A Family for Thanksgiving (Love Inspired)

by Patricia Davids

  Nicki had gone on with her life. He hadn’t.

  Racing to her rescue had seemed like a good idea five days ago. As it turned out, he was years too late. She didn’t need rescuing. Even the town he wanted to help rebuild was well on the way to recovery. He’d driven thousands of miles to discover no one needed him.

  He ran a hand over the stubble on his chin. So what now?

  Leave again? And go where? He’d been north, south, east and west of Kansas. What good had it done him? He might pretend he was a carefree cowboy, but the specter of his failures followed him wherever he traveled.

  He’d made so many mistakes. Each one led to another and another until it seemed like his whole life had been one long string of screwups. Just as Jesse had predicted.

  Give me a clue here, God. What am I supposed to do?

  Somehow, Clay knew he needed to start over, to find what had been missing in his life. As much as he’d wanted that to be Nicki, it wasn’t going to happen.

  The knowledge was more depressing than the ruins of the town.

  Nicki stopped at her front steps and lifted Kasey out of her stroller. Her mother folded the carrier and followed Nicki into the house.

  Sitting on the camel-colored sofa, Nicki divested Kasey of her plush coat and mittens and waited for her mother to make some comment about Clay. She didn’t have long to wait.

  “Nicki, did you know Clay was coming back to High Plains?”

  “Nope. I was as surprised to see him as you were.” Surprised, angry, confused, attracted.

  “I thought perhaps that was why you wanted me to watch Kasey today.”

  “I told you I had an appointment to get my hair cut today.” Grabbing a strand, she waved it toward her mother. “See—no split ends.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you were lying.”

  “Could have fooled me.” Nicki leaned forward to tug Kasey’s green knit top down over her plump little belly. As far as Nicki was concerned, it was one of her foster daughter’s cutest features. Of course, her wheat-blond hair, bright blue eyes, dimpled cheeks and pudgy fingers were all a close second.

  Kasey patted her chest. “Chirt.”

  Nicki beamed. “That’s right. That’s your shirt. You’re so smart.”

  “Owey.” Kasey pointed to the pink scar on her forehead.

  “Yes, that was your owey, but it’s all better now.” Nicki planted a kiss on the spot to prove it.

  Kasey had been found the night of the tornado injured and alone. She remained the great mystery of the storm. No one knew who she was. It was as if she had literally been dropped out of the sky.

  Extensive investigations by the local and state police and even the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children had come up empty in the search for her family or her identity, though some imposters had claimed she was their daughter.

  At first Nicki had prayed daily that Kasey would be reunited with her mother or her father. Knowing that someone, somewhere must be frantic about the child had fueled those prayers.

  Lately, however, those prayers had become harder and harder to voice. Her love for her foster daughter was growing by leaps and bounds. The idea of losing her had become almost unbearable.

  Glenis sat on the sofa beside Nicki. “I just thought it was odd that you should run into Clay Logan the moment he set foot in town.”

  “The Lord moves in mysterious ways, Mom.”

  Affronted, Glenis folded her hands in her lap. “I hardly think you need to be flippant about it. I remember how you cried yourself to sleep for weeks after that boy left.”

  “It was a long time ago. We were kids. I got over it.”

  “You say that, but I’m not so sure.”

  “Surely you don’t think I’ve carried a torch for him all this time?”

  “Well, haven’t you?”

  “No. I’ve dated any number of men, a few seriously. But because I haven’t met the right man is no reason to assume I’m still pining over Clay. Besides, my friends have snapped up all the good men around here.”

  The tornado might have wreaked havoc on the town, but the twister had certainly brought with it a dose of romance. Maya Logan had fallen for her boss, Greg Garrison, the most eligible bachelor in town. They had married in August. Then the two of them quickly added Tommy Jacobs, a six-year-old foster child to their family.

  Reverend Michael Garrison had recently become engaged to Heather Waters, the founder of Helping Hands Christian Mission. Heather, originally from High Plains, had returned to help with the recovery efforts, and it looked like she would be staying for good.

  Josie Cane, who ran the after-school day-care program at the church where Nicki taught preschool, was head over heels in love with Silas Marstow. And engaged—thanks to the matchmaking efforts of Josie’s niece and Silas’s daughter.

  Even Lexi Harmon, the town’s veterinarian and her ex-husband, Colt Ridgeway, the police chief, had rekindled their marriage and were back together—where Nicki always thought they belonged.

  It warmed Nicki’s heart to see so many people she cared about finding love in the face of the town’s tragedy, but sometimes she felt the green imp of jealousy sitting on her shoulder. Why hadn’t it happened for her?

  And now Clay Logan had returned.

  No, don’t even go there!

  Nicki scolded herself for the unbidden thought. She hadn’t pined for him. She wasn’t waiting for him to show up. She was living the life God meant for her to live. That life didn’t include a cowboy with wanderlust in his veins.

  “I want you to be happy,” her mother continued. “I want you to find someone you can settle down with.”

  Leaning forward, Nicki ruffled the baby’s hair. “I am happy. I have someone. I have Kasey.”

  “You know that’s not what I mean.”

  Nicki sat back and met her mother’s critical stare. “The settling down kind of men I’ve met want children.”

  She tried hard not to sound bitter, but she couldn’t help it. “Since I can’t have children, that’s been something of a date killer when the subject comes up.”

  “I’m sure there’s a man out there willing to adopt a child once you’re married.”

  “I’ll keep looking for him. In the mean time, thanks again for watching Kasey. Let me buy you lunch next week as payment.”

  Glenis rose and bent to place a kiss on Kasey’s head. “I don’t need payment to watch this little doll.”

  Nicki smiled. “She is that.”

  After gathering up her purse and slipping into her dark blue wool coat, Glenis headed to the door. Nicki followed her, leaving Kasey happily pulling a half-dozen toys from a large red plastic bin at the end of the sofa until she found her favorite stuffed animal. A small pink bear given to her in the hospital by Layla Logan.

  In the entryway, Glenis paused. “Are you working at the Old Town Hall tonight?”

  “Yes. What about you?”

  “Not tonight, I have a meeting of the library committee.”

  Giving her mother a quick hug, Nicki said, “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m doing fine. I love my job. I love the kids I work with. I have a great life.”

  Glenis returned the hug. “Worrying is a mother’s job.”

  “Then at least take a vacation day. I’m not throwing myself at Clay Logan’s feet simply because he’s back for a visit.”

  Glenis pulled open the door letting in a gust of cold wind. “I’m sorry if I upset you by talking about him.”

  “You didn’t upset me,” Nicki answered truthfully. Clay had done that without any help.

  Where was he now? Had he gone out to the ranch? How long was he staying? Would she see him again?

  Nicki crossed her arms against the chill as she closed the door behind her mother. All questions and no answers, that certainly summed up her relationship with Clay in the past.

  Theirs had been a friendship she valued deeply. If only they had kept things friendly and not let their teenage
emotions take over. What she felt back then hadn’t been love. It had been a high school crush and nothing more.

  In a way, it had been good for her to see Clay again. Perhaps now she truly could get over him the way she always claimed she had.

  Chapter Three

  Clay pulled his truck to a stop at the curb and checked the house numbers against the return address on his sister’s last letter. This was the place.

  It had taken seven long years, but he was finally ready to face Maya. He had a lot to apologize for. He waited a minute, gathering his courage.

  Maya stood on the front porch sweeping stray fallen leaves from the wooden deck. A small boy Clay took to be her foster son, Tommy, and a little girl he assumed was his niece, Layla, were watching from their seat on a dark green porch swing.

  Like Nicki, Maya had changed a lot. Gone was his gangly kid sister. In her place was a lovely young woman with short dark hair and a trim figure.

  Catching sight of his vehicle, she stopped her work to stare at his truck with a puzzled frown. He opened his door, stepped out and walked to the front of the vehicle.

  She dropped her broom. With a squeal of delight, she launched herself down the steps and into his arms.

  Clay caught her up and swung her around laughing. Years of heartache vanished like smoke. Happiness nearly choked him.

  Thank You, Lord, for giving me this moment.

  As he set his sister back on her feet, she cupped his face in her hands. “I can’t believe you’re here. Let me look at you. You haven’t changed a bit.”

  “You have. Talk about the ugly duckling turning into a swan.”

  “What?” She planted her hands on her hips. “Did you just insult me or compliment me?”

  He grinned. “Go with the compliment angle.”

  “I believe I will.” She threw her arms around him, and he returned her fierce hug. “It is so good to see you.”

  “Its good to see you, too, sis.” She had no idea how good. Once more he saw how foolish he’d been to stay away. Oh, what his pride had cost him.

  Maya released her bear hug. “Why didn’t you call me and tell me you were coming?”

  “I didn’t have your number.”

  “That’s right. I lost my phone in the tornado and I was using Greg’s until recently. Well, you just hand over your cell phone and I’ll add my new number for you.”

  “I don’t own one, and I don’t plan to get one.”

  “In this day and age you haven’t found the need for a cell phone? That’s nuts.”

  “I get along fine without one.”

  “That is caveman thinking.”

  He thumped his chest. “Uhg.”

  Giggling, she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the house. “Come and meet the kids. Greg is out of town until next Monday, but I know he’ll be excited to meet you.”

  Although Greg Garrison had been raised just outside of High Plains, Clay had little memory of him. Greg was several years older, and the Logan family hadn’t traveled in the same social circles as the wealthy Garrisons.

  On the front steps, Maya paused, looking at Clay intently. “You are planning to stay awhile, aren’t you?”

  “Actually, I don’t have any plans at the moment.”

  “Wonderful. Then you’re staying until I tell you to leave. You’ll have to sleep on the sofa, but it’s a comfortable one. We’re in the process of building a new, bigger house, but it’s far from done. Oh, I can’t believe you’re finally here. I’m never letting you leave again.”

  Chuckling at her high-handedness, he said, “I’m happy to be here, too, little sis.”

  She clapped her hands to her cheeks. “Thanksgiving! You have to stay until after the holiday. My whole family together, praise the Lord, that would be so wonderful. Have you been to the ranch?”

  “Not yet.” He was leaving his confrontation with his older brother until last. He strongly suspected it wouldn’t go well.

  Maya’s frown returned. “But you will go see Jesse, right?”

  “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

  Eyeing Clay intently, she said, “You’d better. You know he isn’t going to make the first move.”

  “Same old Jesse.”

  “I don’t think that’s true. He’s had a pretty hard time of it. Oh, but you should see his girls. They’re as cute as a bug’s ears.”

  “Cuter than this little honey?” he asked, winking at the doe-eyed youngster peeking at him from behind the porch railing.

  “Layla, come say hello to your uncle Clay.”

  She shook her head.

  Laughing, Maya scooped up her daughter, her eyes sparking with maternal pride. Layla hid her face against her mother’s neck refusing to look at her new relative. “She’s a little shy, but she’ll warm up to you.”

  Turning to the young boy, Maya held out her hand. “Tommy, this is my brother, Clay. He’s come all the way from Canada to visit us. Finally.”

  Clay extended his hand. “Howdy.”

  Tommy took it, and the two exchanged a hardy shake, then Tommy asked, “Is Canada a long way away?”

  Thinking of the tedious hours he’d put in behind the wheel, Clay nodded. “It sure is.”

  “Did you happen to see a black and white dog, about this big on your way here?” Tommy held his hand below his waist. “His name is Charlie. He’s wearing a red collar.”

  “No, but I’d be happy to help you look for him.” Clay glanced at his sister, but she gave a tiny shake of her head.

  Maya laid a hand on Tommy’s head. “Charlie disappeared during the tornado. He and Tommy were very close.”

  It had been more than four months. If the dog hadn’t come home by now Clay knew it wasn’t going to, but it seemed Tommy wasn’t ready to accept that.

  The boy shifted away from Maya. “He’ll come back. You’ll see.” Turning, he ran around the corner of the house.

  Maya sent Clay an apologetic look. “Tommy was shuffled through four foster homes before he came to live with Greg and me. He was able to keep Charlie with him during every move. The dog was his only real family.”

  “Poor kid.”

  “Yes, which is why Greg and I are determined to adopt him.”

  “He must be happy about that.”

  “Actually, we haven’t said anything to him so please don’t. In case…you know.”

  “Gotcha. In case it doesn’t work out.”

  “Right. What am I doing keeping you standing here on the porch? Come inside. Are you hungry? The kids and I just finished lunch, but I still have a half pot of chili simmering on the stove.”

  “You cook?”

  She batted his arm. “What kind of question is that? Of course I cook.”

  “All I remember is your burned offerings. Burned eggs, burned pancakes, burned beans, burned meatloaf.”

  Pressing her hand to her cheek, she giggled. “Oh, the meatloaf. Do you remember how hard it was, and how Dad kept saying it was fine while everyone else was slipping pieces under the table to the dog.”

  “As I recall, Shep didn’t touch them.”

  “It was years before I made meatloaf again for that very reason.”

  Still laughing, Maya headed into the house in front of him. Clay followed, amazed at how easy it was to fall back into the sibling banter they’d always enjoyed.

  Inside, Maya lowered Layla to the floor, but the little girl clung to her leg while treating Clay to covert suspicious glances. After taking his coat and hat, Maya led the way to a cozy kitchen where the delicious smell of her chili set Clay’s stomach rumbling.

  “Have you had a chance to see the town,” Maya asked as she withdrew a bowl from the cupboard.

  “I did. It’s hard to believe all the damage.”

  “You should have seen it that first night. I’ve never been so terrified in my life.”

  “I wish I’d been here to help.”

  After hesitating a second, she asked, “Why didn’t you come back sooner?”
<
br />   Was she asking about the storm or his original exit? He chose to talk about the twister. He didn’t fully understand himself why he hadn’t come back after his last fight with Jesse.

  “I missed your phone call by two days. I’d just left the ranch to guide a group of hunters on a four-week packhorse trip. I called as soon as I got the message, but your phone was still out so I called Jesse.”

  “He told me he’d spoken to you. He told you about Marie?”

  “Yeah. He mentioned the twister, but he didn’t tell me the town had been leveled. Course, he never was talkative. I offered to come home then, but he said not to bother.” Anger at Jesse’s harsh words reared its head again.

  “Jesse said that?” Maya was clearly shocked.

  “Pretty much.”

  Ladling a heaping serving of chili into the bowl, she set it on the table in front of him and sat down. Sighing, she said, “There’s a lot more to the story, but go ahead and eat.”

  Maya propped her elbows on the smooth pine surface and stared at him.

  Tentatively, he sampled his first bite. The thick sauce and chunks of meat simmered to perfection with just the right kick of spices warmed him all the way to his toes. “Hey, this is good.”

  “Don’t sound so surprised.”

  “But I am.”

  Rising, Maya picked up Layla. “Let me put this one down for her nap, and then we can talk.”

  Clay finished his lunch and sat back in the chair. It wasn’t long before Maya joined him at the table again.

  Sitting, she folded her hands in front of her. “Did Jesse tell you anything about the way Marie died?”

  “Just that she was killed when a tornado touched down at the ranch.”

  “A tree fell on her car. It was the same storm that hit High Plains, but there was more than one tornado that day. Anyway, Marie wasn’t at the ranch.”

  “Where was she?”

  “On the highway a few miles from here. She’d left Jesse and the babies the day before the storm hit. Jesse found a note on the kitchen table along with her wedding band and the Logan family engagement ring. He was devastated.”

  Sympathy for his brother’s loss and humiliation blunted Clay’s anger. “I imagine he would be. I guess I can even understand why he didn’t want to tell me about it.”