Forever, I Promise (A Northern Woods Novel)

by Roberts, Charliann

  “I hope it was something minor and won’t reappear. Let’s go out to the kitchen and fix something for lunch that will be light on your tummy and taste good too.”

  She put Tara in her highchair then opened the refrigerator door. She took hold of a jar of applesauce, noticed a banana on the counter and set them on the table. This would be a good start for now. Hailey could tell she loved the cold applesauce. She even smiled now and then though Hailey saw none of her usual glitter in those beautiful brown eyes.

  When Wade returned home from work Tara seemed to be her normal happy self. Hailey looked at him. “Tara had a slight temperature. Thankfully, she’s better now.”

  “Poor baby,” he said and held his arms out to her while Hailey finished setting the table. “What are we having?” he asked when she turned back to the counter and rinsed off the lettuce and tomatoes.

  “There wasn’t much time to cook, so we’re having bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches.”

  “You know I love BLTs; what is Tara having?” he asked, and gently bounced her on his knee.

  “Her favorite: mashed potatoes, peas, and a jar of Gerber’s Chicken and Gravy.”

  “Yummy! You’ll like that, won’t you Princess?” Tara wiggled up and down, in want of Wade’s knee to bounce again. “Hmm… she seems to be fine to me, don’t you sweetie? Were you fooling your momma?” Tara grinned and he gave her a hug.

  “I’ll have to try to get over to the store tomorrow. I’d like to purchase some type of Halloween outfit for her; perhaps a hat and a cape would be enough.”

  “I’m sure the hat alone will be fine. She won’t know what a costume is for anyway. Would you like to take her to the Huntington Mall when I get home from work? We could all go together.”

  “Who’s going to answer our door if we both leave the house?” She tipped her head at him, hands on her hips.

  “I assume you’re joking, right? No one has shown up at our door any other year. We’re too far away from other homes. Everyone goes to the mall and you know it.”

  “I was going to buy a bag of candy just in case someone happened to show up.”

  Wade lifted one brow, a smirk in his eyes.

  “I know, I know… it will only be a small bag of lollipops for you and Tara,” she said, and Wade swatted her backside. “Hey! Did I deserve that?” she asked with a grin. “Sit down, it’s ready.”

  He put Tara in the high chair and fastened the safety belt across her lap. “No sweetheart, you merit something much, much better.” With a sexy smile he walked behind her and placed a trail of kisses along her neck before he pulled out a chair and sat down. She set his sandwich on a plate before him.

  “Be a good boy and eat all your supper, then we’ll see how much you deserve.”

  She poured milk for the two of them then filled Tara’s sippy cup and handed it to her before she sat down in her usual location next to Tara.

  “I’m sure glad we purchased the crib that converts into a bed for Tara,” she said. “It will save on the cost of a twin-size bed when she grows out of the crib. I noticed today that it won’t be long now.” She looked over at Tara and smiled.

  Wade glanced at her, leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Honey, you sound so confident that Tara will be with us forever. I’m concerned about your missing friend. She may return someday and it will break your heart.”

  Hailey put her sandwich down on her plate and glared at him. “It’s been more than two years, Wade. We haven’t received one word from her, not one! Tara is two and a half years old. She is our daughter. Ours!”

  “And if Kellie does show up?”

  Suddenly the telephone rang. “I’ll get it,” Wade said, and stood quickly. He grabbed the receiver from the kitchen phone. “Hello?” There was no reply. He glanced over at Hailey who sent him a questioning look. “Hello, is someone there?” He asked again and paused. He looked at Hailey as he pulled the receiver away from his ear and hung it up. “Whoever it was said nothing. It must have been a wrong number.”

  She held a spoonful of mashed peas in front of Tara and urged her to open her mouth before she put the spoon down on the table and stared into his eyes.

  “She won’t show up. Apparently she never cared about Tara. She’s probably too busy in nightclubs, as she always was once we were out of school. Perhaps even on drugs. We were extremely close in high school, Wade. After graduation she was off on her own and I rarely saw her. I loved her like a sister and worried about her, though she didn’t seem to be the same person the last time I met with her. If she returns for Tara we’ll take her to court and fight for her. She’s our little girl and always will be.” Tears began to flow down her cheeks.

  Tara faced her for a moment then looked over at Wade; she began to pound her sippy cup on her tray causing her milk to splash onto her face and into her eyes.

  Wade stood to grab a napkin and lightly wiped her off. “You’re upsetting Tara, Hailey. She doesn’t know what’s wrong.”

  “I’m sorry.” She pushed her chair away from the table then went to the bathroom and closed the door. Wade watched her rush from the room. He finished feeding Tara then wiped her face and hands with a napkin and lifted her into the playpen with a couple of stuffed animals. He gathered the dishes and washed them before Hailey returned.

  “I’m sorry, Wade.” Hailey said when she quietly re-entered the kitchen. “I can’t help it. I’m afraid she’ll show up and insist on taking Tara away from us.”

  Wade dried his hands and turned to face her, planted them on her shoulders and pulled her close. He slid his palms along her arms then held her hands in his and laid his face against her hair. “I know, Hailey, I know. We’ll just have to do what we can, when and if the time comes. Right now our little girl needs us and we have to be strong if Kellie should happen to appear.”

  Hailey pressed her forehead against his chest and moved her head back and forth. “I can’t stand to even think about it. I pray to God every day, asking him to allow her to remain with us. I can’t imagine being without her. I have this feeling, Wade. I feel as though God is sending us a message, telling us it will be all right.” She stepped away from him. “I’m going to give Tara a bath and get her ready for bed.”

  “Okay honey. It’ll all work out. Let me know if you need any help. I’ll be in the living room watching the news.” He kissed her again before she walked over to the playpen to retrieve their little angel.

  * * *

  Thanksgiving flew by quickly and December arrived along with the snow. Hailey watched as Tara stood on her tippy-toes to peek out the window. She tried to touch the light fluffy flakes as they landed against the pane of glass; unable to catch them, she became discouraged.

  The first snow fall arrived late this year, very unusual for northern Minnesota. They’d only received two inches so far, though the weather forecaster predicted four more inches by midnight.

  “All right, Tara, mommy will take you outside to play with the snowflakes.” The temperature was thirty degrees so it should be fine for a short time. They recently purchased a hooded snowsuit, a pair of warm boots and mittens for Tara. Now they’d be put to good use. Hailey went to the coat closet and brought their winter gear into the living room.

  “We’d better go potty first,” Hailey said, and Tara knowingly walked to the bathroom ahead of her. Her business taken care of, Tara hurried out to the entryway where their winter clothes were waiting. She sat on the floor next to her snowsuit and waited for Hailey.

  When they were both dressed in their warm clothing Hailey double-checked Tara’s mittens. Tara was dressed and anxious to go outdoors. Hailey pulled her jacket, boots and gloves on and Holly stood by the door, doing a little happy dance of her own. “Okay, Holly. You can come out and play in the snow with us.” They went to the front door, which led directly into the fenced-in area.

  Holly took off across the small drifts of snow and jumped in the air as she attempted to catch the fluffy flakes. Tara g
iggled and tried to run after her, although she only accomplished two steps before she fell down.

  “Let’s make a snowman,” Hailey said, though she knew Tara had no idea what she meant. Tara sat down in a bank of snow and put some in her mouth while she watched. The glistening flakes barely stuck together but Hailey was able to roll three balls and attach them on top of each other. She searched along the house for three rocks for the eyes and a mouth and two small sticks for the arms.

  “There!” She brought Tara over to the snowman. “Now you’ll be able to wave at your little friend right in front of our living room window.” Tara clapped her mittens together before she put one in her mouth to chew on. “I guess we better get back in the house. It’s becoming cold and windy.” She carried Tara and called out to Holly. “Come, girl.” She’d been sitting in the snow next to Tara and at Hailey’s call she took off after them and followed into the house.

  “Okay, my little angel, it’s time for your nap.” After the removal of her outdoor clothes, Tara sat on the floor with a thumb in her mouth and kept her eyes on her mommy while she walked down the hallway to hang their wet clothes in the bathroom. Hailey returned to find Tara sound asleep on the floor alongside the dog, her tummy used as Holly’s headrest. Hailey smiled, carefully lifted her from the floor and brought her to the nursery. She assumed Tara would sleep soundly after being outdoors in the cold air so she put a diaper on her before she pulled a warm blanket over her.

  “Sweet dreams, baby,” she whispered, and turned the monitor on as she left the room.

  * * *

  Hailey sat on the sofa and was browsing through a toy catalogue when the phone rang. She hurried over to answer it before it woke Tara from her nap. “Hello?... Hello?” she repeated and glanced at the receiver, frowned and again brought it up to her ear. “Hello? We must have a bad connection,” she said. “Please try calling back.” She hung up the phone and waited, but it didn’t ring again. She lifted the receiver to make sure there was a dial tone, and there was. That’s strange... She went back to the sofa and continued to examine the catalogue. There were so many things she wished to purchase for Tara.

  She was so engrossed in the Christmas toys, she hadn’t heard the garage door open. Wade stomped the snow from his boots out in the garage before he stepped in and dropped them on the mat behind the door.

  “Hello,” he called out, and tossed his parka on the coat stand. He was getting much better. It usually took a couple of tries before he actually caught it on one of the hooks. He walked into the living room and leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. “Christmas shopping?” he asked.

  “Yes, and I found this cute rocking horse for Tara.” She pointed at the picture. “What do you think?”

  “It does look nice. Christmas is only three weeks away. Why don’t we take her over to the mall to shop for one and we’ll know if she likes it; at the same time we’ll let her visit Santa Claus.”

  “Yes, let’s have her picture taken with Santa and the rocking horse could be from him.” She closed the catalogue and set it on the coffee table. “Dinner will be ready soon. I made beef stew in the crock pot.” She stood. “I’ll get Tara from her crib.”

  “She’s sleeping a little late today, isn’t she?”

  “Yes, if you take a look out the living room window you’ll see what we were busy doing today. It tired her and Holly out. They were both sound asleep in the nursery the last time I checked on her.”

  “I’ll wake her while you set the table.” He walked down the hallway to the nursery.

  Hailey washed her hands and set the table; she added a shake of flour to the crock pot and stirred it to thicken the stew before she poured it into a large serving bowl. She carried it to the table and searched for the salt and pepper, spotted them on the top of the stove and brought them to the table. While she waited for Wade to appear with Tara she dished up a quarter of a potato and a carrot in a bowl and mashed them for Tara along with a couple of very small pieces of beef. Wade entered the kitchen with her just as her food was cooled to the perfect temperature. He settled her into the high chair while Hailey poured their milk.

  She walked over to Tara and felt her pink cheeks with the back of her hand. “Did you have a nice nap, honey? You look like you’re still sleepy.

  “It was the cold air along with the snow this afternoon,” she told Wade. “I didn’t keep her out too long. She was tired by the time we came indoors but she sure had fun playing with Holly in the snow.”

  Hailey sat in the chair next to Tara and fed her while she continued to talk to him. “By the way, I received another one of those strange phone calls a short time ago.”

  “What are you talking about?” he asked.

  “Remember? I told you someone called a while back and said nothing when I answered. Whoever it was did the same thing today. I suggested they call back, told them they must be having trouble with their phone line. They never returned the call. I’m getting an odd feeling about this, Wade. I wonder if it might be Kellie. This has happened several times and I’m beginning to think she’s checking up on us. The call had come through once on our house line and twice on my cell phone. I was hoping to see the number listed for the incoming call but it said the number was blocked.”

  Wade finished chewing then put down his fork and took a drink of milk before he spoke. “I doubt it was Kellie. Why would she call and not say anything? It’s probably someone dialing the wrong number. Even then, it could possibly have been the phone lines with the weather we’ve been having today. I had my radio on while driving home and they increased the amount of snow to eight inches along with heavy winds and blowing snow. I’d better turn in early. The driving may be treacherous by morning.”

  “I’m glad you only travel two miles to work,” Hailey said, and wiped Tara’s face with a wet cloth. She stood to clear the table and Wade took Tara from her chair and rubbed noses with her. “I saw your little snowman you made today.” He pointed out the living room window. “You did a good job, Princess.” Tara squirmed to get down and Wade put her in the playpen. It was set up between the living room and the kitchen in order for Hailey to keep an eye on her while washing the dishes. “You watch mommy now, Princess,” he said and planted a kiss on top of her head. “I need to get ready for bed. It will be a long, cold day tomorrow.” Tara stood and leaned against the side of the playpen in order to watch Hailey clean up the kitchen.

  Hailey finished the dishes then bathed Tara and readied her for bed. She played with her on the floor of the nursery for a little while before she read her a bedtime story.

  Wade poked his head in the doorway to say goodnight. “It’s already eight o’clock, Hailey. I’m going to read in bed for a bit. If I fall asleep, I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Hailey nodded. Tara had fallen asleep in the middle of her book, The Little Duckling. “I’ll be there soon myself,” she whispered and carefully put Tara in her crib and pulled the blanket up to her neck. But first I’m going to check the Internet again and try once more to find out where Kellie might be.

  Hailey sat in front of the computer, brushed a lock of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. She rubbed her eyes; she was tired but she wanted to search a bit more for Kellie. I know it’s not right, Lord, but I hope she’s nowhere to be found. After all, it’s been two and a half years now and we haven’t heard a word from her, so is it wrong for us to feel this way?

  Hailey checked every name she could think of that Kellie may have listed herselfunder and also cities and states where she might be hiding. She had no more luck than she and Wade had while searching many times in the past three years. She shut down the computer and closed her eyes. They were strained from staring at the monitor for two hours. It was time to get some sleep.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Hailey brushed Tara’s hair and attached two little red bows, one above each temple. She dressed her in a white long-sleeve blouse beneath a red and white pinafore. “Oh my, you’re beau
tiful, Tara. You’ll look real pretty in your photo with Santa Claus.”

  “Dah-dah!” Tara exclaimed and ran into the hallway. Hailey helped her down the three stairs and Tara called out, “Dah-dah! She fell down then pushed herself up and scampered away in search of Wade. She wanted to show him her new Christmas outfit.

  She’s growing up so fast, Tara thought. The glow of happiness carried with it a pang: she was so afraid Kellie might appear at any time and she would lose her little girl.

  When they arrived at the mall, Wade lifted Tara from her stroller and the three of them stood in line to see Santa. After a twenty minute wait, the moment she set eyes on Santa she was terrified. Thankfully, he was an elderly man and seemed to be quite experienced with the younger children. After a minute of gentle persuasion he convinced her to sit on his lap. She wouldn’t smile at first, until Santa handed her a candy cane and she looked at him shyly with a slight grin and giggled while Santa whispered in her ear. The woman who was taking the photos was dressed as Mrs. Claus. Her eyes sparkled lovingly at Tara when Hailey brought her up to sit on Santa’s lap. When Hailey looked at the finished portrait it was charming. Mrs. Claus must be a professional photographer. The picture caught Hailey’s heart and would be treasured forever.

  As they walked away from Santa’s Photo Shop Hailey glanced back at Mrs. Claus whose eyes never left the three of them. Hailey hadn’t been watching her step and suddenly stumbled over a rear wheel of the stroller and landed on the floor. Wade quickly reached down to help her up while he kept his eyes on Tara, who turned around with a look of worry.

  “Mom-ma…” she cried and held out her arms.

  “Are you okay, honey?”

  She grabbed his hand and stood. Trembling, she clutched her arms and held herself tightly. She again looked back at the woman, but her attention was now on the next child in line.