[Kentucky Brothers 01] - The Journey (32 page)

When the door to Titus’s room opened and his folks stepped in, he blinked a couple of times. “Mom. Dad. I figured you’d come.”

Mom moved quickly to the side of his bed, and Dad followed. “How badly are you hurt?” Dad asked.

“I have a concussion and a gash on the back of my head, but I’ll live. ‘Course, I have a chunk of hair missing now because they had to shave it in order to stitch up the wound. Guess I’ll have to wear my hat all the time until my hair grows back.” Titus forced himself to smile. He figured he’d better make light of the situation so Mom wouldn’t be too upset.

“Tell us what happened,” Dad said as he and Mom seated themselves in the chairs beside Titus’s bed.

Titus explained all that had transpired, being careful not to make it sound as frightening as it actually had been.

Mom’s eyebrows drew together as she reached for Titus’s hand. “You need to move back home. It’s not safe for you here.”

“The men have been caught, and there’s no reason for me to move back.”

“Oh, but I think—”

Dr. Osmond entered the room.

“These are my parents,” Titus said, motioning to Mom and Dad. “They came here from Pennsylvania because they were worried about me.”

“And well they should be.” The doctor moved closer to Titus’s bed. “I’m going to release you to go home, but only if you promise to take it easy for the next several days.”

“Oh he will,” Mom spoke up, “because we’re going to be there to make sure that he does.”

“That’s right,” Dad said with a nod. “We’ll go home with him and stay until he’s well enough to manage on his own.”

Titus appreciated the fact that his folks had come, but he was worried about what they would think when they saw the trailer. It was bad enough that the place was so cramped; now thanks to the men who’d broken in, everything was a mess.

Pembroke, Kentucky

“This place is a disaster,” Suzanne said to Esther as they worked together to get things cleaned up in Titus’s trailer.

Esther wrinkled her nose. “I can’t believe those horrible men did this, can you?”

Suzanne shook her head. “What I really can’t believe is that they hurt Titus. He did nothing but try to warn me that they were here.”

Esther stared at Suzanne. “You like him, don’t you?”

“Who?”

“Titus. Who else are we talking about?”

Suzanne focused on sweeping the floor and said nothing.

“I saw how worried you were about Titus the night we were at the hospital.”

“Of course I was worried. Titus was hurt, and I didn’t know how badly.”

Esther set the broken dish she’d been holding on the kitchen table and stepped in front of Suzanne. “Do you like him or not?”

Suzanne looked up. “Titus and I have had our share of differences, but as I’ve gotten to know him better, I’ve come to realize that he’s really a caring person. Even the way he cared for that runaway horse let me know what type of person he was.” Suzanne dropped her gaze to the floor. “I do like him, but only as a friend.”

“Would you like to be more than friends? Do you wish you were being courted by him?”

“I know how much you care for Titus, and I wouldn’t think of trying to come between you.”

“I was interested in Titus at first, but after spending some time with him, I’ve recognized that we’ll probably never be serious about each other.”

“Why not?” Suzanne asked, fixing her gaze on Esther.

“We don’t have much in common, and he’s really not my type. So if you’re interested in him, you have my blessing.” Esther bent to pick up another piece of broken glass and tossed it in the garbage.

“Are you sure about that?”

Esther nodded. “I don’t think he’s serious about me, either.”

“Well, even if I were interested in Titus, he’d never be interested in me,” Suzanne muttered.

“How do you know?”

“Because I look like his ex-girlfriend. Besides, I can’t cook, and what man wants a woman who can’t cook?”

“I’ve told you before that I’d be happy to teach you.”

“I guess it would be easier to learn from you than Mom.” Suzanne sighed deeply. “When it comes to cooking, I’ve always felt like a failure next to her.”

Esther slipped her arm around Suzanne’s waist. “You’re not a failure. I’m sure you can learn to cook, and if you let me teach you, I’ll try to be very patient.”

“We’ll see.” Suzanne glanced out the window. “A van just pulled in. Looks like Titus and his folks are here now.”

“Oh great. We’re not done cleaning the kitchen yet.”

“At least we got the rest of the house picked up, and it shouldn’t take us long to finish in here.” Suzanne motioned to the few broken dishes that were still on the floor.

“Let’s go meet Titus’s parents and see how he’s doing, and then we’ll finish cleaning in here,” Esther said.

They hurried from the room, and Suzanne opened the back door just as Titus and his parents stepped onto the porch.

“I’m surprised to see you both here,” Titus said when they’d entered the house.

“We heard you might be coming home today, so we came over to clean up the house before you arrived,” Esther replied.

“That was nice of you.” Titus motioned to his parents. “These are my folks, Abraham and Fannie. Mom, Dad, meet Esther and Suzanne.”

Fannie and Abraham shook hands with Esther first, saying it was nice to meet her. Fannie acted a little cool toward Esther, though. When she shook Suzanne’s hand, she stared at her strangely. Suzanne wondered if there was something about her that Titus’s mother didn’t like. Could it be because she reminded her of Titus’s ex-girlfriend?

“It was nice of you both to clean up the place,” Fannie said, directing her comment to Suzanne, “but now that I’m here, I can take over the job.”

Suzanne glanced at Esther, wondering if she felt Fannie’s coolness.

Esther merely smiled and said, “We’re almost done. We just have a few more dishes to pick up in the kitchen.”

“Oh, I see. I guess you can do that while we get Titus settled in his room.” Fannie glanced around. “This place is so small. Does it even have a bedroom?”

“It’s at the back of the trailer, but I’m not going to bed.” Titus motioned to the sofa in the living room. “Why don’t we have a seat so we can visit awhile?”

Sensing Fannie’s hesitation, Suzanne said, “I think Esther and I had better finish cleaning the kitchen, and then we’ll be on our way.” She smiled at Titus. “You look much better than when I saw you in the hospital. How are you feeling today?”

“My head still hurts, but I’m doing okay.”

“Remember now, the doctor said you’ll have to take it easy for several days.” Fannie put her hand on Titus’s shoulder. “That’s why your daed and I will be staying to help out and see that you behave yourself.”

Titus’s face colored, obviously embarrassed by his mother’s comment making it seem as if he were a child.

“I guess we’d better get back to work. It was nice meeting you.” Suzanne smiled at Titus’s parents.

“Nice meeting you, too.” Abraham returned her smile, but Fannie only nodded before taking a seat on the sofa beside Titus.

Suzanne moved toward the kitchen. “Are you coming, Esther?”

“Of course.” Esther followed Suzanne into the kitchen.

“For whatever reason, Titus’s mamm doesn’t like me,” Suzanne whispered to Esther.

“What makes you think that?”

“Didn’t you see the strange way she looked at me? She didn’t want to visit with us either.”

“She acted kind of cool toward me, too, but I think she’s just concerned about Titus and probably thought visiting might make him tired.”

“Maybe so.” Suzanne pushed the garbage can into the center of the room and started picking up the rest of the broken dishes as fast as she could.

Shortly after Esther and Suzanne left, Mom turned to Titus and said, “No wonder you like it here and don’t want to leave.” “What do you mean?” Titus asked.

“That young woman with auburn hair reminds you of Phoebe, doesn’t she?”

Titus nodded. “She did at first, but since I’ve gotten to know her—”

“You’re staying in Kentucky because of her, not the other young woman, am I right?”

“ ‘Course not. Suzanne and I aren’t even courting. It’s Esther I’ve gone out with a couple of times, but I’m not really serious about her, either.”

“Then why don’t you come home?” Mom asked.

“Because I want to start a new life here. I like it in Kentucky, and there’s nothing for me in Pennsylvania anymore.”

“Your family’s there.”

“I realize that, and as much as I miss everyone, I need to make it on my own without anyone in the family telling me what to do or how to do it.”

“Titus is right,” Dad put in. “He needs to make his own way, just like I did when I was his age.”

Mom sat with her arms folded, staring straight ahead. After several minutes, she turned to Titus and said, “I have no objections to you making it on your own, but I think you could do that just as well if you were at home.”

Titus’s jaw clenched. He was too tired to argue, but before Mom and Dad left for home, he’d try to make Mom understand that he wasn’t going back to Pennsylvania, and that no matter what she said, he planned to make Kentucky his permanent home.

Y
ou two can have my bed tonight, and I’ll sleep on the sofa in the living room,” Titus told his folks after they’d finished eating a late lunch.

“This place is much too small for even one person to be living in,” Mom said. “After looking around, I’ve discovered a lot of things you need.”

“Like what?”

She picked up a piece of paper and a pen she’d found in a kitchen drawer. “I’m going to make a list for you. Let’s see now … pie pans, a spice rack, rolling pin, mixing bowls, and—”