Never Say Never (30 page)

“Tell you what,” Sal said thoughtfully, “I’ll just drop by the Reed Ranch and tell them we’re going to file papers if they raise any ruckus between now and then. It’s either our way or no way, and as I see it, Dustin isn’t going to be too anxious to do anything that might make him appear unstable.” He was quiet for another moment. “As a matter of fact, knowing Dustin, this may be just what we need to get a reaction out of him we can use in court.”

“Sal.” Maxine smiled. “There isn’t another lawyer like you on the face of the earth. What would I do without you?”

“You’d find a way to win, Maxine. But I wouldn’t worry anymore. I think we’ve got the Reeds on the run now.”

Chapter Eighteen

The house seemed still and too quiet without Joey.

Eunice’s comforting presence was missing; the anticipation that flashed through Jill when Dustin might stride in at any moment was gone. It was just her and Holly now, and Holly was taking a nap.

Jill took a shower and tidied her room, with one ear listening for the phone all the while. The fact that Dustin had not called worried her. She knew he was aware of her concern for his mother, so he would want to reassure Jill as soon as he could. Telling herself not to panic over the silent phone, Jill reasoned he hadn’t called because he didn’t know anything about Eunice’s condition yet. Though she couldn’t bear to think of it, Eunice might be worse off than they could have known. Jill’s stomach tightened at the thought.
Eunice is in fine health
, she told herself, even as a shadow crossed her mind, ugly and ill-conceived.
What if she’s dying?

Jill sighed, vehemently wishing that thought had not popped into her conscious. Losing Eunice would be like losing a best friend. She’d learned about patience and courage from Eunice, and graciousness, and probably a multitude of other things she didn’t yet realize.

The doorbell pealed downstairs, softly but enough to interrupt her distressing worry. Jill wiped away a tear that had slipped down her cheek. It was too early for Joey to come home. Nobody else she knew would ring the doorbell.

Walking quietly down the stairs, Jill cautiously peered out the peephole. She was taking no chances after Maxine’s disastrous visit. Though she’d handled the unpleasant scene as best she could, doubtless Dustin was going to be displeased that she’d upset Maxine.

Jill could see that the caller was a young girl, no older than her late teens. The girl shifted from foot to foot in the cold, apparently alone. Jill didn’t see a car—or driver for that matter—from her tiny viewing space. The girl knocked on the door, obviously unwilling to leave until someone opened it. She glanced up and with a start, Jill remembered her from the bakery.

“Sadie!” she exclaimed, jerking the door open. “Sadie! What are you doing here?”

The girl jumped, looking a bit scared.

“How do you know my name?”

“Because…oh, never mind. We can’t talk with you shivering in the cold. Come in.”

Sadie glanced nervously around her as she came into the foyer. “Are you sure?”

“It’s fine. Come in the kitchen and I’ll get you something hot to drink.”

Sadie followed obediently. Jill pointed to the kitchen table and she sat, all the while stiff and uncomfortable.

“Where’s my baby?” she blurted.

“Taking a nap,” Jill answered. She wasn’t the least bit surprised that Sadie’s first concern was for Holly.

“Is she all right?”

Jill glanced Sadie’s way as she put a cup of hot tea she’d warmed in the microwave in front of her. “She’s just fine.”

An audible sigh of relief gusted from Sadie. “I’ve been so frightened.”

She could well imagine. “I bet you have. Obviously you know Curtis is in jail or you wouldn’t be here. How did you find out?”

“Sheriff Marsh asked Eunice where Mama’s family was from. I guess he called the sheriff there to ask if he knew us. We got the message through him at my aunt’s house.” Sadie looked up at Jill with worried eyes.

“Is that where you stayed while you were pregnant?”

She glanced away. “Yes. So Curtis couldn’t find me.”

Jill seated herself across from Sadie. “I expect Holly to wake up in about ten minutes.” She glanced out the window, seeing no car. “How did you get here?”

“On my bike. Mama got a ride from somebody in town so she could go see Miss Eunice at the hospital, but…I couldn’t wait to see my baby.”

“Hm.” Jill ran several thoughts through her mind. “Are you planning to ride back with Holly on your bike?”

“That’s how I got her here.”

She recognized defensiveness in the girl’s tone. Yet, in all good conscience, she couldn’t allow Sadie to pedal Holly back home in the cold. Not while Jill’s perfectly good car was sitting in the driveway. From the jutting of Sadie’s chin, it was clear that her independent nature was asserting itself now that she was in control of her own life. Without Curtis robbing her of that important asset.

“Well, Sadie, there is a slight problem.” Jill stared at her nails, trying to appear deep in thought. “Holly’s basket is a bit torn. I was going into town to get her another one today, but as it is, I don’t think it’s safe to travel with her the way her basket is.”

Sadie’s face fell. “Oh.”

“As I say, I was on my way into town and…well, perhaps when Holly awakens, I could just run the two of you home. That way she’ll be safer.”

And in a car seat
, Jill thought to herself.

“Would you mind?” Sadie asked shyly.

“Not a bit. We’ll just toss your bike into my trunk and then I can drop you off on my way.” Jill forced herself to sound cheerful. Not that she wasn’t delighted for Sadie and Holly’s sake, but it was going to be mighty quiet around the ranch with both of her charges gone. She almost felt like her job description was dwindling to nothing. “Would you excuse me for just a moment?”

Sadie nodded. Trying not to appear worried, Jill walked out of the kitchen and went up the stairs. She had seen an old-fashioned black desk phone by Dustin’s bed once, when she had gone into his room to grab the sheets for washing. He was by nature very tidy, and had explained to her that his room didn’t require her attention. He preferred she concentrate her energies on the children in the household and his mother, being more caretaker than maid service, he’d told her. But this was the only phone in the house besides the one in the kitchen, and she couldn’t make this call with Sadie in the room with her.

A nearly overwhelming sense of masculinity assailed her as she entered the darkened room. The furniture was dark wood, and the window hangings were heavy and opaque. It was antique and old-fashioned, similar to the parlor furniture, although that room had been recently painted and carpeted. It was almost as if the decor in this room hadn’t been changed since the Reeds had first lived in the house. As she reached out to take the phone from the cradle, Jill realized this was the room Dustin’s parents must have occupied when his father was alive. Apparently, Dustin had kept everything the same as it had always been, right down to this out-of-date rotary phone.

Not wanting to waste time with Sadie downstairs, Jill dialed information and asked for the hospital phone number. When she had gotten that, she dialed the number and asked for the sheriff’s room. He answered on the first ring.

“Sheriff Marsh here.”

“This is Jill McCall. You sound like you’re at work instead of in a hospital.”

“I’m not letting some peashooter slow me down. So, is this a social call to check on my health, Miss McCall?”

She grimaced at his sarcastic tone. If she hadn’t spent days listening to Marsh and Dustin badger each other, she would think the man purely didn’t like her. It certainly felt personal.

“I can tell you’re fine, Sheriff,” she said dryly. “Sadie is downstairs, saying you let her know she could pick up Holly. After the morning I’ve had, I decided I’d better double-check with you first.”

“Bad day, huh? Dustin hasn’t even left the hospital yet.”

“He hasn’t? Is…Eunice all right?”

“I haven’t been able to pry that information out of any of the nurses. The doctor is having additional tests run on her.”

“Oh. It sounds serious.” Jill’s heart sank.

“I think the old gal has seen spryer days, that’s for certain,” Marsh said. “Do you want me to have Dustin call you when he lights?”

“No.” Jill couldn’t hold back her worry. “I want you to tell me if it’s all right for Sadie to take Holly.”

“I’ve cleared it with CPS. The Christmas angel is free to go home.”

She let out a sigh that was both relieved and despondent. “Thank you.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“I don’t have one.” Jill wrinkled her forehead. “At least, I hope I didn’t create one this morning.”

“If you need to talk, I’ll let you bend my ear.”

It could be a way to get the word to Dustin that Maxine was upset, Jill thought. Hesitantly, she said, “Maxine came by this morning to pick up Joey. I didn’t have him ready, which seemed to offend her.”

“Everything offends Maxine. She’s just looking for something to complain about.”

“She wasn’t very nice.”

“No kidding.”

“No.” Jill remembered how Maxine had seemed so disgusted with her. “It was more than that. She was angry.”

“Blow her off, Jill. Maxine Copeland has toys in her attic. They’ve been rattling around up there all her life.”

“I wish I could forget about it that easily. But I’m terribly worried.” She tried to take a breath that would reach into her rib cage but couldn’t relax that much. That woman had been listening too closely to Jill’s answers, waiting for any mistake, anything she could use against Dustin. She had felt it. “Thanks for trying to ease my mind, Marsh. I’d better get back downstairs to Sadie. She’s probably about to die from waiting to hold her baby.”

He chuckled. “I’m glad it’s all worked out for her. Are you taking them home?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll let Dustin know where you’ve gone. He should be in here soon.”

“I’d appreciate that, Sheriff.”

She hung up and went down the hall into her bedroom to gather together Holly’s clothes and diapers and other items. She packed them into her own suitcase, which Sadie could return to her when she was settled again. It was hard putting together the little pieces of the child’s life who had come to mean so much to her, though she knew this was the happy ending they had all hoped for. Once everything was packed, she took the holiday dress from the closet. Helplessly, she held the dress to her, smelling Holly’s sweet scent, before laying it in the case. The tiny tights she’d bought for the baby were placed on top of the dress, and the evergreen satin headband Eunice had made followed. For just an instant before she closed the case, tears pricked at her eyes. She was happy for Holly, very happy. But it was so hard to see her leave. Telling herself not to cry, Jill picked up Holly’s basket. The baby slept on, oblivious to the change in her fate.

“You’re going to be so surprised, Holly. You get to go back home to your mother, and your grandmother. Isn’t that a nice Christmas present?” she murmured soothingly, all the while wondering who she was trying to comfort.

Sadie jumped to her feet when Jill walked in. “Oh, baby!” she whispered, her voice a hoarse cry. Her fingers reached out to take the basket carefully. “Oh, Lord. I was beginning to think I’d never see you again!” Without heeding the infant’s sleep, Sadie set the basket on the table and snatched her out, holding the child close to her chest. Sadie’s eyes were closed as she reveled in the moment. Jill’s mind spiraled back to that other time Sadie had held her baby in the bakery and so much had gone wrong after that.

Yet it had all turned out for the best. She smiled and went to get her purse and car keys. “Are you ready to go home?” she asked.

“We sure are,” Sadie said. “We sure are.”

The drive to Sadie’s house went too fast. Jill was surprised to note how short the distance seemed between her home and the Reed Ranch. She wouldn’t want to travel the distance on a bicycle the way Sadie had, but looking at the small frame house where Sadie lived, Jill couldn’t help thinking she knew how the girl had made it all the way there.

Determination must have pushed Sadie’s feet. Jill looked at the worn little house and for a moment worried about Holly’s and Sadie’s safety. That was ridiculous, of course. Curtis couldn’t bother them anymore. She told herself that Holly would be so loved by her family that she would grow up rich by that measure, if by no other.

“Well, Sadie,” she said, turning off the car. “May I help you take these things inside?” She was half afraid the girl would refuse.

But Sadie smiled. “You’re awfully nice to offer.” She opened the door and got out, removing Holly from the car seat. Sadie held Holly’s basket close to her as she walked to the front porch. Trying to ignore the sadness inside her, Jill took the bike from the trunk, then got the car seat out and carried it to the porch. Taking the suitcase from the car, Jill followed Sadie into the dark interior of the house. A light snapped on and Jill breathed a sigh of relief. They might be poor, but the Benchleys kept their home nice and neat.

Sadie placed the basket where she could keep an eye on Holly before turning. “I forgot to ask you your name,” she said softly.