Spanish Bay (21 page)

When, at last, they were all gathered at the restaurant and ordering their food, Neil made sure to sit close to Jessica.

“How are things back in Texas?” he began casually.

“Great, thanks. Lots of work, of course, but yeah. We’ve finally completed the renovation of our old house, turning it into four small studio apartments for staff, and the stables are doing great. The cotton harvest last year wasn’t so good, as you know, but since we don’t owe anything to the bank, we’re more flexible than other farms and ranches and we can absorb a bad year. Being diversified helps, too. The income from our stables keeps us afloat, and it’s not dependent on the weather.”

“That sounds awesome. And how are you and Jack? Seeing anyone?”

“Funny you should ask. Yes, in fact. Jack’s been dating this girl who works in the stables. She’s an amazing trainer, some might even say a horse whisperer. She’s been with us for almost a year now, and they recently clicked. I think he’s finally found his soul mate. He seems really happy.”

“Why didn’t he bring her?”

“Oh, you know Jack. He’s too modest to ask. Plus, they’ve only been seeing each other for a couple of months. If he’d brought her along, he would’ve felt it was a marriage proposal, and he wants to do it properly. If you guys manage to come out some time, maybe Thanksgiving, you’ll meet her.”

“And you?” Neil was approaching his target delicately.

“Oh, little me? Jessica and dating? Well, what can I say? I’ve been close to switching teams. I’m done with men. They’re all a bunch of a-holes. So no, I’m not seeing anyone, and I doubt I ever will again…”

“I’m sorry to hear that…” Neil was confused; it was the exact opposite of what he’d thought he’d hear.

Jessica leaned close and whispered, “Can I tell you something? But please, don’t tell anyone else yet.”

“Sure, of course you can.”

“Not even Chris.”

“Whatever you say.”

“Well, we’re kind of good friends, and I need to tell someone.”

“Spit it out already.”

“I’m pregnant!”

Neil was confused, for real. Yes, he’d seen that something was different about Jessica, given her radiant look, but how could she be pregnant if she wasn’t seeing anyone?

“But how?”

Jessica had to laugh. “You mean being a spinster? I used artificial insemination. I drove to a clinic in Fort Worth and had it done there. Didn’t want the gossip back home. They had some amazing-looking guys to choose from. Trust me—” she glanced around to check no one was paying attention “—I was moist just browsing the catalogue. You would’ve had a field day!”

Neil laughed and almost choked on his food.

Chris looked over at him “You okay, babe?”

“Yeah, just fine,” Neil lied.

Jessica continued, “I’m almost through my first trimester and I feel amazing. When this baby is born, there’s going to be gossip all the way out here!” And she laughed at that.

“How so?”

“The father I chose for my baby is African American. Super handsome, super tall and black as tar.”

“Wow, that’s amazing,” Neil said, impressed. “But why keep it a secret?”

“I don’t want to jinx it before everything is safe. You know that the risk of losing your child is the greatest during the first trimester.”

“No, I did not know that. As you may have noticed, Chris and I aren’t exactly equipped with the right tools.”

“Nothing wrong with your tools, you just miss the oven.”

Neil nodded. He and Chris had never even talked about having more children. Frank had been a full-time endeavor and then some, and the thought of having kids of their own hadn’t come up, until recently.

Frank was almost twelve years old now and doing well in school, and with Sarah’s constant nagging, they had talked a little about surrogacy, but they didn’t have the money and they wouldn’t tap into Frank’s funds. That would’ve felt awfully wrong.

“We’ve talked about having one, but we can’t afford to pay for a surrogate, and besides, we’re blessed to have Frank.

“You could always adopt one.”

“Yeah, I know. But I’m only twenty-four and just graduated. I need to find work first, and then we’ll worry about those things. I’m really happy for you. I can’t wait to see how the baby turns out. She’s going to be a real beauty if she’s even remotely like you.” Neil kissed Jessica on the cheek. “I had a hunch something was going on with you. You are radiating with beauty and you have a little bump showing.”

Jessica smiled. “Yeah, I know, it’s beginning already. I guess it won’t be long before Jack catches on…”

So it was true. The Miller clan was growing, and Neil was excited, even though he was disappointed he couldn’t tell Chris about it. He hated having secrets, especially from Chris. But it would only be for a couple more weeks, and then Jessica would announce it to the family. What a difference between the two Miller girls: Alexandra, who’d gotten herself knocked up at the age of seventeen and whose oldest must be Frank’s age, and Jessica, who had chosen a completely different life for herself.

***

Two weeks later, Neil was in the kitchen getting dinner ready. Chris had driven over to the center to pick Frank up from his regular physical therapy and they were due home soon. Neil hadn’t been able to find work yet, but he wasn’t overly concerned. He could always help out at the café, and instead of paying high-schoolers, they’d save some money and keep it for themselves. Financially, it made no difference. With dinner ready and on the table, he wondered why Chris and Frank weren’t back yet and glanced nervously at the phone, afraid that bad news might be coming his way.

As if by magic, the phone rang. Neil snatched it up, aware of his hand shaking.

“Hello?”

“Hey, babe, it’s me. We’re running late. There was an accident on the highway blocking the road, but boy, have we got news for you.” Chris sounded very upbeat and it instantly put Neil at ease. He hung up and went for a quick bathroom run. The phone started ringing again, and he rushed back out to pick up.

“What now, babe? Did you forget to tell me you love me?” he joked into the receiver.

“Erm, excuse me, is this the Horner residence?”

A flash of hot blood surged across Neil’s face, and he barely found words. “Uh, sorry, I mean, yes, it is. This is Neil Horner speaking.”

“Mr. Horner, what a pleasure to speak with you again. You may not remember me, but my name is Ms. Taylor, I was the social worker on Frank’s case, back in Lubbock?”

“Oh right, I remember. I’m so sorry, I had just gotten off the phone with my husband. I thought he’d called back.”

“No need to apologize. I’m glad to hear the two of you are still madly in love with each other.”

“We are indeed. Thank you. To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?”

There was a sigh on the other side of the line, followed by silence.

“I don’t know where to begin really, Mr. Horner…”

“Please, call me Neil.”

“Neil. It’s about your sister-in-law, Alexandra. She’s disappeared.”

“Disappeared? How? One of her binge drinking tours? She always comes back from those eventually.”

“No, this is different. She’s been gone for a month now. We’ve been monitoring the family for a long time, so we know she usually only leaves for a night or two, and her husband is normally there if she isn’t. But yesterday, he called us and literally dumped the children at our doorstep, saying he couldn’t look after them any longer because his wife had left him.”

Neil was shocked. “What can we do?”

“We’ve temporarily placed them in a home, but since they have family, we normally try to place them with their relatives. That way, they can still learn about their roots and their heritage. Plus, they normally already know their uncles and aunts, which makes it easier for the children to adjust to a new situation.”

“Wow, I’m stunned. Have you spoken to Chris’s brother and sister? They run the Double J Ranch.”

“No, we have not. Quite frankly, there are circumstances in this case that make us want to place these children outside of Lubbock. Now, if you and your husband are unable to take them in, we will of course talk to your sister- and brother-in-law.”

“What circumstances are you referring to?”

“This is where it gets tricky. The father, your sister-in-law’s husband, has been in trouble with the law. There’s been rumors of drug trafficking from south of the border, but also from New Mexico. Some really nasty characters are involved, and we’ve seen families get hurt in the past—children being used as targets to exercise power over their parents. I’ve spoken to the sheriff this morning, and he thinks it would be best if we placed them out of state for now, out of harm’s way. Would you please consider it?”

Neil’s mind was reeling. “Yes, of course, but I need to talk to Chris first. And I think we’ll also need to involve Jessica and Jack in this discussion. Can we call you back in the morning?”

“Yes, please do, but in the interest of the children, don’t wait too long before you contact me. The situation is quite urgent. Goodnight, Neil.”

Neil didn’t even have the chance to return the greeting before he heard the click from the receiver on the other end. Suddenly he felt like a rag, soaked, wrung and hung to dry, completely drained of energy. He simply sat there, until Chris and Frank came up in the elevator.

“Hey, babe, we’re home. You have to see this…” Chris began but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the ashen look on Neil’s face. “What’s happened, babe? Is everything all right? Is it Sue?”

Neil shook his head but couldn’t speak. Chris flew to his side and knelt next to him. “Your parents? Sally? Tell me, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing like that. No, but we got a call—” Suddenly he stopped talking, his eyes focused on the elevator, where Frank emerged, on two crutches! “What…?”

Chris jumped up. “Isn’t this amazing? Our boy is walking! They’ve been keeping secrets from us, those rascals, for a long time. Look at him, babe. Frank is walking!”

Chris was so enthusiastic about the progress Frank had made, and the fact that he’d been hiding it so he could surprise them, that he completely forgot about the call, and so did Neil. The joy of seeing his foster child and brother-in-law walk on his own, no longer constricted by the wheelchair, left Neil with mixed emotions.

His own condition had continued to deteriorate, albeit slowly. He would never be able to repeat the feat from his wedding, even though he could still stand for very short periods of time. But after almost than a decade, he’d gotten so used to the chair that he hadn’t really missed walking, until now, as he watched Frank take his first steps in their apartment. Clumsy, slow steps, but steps nonetheless. Frank was so happy, beaming with pride and joy. Neil pushed aside his sadness and the call from Ms. Taylor, and instead focused on celebrating this amazing moment.

They finally sat down to dinner, and Frank, assisted by Chris, sat in a regular chair. That, too, he’d been practicing at the center.

“No more pretense, guys,” he promised. “I’ve been able to sit on a chair for months, but I wanted to save it for the big reveal.”

“You certainly made my day today, Frank,” Chris said.

“I’m very happy for you, too,” added Neil. “We are so proud of you.”

He waited until the excitement had died down a little, and they were settled with their meal, before he calmly told them about Ms. Taylor’s call.

“I’m sorry to rain on your parade, Frank, but this is important. I took a call from Texas just before you arrived home.”

Chris looked up from his plate, his earlier worries returning. “I’m sorry, I should’ve pressed on, but it slipped my mind. What’s wrong? Is it Jack or Jessica?”

“No, it’s Alexandra.”

“What’s she done now? Passed out in a bar again?”

“No, she’s disappeared. She’s been gone for a month, and yesterday, Skip dropped the kids off at social services. The call was from Ms. Taylor. You remember her, right? She was Frank’s case worker.”

“Case worker?” Frank asked, his attention drawn by the mention of his name.

“Yeah, I remember her,” Chris confirmed and then turned to Frank, “When Mom and Dad died, social services got involved, trying to find the best place for you to live—with us, or with our sister Alexandra. But she couldn’t take you, since she already had three of her own to look after.”

Neil wondered why Chris continued to lie about his sister to Frank, but he didn’t change the story Chris had told. It would become clear enough now.

“That’s how you ended up here with us, in California.”

Frank frowned. “Why would she abandon her children?”

Chris couldn’t answer immediately, so Neil tried. “Well, you see, your sister became a mom at a very young age, barely six years older than you are now. Her oldest daughter is your age. That isn’t easy on anyone. Try not to be too hard on her. Having three kids by the age of twenty-one, living in a marriage you never wanted, with a husband who spends most of his time and money on gambling or in local bars, isn’t easy. We’ll find out more once we get to Lubbock, okay?”

“Can I go, too?”

Chris looked at Neil and sighed. “I don’t think that’s going to be such a great idea, Frank. Not this time. You’re still in school for another week or so, and I have a hunch we’ll be stuck in meetings with social services most of the time, anyway. I think it’s better if you stay here and look after Grandma Sue.”

Frank seemed disappointed, but didn’t argue. “I’ll go call her.”

“Thanks, pal, appreciate it.”

Neil looked at his husband and opened his arms. “Can we get a hug here? I’m slightly overwhelmed with the events of today.”

“Always, babe, always.” Chris sat down in Neil’s lap and relished the embrace. “We just need to get those tickets booked. Damn, we can’t afford that right now.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve always made ends meet, and who knows? Social services might refund the cost once we know what this is all about.”

“That’ll be the day! Let me book the flights. Would you mind giving a call to the JJ Ranch? Tell them we’re coming?”

THE NEXT DAY, Chris and Neil flew to Lubbock and were greeted by Jessica. “Fancy seeing you boys again, so soon.”