Family Ever After

Two paramedics approached with the stretcher, stooped and began examining Adam. Noah and Cara rose and stepped back to give them room.

A police officer approached. “Can you tell me what happened here?”

Noah relayed the events to the man while keeping his gaze on Adam. This was his fault. He shouldn’t have chased the teen. He should have let it go.

“I’ll report your description of the car and see if we can find it.” The officer walked back to his vehicle to call it in.

The paramedics lifted Adam onto the stretcher and secured him. They started wheeling him toward the ambulance.

“Wait! Mr. Maxwell,” Adam called out.

Noah hurried toward the stretcher. “Yes? What’s your dad’s number?”

“He’s gone. My brother and sister will be by themselves. They’ll get scared. Please…” He shifted as though he needed to sit up. He winced and groaned.

“I’ll take care of them. Don’t worry about them. Where’s your dad?”

The teen closed his eyes. The paramedics hefted the stretcher into the back of the ambulance.

Noah heard the teen say, “Out of town.” Then the door shut.

With dusk descending, Cara stared down at the address written on the paper then back up at the number on the mailbox that leaned against the curb, propped up by several large rocks. “This is it.”

Sitting in the passenger seat, Noah stared at the house that easily could be described as a shack. What paint remained on the wooden structure had turned a dull gray, and two of the windows were missing a pane while one of the steps up to the sagging porch was broken.

Sweat coated his forehead and beaded his upper lip. Transported back twenty years ago, Noah remembered, that last time he’d come home as though it had transpired yesterday. He would never be rid of the memory. It would haunt him to his dying day.

“This place doesn’t even look safe.” Cara pushed her door open.

“We’ll get his brother and sister and take them to the hospital. We can leave a note for his dad. Adam said he was out of town. Hopefully just for the day.”

“Have you met either of them?”

“His younger brother. He’s come by the restaurant several times while I’ve been there. I let Rusty help out in the back until Adam was ready to leave.”

“Good. Then he’ll know you.” Cara mounted the stairs, stepping over the one that lay in two pieces.

Noah knocked. Sounds of a television competed with a dog’s barking. A minute crawled by. Then another. He started to pound on the wood again when the door swung open. A little girl, with big blue eyes and long blond hair, stared up at Noah. She held a stuffed bear with a missing button eye and part of his brown fur rubbed off in several places.

Not knowing the girl’s name, Noah said, “Hi. Is your brother home?”

She slammed the door in his face.

Chapter Three

C ara stepped in front of Noah. “Let me try. You can be pretty intimidating.” She raised her hand to knock when the door opened again. This time a taller boy, maybe nine years old, with red hair and freckles stood in the entrance. “Rusty?”

The child frowned at Cara. “We don’t want—”

Noah stepped into view. “Rusty, do you remember me? I’m Adam’s boss at the restaurant.”

The boy swept his gaze to Noah and nodded.

“Adam has been taken to the hospital. He was hurt. We told him we’d take you and your sister to see him,” Noah explained.

“He’s hurt? How?” Rusty asked, wide-eyed.

“He was hit by a car,” Noah said.

The boy blinked, all color draining from his face.

Cara came between the two. “I’m Cara, Rusty. I work with Adam. He’ll be all right once he’s patched up at the hospital. Why don’t you get your sister, and you two will be able to see for yourselves.”

“We’ll just write your dad a note in case he comes back,” Noah said over Cara’s shoulder.

Rusty’s mouth twisted. “He ain’t coming back.”

“What do you mean?” Cara asked, drawing the boy’s attention back to her.

Noah moved into the house and surveyed the place. The inside was as bad as the outside. Off to the side in the living room, the little girl lounged on a brown couch with its stuffing spilling out of various tears. The only other furniture was two wooden cartons stacked together as a table, on which the television sat.

Noah looked back at the boy in time to see him shrug.

“Ain’t supposed to say,” Rusty said.

Cara came into the house. “We’ll write him a note anyway. Can you get me some paper?” She rummaged in her purse and withdrew a pen.

Rusty stared at Cara for a long moment, as though trying to decide what to do. Finally he dug into a backpack by the front door. He ripped a sheet from a notebook then gave it to her.

While Cara scribbled a message to the children’s father, Noah walked into the kitchen and inspected the refrigerator. A quart of chocolate milk and a pizza carton from his restaurant were the only items on the bottom shelf. The top one held a few slices of American cheese and several pint-size boxes of apple juice.

When he shut the door and turned, he found Rusty staring at him with wariness in his eyes. “Not much in the fridge.”

“Nope.” The boy dropped his gaze.

Something was definitely wrong here. Noah opened a cupboard and discovered bare shelves. Some dishes were stacked in the next one. In the third cabinet one cereal box, a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread sent off alarms in his mind. Were the children living here by themselves? Was that why Adam had been in such a panic to get home? Why Rusty wasn’t supposed to talk about where his father was?

Cara entered the kitchen; the concern in her gaze reflected his own. “I left the note on top of the TV.”

Noah nodded. “Are you all ready to go, Rusty?”

“Are you sure Adam is gonna be okay?” the boy asked, his teeth biting into his lower lip.

“Yes, the doctor will take good care of Adam.” Noah strode to the child and clasped his shoulder. “Let’s go.”

Rusty didn’t move, a serious expression on his face. “We ain’t got any money for a doctor.”

Noah smiled reassuringly. “Don’t you worry about that. I’m taking care of the doctor. I told the paramedics that.” He felt a tug and peered behind him.

Adam’s little sister tilted her head, her eyes huge, and asked, “Can I bring Molly?”

“Molly?”

“Our puppy,” the little girl said.

Noah looked around. “Where’s Molly?”

“Rusty put her in the back room when you knocked. We don’t want no one to take her from us.”

“Can you show me where Molly is?” Cara asked, holding out her hand for the little girl to take.

She fitted her small fingers in Cara’s grasp and pulled Cara toward a door to the left. “Molly’s in there.” A scratching sound came from the other side of the wood. “She’ll want out. She doesn’t like staying in there.” The girl paused, her hand on the knob.

“What’s your name?” Cara stood behind the child.

“Lindsay.”

“That’s such a pretty name.”

“My mama gave it to me.”

“Where’s your mama?” Cara asked.

“In heaven. That’s what Papa told me.” Lindsay slowly turned the knob. “I have to be real careful when I open the door. Molly likes to bolt.”

“You’d better keep it closed, Lindsay. She likes to jump up on strangers.” Rusty covered the distance between them and drew away his sister’s hand. “Molly will be okay till we get back. Let’s go bring Adam home.”

Lindsay’s stomach growled. “Yeah, I’m gettin’ hungry.”

Noah followed the trio out to Cara’s car. After the kids were settled in the back, he slid into the front passenger seat. “Buckle up.”

Cara pulled away from the curb. “Let’s go to a fast-food-drive-through and pick up something for you two to eat.” She glanced back at the children. “Okay?”

“Can I have a hamburger and fries?” Rusty asked.

“I’m crushed. Not a pizza?” Noah said.

Lindsay leaned toward Noah. “I’ll tell ya a secret. I’m kinda sick of pizza. We have that almost every night. Adam brings it home when he works.”

“Then burgers and fries it is.” Noah caught Cara’s look. “Thanks for driving. My sports car isn’t kid friendly.”

She chuckled. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I imagine there are some big kids who would love to drive a Corvette around.”

“As your boss I’m gonna ignore that barb. I’m not going through a second childhood. I’ve always had a Corvette since I could afford it.”

“Ah, so you never outgrew your first one.”

“Ouch,” Noah said, studying the way her smile changed her face. Her green eyes glittered as though sun rays kissed the new spring grass. But it wasn’t her eyes that he was attracted to when she smiled. Her full lips, curving upward, lured him away from them and kept him transfixed.

After picking up food for the children, Noah listened to sounds from the back. The rustling of the paper bags. The slurping of their drinks. The quiet while they ate.

When the two finished, Rusty and Lindsay began whispering between themselves. Noah glimpsed the fear in their expressions. He imagined he’d had that same look on his face many times while he’d been growing up. Rusty tried to mask his worry with a brave, tough front, but it was there in the way he bit into his lower lip or nibbled on his thumb.

At the hospital Rusty held his little sister’s hand as they all walked toward the emergency entrance. Noah hung back and gestured toward Cara to do likewise.

“I don’t think there’s a father around anymore. I met him once, but that was a while back.”

“That could explain why all of a sudden Adam is stealing money. There wasn’t much at the house.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. I know their father worked at a place where there was health insurance.” Noah slanted a look toward the two children at the glass doors, waiting for them. “But if he’s left them, that insurance may no longer be in effect. They’ll need help. Thankfully I have some connections.”

“The authorities will have to be notified.”

“I know.” He made a gesture with his head toward the kids. “They won’t like it.”

Cara strode toward the children with a smile on her face. “Let’s go see Adam.”

Chewing on his thumbnail, Rusty hesitated. “Adam will be okay?”

Noah advanced toward the trio. “Of course. Nothing can get your brother down for long.”

Lindsay went inside, standing on the other side of the sliding glass doors. “C’mon, Rusty. I wanna see Adam.” She clutched her teddy bear to her, her eyes round, all her anxiety apparent.

Noah gritted his teeth. He’d caused that fear. Somehow he had to right this wrong.

“Don’t cry, Lindy,” Adam murmured in a weak voice, his eyelids drooping.

“I don’t wanna leave ya.” Lindsay’s sobs permeated the hospital room.

The sound tightened Cara’s chest, as if she couldn’t get a decent breath. Children’s Protective Services would be here shortly to pick up both Lindsay and Rusty to go to the shelter. Noah was in the hall, making one call after another about their situation. But it looked as though, even with his connections, the two kids would be leaving soon while Adam lay in the hospital bed, drowsy from the surgery to repair his broken leg.

Lindsay clung to Adam while Rusty stood behind her protectively, scowling as though he was too angry to talk. The second he’d realized where he and his sister would be staying the night he’d clammed up. Her heart went out to him. Rusty was only a year older than her own son, Timothy. Every time she looked at the boy, she wondered how her son would deal with this kind of situation. He’d always been shielded, even when her life had started falling apart.

The door swished open, and she turned, expecting to see someone from Children’s Protective Services. Instead, thankfully, Noah entered the room, but his expression didn’t bode well for Rusty and Lindsay.

Noah came to Cara’s side, observing the three siblings talking in lowered voices. When he turned his back on them, he cleared his throat and said, “I got them to let me take them to Stone’s Refuge for the night at Hannah and Jacob’s house.”

“Good.”

“But it’s only temporary. All three cottages are full. As it is, they’ll be sleeping on cots.”

“So the refuge isn’t an option for them?” Cara glanced at the children, Lindsay’s face buried in the crook of Adam’s arm while Rusty glared at Noah and her.

“Not at this time. Even if it became available, I can’t see three places opening at the same time. And they wouldn’t be able to stay in the same cottage.”

“What are the chances of them being sent to the same foster home?” Cara lowered her voice even more, feeling the heat of Rusty’s anger from across the room.

“The supervisor I know at Children’s Protective Services didn’t give me much hope of keeping them together.”

She closed her eyes for a few seconds, the weariness she’d fought for the past few hours starting to catch up with her.

“Can you drive me back to the restaurant to pick up my car and then take them to the farm? I’ll follow you.”

“Yes, of course.” Another quick glance toward the three siblings cemented her determination to do what she could for them. They had been through so much. And she owed Adam for what he had done the night before. “How do you suggest we get them to leave?”

“I was gonna ask you that. You’re the expert.”

“Expert! Whatever made you think that?”

“You have a child. I don’t.”

“Well, for your information, nothing has quite prepared me for this kind of situation.”

His grin, with his two dimples emerging, encompassed his whole face. “I know for a fact you’re a quick study. You picked up waitressing in no time.”

She planted her hand on her waist. “Just in case you haven’t figured it out, this is entirely different. I—”

“We aren’t leaving.” Rusty cut into their conversation.

Cara faced the children, Lindsay holding Adam’s hand and Rusty gripping hers. A united front.

The nine-year-old pointed toward the couch. “We can sleep there.”

Lindsay drew herself up as tall as possible. “Yeah!”

“They need to stay with me.” Adam’s eyelids drifted closed. Then as if he realized he was falling asleep, he opened them wide. “Dad will…be back. I’m to take care…of them until…he returns which…” His voice faded as his head sagged to the side, his eyes shut again.

“He needs to get his rest if he’s going to get better.” Cara quickly covered the distance to the kids and placed her hand on Rusty’s shoulder.

He jerked away. “No, we’re staying!”

Lindsay backed up against the bed, gripping her stuffed animal so tightly her knuckles whitened. “I don’t wanna leave! I don’t wanna leave!” Tears coursed down her cheeks.

Cara knelt in front of the little girl, her own tears close to the surface at the heart-wrenching sounds. “Adam needs rest to get better. I promise you two I’ll bring you back tomorrow to see him.” She smoothed the child’s dirty hair back from her face. “I never break a promise. You will see Adam tomorrow.”

“In the morning?” Lindsay asked between sobs. “First thing?”

“Yes.” Cara looked over at Rusty watching them.

“He’ll need to know you two are being taken care of while he has to stay here and get well.”

Pouting, Rusty gnawed on his thumbnail.

Cara straightened and presented her hand to Lindsay. “Ready to go?”

The little girl nodded, grasping Cara’s forefinger.

On the drive to the farm, in the rearview mirror, Cara saw Lindsay slump against her brother and fall asleep. But the whole way to Stone’s Refuge, Rusty kept his gaze trained out the side window, staring into the darkness, his jaw set in a firm line.

The closer she came to Laura and Peter’s farm where Stone’s Refuge was, the wearier Cara became. She tightened her hands about the steering wheel to keep her arms from dropping to her lap as though they were deadweight. Noah’s headlights following behind her car comforted her as they left the brightness of the city.

She pulled onto the gravel road that led to the three cottages that housed the foster children and Hannah and Jacob’s home. The lights up ahead beckoned her with the promise of hope.

Father, please find a home for Lindsay, Rusty and Adam to live together. I have a feeling they have gone through a lot in their short lives. They need stability. A place to call home. A place to put down roots. In Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.

Cara parked in front of a two-story house, which was ablaze with lights even though it was well after two in the morning. The minute she climbed from her car, the door opened and both Hannah and Jacob came outside.

Noah lifted Lindsay into his arms and carried her up the steps to the porch with Rusty reluctantly trailing behind the pair. Cara took up the rear, watching as Hannah and Jacob welcomed Noah and the children.

I want a home. I want stability, too, Father. Is this the place for me or should I move on? Show me Your will.

Hannah stayed behind the others and welcomed Cara. “It’s good to see you again. Laura made me promise to call her the second y’all arrived. She’s been worried with everything that has happened lately.”

The mention of the past thirty-six hours caused Cara to falter. She grasped the doorjamb and steadied herself.

“Go on home. I can take it from here. You look beat.” Hannah practically blocked Cara’s entry into the cottage.

“That’s not a suggestion,” she added in a no-nonsense voice.

When Cara entered Laura’s house at the other end of the farm a few minutes later, thankfully her friend didn’t meet her at the door, wanting to know what had occurred with Adam. She wasn’t up to any explanations. Tomorrow would come soon enough.

In the den Cara pulled the hide-away bed out of the couch and collapsed onto the covers without removing her clothes. Sleep immediately whisked her away, and the next thing she knew someone was shaking her awake.

“Mom, you need to get ready for church.”

Cara opened her eyes to a room bright with sunlight and stared up at her eight-year-old son, who loomed over her. Tiny frown lines creased his forehead.

“What time is it, honey?”

“Almost eight.”

She held her groan inside, but she wanted to roll over and pull the covers over her head. Five hours sleep wasn’t enough.

“Why are you dressed to go to work? I thought you were off today,” Timothy asked, pointing to her wrinkled shirt and pants.

Cara forced a smile to her lips, cutting off the yawn building in her. “I’m off. I’ve got to help Laura this afternoon with the barbecue at Stone’s Refuge. Before that, honey, I promised a little girl I would take her to see her brother in the hospital.”

“Is that the person who got hurt at work?”

“How did you know about that?”

“I overheard Laura talking to Peter about an accident at work.” Anxiety that Cara hadn’t seen in the past few months darkened her son’s brown eyes. “I was scared it was you, but Laura told me it was one of the teenagers working at the restaurant.”

Cara hugged Timothy to her, kissing the top of his head. “Don’t you know, nothing could take me away from you? You’re stuck with me.” For the first year after her husband died from a long, painful illness, her son would awaken every night drenched in sweat, crying out for her. Slowly the nightmares disappeared when he realized she wasn’t going to leave him, but every once in a while she saw the fear in his eyes.

Timothy leaned back and grinned. “I don’t mind. You’re a pretty good mom.”

“Just pretty good?” She tackled him to the bed and began tickling his sides. His laughter chased away the problems of the past few days—until a knock interrupted their horseplay.

“Come in,” she called out as she sat on the edge of the bed.

Laura poked her head in. “Hannah just called. Rusty and Lindsay are gone.”

Chapter Four

O nce out of the city limits, Noah pressed down on the accelerator. He should have realized Rusty and Lindsay would try something like running away. He’d done his share of that while in foster homes and would have while living with his father if it hadn’t been for his kid sister. He couldn’t leave her there alone with their dad, and there wasn’t any way he would have risked taking her out on the streets.

A picture of the last time he’d seen Whitney, crying, waving goodbye, popped into his mind. He gritted his teeth.

Where are you? Why can’t I find you? The last report from the private investigator he’d hired to search for Whitney hadn’t been promising. The man only had a couple of more leads to follow before he would call it quits.

Wrapped up in his thoughts, Noah had to look twice to realize two kids had darted behind some bushes alongside the highway. He saw a glimpse of pink among the foliage. He hoped it was Lindsay and Rusty.

He parked a few yards from the large shrubbery and climbed from his Corvette. A squeak erupted from behind the bush, then a redheaded boy, dragging a little girl with blond hair, dashed out and ran in the opposite direction. Not again!

“Stop, Rusty and Lindsay!”

They kept going. Noah took after them, his long legs chewing up the distance between them.

When he was a few feet from them, he noticed Rusty glancing across the highway. “Don’t do anything dangerous, Rusty.”

At that moment a pickup came over a rise and whizzed by them. The boy slowed, his chest rising and falling rapidly. When he stopped, he bent over and pulled air into his lungs.

Lindsay did likewise, tears streaking down her face. “My side hurts.” She held it and plopped down on the gravel shoulder.

Another vehicle sped past them. Noah picked up Lindsay and moved her back from the road. Rusty collapsed next to his sister, looking daggers at Noah. He ignored them and sat on the other side of Lindsay, propping himself up on his elbows.

Noah waited until their breathing returned to normal, then asked, “Where were you all going?”

Rusty stuck his lower lip out. “Home. I’m sure Dad will be home by now.”

“He’s not coming home. Adam told me he’d left for good.”

“No! Daddy wouldn’t do that!” Lindsay began crying.

Noah looked at the little girl, not sure what to do. He’d always thought the truth was the best way to go, but listening to the child’s sobs tore his heart. He started to reach for Lindsay to comfort her when Rusty shoved his hand away.

“See what you did! You upset my sister!” The boy wrapped his arm around Lindsay and brought her to him.

Okay, he’d always known he wasn’t good with small children. Teenagers worked for him so he could deal with them, but this was way out of the realm of his expertise. What should he do?

Call Cara. She would know. He remembered how she had managed to calm them yesterday on a number of occasions. She was a natural. He dug his cell out of his pocket and called Peter’s house. When no one answered, he tried Jacob’s. Hannah answered on the third ring.

“Is Cara there?” Noah slid a glance toward the two beside him. He wouldn’t put it past them to try escaping again.

When Cara came on the phone, Noah sighed. “I’m sitting here with Rusty and Lindsay on the side of the highway about five minutes away from the farm. Can you pick them up? I don’t have room in my car.”

“Sure. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Noah snapped his cell closed, then suddenly wondered why he hadn’t just asked Hannah to come get the kids. Why had he asked Cara? She had a history with them. That was it! Certainly not because he wanted to see her.

“We’ll run away again. We ain’t going back there. We’re going home.” Rusty’s angry words cut into Noah’s rationalization.

Noah knew the next and last time they would go to that house was to pick up their belongings. It should be torn down or at the very least declared a disaster zone.

Lindsay jerked her head up, wet tracks on her thin cheeks. “Molly! She’s alone at the house.”