To Know Her by Name (58 page)

“Oh, Callie,” Liz said on a sigh; she looked almost drained. “We had no idea, but we're so pleased that you could tell us.”

“I hated not telling you before, and then when I had to leave so suddenly, I thought you would never want to see me again.”

“We can't say we understood,” Harry told her, “because we didn't, not really. But we weren't angry, and Mickey explained that you didn't have a choice.”

“Thank you, Harry. Thank you, Liz.” She felt as if a weight had been taken from her shoulders.

“I think we all need a little something to eat and drink. I know I do,” Liz proclaimed and stood. “Harry, will you help me?”

“Indeed I will.”

Husband and wife exited. They had no more walked from the room than McKay grabbed Pup and kissed her.

“Talk like Inga again,” he said when he raised his head.

“I won't,” she told him on a laugh, but he kissed her again anyhow. There was little Pup enjoyed more than McKay's kisses, but now was not the time or place. She wriggled from his arms and stood. He reached for her again, but she evaded him, moving around the back of the sofa. McKay stood as well, never taking his eyes off of her.

“Go ahead, Pup,” he cajoled softly, “talk like Inga.”

She laughed but still refused. He started toward her and she darted away.

“What has come over you, McKay Harrington?” she asked, her eyes huge.

“I just realized how much fun being married to you is going to be,” he said softly as he circled the sofa.

“Well, we're not married yet, so you just stay over there.”

She was roundly ignored. This time he literally jumped over the back of the davenport to get at her, but she somehow escaped his arms. When they faced each other again, his eyes narrowed and Pup shook her head. She darted toward the front door and all but ran to the kitchen.

Liz and Harry looked up when she entered so suddenly, but she drew up short and gave them a nervous smile, stopping just inside the kitchen door. They smiled in return when McKay followed close at her heels. He wasn't moving as fast, but it was clear who his prey was. They didn't continue to stare at them, so McKay stepped close to her side, slipped an arm around her waist, and whispered in her ear.

“I'll take this up with you later,” he warned her softly, and pressed a kiss to her temple. Pup only smiled.

The chase over, they both helped with the meal. An hour later the four of them sat down to a wonderful feast. The fellowship was beyond sweet. Pup felt free to leave her wig off the rest of the evening, and her heart swelled with thanks to God who had brought her to this precious place and these days of rest and communion. McKay's heart was feeling no less full as he watched his parents with the woman he loved. It was to be the start of a wonderful ten days for all of them.

As often happened when they were at the Harringtons for the evening, McKay and Pup had gone out by the lake and were watching the sun rapidly drop behind the mountains. Seeing it, they were both reminded that their stay was drawing to a close. McKay held Pup's hand, content for a time to just stand with her in silence.

“Have you enjoyed your stay?”

“Oh, yes,” she told him and meant it. “I'll miss your parents when we go home to Boulder.” Her voice was rather sad, her eyes still on the water.

“I love you,” he told her and watched as she turned to him. “Will you be my wife?”

McKay knew that if he lived to be 90 he would never forget her answer. Her eyes sparkled with pleasure, but she bit her lip over the wonderful question, her eyes on his. He held his breath, suddenly unsure of what she might say.

“I'll marry you, McKay,” she said softly, “but I do have one request.”

“Anything.” McKay kept his voice light but felt as if his heart had stopped.

“Can we wait until I can go without my wig?”

His relief was so great that he laughed and hugged her.

“I take it that means you can wait for my hair.”

“You name the date, and I'll be there,” he told her. Pup hugged him fiercely and gladly accepted his kiss when he bent his head. McKay broke apart long enough to study her face and hair.

“How much time are we talking about here?” He suddenly realized what he had agreed to.

Pup laughed in delight and kissed him again. McKay's worry about the time went up like a puff of smoke. It didn't matter when. God had taken them this far; He would take them the rest of the way. And the journey would be everything they'd hoped for and more.

Epilogue

Boulder
Six years later

McKay dished some food into Daniel Harrington's plate and watched as his son's three-year-old hands went to work, not seeing any need for ceremony until his father handed him a spoon. McKay made sure a few proper bites went down and then turned to his oldest child, five-year-old Grace. She was working on a slice of apple, a piece stuck at an odd angle in her mouth. McKay's heart smiled. Sitting right next to her plate was the front tooth that had fallen out of her mouth just that morning.

“How's it coming?” he asked.

“Okay. It feels funny.”

“Before you know it, they'll all be out and you'll have to live on soup.”

This earned him a smile so like his wife's that for a moment he stared at her. He realized then that it was going to be hard to head back to Boulder. They were all at the cabin and had been for more than a week. In just a few days McKay's vacation would end, and they would all go back to their house in town. Although they missed the church family and the Boulder townsfolk, the quiet of the hills and lazy days in the woods would be hard to leave.

McKay's eyes were still on Grace when 18-month-old Melissa, the youngest of the Harrington children, started to hum from her place in the high chair. She had taken a long nap and was in a fine mood, dark eyes bright, cheeks rosy. Putting some apple slices and a few pieces of chicken on her tray, McKay wondered if she would ever fall asleep that night. Days filled with playing in the sun and swimming in Lake Anne made for great sleep, unless of course you took a two-hour nap.

It wasn't that long until the children's bedtime, so McKay decided he would have to do something to wear Melissa out. Pup would have had ideas, but at the moment she was taking some time on her own. She had left the cabin just before dinner, telling McKay and the children that she was not hungry. McKay assumed she had gone for a walk.

Daniel chose that moment to slosh the contents of his cup onto the table. McKay grabbed the washcloth and was seeing to the mess when someone knocked at the door. McKay answered it and blinked in surprise. A man bearing a striking resemblance to Morton Barnes stood on the doorstep.

“Is Gracie Harrington here?” the man asked in a rusty voice.

“Yes,” McKay smiled. No one called their daughter Gracie; she would be delighted with her mother's latest disguise and use of that name.

“I'm the Tooth Trader. I need to see Gracie.”

McKay opened the door wide, his smile huge. His welcome didn't penetrate the Tooth Trader's look, however; Pup was taking her role seriously.

“Grace,” her father called. The children had all turned and were staring at the stranger in their midst. Grace and Daniel giggled, but both played along. “There's someone here to see you.”

“Are you Gracie?” a voice that sounded nothing like Pup's asked of Daniel. He giggled and pointed at his sister.

“You're Gracie?” Pup deliberately looked at Melissa. “You're kinda little to be losing teeth.”

“No,” Grace spoke up. The man was looking for her, and she had to help him. “I'm Grace Harrington.”

The Tooth Trader looked to her in surprise, his eyes narrowing as if in concentration.

“I'm here about the tooth.”

Grace only stared at her mother in awe. If she hadn't seen her eyes, she would never have guessed.

“You have lost a tooth, haven't you?”

Her small mouth still open in surprise, Grace got hold of herself, picked up the tooth, and held it out in her palm. Pup bent low over the proffered item.

“There it is all right. Are you sure this came out of your mouth?”

With her free hand Grace pulled down her lower lip in order to display the gaping hole in the front line of teeth.

“Oh, yeah,” Pup said, inspecting the mouth as though looking for gold. “It's your tooth all right. What'll you take for it?”

Grace's eyes saucered when Pup pulled some coins from “his” pocket. She was a bright girl and knew in an instant that she was supposed to trade for the tooth. The bargaining began. At first the trader tried to get it for free, but Grace was firm, and at last had talked her way into three whole cents. Her brother, who knew those coins from seeing similar ones in his father's pocket and from buying candy at the general store, looked on in excitement. Having been left momentarily alone, Melissa was fending for herself. The dark-haired toddler had climbed from her chair and was now kneeling in McKay's seat. Happily working on her father's dinner, she was giving little notice to the evening's charade.

“Well, I'd better go,” the Tooth Trader announced. “You send for me if any more teeth fall out.”

Clutching the precious coins, Grace nodded, her eyes still shining with delight. Pup pocketed the tooth and turned toward the door. McKay, always slightly in awe that she hadn't lost her touch after all these years, stood aside. His eyes told her that he'd have grabbed this tooth trader and kissed her if the children hadn't been watching. A moment later she was out the door, walking in character until she was at the edge of the house, where she removed her hat and rushed to the stable to change back into her dress.

Grace was a nonstop talker after that, so excited that dinner was forgotten. McKay tried to rescue some of his dinner, but Melissa, having gotten that far without being stopped, assumed it was all hers. McKay simply joined her and tried to salvage at least part of his meal. It set the tone for an evening of high spirits. Pup wandered back just ten minutes later and had to steady herself when her daughter came at her full force. With Grace's arms still wrapped around Pup's legs, she looked up at her mother.

“That was fun, Mama. Thank you.”

Pup looked tenderly into her eyes. “Did it take away some of the pain of losing it?”

Grace nodded happily, the morning's discomfort gone. They both went to the table. Pup ate a little but wasn't very hungry. All Daniel and Grace wanted to do was talk about the tooth trader. Pup listened in delight and then exclaimed, “How will we ever top this?”

“I guess we'll all have to take a swim,” McKay suggested, also thinking this would wear out Melissa.

“After dinner?” Grace's eyes gave testimony to the rare treat.

“Right now,” Pup agreed. “Before the sun drops too much.”

Ten minutes later McKay and the children were in the lake. Her skirt hiked up and feet bare, Pup splashed on the beach with Daniel. Melissa was in her father's arms. Already a good swimmer, Grace was paddling along near him. They lasted until it was nearly dark. McKay finally called Grace from the water and sent her and Daniel ahead. He spoke to Pup with Melissa on one arm and another around his wife.

“Why don't you grab your robe and come back down and bathe.”

“I was going to work on the dishes.”

“I can do that.”

“What about the children?” McKay always put them to bed.

“I'll do that, too. You come down and take a long bath, and I'll see you when you come up.”

Whenever the children went to bed early, Pup and McKay bathed together, but tonight McKay wanted to give Pup more time on her own, since the early evening had been spent preparing for the Tooth Trader. She agreed and thanked him with a kiss, slipped inside and into her robe, and came out with the soap and a piece of toweling. McKay told a Bible story to his children and then put them to bed. He did the dishes quickly and was in bed when he heard Pup come in the door.

She went to the children's room, to kiss them he was sure, and on her way back out he heard a bump. A low groan then came to his ears. She came limping into the bedroom.

“The kitchen table?” he asked from his place against the pillows.

“I think so. It's pretty dark out there.” Pup sat with her back against the footboard and brought her legs up so she could examine the injured toe. She no more had it on the bed when McKay captured her foot and rubbed gently. She looked at him, expecting to find him bent over the foot, but he was looking at her.

“Is there something on your mind?”

“Just you,” he said, smiling.

Pup's answering smile was tender.

“You were good tonight,” he commented.

“Do you think she was pleased?”

“Oh, yes, she was thrilled.”

Pup sighed with pleasure.

“Do you miss it?” he asked for the first time in many years. She knew exactly what he meant.