When he pointed at Claire, who was sitting on the other side of the church, and said, “Wook, Mama,” Jordan slid out the double doors and into the parking lot. Thirty seconds later Penny came out right behind her.
“Mama Claire said I could come outside with you.”
Jordan tugged on one of Penny’s braids, just like her own, except Penny’s were blond. “Of course you can, pumpkin. Want to play on the playground? Maybe they have a swing that Levi can swing in.”
The door slammed open behind her and one of the twins blew through it. “I’m coming, too.”
Penny ran ahead and, in characteristic Penny fashion, was through the fence and at the top of the slide before Jordan could even get out of the parking lot, John right behind her.
As she walked, Levi laid his head on her shoulder, his little body getting heavy. “Hey, guys, I’m gonna stay over here in the shade. Levi’s getting sleepy.”
Jordan stood under the entrance overhang of the children’s wing, watching the kids slide and swing. As much as they’d been through, they were resilient, laughing and playing.
The door swung out beside her, hiding her from view. She started to step out, so she could say hello, until she heard a snippet of what they were saying.
“The horsey one, what’s her name? She wouldn’t put that little boy in the nursery. He’s three years old. Or so she says.”
Jordan froze. She, apparently, was the horsey one.
“I don’t know, Lou Ellen.” The second voice was hesitant. “She seems okay.”
The first voice again, the tone lower. “And that kindergartener, honestly, her language is so vulgar.”
Jordan heard footsteps and then, “Hey, Shiny Penny.”
Ash.
“Doc! Hey, Doc! Watch me slide. I can go really fast, like I’m sliding from the moon!”
Ash chuckled. “Good one!”
One of the women called from the doorway, “Oh, Dr. Sheehan, I see you’re running late. Did you have an emergency this morning?”
Ash looked toward the door and caught her eye, the expression on his face somewhere between curiosity and annoyance. She held her finger to her lips, imploring him not to reveal that she was standing there.
The women would know that she had overheard the whole thing.
“Are those kids on the playground by themselves? I think I’m going to have to bring that up at the next church council meeting. Children shouldn’t be allowed out here unaccompanied.”
“Oh, no worries, Lou Ellen, I’m watching them.” Ash leaned on the fence, his dimples deepening as he smiled.
The second voice, the one Jordan didn’t recognize, spoke again. “That’s fine, Ash. I’m sure they’re in good hands.”
“I don’t understand where her mother, I mean, foster mother, is.” Lou Ellen sniffed. “It’s a shame you’re having to miss the service, Dr. Sheehan.”
“Oh, that’s okay. Jordan and I were just out here enjoying the breeze while the children play.” Ash’s shoulders shook with suppressed laughter.
Jordan’s eyes went wide. Her cheeks were flaming as she clapped a hand over her mouth.
“Well, I suppose that’s... Jordan?” Lou Ellen’s voice sounded strangled.
Jordan stepped out from behind the door and nodded. “Ladies.”
Her head held high, she crossed to stand by Ash’s side. He put his arm around her, pulling her close with a smile for the women in the open door. “You were saying?”
With a little bit of spluttering from Lou Ellen, and bright spots of color on the cheeks of the other woman, they excused themselves to go back to their Sunday School classes.
Ash held Jordan’s arm as they walked into the playground area where there was a picnic table. “So, I got the idea that they were talking about you and you overheard?”
“It’s just been a morning. The nursery people don’t like it that I won’t leave Levi when he cries. The children’s minister thinks it’s only separation anxiety and every kid has it. I was already feeling a little beat up and then those two came out. The kids couldn’t hear them or I would have stepped in to say something.”
“So, you stood there listening while they ran you down? I’m so sorry.” He squeezed her hand and looked up as Penny called his name again. “I’m watching, sweet girl.”
Jordan shrugged. “They just don’t understand. It’s okay.”
“Most people absolutely love the kids at Red Hill Farm. They’re so happy that they get to know the kids and serve them in small ways through our church.” He made a noise of dismissal. “Lou Ellen has always been that way. She was downright mean to Joe when he was little, but she was the first one to stand in the receiving line when he became chief of police. Everyone knows how she is. People won’t listen to her.”
“Thank you. That makes me feel better, but you always do seem to know what to say.” She tilted her head. “I hear the organ music starting. I guess that means the service is almost over.”
“Oh, good, that means we get lunch now. You’re going to be at the farm?”
Jordan eased to her feet, trying not to wake Levi. Clouds were gathering overhead, white piled on gray piled on steel. “Of course. Claire would kill me if I missed Sunday lunch. It looks like we might be inside, though. You?”
“I’m on call, but so far so good.” He grinned as he stood. “But I don’t want to experience the wrath of Claire, either.”
The front doors of the church opened and people poured out, the other twin, Jamie, stopping to high-five Pastor Rick, who laughed and shook his head.
John ran toward his brother, and Ash snaked a long arm and snagged him by the back of the shirt. “Oh, no, you don’t.” To Jordan, he said, “Joe’s not here, so I’ll help Claire round up the hooligans. You should go. It looks like the bottom is going to fall out any minute.”
“I’m headed that way. I’ll take Penny with me.”
She started toward the swings, wind whipping her hair.
“Jordan.”
When she turned around, his blue eyes were intense on hers. “Be careful.”
The simple words echoed through her heart. “I will. You be careful, too. Hey, Penny, let’s go, kiddo.”
The little girl skipped over from the swings and slid her soft little hand in Jordan’s. Penny’s eyes were shining, her confidence a tender shoot to be nurtured into blooming. Jordan swung their hands between them, smile widening at Penny’s unrestrained laughter when the wind blew her dress.
It didn’t matter what anyone else said. Their kids were a gift, every single one of them.
* * *
Sheets of rain slammed the antebellum home that housed Claire and Joe’s ever-growing family. A little rain wasn’t going to stop Sunday lunch from happening, though. Joe was outside on the porch, grilling hot dogs. Jordan, with Levi in the carrier on her back, finished a huge bowl of potato salad with some chopped chives and set it on the island, dodging little kids playing chase through the bar stools. She glanced around the room, wondering where Ash was. Maybe an emergency had come up that he had to deal with.
Joe and Ash’s sister Jules set a tray of peanut butter sandwiches, always a hit with the kids, beside Jordan’s salad. “I don’t know how Claire doesn’t lose her mind. The noise level alone would send me over the edge.”
Jordan smiled. “I think she’s used to it. Either that or she’s lost her hearing.”
“Definitely lost her hearing. Wow.”
Oldest foster child Kiera’s sister Shauna set a couple of bags of chips on the island. “Of course my two boys increase the decibels by at least ten.”
“How’s school? Is your semester almost over?” Jordan asked. Shauna had aged out of foster care three years earlier and, against all odds, was working her way through college with two kids.
&nbs
p; “Yes. I sent in my application for nursing school so I’ll hear something in a month or so. I’m so scared.”
“You’ve got the grades and you’ve worked really hard to have some experience going in. Where’s your mom today?”
A sad look crossed Shauna’s face. “I haven’t seen her in a couple of weeks. She sent me one text that said she was going to rehab again, but in Tonya-speak, that means she’s probably going to score and who knows when she’ll surface.”
Jordan put a hand on Shauna’s arm. “I’m sorry.”
Shauna shrugged. “Hey, we survive, right? I’m fine. Kiera’s getting it together and she has Claire and you for role models.”
“And you. She has a big sister who’s a great role model.”
Joe came into the kitchen with a huge tray of hot dogs and set it on the island with the rest of the food. “Hey, everyone, hit the ballroom. It’s time to pray.”
In the hall, he gave a shrill whistle with his thumb and fingers in his mouth and kids came from everywhere, spilling out into the common area. “Ballroom for prayers before the hot dogs get cold.”
Their circle stretched halfway around the ballroom and they were beginning to look a little like the United Nations, but when they held hands and prayed, none of that mattered. They were a family—the weirdest family ever, but family nonetheless. And for Jordan, who grew up with just a sister and a mom, this big, loving, fighting, singing, playing, very imperfect family was absolutely perfect for her.
She looked around the circle for Ash but didn’t see him. After the crowd dispersed for the kitchen, she grabbed Joe’s elbow. “Hey, have you heard from Ash?”
Joe jerked his thumb toward the porch. “He’s got Penny’s little brother, Josiah. The caseworker brought him last night. I stayed home with him this morning.”
“Oh, okay, thanks!” She turned toward the door and then looked back at Joe. “Wait—I thought it was an older brother.”
Joe grinned. “Yeah, so did we. How about I take Levi and get him a hot dog?”
“Sure.” She turned her back to her brother-in-law and he plucked his foster nephew out of the carrier.
“Come on, dude, let’s go get some food.”
Jordan slid out of the carrier and out the front door. No one even noticed. They were too busy loading their plates in the kitchen.
The storm had let up, for the moment, but the rain was still coming down. The air had a cool crispness to it, as if it had just been washed and shaken out to dry. The porch, like the yard, was dim, but Ash sat at the far end, in the porch swing, with a tow-headed little boy about four years old.
Ash had his head leaned back against the swing, his eyes closed, and he was gently rocking the swing with his big toe. Her heart did that thing where it felt like it was melting in her chest. He’d had her so convinced that he was a card-carrying member of the Girl-of-the-Month club. He didn’t look like that guy this afternoon.
She must’ve made a noise because he opened his eyes and the corner of his mouth lifted in a sleepy half smile. “Hey.”
The little boy’s arms tightened around Ash’s neck. “Josiah’s a little anxious with so many people around, so we’re just hanging out.”
“You need something to eat. Why don’t I take him for a little while?”
“I’m good right now. I had a snack before I got to church. Where’s Levi?”
“Joe snuck him out of the backpack and took him in for a manly hot dog.”
“So, not a regular hot dog, a manly one.” Ash grinned and slowed down his rocking so she could ease onto the swing with him. “Any word from Reesa today?”
“Nothing. It’s probably going to take some time for her to set up a visit with the dad.” She rolled her shoulders, aware her easy words didn’t exactly reflect her tension-knotted muscles.
“I’m sorry. It’s so hard waiting. And even harder to trust that it will all work out the way it is supposed to.” The little boy, Josiah, squirmed in Ash’s arms. He opened his eyes, scowled at Jordan, made an unhappy noise and squinched his eyes closed again.
The door flew open and Claire stepped out on the porch. “Oh, there he is. I thought I lost him. There are so many people around and so many hiding places in this house. Come on, Josiah. Time to eat. Penny’s waiting for you inside.”
Josiah opened his eyes and put his hand in Claire’s, sliding off Ash’s lap to the floor. At the door, Claire looked back. “Come on, guys. Coast is just about clear, but the boys will be back for seconds any minute. Now’s your chance.”
The door slammed behind her and Jordan laughed. “She’s always been bossy like that.”
Ash’s phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out. She wondered what kind of emergency call he would be answering.
He looked up from his phone and said, “It’s Latham, my friend who’s contracting the work on the river house for me. Some shingles blew off the roof. We’ve got to put a tarp on it or the new floors are going to be ruined.” He glanced up at her, regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“No, you stay with Levi. I’ll see you later.” His long fingers cupped her cheek and he pressed a kiss to her lips with a grin. “I still love you.”
Before she could gather her thoughts to answer, he was down the steps and into his car. She watched his red taillights until he turned onto the highway, her fingers on her lips.
He was right. It was hard to wait. Hard to trust. She wanted to trust Ash. Wanted to trust that I love you’s meant he was in it for the long haul.
She was close, looking over the cliff at the big, blue water down below. She wanted to run for the edge, not a thought in her head except what the wind would feel like in her hair as she flew.
But she wondered, was it a risk that she could take if she was risking more than just her own heart?
* * *
The deluge was over by the time Ash pulled up at the construction site for his house, replaced by a soft downpour that had him drenched to the skin in seconds as he ran for the covered front porch. Latham was waiting, kicked back in a folding chair.
“I put some buckets out in the house. We’ll have to wait out the rain to put the tarp up. Otherwise, the roof’ll try to kill you.” Latham’s drawl was low and slow. In fact, there wasn’t much about Latham that wasn’t deliberate, which Ash guessed was what made him a good contractor.
He and Ash had played soccer together in high school, as well as their more recent pickup games. Latham had played goalie, his big legs and muscular arms making him a perfect wall of defense.
Ash opened the door to the house and got a couple of cold drinks out of the cooler in the kitchen. He tossed one to Latham and sat in the other folding chair, propping his feet on the rail. The river was a gray blur, just a slight shade difference from the water to the woods beyond.
“So that woman you’re seeing, the one who was out here the other day. Y’all got a thing going on?” Latham pulled a little piece of wood out of one of the many pockets in his cargo pants and started whittling at it.
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Thinking of a future with that little boy, too?”
“Yes, the little boy, too. His name is Levi.”
Latham nodded, his dark eyes narrowed on the nonexistent view. “I guess if that little one can’t walk, we’ll be needing to do some adjustments on the bathroom shower. The porch will be needing a ramp, too.”
Ash startled, shooting a look at Latham. He hadn’t thought at all about including Jordan as he renovated the house, hadn’t thought about Levi being here and what that would mean. Hadn’t realized until just that minute how much he wanted Levi to stay.
“What about you? Ever think about getting married again?” Ash shot a look at Latham, who was shaking his head.
“Nope. These days I’m more interested in a good steak and a cold drink. Unless your mama’s available. I’ve always been kinda sweet on Bertie.” Latham grinned, his tanned face creasing with laughter.
Ash laughed. “You and half the town.”
Rain had slowed to a drizzle when Latham put his pocket knife away. “You ready to get this beast installed? I figure we have about a half an hour before the next squall hits.”
Latham stuck the blue tarp under his arm and was up the ladder in about two seconds. He walked the roof just like he was on the ground. “Hand me one of those one-by-ones, will ya?”
With Ash handing supplies up to the roof and Latham working, the tarp was screwed down in less than thirty minutes. Latham came back down the ladder as the first fat drops fell from the sky.
The contractor put his drill carefully away in one of the lockboxes in the back of his pickup and slammed it shut. “I’ll text you and let you know when I’ll be working this week. I should be finishing up that deck over at the Marshalls’ house by Tuesday.”
“Sounds good. Thanks, man.”
With a roar of the huge engine, Latham started down the gravel drive that led to the highway, leaving Ash to walk around the house, as he often did.
He opened the front door and stepped into the great room. Latham had knocked down a wall between the front room and the kitchen and installed an island between the two. The fireplace would go there with new stone around it.
In his mind, he saw Jordan with her feet up to the fire, in the winter.
He closed his eyes. For the island in the kitchen he’d gone with smooth marble, and the countertops were going to be a light-colored butcher block. He’d thought when he picked it out that maybe he would learn to cook.
It wasn’t some low-blood-sugar-induced hallucination when, in his mind, he saw Jordan at the sink, laughing as she watched Levi playing outside. When did it happen that he stopped imagining himself growing old alone?
He’d never thought that he would fall in love, get married, do all the things that people normally imagine they will do. But Jordan didn’t see him as a disease, any more than she saw her young clients as their disability.
A Baby for the Doctor Page 15
