Home to You (7 page)

He adjusted his cowboy hat, bobbing it slightly as a young woman hurried past, entering the dime store.

“Murphey still own this store?” Chase asked the balding sheriff.

“His son runs it now.”

Chase nodded. Murphey’s son, Jackson, was a year older than he was. He’d known him in school.

“New stores in the places of old ones. Not as many people, but not much crime either.”

“That’s why I’m here.”

Jerry nodded. “I have to say, son, I’m glad to see you back. Always thought your family was good and hated to see your parents move away.”

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Chase had enjoyed moving away, getting to see the world, or so he’d thought.

It was funny how his world had come full circle.

He’d only wanted to escape to the big city, and now, because of his daughter, he was trying to escape back to the small town.

“The cleaners told me that my uniforms would be ready tomorrow,” the sheriff said matter-of-factly.

“Saw your daughter over at the school this mornin’,”

he added.

Chase glanced over at Jerry. “You don’t have kids there.”

Jerry’s chest puffed out. “I was droppin’ off my sev-enth grandchild. She’s eleven.”

Same as Sarah. Chase nodded. “Sarah is having trouble adjusting.”

“Only been here a few days. Give ’er time.”

Chase wondered if time would help heal wounds but didn’t say so aloud.

“Which brings up a problem. Since I’m working days, I’m going to need somewhere for Sarah to stay after school.”

Jerry’s brow creased and he reached up to adjust his tan hat. “Well, now.” He paused on the street and stared out across the way, lost in thought.

“My mother-in-law has been here helping, but she’s gone back home now.” Chase figured if the sheriff had grandkids that age, he might know where he could leave his daughter.

“My daughter is a stay-at-home mom, so I’m not sure what to tell you. There’s that day care over on
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Cheyenne Avenue, but then, they don’t take kids after they start grade school.”

“What about after-school activities?”

Jerry shook his head. “Not much here in town. We’re not big enough. Of course, occasionally one of the churches is havin’ somethin’ but that’s usually around the holidays.”

Chase had forgotten about the fact that there were few after-school things for kids. Of course, he’d had a mom and a best friend, so he’d never needed any activities.

Looking at it from a single parent’s perspective though, in Fort Worth, he’d always been able to find something.

“I don’t want to leave her at home, running the streets.

That was one of the problems in Fort Worth. I want this time to be right, to start over and do things better.”

Jerry nodded. “Well, son, have you thought about Carolyne Ryder?”

Chase blinked. “Since when does she keep kids?” He hadn’t thought of Cody’s mom.

“She never has,” Jerry commented.

“Then why suggest her?”

Jerry nodded at a car that drove past. Finally, still watching the traffic as it crawled through downtown, all three cars, that is, he said, “I’m thinkin’ Carolyne might be keen on the idea.”

And that was all he was going to say, Chase realized.

Mrs. Ryder.

“If you’re considerin’ it, then you might want to ask now.” The sheriff pulled Chase’s attention to him.

He saw Jerry looking past him and followed his gaze to see Dakota heading their way.

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“Well, fancy meetin’ you here,” the sheriff drawled, smiling at Dakota before shaking his hand.

Chase brushed back his hair as the wind caught it.

“Walking to work?”

Dakota shook his head. “I’m meeting someone to check out the building across the street. I wanted to find out a bit more about the price to rent it. My associate pastor mentioned it might be nice to have a youth center in the area.”

“That’s a pretty big building,” the sheriff agreed.

Chase nodded.

Jerry, being his usual small-town self, added, “We were just ’a talkin’ about youth and such.”

Chase watched as Dakota’s attention turned to him.

Astute, Dakota lifted an eyebrow and studied his friend.

“Youth are very important,” he offered. He glanced across to the empty building Chase had been studying earlier. The large glass windows needed a good washing and it looked musty inside, but it was a nice building…if the price was right…

“So, where is Sarah going to be staying after school?”

Dakota asked casually, zeroing in as he was so able to do. Dakota was good at reading people and knew from what the sheriff said, that was most likely what they’d been discussing.

“’Scuse me.” The sheriff moseyed down the street toward a friend.

Chase hesitated and then motioned to a bench.

Dakota checked his watch, glanced down the street and dropped next to Chase.

“Jerry mentioned your mom might be interested in
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providing some after-school care.” Chase cut right to the point. He might as well.

He caught Dakota by surprise. “Really?” His lips quirked.

“If you don’t think she’d be interested—” Chase began.

“I didn’t say that,” Dakota countered.

Uncomfortable, Chase shifted. Then he sighed. “I came back here half-cocked, thinking that country life would be just what my daughter needed and I’m sure it is, but then…” He ran a hand through his hair. “I had forgotten that there just isn’t much here if you’re a single parent and don’t have a partner waiting at home.”

He should have found a better way to couch that information. However, it was out and that was that.

The sound of the occasional car mixed with the singing of birds, and the whistling of the sporadic gust of wind filled the silence as both sat on the bench.

Finally, Dakota nodded, a slow nod, as if considering some long mathematical problem and coming to the conclusion. “My mom is certainly good at mothering.” He paused then added, “And she has been at loose ends lately.

I think Jerry might be right. That sounds like something my mom might enjoy doing. Let me call her and see.”

“Now?” Chase couldn’t help but be surprised at how quickly Dakota had decided on that. He’d thought it’d be a few days at least.

“Sure, why not?” Dakota asked.

“Sure,” Chase hesitated. “Um, a couple of things.”

Dakota glanced over at Chase and waited.

“Sarah’s a good child but, well, she hasn’t adjusted well since…you know, um…”

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He didn’t want to discuss this.

Dakota didn’t say anything, simply waited.

“I think she’s doing better here,” Chase added into the silence.

Dakota nodded. When Chase didn’t continue, he pulled out his cell and dialed a number.

Chase watched.

Looking across the street, he could tell when the other end picked up. Dakota smiled. “Hi, Mom. Yes, it’s me again.”

He paused and stretched his legs out in front of him.

“No, nothing is wrong.”

A hand went up to his hair and he ran it through the short dark strands. “Oh, I’m glad to hear she’s adjusting. Yeah. Okay.”

Straightening, he motioned to a man walking down the street and then got to the point. “Chase is looking for someone to watch his eleven-year-old daughter after school for a few hours each day. Jerry suggested you.”

Dakota listened. He nodded. “Yeah…” then paused.

“No, I don’t see a problem.”

Dakota glanced at Chase and rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’ll tell him to stop by.” He watched the man crossing the street. “Listen, Mom, my appointment is here. I have to let you go. I’ll be home for supper.”

He listened again and then added, “Love you too, Mom. Bye.”

He closed the phone and dropped it in his pocket. Turning, he said, “I’m around if you want to chat more about things. In the meantime, my mom sounded intrigued at the thought of having a young lady in the house again.”

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Chase thought of yesterday’s guest. “Er,” he started, not sure how to approach the subject of the second thing he wanted to ask. “About yesterday…?”

Dakota nodded. Noting the other man was still out of hearing range, he whispered, “Do you remember Meghan O’Halleran?”

Chase shook his head.

“A friend from grade school. Anyway, seems she has come to visit. She needs a place to stay and will be living out back in the garage apartment.”

“Is having Sarah there going to be a problem?”

Chase asked, low, as the older man approached.

Dakota grinned. “Nah. My mom will handle it. Listen, she wants you to come by and chat, get a schedule down for Sarah and all of that. So, go by sometime today and see her, okay?”

Dakota turned to wave at the man.

Chase stood, too relieved for words that his after-school-care problem was being taken care of. “Thanks, Dakota.”

Dakota shrugged. “Any way I can help. That’s what brothers are for.”

Chase knew he meant those words in the Christian sense. It was certainly nice to find someone who believed that and practiced it. He nodded and thought he just might go to church this weekend after all.

Dakota turned to the Realtor. “Hey, Bobby. Ready to show me the building?”

“I sure am.” The man nodded to Chase and then turned his attention fully on Dakota as they started across the street.

“Chase?”

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Chase heard Jerry calling his name and turned to see his new boss coming down the street, a frown on his face. He reached up to his shoulder and murmured something into the mic that was anchored there as he walked.

Chase started toward Jerry. “What’s up?”

Jerry sighed. Slowly he shook his head. “That was dispatch lookin’ for you. Seems the school called…”

Chase’s stomach fell.

“Is it Sarah? Is she okay?”

Jerry frowned. “I think physically she’s fine. The principal said somethin’ about words and a fight and needin’ to talk to you.”

The fear turned to acid in his stomach.

Fighting?

He thought he’d left that behind in Fort Worth. All of it.

What had his daughter gotten into now?

With an apologetic look, Chase said, “Since we’re done with the tour, you mind if I go? I’ll report in tomorrow as scheduled.”

Jerry nodded and then reseated his hat. “Go take care of the problem, son. We’ll see you at work in the mornin’.”

Chase nodded and, with a sigh of resignation, he went to find out just what had happened that sent the principal to the phone to track him down.

And he prayed it wasn’t as bad as it sounded.

Chapter Six

“Am I interrupting?”

Carolyne turned from hanging up the phone and smiled at her guest. “Of course not. That was Dakota calling about having me watch a child after school.”

Meghan was dressed in an old pair of Carolyne’s scrubs, some she’d kept from ages ago when she’d worked at the nursing home in the cafeteria for that short time. Though they were still too big on Meghan’s petite frame, at least they were clean and in one piece.

Meghan’s blond hair was wet and curled in tight permed ringlets around her face. Self-consciously she pushed it back behind her ear, while the other arm held her waist.

“Was Cody worried about, um…?” Her eyes cut away. She hesitated, her voice dropping, “Having someone like me around a child?”

“Oh heavens!” Carolyne shook her head. Then she chuckled. “You are something else, Meghan.”

Carolyne picked up her cup of hot coffee and headed
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into the dining room. “Why don’t you join me,” she offered, not looking back, hoping that playing it light was the right tack to take with this woman.

She’d offered compassion and now she was going to get down to finding out about Meghan and maybe finding a way to help her.

She heard the hesitation and then Meghan came forward. Curiously, she listened to the way Meghan walked and wondered what had happened to her left leg to make her partially drag it.

Serving up some of the fruit and cottage cheese on the table, she bowed her head and said a soft prayer.

When she was done, Meghan was seated across from her. She dipped up her own food and then self-consciously put her napkin in her lap.

“A friend of Dakota’s has recently moved back to town and has an eleven-year-old daughter. He needs someone to watch her for a couple of hours every day after school. I told Dakota to send the girl’s dad by and we’d set up a schedule. I love being around people and think it’d be delightful to have her here.”

Meghan shifted.

“And I don’t want you worrying about the situation.

Chase was here yesterday and helped Dakota.” Carolyne didn’t elaborate. “He knows you’re living here. So, since he seems okay with it, I see no reason to worry.

Do you?”

Though Meghan didn’t say yes, Carolyne could see it in her eyes.

She smiled sweetly at the woman.

Lifting her spoon, she took a bite of peach.

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“I feel I owe you an explanation,” Meghan said, push-ing her food around but not meeting Carolyne’s eyes.

Carolyne wanted to hug the woman, but kept herself seated. Softly, she replied, “You don’t
owe
me anything, honey, but it might help for you to talk.”

Meghan didn’t lift her head. The first sign that Meghan might be crying was a tear that dropped onto the tablecloth. She watched the young woman shudder and then fix her shoulders firmly. With strength of will borne out of some inner power, she cut off the flow of tears and then slowly forced her gaze up to meet Carolyne’s.

“I have multiple sclerosis.”

Carolyne waited to hear more but nothing more came. When it didn’t, she asked, “Is that what happened to your leg?”

Meghan blinked, nonplussed. “I remember my…but you don’t understand…don’t you know what that disease does to you?”

Agitated, she dropped the fork and her hands disappeared into her lap. Carolyne could tell by the way Meghan’s muscles bunched in her arms that she was gripping her fingers together tightly.