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Nothing organized or coordinated about her. Maybe she had made a mistake. Taking a deep breath, she studied the most precious thing in her life, the reason she’d taken this opportunity. Bryce.
“Are you ready for our new adventure, Bryce?”
“Can I go pet the horses?” He blinked. “Please?”
Tyler opened Bryce’s door in time to hear the word horses. “How about we help your mom get your stuff in the house? Then I can take you to the barns and introduce you to the stars of the Childress family.”
“Oh, I’m not sure that’s a good idea. He’s never been around large animals.” She didn’t want to come across as the No Patrol, but Tyler was making all sorts of promises and probably didn’t realize how serious a five-year-old took his every word.
Bryce started struggling with his seat belt. Another roll of thunder shook the walls.
“Hold on, baby. I’ll come help.” She made her way to the other side of the car.
Her son glared at her. She paused. He had never glared at her before today. They had always been a team.
“I’m not a baby. I can get out of the car on my own, and Tyler said we could see the horses.”
She realized she’d embarrassed her son in front of his new hero. Karly glanced at Tyler. He shrugged his shoulders, the wet T-shirt plastered to his skin. He mouthed “sorry” from behind Bryce’s back. She put her attention back on her son.
“First, you call him Mr. Childress. Second, I know you can get out of the car. I just needed to get my bag so you won’t step on it. Third, the horses will have to wait.”
Tyler crossed to the other side and started pulling out trash bags full of their clothes. She bit the inside of her cheek.
Do not apologize for your lack of luggage. You have nothing to be ashamed of, Karly Kalakona. “I’m sure this is the most unique baggage you’ve seen as a pilot.” Her laugh sounded stiff to her own ears. She kept one eye on Bryce as he climbed out of the car, his legs still not at 100 percent.
“You’d be surprised.” Tyler’s voice brought her back to him. “This looks like the luggage I used when I moved to college. Aunt Cora gave me a matching set, but I took it back to the department store for the cash and used dependable Hefty bags. My mom got so mad. The best part is when you’re done you can use them for cleanup and they don’t take up any space.”
But she was a mom, not a kid moving away from home the first time. Growing up, she’d gone from feast to famine. During a con, her stepfather, Anthony, had always insisted they travel with only the best. He would spend thousands of dollars, then take everything to a pawnshop when they ran out of money.
Things were different now. She paid her own way. And she didn’t need to waste time thinking about her stepfather. That was the past. “I can get our stuff if you could point me to the right room.”
“No need, I’m here and I know the way.” He pulled out one of her free book bags full of makeup and hair supplies. “Here you go, big guy, can you carry this for me? That’s pretty heavy. Do you think you can handle two?”
“The doctor said I’m strong now. I can carry three.”
Tyler winked at her. “Oh, I don’t know, three is a lot. What do you think, Mom?” Tyler handed Bryce a lightweight grocery bag before picking up a small plastic container with a sealed lid.
“I can do it. Mom, watch!” With the straps across his shoulders, he tucked the box under his arm.
“Good job, Bryce.” At the look of pride on Bryce’s face, a piece of her heart twisted. She popped open the tailgate and stuffed clothes and toys back into the boxes. Tyler was by the door, slipping off his muddy boots. The wet jeans had mud on them, too. It couldn’t be comfortable. “Tyler, the large tub stays in the car. If you would just show me the way, I can get the rest of our stuff. I’m sure you want out of the wet clothes.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m a river rat. I love the rain.”
Bryce giggled. “I want to be a river rat.”
Great, now she had to worry about him going to find the river on his own. She followed Tyler and Bryce through a huge washroom. When he led them through a large open kitchen, she paused. It was bigger than any apartment she had ever lived in during her entire life.
It was unreal, the kind of home she had only seen in a CountryLiving magazine. The smoothness of the long gray-and-black granite counters begged to be touched. A beautiful pine table with eight chairs sat opposite an island. Four stools hugged the counter.
The kitchen had two sinks. Everything was clean and fresh, from the white cabinet doors to the dark wood floors.
Well, except for the two bananas in a ceramic bowl. They were covered in black dots. She should throw them out.
“Mom! Come on.”
He didn’t even know they had just stepped into another world, a world where they didn’t belong. Thank You, God, for giving me such a resilient child.
She looked at the desk with a shelf full of cookbooks above it. She would need those books.
Ramen noodles cooked to perfection were the extent of her skills in the kitchen. She had a feeling this family wasn’t the cheap noodle crowd.
Tyler stepped back into the kitchen. “Sorry, I guess I should have given you a tour first.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I was thinking I should throw away the bananas before Mr. Childress arrives.”
Bryce came up to the table and wrinkled his nose. “Gross.”
He chuckled. “Oh, yeah, I didn’t even see them. Dad has one every morning with his breakfast. Always made me eat one, too.” He put the bags down and took the overripe fruit to the other side of the room. With a tap of his foot, a trash bin rolled out from under the counter.
“Cool.” Bryce went over the hidden trash container and opened it with the same motion Tyler had used, staring wide-eyed, as if he had discovered a treasure.
“Don’t let me forget to take that out. We don’t want to compact rotten bananas.”
Bryce nodded as if he understood what Tyler said. “Okay.”
In a few long strides, Tyler had the bags of their clothes back in hand, with Bryce right behind him. As he moved under a large archway, he looked back at her. “This is the family room. The dining room and living room are on the other side.”
There was so much to see. Two cream-colored sectionals anchored the spacious room. A million shades of blue pillows invited her to sit and get lost in all the comforts. There were pictures on every surface. Pictures of people, horses and airplanes. An ornate pool table sat in the far corner next to a wall of glass doors. This house invited you to stay and enjoy living. Three double doors led outside.
She hurried to catch up with Tyler and Bryce, who had disappeared down a dark hallway. She glanced at the wall. More pictures. Many of a young girl and boy riding horses or playing sports. She had never seen so many award plaques in one place. They stretched down the long hall, covering the wall along the way.
Tyler’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Sorry about the overkill. Carol always called it Mom’s Hall of Mortification.”
“Is this it?” Bryce stood in front of a door. Tyler nodded, but didn’t make a move to open it. Bryce looked up at the man beside him and adjusted the straps on his shoulder. He glanced at her, then back to Tyler. “Can we go in?”
Drawing in a deep breath, Tyler nodded, still staring at the door. Oh, this is his sister’s room. “Hey, you know what? We can put everything in the family room and figure this out later. Maybe there is another room I’m supposed to move into.”
“No, it makes sense you staying here. You and Bryce are next to each other, and my dad’s room is close.” He turned to point to the opposite wall at the end of the hall. “That’s his door.”
He still didn’t seem all that sure about it. Of course, he also wanted a trained medical professional, not an uneducated single mom.
“Go ahead. Open the door, Bryce. You do the honors. It’s your mom’s room for now.”
Her little man switched the box to his shorter arm and turned the knob. For some reason she held her breath. When was the last time anyone was in this bedroom?
“It’s locked.” Bryce glanced up at Tyler.
This was getting awkward. “I’ll just take our stuff to the fam—”
“No, no. The key is up here.” He set the bags down and went to the door at the back of the hall. Stretching up, he ran his fingers along the top of the door frame. “Here you go.” He handed the Allen key to Bryce. “I’ll go get more of your boxes.”
“Are you sure?” She ended up talking to his back. “Don’t take out the large green tub. It stays in the car.” She wasn’t sure he had heard. Bryce fumbled a bit with the key, then turned the knob before flashing her one of his I-did-it smiles.
She took a deep breath and smiled back. It was just a door, an ordinary door, so why did she feel so heavy walking through it?
“Wow! Mom, the bed is huge and purple.” He tossed the bags on an overstuffed armchair. “Look how big the windows are, and it has a seat.”
She stepped into a fifteen-year time capsule. Every teenage fantasy of being a normal girl with a family and school friends came to life in the room. Purple and silver ribbons hung from the corner of the curtain rod, the silk mums were coated in a fine layer of dust. The cream-colored walls were covered in poster frames that held collages of a high school girl’s memories. Sports, dances, horses and local and international mission trips were highlighted in each of the five poster frames.
“Who are all these people?” Bryce was studying the pictures.
“This is Carol, Tyler’s sister. All the other people are her friends. She’s also Rachel and Celeste’s mother.” Carol hadn’t been much older than she when she had been killed in a car accident, leaving behind two small daughters, a young husband and a whole town that loved her and still missed her. She looked at the laughing girl who’d thought she had a lifetime in front of her. Somehow she had managed to accomplish more in one short life than Karly dreamed of doing.
“Oh, look at these, Momma.” He picked up a model horse from the purple dresser. “These are cool. I hope my room’s not purple, though.”
“Here’re some more boxes.” She heard Tyler’s voice from the hallway, but by the time she had gotten to the door he was already gone again.
“Momma, what’s that word?”
She went back into Carol’s room. “What word, baby?”
“Momma, I’m not a baby.” Then he pointed to a poster, purple, of course, on the wall. “Go An-gore-as! What’s an Angora?”
She shrugged. “Not sure. We’ll have to ask Tyler.”
“Can I see my room?” He lowered his head and whispered. “Please, anything but purple.” He opened the door to the bathroom that connected the rooms. “If I don’t like it, your bed is big enough for both of us.”
“Yes, it is.” She just wasn’t sure if there was room for them. In this home. This substantial house was big enough for them and Tyler, though.
“Cool, Momma! Look.” He tilted his head back to look at the ceiling, slowly turning. Airplanes of all sizes and shapes hung from the clear wires. Two-tone blue, with a touch of red, made the room inviting and all boy. Baseball and football equipment packed the spaces between the books on the shelves. Posters of Texas teams and colleges covered the wall.
The strangest was the leather halter and bridle hanging on the headboard. Bryce started going through the closet, pulling out some sort of sports jersey with a large nineteen on it. “Do you think it’s Tyler’s?”
“Hey, what have you got there?” Tyler stood in the doorway, leaning on the frame.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She took the shirt from Bryce and put it back. They’d intruded into his world; now he found them digging through his closet.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Childress.” Her little boy took a step back, his head down.
Towering over her small son, Tyler reached past him and pulled out the shirt. “You can wear it. It’s my basketball shirt from my seventh-grade year. We got new ones, so coach let us keep them.” He slipped the jersey over Bryce’s head. “In just a few years, you can be a fighting Angora.”
“I can’t play basketball.” He held up his short arm. “I only have one hand.”
“You only need one hand to dribble.” He rubbed Bryce’s dark hair.
Karly crossed her arms and stopped herself from saying anything to Tyler. She wished he would stop telling her son all the things he could do. She was sure he meant well, but he didn’t understand all the complications.
The joy in her son radiated from his grin. “So what’s an Angora?”
This time Tyler laughed out loud. “A goat with long, wavy white hair and curled horns.”
She had to laugh at Bryce’s horrified expression. “A goat?”
“Yeah, a goat, but most people don’t even know they’re goats. They’re different and they’re tough, able to survive through harsh conditions.”
Maybe she had more in common with the school mascot than she thought.
“What kind of conditions?”
“Sorry, he’ll ask you questions all day.” She came up behind her son and pulled him against her. “Bryce can stay with me. This is your room.”
“Hasn’t been my room for years.” He ran fingers through his damp hair and looked around. “The times I came home, I slept in the bunkhouse.”
Bryce’s big eyes went even wider. “Bunkhouse? Like with cowboys?”
“Yep. Speaking of which, since you live on the Childress Ranch now, we need to find you a cowboy hat and boots.” He stepped into the closet and pulled a black hat from the top shelf. “Let’s see if this fits.” The cowboy hat wobbled a little bit on Bryce’s head, but it wasn’t too bad.
“It fits, Momma. Look! I’m a cowboy!” He turned back to his new champion. “Can I stay in the bunkhouse, too?”
“Sorry, partner. Have to be nineteen to live in the bunkhouse. You can stay in my old room and be a cowboy in training.”
Karly’s phone vibrated. Looking at the name, she saw it was the call she had been expecting. “Hi, Pastor John.” She noticed Tyler stiffen, his jaw muscles flexing. “Yes, we’re here. Tyler’s here, too. I picked him up at the airport.” He raised an eyebrow. She was not going to explain the almost head-on collision over the phone. “What do you need me to do? Okay, see you in a while.”
Sliding the new phone back into her pocket, she took a deep breath. “Your father will be here soon. They’re turning off the highway now. Are there any more boxes in the car?”
“Nope, got them all. Left the tub. Why is no one calling me about my father?”
Her stomach knotted. She hated conflict. “I don’t know. Maybe because you’d been out of the country and they weren’t sure when you’d be here.” She shrugged. “I’m going to make sure your dad’s room is ready. Tyler?”
He had started bringing boxes into the room. “Yeah.”
She swallowed. “Pastor John said to tell you he was glad you were here, but...to remind you that your father needs to be in a stress-free environment.”
Anger clouded his blue eyes, making them darker. “What does he think I’m going to do?”
With a shrug, she headed for the door. “I don’t know. Bryce, come on.”
“Momma, please. I want to help Mr. Childress.”
“Hey, partner. Call me Tyler. With my dad coming home, it’ll get confusing if you call us both Mr. Childress. Anyway, I’m really not much older than you. Just ask my dad.”
She still saw a bit of a mischievous look in his eye, ready to cause trouble.
“He can stay and help me. I need those strong muscles.”
Bryce giggled.
“Okay, but be careful. You just got the braces off your legs.” She looked at Tyler, hoping he understood her concern.
