by Debra Holt
And then what of Charlie? Charlie couldn’t be allowed to get too attached. He needed to keep an eye on that. That might mean he had to find a way to spend more time with her. He had been trying to do that. Well, he’d just have to make it top priority. He could guard his heart from any other females plying their trade… and there was more than enough in McKenna Springs and throughout the county he came across. It seemed there were too many unmarried women at times. And there were a few married ones that certainly had no qualms about wanting to help him get past his broken heart.
That was more his brother’s style, not his. Once upon a time, Cole had believed a person found the one they were meant to be with, they got married and lived happily-ever-after. Like his mother and father, and his grandparents before them. He had sure screwed up the family winning streak. Something else to not be proud about. His grip tightened on the steering wheel. He’d like to tighten them around his brother’s neck. It was a good thing Jimmy and Cole’s ex had left town when the scandal broke. It had been tough on Cole, but it was also tough on his parents. They had, in a way, lost a son.
He was aware Jimmy kept in touch on a sporadic basis… usually when he needed a loan. His parents did not speak of him in Cole’s presence and that was all he asked. As for Charlie, the time would come when she would have questions. He dreaded that time. The scab would be ripped off the wounds and they would have to relive a past he wanted buried for good.
In the meantime, he would have to keep his guard up around Miss Emma Cramer. Her big, deep blue eyes and curvaceous body would not get past his defenses. He was her employer and she was an employee. And he wished he could keep other thoughts of her out of his brain… if only he could erase certain episodes such as the night they met… in his bed and the way the feel of her body both surprised him and made him ache for things he had not felt in a long time. He blew out an aggravated breath and increased his grip on the steering wheel. Emma Cramer’s time was limited in his county and his home. Then he would send her on her way. That was the plan.
*
The squeals of cheerful glee had only abated a couple of decibels between the school and the farmhouse. They increased again once Charlie set eyes on the puppy that was jumping up and down in its own dance of happiness. Charlie fell to her knees and gathered the furry creature into her arms, wet puppy kisses swiping her cheeks. Giggles and more giggles followed and Emma and Mae joined in.
“I haven’t seen her this happy in I can’t remember when,” Mae said, wiping a bit of moisture from the corner of an eye. “Already you’ve made a difference.”
“I won’t take credit for this. Angel is the culprit in this one. I think your son may be right about one thing. It will be next to impossible to separate those two when it comes time for me to leave.”
“And we will cross that bridge when it comes.” Mae said no more, she just turned and went back inside the house.
“Can I stay out here and play with Angel some more?” Charlie asked the question as if she expected a negative response. “I promise to clean up my room before dinner if I can. Please?”
Emma had to smile. “I saw your room and it passes inspection already. You may play in the fenced yard until I call you to come clean up for dinner.”
Mae was gathering her purse and jacket from the counter when Emma reentered the kitchen. “Are you leaving? Can’t you stay for dinner?”
“I have a hungry man to feed at home this evening. And it’s time I turned over the reins of this house to your capable hands.”
“I hope they’re capable enough. I’ve not had too much experience with taking care of a home like this or having a child in the mix, too. I’ll probably make a mistake and—”
Mae’s hand on her shoulder stopped her flow of words. “Emma, trust in yourself and listen to your heart. You have a good brain and a huge heart. You’ve just got to trust in your abilities. And I am just a phone call or text away. I’m cheering for you. And I have no qualms about placing my two most precious loved ones in your hands. One step, one day at a time… and you’ll make it.”
The house felt empty when Mae left her. This was the moment. She was on her own. Sink or swim. Fight or flight. That felt more like it. First things first… one step at a time. Good advice. Dinner. She needed to find something she couldn’t ruin for dinner. Her skills were basic… and rusty. She only had to cook for herself the last decade or so. Opening the refrigerator, she stopped. Bless her heart. Mae had taken pity on her. A casserole dish sat on the middle shelf with a card on the top… bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted. Serve with a salad. The mixed fruit cans are in pantry. Charlie loves them with a little scoop of whipped topping on them for special occasions. Your first dinner is such an occasion. Mae.
Emma shook her head. It was a special day when her path crossed Mae Drayton’s. Something inside her had told her as much. Her mother once said that special people came into one’s life when they least expected but needed them the most. The trick was to recognize them. Mae was Emma’s.
She pulled the salad fixings from the crisper and had a salad made and stored in its container in nothing flat. While in the pantry, her eye had caught on the cornbread mix. She could manage that. She’d put that on when she knew Cole would be almost home.
The thought brought her up short. Cole would be home. Did he have to come home? Nice thought but not feasible. He’d be there. She wasn’t stupid enough to not know he was going to take some measure of enjoyment in keeping her in her place for the next six months. The man did not want her around… period. If it was any other situation, she’d leave. She never stayed where she wasn’t wanted. But this was different. She had had very little choice in the situation that placed her there in the first place.
She needed to save up enough money to pay for the repairs on her truck, which was sitting in town, behind the garage, waiting until she could commence with the down payment to get a new transmission ordered. Like it or not, she needed the job. She could put up with almost anything for six months. Besides, she was happy with ninety per cent of the job… good pay, good hours, great living accommodations, wonderful people… all except for one. She needed to remember how bad she had it before and now things were looking better. Count your blessings, not the thorns.
The clock chimed five in the hallway. She called for Charlie to come in and get the scent of dog off her and her clothing. Emma allowed herself to be pulled upstairs by the child who wanted to show off her room to her. Emma had briefly stuck her head in the doorway earlier that day on the tour Mae had given her, but now, she was given the deluxe tour by the owner herself. Emma took a seat on the end of the bed. Purple explosion was the way to best describe the room.
“Let me guess. You sort of like the color purple?” She ventured with a grin at the child.
“I do! It’s the best. What’s your favorite?”
“Purple.”
“Really? It’s the same as me?”
“Really. I have always loved purple… well, maybe I like a shade of it better now… lavender. But it’s in the purple family.”
“That’s so cool! We’re alike. Do you think Angel can come inside to my room?”
Nice how Charlie had snuck that one in there. Emma had to smile. She knew the inevitable question had to be coming sooner or later. “Well, for a dog to come inside, you have to know that it’s potty-trained and that takes work. You have to really teach them to be good and have manners. Do you think you have that kind of patience?”
Charlie’s head nodded in fast movements. “I promise I can.”
“And then you have to have your dad’s permission to let the dog come inside.”
The wide grin left the child’s face. “He won’t do that.”
“Maybe if you show him how hard you’ve worked and what manners you’ve taught Angel, he might change his mind. You never know until you try.”
“I’ll work really hard. Will you show me how?”
“I’ll show you how, but the work is
up to you. Each day, after you get home from school, you need to spend time with Angel… not playing, but teaching. There will be play time later. But you have to maintain a daily schedule for her.”
“I’ll do it. You’ll see. She’ll be the best dog ever.”
Emma couldn’t help but smile at the determined look on the Charlie’s face. “You wash your hands and face, and put away your coat and boots, and I’ll let you know when dinner is almost ready. You can help set the table.”
Surely, Cole would be home by six? Emma eyed the clock over the stove. She would go ahead and mix the batch of cornbread. Once that was done, she ran upstairs to change her clothing. Her wardrobe was meager. She had four office outfits she had saved for and were on hangars ready for an office. A couple of skirts, a pair of slacks, and then the rest were jeans and pullovers and tee shirts. She needed to add to the closet… especially if she were expected to go to church and other outings as part of the Drayton family. An employee… not family… but still she wanted to bring them no shame.
A pair of jeans and a turtleneck sweater in emerald green was good enough for dinner. A pair of brown flats replaced her usual sneakers. She unbraided her hair and brushed it out. It was thick and full and fell past her shoulders. She had toyed with the idea of getting it cut shorter one day. In the meantime, she added a green fabric headband and that was it. Tiny silver studs stayed in her ears most times. They had been a graduation gift from her favorite teacher in high school. She liked to think they brought her luck… or at least added to her confidence. Why were her nerves so jumpy? Everything was under control. All was in its place… dinner, Charlie, her… but not Cole. He was the fly in the ointment. She checked on Charlie who was intent on tying her shoes just right. Then she returned downstairs, checking out the front window for any sign of a vehicle approaching. Nothing. Was he doing this on purpose?
The clock struck the half hour. Okay. That did it. Charlie needed to eat because her bedtime was eight. She had to have her bath and get ready for bed before then. It wasn’t up to her to call him either and see what time he would honor them with his presence. They would have dinner and he could eat a sandwich. She vented her anger through succinct movements in the kitchen. Charlie came in and Emma took a calming breath or two. No use showing the child what she thought of her father’s rudeness.
Charlie carried the two placemats Emma had given her toward the bar. She could barely reach the top of it. Emma stopped her.
“No sweetie. Let’s put them on the table in the dining room. I turned the light on in there for you.”
“We’re eating on the big table? Is it a special day?”
“Special day?”
“Like Christmas or my birthday?”
“I see. You usually eat at the big table on special days only? Well, yes, this is a special day. It’s our first meal together. You and I will celebrate.”
Charlie was all in with that idea. She put the mats on the table. Emma helped her carry the utensils and place them where they should go. She could tell Mae had been working with her on these skills, too. The plates went next and then the glasses… one with water and lemon for Emma and one with milk for Charlie. Emma stood back and looked at the table. She moved over to the china cabinet in the corner and took out two candlesticks. Lighting the tapers, she set them in the center of the table. Charlie’s grin was wide.
“Now, let’s check on the food in the oven.” Emma put on the oven mitts and brought out the bubbling casserole filled with cheese enchiladas. The salad came out of the refrigerator. The cornbread was next from the oven. She fixed a plate for her and one for Charlie and carried them into the formal dining room. Soon, they were seated at the table. Charlie followed her example and put her napkin across her lap.
“Do you usually say a prayer at dinner?”
Charlie nodded her head and clasped her hands together.
“Then why don’t you say it tonight?”
Charlie recited one she must have been taught by Mae… short and sweet. Then she added a postscript. “And thank you for bringing Angel and Emma to live in our house. Amen.”
It was simple but it touched Emma that Charlie added her. She was a sweet little girl and Emma was afraid Charlie already had stolen a much bigger place in her heart than she had wanted to surrender.
The food was amazing. Mae would have to give Emma the recipe… if not lessons… on how to make the enchiladas. Charlie informed her they were her favorites. Just like her daddy. Great. Well, she would make them for Charlie… not for the man who was still not present. His absence didn’t seem to faze Charlie.
“Is you dad usually home late? Does he miss dinner a lot?” She asked the questions casually enough. Charlie was already intent on the fruit cup with the scoop of cream on top.
“Sometimes. He has to work a whole bunch. But granny and gramps usually eat with me. I wish daddy could eat with us, too.”
It was said casually enough. But Emma felt renewed anger that the man was throwing away precious time with his little girl. Some people didn’t know how lucky they were. She knew the feeling of loss and abandonment at an early age when her own father made it clear that there were other things more important than spending time with her. Like his interest in the nearest pool hall and the inside of a whisky bottle. For Cole Drayton, it appeared his work was the culprit stealing precious time and memories.
“May I please be ’scused?”
Emma hesitated a moment. “Oh, you mean may you be excused from the table?”
Charlie nodded. “’scused… excusid…”
“Excused. And yes, you may. Keep working on the word.” She smiled at the child. “You’ll get it in no time.”
The child paused in the doorway. “What about Angel? It’s cold and dark outside.”
“I’m making her a bed in the mudroom tonight. She’ll be warm and just fine. We’ll have to see about getting her a bed tomorrow. Maybe we’ll go look after I pick you up from school. Would you like that?”
“Oh, yes! And maybe we could get her a sparkly collar too? Purple!”
The shopping expedition was growing in importance. Emma needed to think a bit more on ideas before she tossed them out so freely with the child in earshot. Charlie raced off to her room.
Emma cleared the dishes, filled the dishwasher, put away the leftovers. Then she settled Angel into the mudroom, spreading newspapers and placing a blanket in the corner. Her water dish was in the opposite corner. She didn’t need her food dish at night. They needed to establish schedules. Upstairs, she found Charlie sitting patiently on her bed with her chosen pajamas and house shoes. She let her lead the way into the bathroom where Mae had been right… an array of plastic bath toys had to be placed out of the way before the tub was filled. Then bubble bath had to be chosen.
Emma soaped her blonde locks for the child and helped rinse them. Then she allowed her time to enjoy the water for a bit… keeping an ear open and an eye now and then on the child while she turned down her bed covers and turned on the lamp beside the bed. Once Charlie was all toweled dry and fresh-smelling in her pajamas and fuzzy purple house shoes, Emma sat down on a stool and began to dry her hair with the dryer and brush it out in long strokes.
“You have beautiful golden hair. Just like a princess.” Her father had dark brown hair so Emma surmised the hair color had to have come from her mother.
“Thank you. Do you wish you were a princess? I do sometimes. Daddy calls me his princess.”
Emma smiled. “I guess it would be nice to be a princess once in a while. But I think it’s best to just be yourself.”
“I’d like to have pretty dresses with sparkles like Cinderella did in the movie. Do you like pretty dresses like that?”
“I used to when I was a little girl like you. But now, I don’t think they’d be very practical for me. Once in a while it might be nice to get dressed up and pretend, but then you have to go back to the real world. You can’t be Cinderella all the time.”
“I gu
ess so.”
“Hop in bed. Does your daddy read you a story before you go to sleep?”
“Granny does.”
Emma picked up the book filled with different short stories. She settled the stool closer to the bed. She had Charlie pick the one she wanted and then she began to read. Charlie’s eyes began to droop as the long day full of surprises took its toll. Tucking the covers more securely around the child, Emma put the book back on the table and turned out the lamp. Then she hesitated.
Bending down, she placed a soft kiss on Charlie’s forehead. “Sweet dreams, princess.”
Downstairs, Emma made certain the doors were secured. The lights were on outside. Then she filled a plate with the leftovers from the meal. As much as she might like to dump them and leave Cole with a peanut butter sandwich for his dinner whenever he arrived, she thought better of it. There was another way to get her point across. She set a place setting at the table, made it as nice as it had been for her and Charlie earlier. She left the candle unlit. Hopefully, he would get the message. Then she went upstairs to bed.
Chapter Six
Take every one of his thirty-five years, multiply it by two, add another ten and he might have how old he felt at the moment he finally parked his car in the driveway. He glanced at the dashboard clock. Was it really that late… or early as the case might be? Just after four in the morning. He eased out of the SUV. Thankfully, the lights had been left on at the back of the house. What had started out as a routine traffic stop had escalated into a foot chase, then a barricaded hostage situation that had not ended well for the robber/kidnapper. By the time the paperwork had been processed and initial interviews logged in, the hours had changed into another morning almost.
