High Plains Hearts (32 page)

Yet she hadn’t even seen these vouchers. They certainly hadn’t been in the file when she’d had it on her desk earlier in the day.

With shaking hands, she’d replaced the file and checked the other ones. And in each case, there were vouchers, all apparently initialed by her and filled out in her handwriting.

There was only one possibility. Douglas Newton was forging them. She and Douglas were the only people in the office. No one else had access to the files.

She’d checked the paper trail of the payments and found that the checks had been issued to a single babysitter, someone named Tammy Novak. Yet in her care-providers file, there was no one by that name.

When Douglas came back, he looked at her curiously. Her face must have given something away because he went into his office and shut the door. When he emerged a short while later, he asked if anything had happened while he was out.

Oh, not much except for the world caving in
, she’d thought, but instead she’d just said, “No.”

“Mom? Mom?” Todd was shaking her elbow. “Can we? Please?”

“Can we what, honey?”

“Can we get some ice cream at the Bright Spot?” He looked at her pleadingly.

The Bright Spot was owned by Marnie’s husband, Sam, and Todd adored him as much as he did Marnie. It had reopened just in time for the late summer heat to bring in a raft of customers.

“Sure. An ice cream cone sure would feel good on a hot night like this.”

Both Sam and Marnie were at the Bright Spot, and Todd rushed to them with open arms for hugs.

“Guess what! Guess what!” he shouted at them. “We’re going to buy a house, and it’s got a big gigantic swing set, like at Shiloh, and there’s a fireplace, and a yard big enough to plant carrots in and everything!”

Marnie looked at her with delight. “That’s wonderful news, Lily! Where is the house?”

Lily quickly tried to correct what her son had said, but she found herself getting excited as she told Marnie about the house. “I like it, Marnie. Of course I haven’t seen the inside yet, and I don’t have a clue how much it’d cost, but I do like it.”

Marnie had her explain where the house was, and then she nodded. “Oh, that’s the Martinson house. You should be able to get it for a song. The Martinson kids—Darcy and Ned—have been gone for years and have been renting it out, but I’ve heard they’re tired of it and want to unload it as soon as possible.”

Sam rubbed his chin. “If you want to see what it looks like inside, I know a really good real estate agent, sings bass in the choir, so maybe you’ve seen him, Wilson Jones, who could show it to you.”

“Let’s not jump the gun,” Lily said. “I don’t even know how long my job lasts here.”

“You’re kidding me.” Marnie looked at her, aghast. “Hasn’t Ric told you?”

“Told me what?”

“Well, dearie, I don’t want to steal any of his thunder, but I don’t think you have to worry about this job being temporary.”

“What?” Lily resisted the urge to shake the words out of the other woman. “What do you know?”

But Marnie drew an
X
over her mouth with her forefinger. “My lips are sealed. If Ric hasn’t told you anything by tomorrow night, then let me know and I’ll make him tell you.”

Todd had totally lost interest in the conversation, and Lily had to look for him. She found him deep in conversation with another little boy who looked to be about the same age.

“Yup,” Todd was saying, “we’re buying a house here that has a fireplace and a swing and a garden, and we’re going to live here forever and ever and ever.”

His new friend grinned. “Cool. Where’s the new house?”

“Um, over by some trees.”

His friend considered that and then nodded. “I know where it is. I think it’s by my house. We have trees at our house. And one has a tree house. Do you have a tree house?”

“Not yet,” Todd said, clearly mulling that over. “But there are some trees that’ll make great tree houses. Ric and I could make a tree house in one of them. Ric could do it. He can do anything.”

“Who’s Ric?” The boy pushed his ice cream back on top of the cone with a grubby finger, and Lily winced.

“Ric is cool. Very cool.” Todd’s small chest swelled with pride.

“Is he your brother?”

Todd shook his head.

“Your dad?” guessed the boy.

“Pretty soon,” Todd said.

Lily rushed in and grabbed her son by the hand. “Hi, nice to meet you.” She sped through the introduction that Todd tried to give her.

She pulled her son back to the car and quickly buckled him inside.

“Todd, you are a walking, talking garden of misinformation.”

“What does that mean?” he asked.

“It means that we are not necessarily buying the house. It depends on a lot of things, like the interior of the house, the furnace, the plumbing. And whether or not I even have a job after the town’s recovered from the flood. Oh, and the price. I don’t know if we’ll be able to afford it.”

His face crumpled. “Are we poor again?”

“We were never poor. No, we’ll be fine. But I don’t know how much longer this job lasts. Before we can decide to buy that house, or any house, we have to know a lot more than whether it has a fireplace and a swing set and a place to grow carrots. Tomorrow I’ll talk to Ric about the job, and I’ll talk to the real estate guy that Sam referred me to, and then we’ll see.”

He visibly relaxed, and his eyes got that daydreamy look that she’d come to know all too well. “And before you start planning who all’s going to live in that house, you might want to consult with me. There’s no way that Ric is going to be there, too. We’re not getting married, tiger. We work together, that’s all.”

Todd shook his head slowly. “You’ll get married to him, Mom.”

She sighed in exasperation. “What makes you think so, Todd?”

He beamed at her. “I heard Marnie and Eileen talking about it.”

She added one more item to her mental list of things to do: Gag Marnie and Eileen.

R
ic sat in front of his computer in his office, staring at it. On the monitor, a screen saver of a family of ducks wearing sailor hats swam back and forth, back and forth, but he didn’t pay any attention to them.

He had other things on his mind. What if she said no? What if she said she didn’t want to stay? What if—

“So do you like it?”

Marnie leaned against the doorjamb, watching him.

“Like what?”

“The screen saver.”

“The what?”

She sighed and crossed the room. “This,” she said, jabbing her finger at the computer monitor. “The ducks.”

“Ducks? Why on earth would you—and why are they wearing sailor hats?”

“Ah, just noticed, did you? I thought they were cute. And definitely more interesting than that dot thing you had on there before.”

“They weren’t dots. They were stars.”

“And you’re going to tell me that was more interesting than ducks wearing sailor hats?”

He sighed. Past experience told him that he’d have to get used to the ducks. If he removed them from his computer, she’d probably put flying snails or horses in sneakers in their place.

“You’re worried she might say no, aren’t you?”

“I’m not worried—,” he began, but she shook her head. “Okay, I am worried. A bit. I do know that God has this all in His control, and whatever He has planned is for the best. I guess I’m hoping that He and I are on the same page here.”

“Been advising Him again?” she asked with a sympathetic tilt of her head.

“Constantly.”

The sound of Todd’s voice echoed down the hallway, and Marnie laughed. “I’ll take Mr. Todd to the day care and leave you to discuss the deal with Lily.”

Discuss the deal
. He wanted a cup of coffee, but he was so nervous that more caffeine would probably jangle his nerves so much he could play “Jingle Bells” without an instrument.

He could hear Todd’s words still going as Marnie led him to the playroom, and Lily stuck her head in.

“Marnie said you wanted to talk to me?”

Suddenly he realized that his announcement needed grander surroundings.

He stood up and, with a nervousness that took him by surprise, cleared his throat.

“I’d like to take you and Todd out to dinner tonight,” he said. “Wildwood Inn is open again. It’s kind of a legend in the area since it’s so old.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of it!” she said. “The food is supposed to be terrific.”

“They’re known for their walleye. Plus, the Inn has quite a history, and many of the original furnishings are still there. It’s quite a showcase.”

She smiled. “I’d love to go.”

“I don’t want to go.” Todd stood in the living room and crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly.

“I’m not going to argue with you. We’re going.” Lily stood her ground firmly, too.

“But I hate those places. And I hate getting in my nice clothes. They itch. I’ll have to sit there all evening and eat icky food and itch.” His lower lip came out.

“Todd—”

The phone rang, and she reluctantly left the argument to answer it.

It was Marnie. “Lily, my grandson is visiting for the evening, and we’re going to a movie. Would Todd like to come?”

She glanced at her son, still pouting in the center of the room. “We’re going to the Wildwood Inn with Ric.”

Marnie hooted. “That’s no place to take a boy. I’ll run by and pick him up in five minutes. We’re just going to stop by the Burger Beat and grab a snack, and then it’s off to the show.”

Todd’s mood was getting darker by the minute. She hated to relent, but taking him to dinner in the mood he was in was inviting trouble. “Thanks, Marnie. I’ll have him waiting.”

“Well, tiger,” she said as she hung up the phone, “you’ve just received a reprieve.”

“What’s that?” Todd asked sulkily.

“That was Marnie, and she’s going to pick you up in five minutes and take you and her grandson to Burger Beat for dinner and then to a movie.”

The joy on her son’s face told her she’d made the right decision. As he quickly changed into a clean T-shirt, he babbled about the fun he would have.

She’d just handed off her now-changed son into Marnie’s capable care when she realized she had only moments to get herself ready.

She tore out of her work clothes and into a long black knit shift. It was classically simple enough that no matter what the dress code was at the Wildwood Inn, she should be fine.

A quick comb through her hair, a last dusting of powder and pink lipstick, a light gossamer sweater thrown over her arm in case the Inn was overly air-conditioned, and she was ready to go.

“Where’s Todd?” Ric asked when he arrived.

Lily told him, and he smiled. “Hope he has fun.”

She couldn’t tell if he was sorry or not that Todd wouldn’t be going with them.

The Wildwood Inn was a beautiful old house not too far from the river. Ric explained to her that it had belonged to a steamboat captain at the turn of the century, and the gracious building had been turned into an inn in the twenties.

Her reservations about it just being the two of them quickly dissipated as Ric chatted easily, drawing her into conversation and making her feel at ease. Part of the problem, she knew, was that she didn’t know if this was a date or if it was just two friends having a nice dinner together.

Until she knew, she’d consider it the latter. It was safer.

But still, a date would be nice.

“How are you liking Wildwood so far?” Ric asked.

“Oh, I love it! It’s the kind of place I’d like to have Todd grow up in.” Then the entire story about the house poured out. “It’s my dream house, Ric. Of course, I haven’t seen the inside, so maybe I’m being foolish, but both Todd and I lost our hearts to it. I’m seeing it tomorrow after work. A real estate agent that Sam knows is going to show it to us.”

“Tell me about it,” he prompted her.

“Well, I’ve only seen the outside, and I know it’s probably had flood damage. I mean, what house hasn’t? But it’s a little brick house, and it has a swing set, and a fireplace, and Todd has decided he wants to grow carrots in the backyard.”

“Carrots?”

She grinned. “Well, that’s today. Tomorrow it may be corn, and the next day the garden may be out of the plans entirely and he’ll be building a fort there. But I’d love to have a garden. Fresh tomatoes! Think of it. Fresh tomatoes! Fresh corn! Everything, right from my own backyard!”

“You’re glowing. You should get the house.”

“It’s a good dream,” she said. “But the fact is, I don’t know if I can afford it.”

“Maybe this can help you as you make your decision.” He cleared his throat. “You know that the flood has fast-tracked a lot of things that would, in a normal, unflooded world, be tied up in administrative red tape for months on end. The day care is an example.”

She nodded.

“Lily,” he continued, “we’ve received permission from the district to offer you the position of child-care coordinator on a permanent basis.”

“Forever?”

“Forever—or as long as you want,” he said. “Do you want the job?”

“Do I want the job? Of course I do! I love it here. I love Wildwood.” There was more, but she left it unsaid.

This job meant everything to her. She couldn’t bear to think about leaving Wildwood and Resurrection and Marnie, and even Ric. Yes, the vision of life without Ric in it was almost too terrible to consider.