“Do I need to go let Miss Trouble out?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I took care of her when I was at home. She’ll be fine for a while.”
Alycia looked disappointed.
“Well . . . I guess she wouldn’t mind your company. She has been shut up and alone a good portion of the day.”
The girl’s face brightened.
Derek glanced in Brooklyn’s direction. “Is that okay with you?”
“I guess.” To Alycia she said, “Bring her over here to our backyard.”
“Great!” Alycia hopped up from her chair and was out the back door in no time.
“You know what you’ve done, don’t you?” Brooklyn cast a frown in his direction, although she didn’t quite carry off the look of irritation. She wasn’t as upset with him as she tried to appear. “She’s going to want a dog of her own.”
“I could give her Trouble.”
Now Brooklyn’s expression—almost horrified—was in earnest. “No, you cannot!”
Derek laughed as he lifted both hands in a sign of surrender. “Okay. Okay. Sorry. Won’t mention that again. I promise.”
“You’d better not.” She released a sigh, her look softening. “There isn’t room in our lives to get a pet.” As if wanting to change the subject, she pointed at his plate. “Another slice?”
“Sure.” He pushed back his chair. “You?”
She shook her head, and he took his plate to the counter to grab another piece. “Did you have any pets when you were growing up?”
“No. Dad wouldn’t have them.”
She spoke matter-of-factly, but her words made him feel sorry for her.
“I can’t imagine a life without animals in it.” He returned to the table and dug in. After swallowing, he added, “When I was little, we always had dogs and cats around the house.”
“Your cousin Samantha loved horses. I remember that.”
“She sure did. Still does.”
“Where is Sam now? I think your grandmother told me when we stayed with her, but I’ve forgotten.”
“She’s got a job in Oregon.”
“What’s she doing?”
“I’m not sure exactly. Some kind of accounting for a really big firm. I would go mad, shut up like that, working with numbers all day, but it seems to suit her. She likes a calm and steady ship.”
Brooklyn nodded without comment.
The topic seemed spent, but before Derek could think of another one, Alycia’s voice drifted through the doorway. “Me and Trouble are back, Mom.”
Amusement flickered across Brooklyn’s face. “Me and Trouble,” she repeated. “They do sort of go together.” Then she laughed.
Derek joined in the laughter. How could he help it? The sound was infectious.
The silence came as quickly as the laughter. Brooklyn blushed and lowered her gaze. “I suppose I’d better get my act together. I work tomorrow.”
He took his cue and made quick work of finishing his last slice of pizza. “Did you find a permanent babysitter for Alycia?” He wiped his mouth with a paper napkin.
From outside: “I’m not a baby.”
That brought a smile back to Brooklyn’s lips.
“Sorry,” Derek called to Alycia. Lowering his voice, he said, “I didn’t know she could hear us. What do you call them if not a babysitter?”
“A sitter. Leave off the ‘baby’ part. And yes, I found someone, thanks to your grandmother. Mrs. Nims. Do you know her?” As she spoke, she reached for the empty plates.
“Yeah. Nice lady.”
“That’s what I thought when I met her.” She stood and walked into the kitchen, setting the dishes in the sink. “And she’s able to work whenever I do. It’s nice to have someone who can be that flexible. A waitress’s schedule isn’t always ideal, even with an accommodating boss like Zach.”
She tried to stifle a yawn. Derek saw it anyway. “I’d better get out of your hair. Thanks for the dinner.”
“Thanks again for the help, Derek.”
“I was glad to do it.” He hoped she knew that he meant it.
Outside, he said good-bye to Alycia, apologizing a second time for the babysitter remark, then carried Miss Trouble toward home. He yawned, thought of Brooklyn, and smiled again.
Yeah, they were becoming friends, and that was a good thing.
Chapter 14
Derek had exchanged his deputy uniform for a pair of jeans and a colored T-shirt when he heard a rap on the door. Before he could leave the bedroom, he heard Alycia call out, “Are you home, Mr. Johnson?”
“I’m here.”
“I came over to take care of Trouble. Is that okay since you’re home?”
“Sure. Go ahead.” Barefooted, he walked down the hall to the kitchen.
Alycia stood inside the doorway to the mudroom. “She’s been out a couple of times already, and I fed her this morning, right on time.”
“Good to know.” Derek raked the fingers of one hand through his hair. “Is your mom still at work?”
“Uh-huh. She told me she won’t be home until after dinner. Mrs. Nims is gonna fix us fried chicken and biscuits.”
“Lucky you.”
“Wanna come over like you did for pizza?”
He flashed the girl a grin. “No, but thanks for asking.”
“Sure.” She lifted Miss Trouble into her arms and carried the dog outside.
Derek went to the refrigerator, where he filled a glass with cold water from the dispenser in the door. Tipping back his head, he drained it with big, long gulps. He hadn’t known how thirsty he was until the water touched his lips. After filling it a second time, he went to the back door and looked out to where Alycia waited for the papillon to do her business.
“Chad,” he said softly, “you really missed out. You made a big mistake, buddy.”
Alycia looked up, as if she’d heard him. When she found Derek watching her, she waved.
“Kiddo,” he continued in the same soft voice, “I’m going to do whatever it takes to fill in where your dad left a hole. I don’t know exactly how, or even what that means for sure, but I’ll do my level best. That’s my promise to you. And to your mom too.”
He drank the last of the water in the glass before heading outside.
The first thing he did was to refill the water tank for the livestock. The calf ignored him, but the two horses crowded in, enjoying the fresh water but also hoping for a carrot or bit of apple or some other treat.
“I spoil you two.” Derek patted Blue Boy on the neck, then repeated the action with Sunny. “Sorry. That’s all the treat you get right now.”
He slipped through the pasture railing and headed out to the fields. After changing the settings on his sprinkler system, he opened the valve to start the flow of water. A few more adjustments to accommodate for the breeze, and he had the spray right where he wanted it.
Finished with that, he went to a section of the farm that wasn’t being watered, walking up and down the rows, checking the progress of the vegetables, pulling weeds when he saw them. The work didn’t require much in the way of concentration, so it was easy to let his thoughts drift. First to yesterday and the fun he’d had, painting and later eating with Brooklyn and Alycia. Then further back, to the day Chad first brought Brooklyn to a gathering of friends. Not really a party. Just a bunch of kids hanging out at a friend’s house, swimming in the pool, dancing to music on the patio.
Chad had brought a bottle of something. Vodka, probably. He’d liked vodka. Liked it a little too much, in Derek’s opinion. Chad had always been reckless, a thrill seeker, a rule breaker. He’d liked to drink and party and he’d had more girlfriends than Derek could remember. Brooklyn Myers had been one of the prettiest girls in Thunder Creek. Maybe the prettiest. And once Chad took her out, he’d decided she was his girl and nobody else’s. Derek had done his best to discourage the relationship. He’d thought she had a wild streak in her to match Chad’s.
But he had to wonder now: was that
true? It didn’t add up with the girl who had raised a daughter on her own. And done such a good job of it too. Made him wish that he knew more about—
A shrill cry broke into his thoughts. He stiffened and turned, then heard another one. Alycia! He broke into a run toward the barnyard. As he drew closer, he hollered her name.
“I’m here, Mr. Johnson! I’m here!” The words were tinged with fear.
When he caught sight of her, his heart almost stopped beating. She was dangling off the side of the six-foot-tall fence near the shed. Her left foot and ankle were tangled in the rope that had been looped around the corner post. The top of her head was about a foot or more above the ground. Blue Boy stood close to her, nuzzling her side. The rope slipped, and she dropped another inch or two, startling both girl and horse. Alycia cried out again.
“Hold on,” Derek shouted. “I’m almost there.”
He half stepped, half dove between the fence rails. But then he made himself slow down for fear he would startle Blue Boy. The horse was far too close to the girl for Derek’s comfort. He clucked his tongue, drawing the gelding’s attention. Blue Boy, greedy as always, headed toward Derek in hopes of some sort of reward. All the horse received was a quick pat before his master hurried once more toward Alycia.
Relief rushed through Derek the instant he had a hold of her and there was no more danger. With her arms around his neck and the tension off the rope, he was able to untangle her ankle and foot. But he kept a tight grip on her until they were both through the gate and all the way to his back porch.
“Are you hurt?” he asked as he set her on the top step.
She shook her head, but he tested her ankle anyway, gently moving it from side to side. She stiffened and sucked in a startled breath.
“You’ve got a good sprain, I’ll bet. How on earth did you get caught in that rope?” He narrowed his eyes. “You were up on the fence, weren’t you? Didn’t I tell you not to get near the horses without permission and without an adult with you?”
She nodded, tears welling in her eyes.
“Do you know how much worse that could’ve been? What if I hadn’t heard you? What if that rope had tangled around your neck instead of your ankle? What if one of the horses had spooked and kicked you?” Even as he snapped the words at her, he knew he wasn’t as angry as he sounded. But for some reason he couldn’t keep from scolding her. “You shouldn’t have done that, Alycia. You shouldn’t have disobeyed me that way.”
“Derek? What’s happened?”
He straightened and turned. Eunice Nims hurried toward him, a worried expression knitting her brows. It was all he could do not to turn his irritation on her. Why hadn’t she kept an eye on Alycia? Wasn’t that what Brooklyn paid her to do?
“I couldn’t find her anywhere.” Eunice patted her breast, as if mimicking her rapid heartbeat.
The adrenaline that had propelled Derek across his acreage drained away as suddenly as it had come, taking his anger with it. “She’s all right, Mrs. Nims. She hurt her ankle, but otherwise, she’s okay.”
“I called her mother at the diner.”
Derek didn’t have to ask if Brooklyn was on her way. He knew she was.
“I should take Alycia home,” the older woman said.
“Let’s not move her just yet.” He looked down at the girl on the steps. “But you’d better call Brooklyn again and let her know you found her and she’s okay.”
As Brooklyn drove toward home—faster than the posted speed limit—a long list of possible disasters raced just as fast through her mind. Various ways that Alycia could be hurt or trapped or in trouble.
Her cell phone rang as she pulled into the driveway. She slammed on the brakes at the same time she answered it. “Hello.”
“We found her,” Eunice Nims said. “She’s all right.”
Brooklyn reached for the door. “Where are you?”
“At Derek Johnson’s.”
Brooklyn took off at a run. Whether from instinct or habit, she raced toward the barnyard and back entrance. Words couldn’t describe the emotions that shot through her when she saw her daughter, seated on the steps, head bowed, crying softly. Eunice Nims sat beside her on the steps. Derek stood nearby.
When he saw Brooklyn, he echoed Eunice’s words on the phone. “She’s all right.”
“What happened?”
“Looks like she sprained her ankle.”
Eunice rose and moved off to one side. Brooklyn quickly took her place. “What happened?” she repeated, this time to her daughter.
Alycia sniffed as she wiped tears from her cheeks. “I fell off the fence and got my foot caught in a rope.” She pointed toward the pasture.
“A rope. How did that happen?” She glanced up at Derek.
Before he could answer, Alycia said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Johnson. I’m real sorry. I won’t ever do anything like that again.”
Derek leaned toward Alycia. “You’d better not, kiddo. I have to be able to trust you to mind me.”
“I know. I’m real sorry.” Alycia sniffed again as she bowed her head.
“Maybe now isn’t the time—” Brooklyn began.
“I think now is exactly the time.” Derek’s gaze snapped to meet hers. “She’ll get over a sprain fast enough. But she could have been hurt a lot worse because she didn’t follow the rules I set down.”
Brooklyn knew he was right, but she still didn’t like him trying to take charge. She was Alycia’s mom. She was the one who would correct her child. Nobody else. Rising from the step, she said, “I need to get Alycia home so I can call the doctor.”
“I’ll carry her.” Derek leaned down and lifted her daughter in his arms. After a moment, Alycia clasped her hands behind his neck and leaned a cheek against his shoulder.
For some reason, it infuriated Brooklyn, the way he suddenly took charge. But even in her anger she knew she couldn’t have carried Alycia all the way across that open field. She might have been able to handle a shorter distance, but she couldn’t have managed all that way. Not across an overgrown field with such hard, uneven ground. And so she let him go. She allowed him to lead the way—something she hadn’t done with a man for better than a decade.
At the house, Derek carried Alycia up the stairs and into her bedroom. All the furniture was back in place now, although the wall opposite the bed still awaited the promised stencil of the horse. Brooklyn had planned to do that when she got home from work.
At the thought, she stifled a groan. First her dad had made that scene in the diner. Now her daughter had made Brooklyn miss the remainder of her shift. Rather than entering Alycia’s room, Brooklyn turned and went into her own room to make the necessary phone call.
“Moonlight Diner.”
“Zach, it’s Brooklyn.”
“Did you find Alycia?”
She drew a quick breath. “Yes. She was over at Derek’s place. Just next door. But Mrs. Nims couldn’t find her before she called me. Alycia got hurt somehow. A sprained ankle, we think, but she hasn’t seen a doctor yet, so I don’t know for certain.”
“Well, don’t you worry about us. You get her to the doctor, and we’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’m so sorry about this, Zach. You should be able to depend on me and—”
“Don’t you give it no nevermind. Being a parent’s never easy. Being a single parent’s twice as hard ’cause you’re trying to fill two spots.”
“But I’m so new there. I promise this won’t be a habit.”
“You take care of your little girl. I’ve got the diner covered. Now, go on with you.”
“Thanks, Zach,” she said softly before ending the call.
She sat on the edge of the bed, feeling drained, exhausted. Her mind had gone blank.
“Brooklyn?”
She looked toward the bedroom door. Derek’s broad shoulders seemed to fill the opening. He watched her with concern in his eyes.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I’m fine. It’s Alycia who
got hurt. And if that wasn’t enough, you hurt her feelings. You made her cry.”
“It’s a sprain, Brooklyn. That’s all.”
She stiffened, her worry changing to anger, and the nearest person was about to catch the brunt of it. “Where did you get that medical degree, Dr. Johnson?”
A frown skated across his face at her words. “Don’t need to be a doctor to tell it isn’t that serious. And I didn’t make her cry. She didn’t listen and she got hurt—and in case you didn’t notice, I had to make a lesson out of it.”
“Not just a doctor, then.” She jutted her chin toward him. “Now you know everything about parenting too.”
“Not everything. But even I understand that much.” There was now a touch of exasperation in both his expression and his tone.
She rose from the edge of the bed. “I’d better see to her. And I still need to call the doctor.”
He stared at her a moment, then took a breath. “Brooklyn, I need to tell you something. Something that—”
“Not now. Whatever it is, it can wait.”
“All right.” He took a step back into the hallway. “Later, then.” He glanced toward Alycia’s bedroom. “Let me know how she’s doing.” Then he disappeared from view.
Brooklyn waited a few moments, then sank onto the bed again, trying to make sense of her feelings and reactions. She understood that, irrational though it might be, fear for her child’s safety had been replaced by anger once the danger was over. But her response to Derek’s words of correction to Alycia confused her.
Or maybe it didn’t. Perhaps in her mind she had turned Derek’s mild rebuke into the harsher chastisements of her own father.
She straightened and allowed the thought to linger. Was that what she’d done? Was she so quick to allow her past, the memories of her dad, to color so much of her present? If so, she wasn’t being fair. Not to Derek and not to Alycia either.
“God,” she whispered, “I’ve come so far. Most of the time I feel strong and sure of myself. But will the day ever come when I’m completely free of negative reactions?”
She felt a sudden desire to hear Esther’s voice, to listen to her friend’s sound advice. But that would have to wait. For now, she needed to get back to her daughter.
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