison got the kids settled, Joshua applied for his criminal history report, child abuse check, and FBI fingerprint check, all of which he had to
have in order to have anything to do with the kids once they were in the foster system. Allison already had hers, since she was a healthcare provider, and when the social worker asked if Joshua wanted to start the process, he didn’t hesitate. That something was nudging him to do it.
Together, they’d helped Nellie fill out the forms, and when she refused to give their previous address—per Joshua’s advice—he’d sent her a private wink, then defended her decision to the social worker.
“Look,” he’d said, “it doesn’t matter where they came from, they’re here now. Let’s just get them into the system.”
The social worker—a woman about ten years older than Joshua whose name was Peggy—had exchanged a glance with Allison, then she’d given the kids a particularly hard glare. But when Peggy had sighed and shrugged, Joshua had known the kids would be safe.
Surely that—their safety and well-being—was why he’d found himself sitting with his arm around the back of Nellie’s chair, with the girl leaning against him? Surely that was why he’d found himself arguing extra-hard for Colin to be allowed to room with his sister, where he felt most comfortable? There wasn’t any other explanation for why he’d come to feel so close to these kids in such a short amount of time…was there?
Because “it was the fairies” just wasn’t a logical explanation for anything.
Just as Allison had promised, they stayed with the kids until they were comfortable. Joshua had held Colin’s hand on the way to their temporary housing. It was basically a group home—an old house with four large bedrooms and a beautiful walled garden out back—but Peggy explained the kids would only be there until she arranged a foster situation for them.
“Or,” she’d said, peering suspiciously at Allison, “we figure out who they belong to.”
Allison had accepted the censure in her own serene, regal way. She’d lifted her chin and responded, “They belong to themselves now.”
And Joshua had fallen a little bit in love with Allis—
“Joshua!”
His aunt’s sharp bark startled him into splashing some of his tea onto his lap. Scowling at her, he leaned forward to place the cup and saucer on the table and pick up a napkin. “What?” he asked as he attempted to blot tea off his jeans.
“I merely wanted to know if you were paying attention.”
“Well, I was,” he snapped, praying there wasn’t about to be a quiz.
But all she said was “Hmmm” as she peered at him over the lip of her teacup.
She seemed to be considering whether she wanted to continue this line of questioning. Joshua held his breath, praying she’d drop it and go back to reminiscing about her matchmaking successes.
“What are you thinking about?”
Nuts! Joshua’s shoulders slumped; he wasn’t getting out of this. “Oh, you know.” He forced a smile. “This and that.”
She wasn’t buying it. Jaclyn’s eyes narrowed, and he knew he was about to be sorry.
“Were you thinking about the fairies?”
“What? No! No, no…no.”
He realized his mistake just as his great aunt’s eyes lit up. If he hadn’t been thinking about the fairies, she was going to ask him what he had been thinking about. “I mean, yes!” He hurried to correct his mistake. “Definitely thinking about the fairies. Yep, me and the fairies, we’re buds—”
“I can tell you’re lying to me, boy.”
Nuts.
“You were thinking about a woman, weren’t you?”
“I— What?”
“A woman. I don’t need the fairies to tell me when a man’s not listening because he’s thinking of a woman. Who is she?”
Joshua blinked. “How could you possibly— Wait, no, forget it. It’s none of your business.”
She burst into laughter. “It’s completely my business, boy. Haven’t you been listening to all my stories— No, wait, I guess you weren’t.” She sighed. “Just save us both some trouble and tell me who had you staring so dreamily into your tea cup.”
“I wasn’t staring— Fine.” He scowled at her. “Allison Ravenwing. Ellie’s midwife.”
“Allison Ravenwing?” His aunt’s brows went up, and her eyes unfocused for a moment. “That’s…” She seemed to be peering at something only she could see. “Yes, that would be—” She shook herself, biting off whatever she’d been planning to say. “You should’ve been thinking about the fairies, boy.”
“And why is that, Aunt Jaclyn?” Joshua asked wearily. Why hadn’t his confession about Allison derailed this line of fairy questioning?
“Because they are thinking about you,” she said with not a little triumph.
Joshua sighed with frustration as he leaned back against the couch. “Aunt Jaclyn, how many times do I need to tell you that you’re really wasting your time with me and all of this fairy nonsense?”
“No!” She slammed her teacup back into the saucer. “You just need to stop being stubborn, and open up your mind and your heart to the possibilities!”
Joshua had the niggling feeling she might be right, but instead, he scowled at his great aunt. “Jaclyn,” he began with as much patience as he could muster, “I’m a scientist. I work with things I can touch and feel. I need proof.”
“It’s in your blood, boy!” Jaclyn was even more frustrated with him, judging by her tone of voice and the fire in her eyes. “It’s in your heart!”
“Rocket. Scientist,” he reminded her, clearly punctuating each word.
She sat back in her chair with a huff, and just stared at him for about three heartbeats longer than was comfortable. Finally, she sighed.
“The fairies are not happy with you right now, Joshua.”
Taking her comment as a peace offering, Joshua took a calming breath. “Oh, really?” He managed to say, humoring her. “And what are they saying about me?”
Just as Aunt Jaclyn’s eyes glazed over, Joshua was hit with an intense feeling of irritation. The emotion took him by surprise, and he frowned as he tried to understand it. Why was he irritated? Sure, Aunt Jaclyn’s ridiculous notions bothered him sometimes, but he loved her. Besides, hadn’t he just made peace with her? So why was he feeling such an intense wave of irritation…?
Because it’s not my feelings. The truth slammed into him between one heartbeat and the next. This wasn’t his irritation he was feeling; it came from someone else. Or somewhere else.
His eyes widened. Either he’d just gained some kind of superpower, or there might just be some truth to his aunt’s rantings after all.
Aunt Jaclyn shifted in her seat, drawing his attention. Joshua had trouble focusing, after what he’d just hypothesized, but he saw her shaking her head back and forth. She stared at him, then shifted her gaze to her teacup, the tree outside the window, the rabbit at her feet, before coming to rest on him once more. She looked confused, and his first instinct was to comfort her.
“Aunt Jaclyn?” he asked, worried.
She was still staring blankly, her head cocked slightly to one side while she regarded him. It was another long and odd moment before she finally blinked rapidly, then picked up her tea cup once more. “What?”
“Are you…” She hadn’t seemed entirely there for a moment. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she snapped. “I was just listening to the fairies. Something you should start doing.”
He sighed. Of course. Back to this again. “And what are the fairies saying now?”
“I was listening to them discuss you and Allison Ravenwing.”
Joshua’s heart began to pound, and he found himself leaning forward anxiously, unable to stop himself from asking. “And? What did they say?”
Jaclyn took a sip of her tea, maddeningly slow, before finally—in a voice one should reserve for discussing the weather, and certainly not for something like this—saying, “She’s not the one for you.”
“What?” His breath exploded out of him with that one incredulous word. “How can you say that?”
“Very ea
sily,” she replied primly. “She’s. Not. The. One. For. You.” Aunt Jaclyn enunciated each word carefully, as if he were five years old and needed the extra emphasis.
Joshua was flabbergasted. “That’s ridiculous! You don’t even know her! You’re always bugging me to start dating, and now that I found Allison—”
“If it’s one thing I know, it’s relationships. And I can say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that until you start listening to the fairies, start accepting their help, you won’t find love with the right woman.”
The right woman. Aunt Jaclyn’s words pounded in his head long after Joshua had said his goodbyes and left her cottage. Was she right? Was Allison not the right woman for him? She felt like the right woman for him. Just being around her made him feel…fuller somehow. Lighter.
But it was hard to argue with Aunt Jaclyn’s track record. He’d seen the way the Weston brothers—and even Dani and Kelsi—had found love in such a short amount of time. The odds of them all making such strong connections, and so quickly… Well, he wouldn’t have called the odds astronomically improbable, but that’s only because he knew exactly how far away the closest star system actually was, and while twenty-five-trillion—the distance in miles to Alpha Centauri, rather than in light-years, of course—to one was almost impossibly improbable, surely the odds of the Westons finding love alone…
Wait, what had he been thinking about?
He shook himself, recognizing his mind was wandering. The point was, the odds were high that all the Westons found love in such a short amount of time.
Aunt Jaclyn had a hand in that, he knew, but was it really because of her so-called connection to the fairies? Or was she just an old woman who liked to meddle?
Sighing, Joshua rubbed his forehead. Even out here, with the sun on his face, breathing deeply of the wind off the lake, it was hard to ignore that eerie feeling he’d gotten while sitting in her house. The scientist in him screamed in objection, but there was another part of him that wondered if Jaclyn really did speak to the fairies.
But if he accepted that theory as truth, he would have to accept her other claims as well, like the one about Allison not being the right woman for him. And if that was the case, how did that explain the way Allison made him feel? The rightness that wrapped around her? The way he wanted to take her in his arms, and never let her go? That was real.
