by R. C. Ryan
Time to admit what he’d been working so hard to deny.
His poor heart took a hard, heavy bounce.
He was head over tin cups for Ally Shaw.
Ally filled a glass with orange juice and found herself thinking about the freshly squeezed juice Yancy provided at the ranch. How quickly she’d become accustomed to all his special treats. She would miss the comfort she’d found at the Malloy ranch. She’d discovered something amazing. The Malloy family didn’t just share a name and a house. They enjoyed each other’s company. They talked, really talked, not just about important things, but about everyday things. They laughed together. Teased. Joked. Fought and made up. They were a real family. Not the imaginary family she’d carried in her mind. Not the sugarcoated family she’d conjured as a lonely child and an even lonelier woman. They were real, flesh-and-blood people who lived together, worked together, and accepted one another, warts and all.
Catching a glimpse of the clock, she poured milk over a bowl of cereal before heading up the stairs. In the cramped bedroom she shared with Kyle, she brushed a kiss over the top of her son’s head as he struggled into his shorts. “There’s juice and cereal on the table. I’ll grab a shower and be downstairs in a little while.”
Kyle turned. “Where’s my shirt, Mama?”
She thought a minute. “Probably in the laundry basket. After working all day, and that long walk home, we were both hot and sticky. I tossed everything in Archer’s washer. Afterward, I folded our things and left them in the basket.”
“Okay.” As Ally made her way to the bathroom, the little boy dashed down the stairs, carrying his shoes and socks.
As he passed Archer’s room, he heard the strains of his uncle’s usual loud, sad music.
The door slammed as he rummaged through the basket of clean clothes.
“Looking for this?”
At Archer’s surly words, Kyle turned to see the glint of something shiny in the man’s hand.
His eyes went wide. “My dog tags.”
“Not anymore. You knew the rules. I warned you when you moved back in. I said drop them one more time and they’re mine. So now I’m putting them in my room. You won’t get them back until I say so.” Seeing the tears welling up in the boy’s eyes had his own narrowing. “Go ahead, you little crybaby. Maybe now you’ll pay attention to my rules.”
As Archer started down the hall, Kyle raced after him, his little legs pumping to catch up. The little boy paused in the doorway of his uncle’s room.
Archer opened the bottom drawer of his dresser and lifted the lid of a box before dropping the dog tags inside.
As he straightened, his cell phone rang.
“Yeah?” He listened before saying, “Right, Sheriff. I’m on it.”
Minutes later he slammed out of the house and drove off in his truck, tires screeching.
Ally descended the stairs and glanced at the kitchen table. The glass of juice and bowl of cereal lay untouched.
Kyle was sitting under the table wearing an expression she’d never seen before. He looked both sad and fearful.
“Something wrong, honey?”
Without a word he held up his shoes.
“Are those laces knotted again?” She caught his hand, helping him to stand, before setting the shoes atop the table and working out the knots in the laces. “You didn’t eat your breakfast.”
“I’m not hungry.”
She touched a hand to his forehead. “You’re a little hot. Are you feeling okay?”
Without a word he sat on the floor and slipped into his shoes.
Ally reached for her purse and the snacks she’d packed for midmorning. “We’re late. I asked Gemma to come in and help me get an early start. Let’s go, honey.”
As they walked toward Main Street, Kyle lagged behind until she caught his hand. “I packed strawberries and string cheese and some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Whenever you feel hungry, help yourself. Okay?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Here we are.” She paused. Before she could fish her key out of her purse, she realized the door was unlocked.
As she stepped inside, Gemma waved from across the room. “I didn’t expect to get here before you. Look at all the stuff that was on the doorstep this morning.” She handed Ally an envelope. “This was taped to the biggest box.”
Ally opened it. “Thelma Winter. She said she wants to sell all of it and will stop by tomorrow to talk about what I think it’s worth.” She set her purse on the counter and pulled on an old smock with deep pockets. Into each pocket she stuffed sheets of sticky labels and a pen. Gemma did the same before they began opening the boxes and bags. “Oh, my. Just look at all these household items. Won’t they look great at our reopening? Oh, and, Kyle, look at this.”
Ally pointed to a box of sturdy metal trucks. Instead of his usual enthusiasm, Kyle barely gave them a look before turning away to sit in a corner of the room.
Soon Ally and Gemma were busy sorting and labeling the assortment of household goods. And all to the chorus of saws and drills and hammers by the workmen in the apartment above.
“What ya doing, Gemma?” Kyle, still wearing his sad face, wandered into the girl’s back room where she was seated on the floor, surrounded by bags of discarded clothes and handbags and jewelry.
“Jeremy brought these a while ago. When Thorny sent him to Bell City for some supplies, he stopped by a yard sale and the woman told him he could take everything that was left, or she was going to toss it in the trash.”
“Wow.” The little boy lifted up a gaudy red, white, and blue beaded belt. “Look at this, Gemma.”
“Cool. I wish I could keep that for myself.”
“Why don’t you?”
She tousled his hair. “Because if I like it, somebody else will, too. And they’ll be willing to spend money to have it. That’s the name of the game. Jeremy and I are saving for our future.”
“Oh.”
“Come on, Kyle. Give me a hand with this stuff.”
Soon he’d forgotten his earlier unhappiness as he and Gemma lost themselves in the wonder of their newfound treasures.
Ally started a new file on her computer and began typing in the description of each of the items left by Thelma Winter, her newest client. The very word had her smiling.
She and Thelma would go over the list together and decide on a fair price for everything. In the meantime, she’d labeled everything Thelma had brought in, so the proper client would get credit for the sale.
She was still smiling as the door to the shop was thrust open with such force it slammed against the wall. “I’m sorry. We’re not open until…”
The words died on her lips at the sight of Archer, his face twisted in fury, eyes narrowed on her with a look of pure hatred.
“I told you my room was off-limits.”
“Your room? I don’t understand.”
“Liar. You’re not only a slut, but you’re a filthy liar, too. The kid told you, didn’t he?”
“Told me what?”
“Don’t play cute with me. This isn’t about your brat’s damned dog tags anymore.”
“Kyle’s dog tags?”
“As if you don’t know. Being his overprotective mama, you just had to go looking for them. And you spied on me, didn’t you? And now you know the truth.”
“You’re not making any sense. The truth about what?”
He stormed across the room and caught her by the shoulders, lifting her off her feet with such strength, she cried out. “Archer, put me down. You’re hurting me.”
“Oh, I’ll put you down all right. I’ll put you down like a stray dog once and for all.” He caught her by the wrist and dragged her across the room and out the door.
At the curb he wrenched open the passenger door to his truck and thrust her inside. In the blink of an eye he rounded the truck and stepped in, handcuffing her wrist to the steering wheel before taking off in a screech of tires.
Chapter Twenty-Four
&nbs
p; At the sound of Archer’s voice raised in anger, Gemma and Kyle peered around the doorway in the back room, watching and listening in stunned silence.
The scene played out so quickly, there was no time to react.
One minute, Archer was shouting at Ally. The next he had grabbed her by the wrist and hauled her out of the shop.
Gemma and Kyle raced to the door to watch as the truck disappeared along Main Street. Gemma picked up Kyle and raced up the stairs.
The whine of a saw drowned out whatever she was trying to tell Jeremy. He took one look at her stricken face, and the little boy with his head burrowed into her shoulder, and hurried over to tap Thorny on the shoulder. The man turned off the equipment, leaving the room in sudden, shocking silence.
“Something’s wrong.” Gemma’s breathy voice was the result of fear as much as her frantic race up the stairs. “Archer Stone just took Ally away.”
“Away?” Thorny looked from her to Jeremy and back. “What do you mean he took her away? Where? Why?”
“I don’t know. But he was really steamed about something. He was so hot, he didn’t even notice us in the other room. Now this little guy’s so scared, his teeth are chattering. I think we should take Kyle out to the Malloy ranch right away. Maybe they’ll know what this is about.”
They looked at the little boy, face hidden, body convulsed with sobbing, and Thorny gave a quick nod. “Jeremy, drive them to the Malloy place. I’ll phone the sheriff and see if he knows what’s going on. Maybe this is some kind of police business.”
Jeremy was busy unfastening his tool belt as he led the way down the stairs. Minutes later he was driving along the interstate, while Gemma kept her arm firmly around the frightened little boy, doing her best to offer him some comfort.
Kyle sat in terrified silence, his little face buried against her shoulder.
“Well. Look who the cat dragged in.” Luke looked up from mucking a stall as Reed slid from the saddle. “Looking good, bro. And smug. How does it feel to say good-bye to your prized herd?”
“It feels good.” Reed ran a hand through his beard and grinned at Burke, who had accompanied him from the hills.
“You might want to think about a long, hot bath, son,” the foreman said with a laugh.
Reed clapped a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “Thanks for sending that crew of wranglers from Ingrid’s ranch.”
“No problem. Since I’m paying them to help with the roundup at her ranch next, I figured they could start earning their keep a little early.”
“I’m grateful.” Reed turned to greet Matt, who stepped out of another stall. “I hope Yancy has time to cut my hair. I need to make myself presentable before Ally’s grand re-opening.”
“Yeah.” Matt shared a knowing look with Luke. “No sense having the girl of your dreams looking at you like you’re her worst nightmare. And right now, bro, you’re no dream lover.”
They shared a laugh before Reed picked up a pitchfork. “Since I already smell like a trail bum, I may as well lend a hand with the stalls before I head into the house to clean up.”
Matt slapped his back. “I like the way you think…”
They all looked up at the sound of a truck racing up the drive and spewing gravel as it came to a lurching halt.
“What the hell…?” Reed stepped out of the barn, followed by his brothers and Burke.
They watched as Gemma climbed down from the passenger side and lifted Kyle in her arms.
Jeremy stepped out of the truck and stood beside Gemma.
At that same moment the rest of the family began spilling out of the back door, gathering around in curiosity. Nessa caught hold of Matt’s hand and gripped it tightly. Ingrid put her arm around Luke’s waist while gathering Lily close to both of them. Great One, looking a bit shaky, stood holding on to Yancy’s arm to steady himself.
Frank turned to his grandsons to explain the family’s nervous behavior. “Sheriff Graystoke just phoned to say he doesn’t have a clue what Archer is up to.”
“Archer?” Reed looked from his grandfather to Gemma. “What’s this about?”
As quickly as possible, Gemma described the scene she and Kyle had witnessed. “Deputy Stone didn’t see us. And I guess he was so riled up, he didn’t even think about Kyle. He was just really furious with Ally, though she didn’t seem to know why.”
Jeremy added, “So Thorny suggested I drive Kyle here to your place while he phoned the sheriff to see what he knew about this. We thought it might be some kind of police business. But now that the sheriff says he doesn’t know a thing about it…” The young man’s voice trailed off.
“Hey, little buddy.” Reed reached out and tenderly took Kyle from Gemma’s arms. For a moment he simply held him, feeling the tremors that rocked the little boy’s body. Then he knelt and set Kyle on his feet before looking into his eyes. “I know you’re scared and upset, seeing Archer take your mother. Is there anything you can tell me?”
Kyle sniffled and looked away.
Reed reached for his handkerchief and blew the boy’s nose and wiped his eyes before saying gently, “Tell me about your morning. Was there anything different from other days?”
Kyle nodded.
“Want to talk about it?”
“Archer took my dog tags.”
“Your dog tags? Why would Archer do that?”
“I forgot and left them on the floor with my clothes. He said I broke a rule and now they were his.”
“And that’s why he’s mad at your mama?”
Kyle shook his head.
Reed struggled for patience. “Is there something else that happened, little buddy?”
Kyle looked down at the ground. “I saw Archer put my dog tags in his treasure box. He keeps one in his bottom drawer, just like me. Then he got a call from the sheriff, and he had to leave, and I did a bad thing, and now my mama’s in trouble.”
Reed tipped up his face. “After he left, did you go into his treasure box to find your dog tags?”
Kyle’s lower lip trembled. “Archer said nobody could ever go in his room. He said he’d kill anybody who ever opened that door.”
“But you went in there anyway?”
A chubby little fist wiped at fresh tears. “They’re not his. He can’t keep them. They’re mine. Mama said they were my daddy’s.”
“Yes, they were. And now they’re yours. So you went into his room. Did you get your dog tags?”
“Y…yes.” His voice was soft as a whisper.
“Did you tell your mama?”
He shook his head. “She’d be sad. She said I should never go in Uncle Archer’s room, ’cause he’d get mad and make us leave.”
“So it was your secret. Where did you hide the dog tags?”
“I stuffed them in here real fast when I heard my mama coming down the stairs.” Kyle reached into his pocket and pulled out the shiny tags. As he did, something sparkly was caught on the chain and slipped to the ground.
As Reed picked it up, his grandmother gave a loud gasp and took the item from Reed’s hand. “Oh, sweet heaven.”
While everyone stared at Grace, whose face had gone deathly pale, she turned to her father. “Look, Dad. It’s Mother’s ring.” She placed it in Great One’s palm.
For long minutes he merely stared at it, until his eyes were too filled with tears to focus. Finally he lifted it to his lips and kissed it before closing his hand around it.
Grace closed both hands around his before turning to the others. “On the night of Patrick and Bernie’s anniversary, Dad and I gave my mother’s favorite ring to Bernie before leaving for town on the night she and Patrick…” She sucked in a breath. Seeing the blank look on their faces, she added, “Bernadette was so proud and happy. She was wearing it when she walked out the door.”
As the enormity of it began to sink in, they were all shocked into silence.
It was Reed who asked what was on all their minds. “What in hell was Archer doing with a ring worn by my mother on the night she
died?”
Archer, reeking of sweat and alcohol, turned the wheel of his truck, leaving the interstate and heading along a dirt road that snaked through the hills. Ally fought a rising panic as he drove like a madman.
If she’d thought his words, hurled like bullets, were frightening, his retreat into stony silence was much worse.
She waited as long as she dared, hoping the agonizing stretch of silence had somehow softened his attitude.
She fought to keep her tone reasonable. “Why won’t you tell me what this is about?”
“Stop lying, you slut. You already know.”
She wanted to scream at him. Instead, she was determined to keep from making things worse. “I don’t. I swear, Archer, I don’t understand any of this.”
“You and your secrets. I should have known. You come to town with some phony story about leaving a big important career to start some stupid menial job in a backwater town like Glacier Ridge, and I bought into the whole lie.”
“It wasn’t a lie. I left for Kyle’s sake. So he wouldn’t have to spend years in day care and latchkey programs while his mother pursued a career. I wanted something simpler. I just wanted us to be a family. Why can’t you believe that?”
“Liar!” His arm swung out and he backhanded her with such force, her head snapped to one side and she was forced to blink away stars. “I read the fax that came into the sheriff’s office. I know why you’re really here. You and those Malloys are all in this together.”
Ally touched a hand to the blood that flowed from her split lip.
“You’re just like her. You’ve lied so much, you don’t know how to tell the truth anymore. But it doesn’t matter now. Nothing does. Now that my secret’s been discovered, all I can do is run as far and as fast as I can. But first I’ll bury your miserable body so deep your bones won’t be uncovered until the entire Malloy family is dead and gone.”
He gave the wheel a twist, and they made a sharp turn to avoid a pile of rocks that had apparently slid from a cliff top into the middle of the road.
