Love Finds a Way (11 page)

Sheila’s eyes snapped open as she returned to the present. Since Grandma had already moved, her house would soon be put up for sale. She’d called Sheila at her home in Fresno, California, and invited her to choose something from the attic that was special to her. Sheila knew right away what that
something
would be—the Bye-Lo baby doll. Some might think it was silly, but when she was a child, Sheila had prayed she could own the doll someday, and her prayers were finally being answered. Now all she had to do was find her treasure.

Sheila scanned the perimeter of the attic. An old dresser sat near the trunk, and an intricately designed wooden container was a few feet away. Her gaze came to rest on the small wicker doll carriage, which Bye-Lo used to lie in. It was empty.

“How odd. The doll always sat in that baby carriage.” She stood and lifted the lid of the trunk. “Maybe it’s in here.”

Near the bottom she found several pieces of clothing that had belonged to the doll. There was even a photograph of young Sheila holding her favorite attic treasure. The dolls she had owned as a child hadn’t been nearly as special as Bye-Lo. The church her father had pastored then was small and didn’t pay much. Sheila had learned early in life to accept secondhand items and be grateful, but she’d always wished for more.

She grabbed the picture and placed it in the pocket of her blue jeans, then slammed the trunk lid. “That doll has to be in this house someplace, and I’m not leaving until I find it!”

The telephone jingled, and Dwaine Woods picked it up on the second ring. “The Older the Better,” he said into the receiver. “May I help you?”

“Is Bill Summers there?” a woman’s gravelly voice questioned.

“Sorry, but Bill’s not here. He sold his business to me a few months ago.”

“Oh, I see. Well, this is Lydia Dunmore, and I did some business with The Older the Better Antique Shop when Bill owned it.”

“Is there something I can help you with, Ms. Dunmore?” Dwaine asked.

“As a matter of fact, there is. I’d like to see about having my old piano appraised. I’ve recently moved and will need to sell it.”

“Sure. No problem. When would you like to have the appraisal done?”

“How about this afternoon? One of my granddaughters is at the house right now, and she could let you in.”

Dwaine reached for a notepad and pen. “If you’ll give me the address, I’ll run over there and take a look. Would you like me to call you with my estimate, or should I give it to your granddaughter?”

“Just give it to Sheila. She’ll be coming back to the retirement center where I live to return my house key sometime before she leaves Casper.”

With an exasperated groan, Sheila shut the lid on the cedar Dwaine wrote down the particulars, and a few minutes later he hung up the phone. Lydia Dunmore’s house was on the other side of town, but he could be there in ten minutes. He put the C
LOSED
sign in the store’s front window, grabbed his jacket off the antique coat tree, and headed out the door. Things had been slow at The Older the Better this week, but it looked like business might be picking up.

With an exasperated groan, Sheila shut the lid on the cedar chest—the last place she had searched for Grandma’s old doll. For the past couple of hours, she’d looked through countless boxes and trunks, organizing each one as she went. Except for the room being much cleaner now, her trip to the attic had been fruitless. There was no doll to be found.

“Grandma would probably tell me to choose something else,” Sheila muttered, “but nothing here matters to me except the Bye-Lo baby.”

Once more, Sheila thought about her grandmother’s recent move and consoled herself with the fact that if Grandma hadn’t left this rambling old house, Sheila and her girl cousins wouldn’t have been asked to choose something special from the attic. The boy cousins had been invited to check out the basement for an item they would like to have.

“Too bad I can’t find what’s special to me,” she grumbled.

Maybe the doll had been removed from the attic and was in one of the boxes downstairs. Sheila decided it was worth the time to take a look. She yanked on the chain to turn off the light and headed for the stairs. If she didn’t find Bye-Lo in the next hour or so, she planned to head back to the retirement center. Maybe Grandma could shed some light on the doll’s disappearance.

Sheila entered the living room and was about to kneel in front of a cardboard box when the doorbell rang. “I wonder who that could be.”

She went to the front door and looked through the peephole. A man stood on the porch—an attractive man with sandy-blond hair and brown eyes. Sheila didn’t recognize him, but then she hadn’t lived in Casper for twelve years and didn’t get back for visits very often. The man could be one of Grandma’s neighbors for all she knew. He could even be a salesman, a Realtor, or …

The bell rang again, and Sheila jumped. Should she open the door? She sent up a quick prayer.
Protect me, Lord, if this man’s a criminal
.

She slipped the security chain in place and opened the door the few inches it would go. “May I help you?”

“Hi, I’m Dwaine Woods from The Older the Better Antique Shop across town. I got a call to come here and take a look at an old piano.”

Sheila’s gaze darted to the living room. Grandma obviously had left the piano behind because there wasn’t enough room in her apartment at the retirement center. How sad that Grandma felt forced to sell something she’d dearly loved for so many years.

“I have my business card right here if you’d like to see it,” Dwaine said, as if sensing her reservations about opening the door. He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a leather wallet, and withdrew a card. “I bought the place from Bill Summers not long ago.” He slipped it through the small opening, and Sheila clasped the card between her thumb and index finger. She studied it a few seconds and decided it looked legitimate.

“Who asked you to look at the piano?” she asked with hesitation.

“Lydia Dunmore. She called awhile ago and said she’d like an estimate. Told me her granddaughter Sheila was here and would let me in.” He shuffled his feet across the wooden planks on the porch. “I presume that would be you?”

Sheila opened her mouth to reply, but the sharp ringing of the telephone halted her words. “I’d better get that. Be right back.” She shut the door before Dwaine had a chance to say anything more.

Not knowing how long he might be expected to wait, Dwaine flopped into the wicker chair near the door. He couldn’t believe how nervous the young woman seemed. She acted like she didn’t believe Lydia Dunmore had called and asked him to give an estimate on the piano.

She must not be from around here. Most everyone I know is pretty trusting
. Dwaine hadn’t been able to get a good look at her face through the small opening in the doorway, but he had seen her eyes. They were blue, like a cloudless sky, and they’d revealed obvious fear.

Sure hope she comes back soon and lets me in. Now that the sun’s going down, it’s getting cold out here
. Dwaine stuffed his hands inside his jacket pockets while he tapped his foot impatiently. Finally, he heard the door creak open. A young woman with jet-black hair curling around her face in soft waves stared at him.

“Sorry for making you wait so long,” she said. “That was my grandmother on the phone. She called to let me know you were coming to look at the piano.”

Dwaine stood. “Does that mean I can come in?”

She nodded, and her cheeks turned pink as a sunset. “I’m Sheila Nickels.”

Dwaine stuck out his hand and was relieved when she shook it. Maybe now that her grandmother had confirmed the reason for his visit, Sheila wouldn’t be so wary.

“It’s nice to meet you. I take it you’re not from around here?”

She motioned him to follow as she led the way to the living room. “I grew up in Casper, but twelve years ago my folks moved to Fresno, California. My father’s a minister and was offered a job at a church there. I was fourteen at the time.”

“So you’re a Christian, then?”

She smiled. “I have been since I was twelve and went to Bible camp. That’s when I acknowledged my sins and accepted Christ as my personal Savior.”

Dwaine grinned back at her. “I’m a Christian, too, and it’s always nice to meet others who have put their faith in the Lord.”

She nodded. “I agree.”

“What brings you to this part of the country?” he asked.

Sheila motioned to the array of boxes stacked in one corner of the room. “Grandma recently moved to Mountain Springs Retirement Center, and she’ll be putting this old house on the market soon.”

“Which is why she wants to sell the piano?”

“Right. Grandma called me a few weeks ago and asked that I come here. She said she’d like me to choose an item from the attic—something I felt was special. Since she needed it done before the house sold, I decided to take a week’s vacation and fly here before everything’s been gone through.” Sheila sucked in her lower lip. “She asked each of her granddaughters to come, and I’m the first to arrive.”

“Have you found what you wanted yet?” he questioned.

She shook her head. “It’s an old doll I’m looking for, but there was no sign of it in the attic.”

Dwaine massaged the bridge of his nose. “Hmm … did you ask your grandmother about it? Maybe she moved the doll to some other part of the house.”