“More laughter. That's always good to hear.” Dave walked up to Cara, leaned down, and kissed her on the forehead. “Another good day?”
Darlene spoke up as Cara nodded. “We were talking about the chickens again.”
Dave had heard about chickens all weekend long, and he'd buy Cara an army of them if she really wanted them. At the moment, though, he was wondering if there was any work getting done. His expression must have shown his concern.
“Cara did all of her work, plus she did some of tomorrow's assignments also.” Darlene's blue eyes gleamed as she spoke. It was hard not to smile at her enthusiasm about Cara's progress. But this was only Darlene's second week. What was she going to do the first time Cara threw a fit about something, or if she hummed all day long, or refused to do anything? Dave loved his daughter more than life, but he knew how challenging she could be.
Dave straightened. “Well, it sounds like another good day.”
Darlene stood up, then bent at the waist and spoke to Cara. “Cara, I need to talk to your dad. Can you sit here by yourself for a minute?”
Cara didn't look up, but concern filled Dave's mind. Maybe Darlene was already going to quit. Dave recalled the way he treated Cara's last teacher, Mae. Looking back, he knew he had been way too hard on her. And the last thing Cara needed was another change. He followed Darlene as she motioned him to the other side of the room. “What's wrong?” he asked in a whisper.
“Oh, nothing's wrong. I just didn't want to mention this in front of Cara. I didn't want to put you on the spot, but . . .” She tucked her shoulder-length blond hair behind her ears and leaned forward. “Do you think that Cara could come see my daughter's chickens?”
“At your house?” He didn't like the thought of Darlene taking Cara somewhere in a car away from the school, especially since she wasn't familiar with Cara's unpredictable temperament.
“I told her that if she did all of her work we might be able to do that.” Darlene smiled, and Dave felt his blood pressure rising.
“So you bribed her?”
Her smile faded, and she bit her bottom lip for a moment. “I guess, in a way. She was so fixated on the chickens, I thought maybe a trip to see them might motivate her.”
“I don't think you should have promised her that before you asked me about it.”
She hung her head for a moment and sighed, then she looked up at him. “I know. I thought about that the minute I said it, but . . .” She paused, folding her arms across her chest, then grinned. “Since you reward her with ice cream after a bad day, I thought a trip to see the chickens after a good day might be nice.” Her mouth spread into a wider smile.
Dave opened his mouth to tell her she was out of line, but then he thought about Mae. Cara seemed to like Darlene, so he didn't want to run her off. But she had a lot of nerve. Even so, it wasn't worth a battle with her right now about his parenting tactics. “I'm not comfortable with you taking Cara away from the school to your house.” He paused. “Not yet. You don't really know Cara, and anything can happen. She can be unpredictable.”
She pulled her eyes from his, twisted her mouth to one side, then sighed. “I know you're right. I'm sorry I promised her that. It's just that . . .” She bit her lip again and shifted her weight. “I took this job because I wanted to make a difference, and I was just trying to connect with Cara. I really am sorry.”
Dave had seen the pictures of Darlene's family. He was curious if she took this job for the money, or if she was telling the truth, that she really did want to make a difference in Cara's life. He just wasn't sure how to pose the question . . . that is, at least not with tact. But this woman was going to be spending more time with Cara than he was, so he decided just to be honest. “Most of the teachers are either here for the money, or this small school is just a dot on their résumé, a step toward a larger facility. Why are you here? Why is it important for you to make a difference in Cara's life when”âhe paused, rubbed his chinâ “when you have your own family?”
She glanced back at Cara, who was sitting patiently, much to Dave's surprise. Then she turned to face him again. “My kids are twelve, sixteen, and seventeen. They don't need me the way they used to.” She smirked. “Except they seem to be suddenly unhappy that they aren't getting a cooked breakfast in the mornings, and they're having to help with the housework.” She waved a hand in the air. “Anyway, I've always been a stay-at-home mom, and if I was going to work outside of the home, I wanted it to be doing something besides shuffling papers. Something important.”
Dave could tell by the conviction in her voice that she had given him an honest answer, but as was his way, he badgered her one more step. “Are you trained in special education?”
“No. I'm not.” She blew out a heavy breath of air. “I know I'm the only teacher to work here who doesn't have a degree or special ed training, and if you don't want me working with Cara, I'd be disappointed but I'd understand.”
Dave couldn't believe it when her eyes started to water up. Finally, someone who really did seem to care about Cara's well-being.
“What would you think if Cara and I just followed you to your house and had a quick look at the chickens?”
She brought one hand to her chest, smiling. “I think that would be great.”
Dave held up a finger. “But . . . I better warn you. Cara gets focused on something, and then she never lets go of it. Like with jewelry.” He glanced at her left hand. “Sorry you're not able to wear your wedding ring around her.”
“That's okay.” Then she leaned closer to him, whispering, “You know, Cara might have forgotten about visiting the chickens, so we don't have to mention it. She seemed content talking about and drawing the birds. But I wanted to say something to you privately in case she did say something about a visit.”
“I think I'll just bring it up. You said she did such good work today, and you did promise her chickens.” He grinned and was glad to see Darlene grin back. “We'll follow you to your house, and we won't stay but a minute. I know you want to spend time with your family.”
They both walked back to Cara, and Dave told her the news. Cara stood up and hugged him. “Thank you, Daddy.” She spoke slowly and clearly, as though she didn't have a care in the world.
“You're welcome, baby.”
He looked at Darlene and wondered if she was confused by Cara's calm demeanor because Dave
stayed
confused. But right now, Cara was happy, and that was all he wanted for her. That's all Julie would have wanted too.
Darlene pulled into her driveway, hoping she wouldn't have to invite Dave and Cara in. There was no telling what shape the house was in, and, she mused, there was always the possibility of someone talking about a nose-picking teacher or some other inappropriate subject. She hoped Ansley's chickens were all in the chicken coop and not running loose like her daughter let them do sometimes.
Chad's truck was here, and so was Grace's new car. Brad should be on his way home. She felt a sense of relief whenever she saw that her teenage drivers were home, especially Grace since she'd just gained her freedom on the roads. As they'd done with Chad, after Grace passed her written test, Darlene and Brad had spent lots of time in the car with her. Both the kids were good drivers, but Darlene suspected she'd worry every time they got behind the wheel.
Dave pulled up behind her in his shiny black Mercedes. She'd show Cara the chickens, then have time to cook dinner. As she climbed out of the car, she could see Layla in the far distance on one of her horses. She still couldn't believe Layla was famous. Maybe she should introduce Dave to Layla. Dave's clothes and car seemed a nice monetary fit with Layla. Then she tried to picture Layla and Cara interacting, and she quickly dismissed that idea. Layla didn't strike her as very maternal.
“Hi! The chickens are over there in the chicken coop,” she said as she walked toward Dave and Cara. She saw Dave glance at the farmhouse. “It needs a lot of work. We've only been here two months. It was my grandparents' house.”
“I love these old houses,” he said, smiling. “Reminds me of when I used to visit my own grandparents. They had an old farmhouse in a rural area outside of Dallas.”
“How long have you lived here?”
“Since right before Cara was born. Julieâmy wifeâand I left Dallas to move here.” He paused, his green eyes traveling away from hers. “But she died when Cara was six.”
“I'm sorry.” Darlene was now in step with him as Cara ran up ahead.
He looked at her again, smiling. “Thanks. But at least I have Cara.”
“Chickens!” Cara yelled when she got to the edge of the coop Brad had fixed up. The ten-by-ten-foot cage housed the four hens and one rooster. Each hen had a roosting box filled with hay, and Brad had constructed a wooden perch in the far corner.
“I'm actually rather scared of birds, so I'm glad to see they're in their pen.” Darlene glanced at Dave and shrugged. “But Brad promised them to Ansley for improving her grades.” She chuckled. “And we are in the country, so . . .”
“Brad's your husband?”
“Yes. He works in Houston, so he usually gets home late.”
“Wow.” Dave folded his arms across his chest. “That's quite a commute.”
“About an hour and a half each way, but he loves it here and says it's worth the drive.”
They were quiet for a few moments as they watched Cara studying the chickens. Three of the hens were roosting. The other one scurried around the cage trying to avoid the rooster.
“I should probably get Cara a pet,” Dave said as they peered through the chicken wire. “But I can barely keep up with my business and Cara.”
“Oh, I understand. We had a dog in Houston. Buddy. We were all very attached to him, but after he died, I told everyone we were going to take a break for a while. Not only did it seem like no one could replace Buddy, but I just didn't want to start all over. The kids promised to feed him, bathe him, and everything else, but I ended up doing most of the work.”
Cara threw her head back, laughing. Her auburn hair caught the light from the descending sun as she twisted to face them. “Ansley's chickens!”
“Do you like those, Cara?” Darlene asked as she and Dave moved closer. Cara nodded. Darlene heard the back door slam, so she turned toward the house. “Here comes the owner of the chickens now.” Darlene motioned with her hand for Ansley to come their way.
“This is my youngest daughter, Ansley.” She put a hand on Ansley's shoulder. “Ansley, this is Mr. Schroeder and his daughter, Cara. I teach Cara at The Evans School.”
Dave extended his hand to Ansley. “Nice to meet you, Ansley. That's a great group of birds you've got there.”
“Mom hates them. Nice to meet you too.” Ansley quickly walked to Cara. “Hi, Cara.”
“Ansley's birds . . .” Cara lifted her shoulders and dropped them slowly. “. . . are pretty.”
“Want to go in the pen?” Ansley reached down to unhook the clasp on the wire door. Dave stepped forward.
“Oh, I don't know if that's such a goodâ”
But Ansley was already in the chicken coop, and Cara was right behind her.
“That's Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy.” Ansley pointed to each of the hens she was referring to.
“She'd just finished reading
Little Women
when she got the chickens,” Darlene said.
Dave nodded. “And what's the rooster's name?”
“Rocky.”
Dave leaned closer to Darlene and whispered, “Is there a Rocky in
Little Women
? I'm not sure I've ever read the book, but just wondering.”
Darlene laughed. “Not that I'm aware of.”
Ansley turned to Cara as she put her hands on her hips. “Do you wanna feed them?”
Cara nodded, and if Darlene hadn't known better, she would have thought that Cara was just like any other twelve-year-old girl. A quick glance at Dave told her that he was more relaxed than he'd been a minute agoânot as stiff as before, anyway. Darlene had to admit, she'd been a little nervous for Cara to go inside the cage too. Darlene made a point
not
to go in there. But Cara's eyes were bright, and she was smiling ear to ear as she followed Ansley's lead, tossing a handful of feed on the ground. The three roosting hens joined the other one.