Changes 651s5v

Changes

SALLY A. ALLEN

Copyright © 2013 by Sally A. Allen.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013918444 ISBN: Hardcover 978-1-4931-1157-2 Softcover 978-1-4931-1156-5 Ebook 978-1-4931-1158-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 10/17/2013

To order additional copies of this book, : Xlibris LLC 1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com 142029

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 32

CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 34

CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER 36

CHAPTER 37

CHAPTER 38

CHAPTER 39

CHAPTER 40

CHAPTER 41

CHAPTER 42

CHAPTER 43

CHAPTER 44

CHAPTER 45

CHAPTER 46

CHAPTER 47

CHAPTER 48

CHAPTER 49

CHAPTER 50

CHAPTER 51

CHAPTER 52

CHAPTER 53

CHAPTER 54

CHAPTER 55

CHAPTER 56

CHAPTER 57

CHAPTER 58

CHAPTER 59

CHAPTER 60

CHAPTER 61

CHAPTER 62

CHAPTER 63

CHAPTER 64

CHAPTER 65

CHAPTER 66

CHAPTER 67

CHAPTER 68

CHAPTER 1

Carl Burke was widowed after fifty years of marriage. He was happy that he and his wife, Laura, had had a party on their fiftieth anniversary before she ed on. There were good days and bad days, but they weathered the storms and, because of them, they loved each other more. Carl and Laura were blessed with a daughter, Nancy, who could do no wrong in their eyes. Carl was a robust man, weighing two hundred twenty-five pounds with broad shoulders and the beginning of a pot belly, which was due to all of the neighboring women bringing him food. In his town, the women outnumbered the men ten to one, so every man was fair game. Carl wouldn’t give any of them a tumble because he knew how desperate they were to find a husband. He had no intention of marrying again. Laura had been his soul mate and he had no desire to be with another woman. Carl had one sister, Hattie. She constantly chastised him and told him what to do. They hadn’t been close growing up because he was ten years older than her. Carl knew she was lonely. She had never married and didn’t have friends to speak of, so she concentrated on Carl, making his life miserable. He lived several miles out of town in a two bedroom bungalow on a large lot. He had a large vegetable garden and gave most of the produce away. One day Carl was out pulling weeds when a stray dog wandered onto his property. He had never seen it before, so he thought someone had dropped him off. The dog was emaciated and Carl felt sorry for it. He gave him some cereal and water, which the dog ate hungrily. After that, the dog hung around, even though Carl tried to shoo him off. Finally, he gave him a bath with a water hose and brushed out his matted fur. A few days later, the dog was living in Carl’s house. He was a handsome dog, a cross between a Black Lab and a Golden Retriever. Carl named him Ol’ Blue.

Hattie came over unannounced a week after Carl had taken in the dog. When Ol’ Blue met her at the door, tail wagging, she screamed, “What is that mangy dog doing here? Carl, have you lost your mind?” “He’s good company, I named him Ol’ Blue.” “Well, I never! Here, I bought you a melon so you’ll eat something healthy for once.” Carl could tell the melon was overripe. Hattie must be haunting the half off sales again. “Well, I’ve got to go. Tootles,” she trilled and left. Carl breathed a sigh of relief and went into the kitchen to pitch the melon in the garbage. Hattie agitated him, so he got a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet. Ol’ Blue followed him and sat down on his haunches, cocking his head. “I know it’s early, but I’m just going to have a nip,” he told the dog. Carl lifted the bottle and took a large swig. “Oh, that booze is mighty tasty,” he said. The dog let out a yelp, obviously wanting a taste. “No, boy, booze is off limits to you.” Carl belched loudly. “One more sip and I’ll get some shut-eye,” he said. Carl realized he was talking to the dog all the time now, but he didn’t care, it was better than being alone. He took another drink and recapped the bottle. He headed up the stairs and asked the dog, “Are you coming?” Blue picked up his ears and followed Carl up the stairs. He was happy about this new development. The second floor had been off limits to him before now. The dog stopped in the doorway of the bedroom, afraid to enter. “Come on,” Carl ordered. “Aren’t you tired?” He lay down on the bed and patted the spot next to him. Blue didn’t think twice. He hopped up on the bed and snuggled next to Carl.

After that, Ol’ Blue slept on the bed every night. It comforted Carl; it had a long time since he had someone in bed with him.

The next morning, he got up at dawn and went downstairs to make some coffee. Blue padded behind him and then went outside to do his business. Carl didn’t look forward to the day that he’d planned for himself. The week before, roofers had repaired a leak in the roof and Carl couldn’t put off painting the house any longer. The paint he had bought awaited him in the shed. He thought it would take him about a week to finish the job. When Carl opened a can of paint, Blue, being curious, got his nose and whiskers white from sniffing the lid. The black dog looked like a clown with his white muzzle. “You asshole!” Carl shouted at him and burst out laughing. He quickly got the hose and an old rag and scrubbed until there wasn’t a trace of white left on the dog’s muzzle. Blue, not knowing what he had done wrong, slinked over to a patch of sun and lay down, staring at Carl. “Now you stay there and be a good boy,” Carl said, shaking his fist. Blue laid his head in his paws and closed his eyes. Carl got a ladder out of the shed and prepared to go to work. “Yoo hoo,” an auburn haired woman called, peeking around the corner of the house. Carl wanted to run, but there was nowhere to hide. “Well, hello, Lilly,” he shouted in a friendly voice. “I brought over a batch of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies,” she said, thrusting a platter into his hand. “Much obliged,” Carl replied and, without thinking, invited her into the house.

They sat at the kitchen table talking affably while Blue sat at their feet, begging for a morsel. “He’s a cute dog,” Lilly said and immediately began to cough. Her nose started to run and Carl handed her a tissue. “I’m allergic to dogs,” she explained between sniffles. Carl saw his chance to get rid of her. He took her by the hand and led her outside. “I’m sorry about your reaction,” he said. “I’ll be going now,” she said coldly. Carl didn’t try to stop her. “Hurry back,” he called, knowing she wouldn’t. Rubbing his hands together with glee, he walked back into the house. He found Blue perched on a kitchen chair devouring the rest of the cookies. Carl laughed and patted the dog. “You and I are going to get along just fine,” he told him. “We don’t want those old biddies hanging around, do we boy?” Carl went back outside to paint and noticed a wooden rung was missing from the ladder. He was glad he noticed it in time or he could have taken a hell of a tumble. He marched back to the house and locked it up. He was getting into his car to go to the hardware store when he heard a screech of brakes. He looked up to see his daughter, Nancy, getting out of her Mustang convertible. What’s next? he asked himself, but put on a happy face and went to greet her. “Hi, Daddy,” Nancy said joyously. “Hi, baby,” Carl answered and gave her a quick hug. “What are you doing here on a weekday?” “Did you know that Catering Plus went under?” “No, I haven’t been in town for a while.” “Dad, this town needs a caterer,” Nancy stated. “How so? You just told me Catering Plus went out of business.”

“Oh, they didn’t do anything right. They robbed their clients blind, charging too much and giving too little.” “Says the expert,” Carl mumbled to himself. “Dad, they had booked two large weddings. Now what are the people going to do?” “I don’t know,” Carl replied, knowing what was coming next. “I can do it!” Nancy exclaimed, jumping up and down. “Where are you going to get the equipment, young lady?” “You could lend me the money and I can buy Catering Plus’s stuff.” “You think you’ve got it all figured out, don’t you? You’ll need some good help. Where do you propose to get that?” “Around,” she said breezily. “There are a lot of people who need work right now.” “Come in the house and we’ll talk,” he told her. Father and daughter walked to the house together. Blue, hearing a strange voice, began barking furiously. Nancy stopped dead in her tracks. “What’s that?” she demanded. “It’s my new protector. His name’s Ol’ Blue.” “You know I’m deathly afraid of dogs. Take him back where you got him or I won’t come and see you anymore,” she threatened. “Sorry, honey, he’s here to stay,” Carl stated firmly. “You’d choose a mutt over me?” Nancy cried. “I see you about once a month and then it’s only when you need something.” Nancy was offended. “I can see you don’t want to help me so I’ll be going.” She

flounced to the car and Carl could hear the tires squealing as she drove off. “See what you did doting on her, Laura,” he asked, looking at the sky. “You raised a spoiled brat!” Carl walked into the solitude of his home. Blue, sensing his distress, came over and licked his hand. “Don’t ever get mixed up with some cute little bitch,” he warned the dog. “All women are a bit off the rocker.” He looked upward again and said, “Sorry, Laura.” Carl gave up the idea of painting that day; instead he picked up the newspaper that he hadn’t read. When he looked over the classifieds, he saw in black and white what he didn’t want to see. “Lost dog,” the ad read. “Child’s pet. Black Lab mix. Answers to Benny. If found, please call 812-6357.” Carl wrestled with his conscience. He felt bad that Blue was a child’s pet, but what was he doing way out here? Someone who didn’t want the dog must have dropped him off. Carl looked at Blue. He was so cute, staring out the kitchen window at some birds. “No way am I going to turn you over to someone who doesn’t care about you,” he told the dog. Suddenly, he realized he wouldn’t be a good master if he didn’t take Blue to the vet. He looked in good health, but what if he had heart worms? Carl quickly picked up the phone and made an appointment for the next day.

CHAPTER 2

Blue was excited to take his first ride in the truck. Carl attached his leash to a pole in the truck’s bed. Riding in the open air, Blue’s ears flapped and his fur ruffled. By the look on his face, he was enjoying the ride immensely. When Carl parked the truck, he heard a young girl squeal, “Mom, there’s Benny! He’s in that truck! Let’s go get him!” Carl’s heart sank. He got Blue out of the back of the truck and watched the girl walk over with a man and woman. Blue perked his ears up when he saw the girl, but then he saw the man and tried to slink away. The little girl got down on her knees and put her arms around Blue. “Oh, Benny!” she cried. “I’m so glad I found you!” The woman smiled, but the man shouted angrily, “Get away from that cur! You know you’re not supposed to touch strange animals!” “He’s not strange, he’s my Benny!” the little girl said and burst into tears. Carl’s heart went out to her, but he could see the circumstances involved. “I’ll have you know I’ve owned this dog for five years. I got him from the pound,” he lied. “That settles it, Kay. That dog just looks like Benny. Let’s go.” The little girl gave Blue one more pat and backed away. The dog wagged his tail, obviously recognizing the girl. “You can come and visit him,” Carl mouthed to her. The woman caught his words and nodded at him. The man stomped angrily away. “Get a move on!” he shouted. “We’ve wasted

enough time already!” Blue whined when they left, but walked docilely to the vet’s office with Carl. “Good morning, Mr. Burke,” the receptionist greeted him. “I see you have a new dog. What’s his name?” “Ol’ Blue. He wandered in my yard one day and I adopted him.” “Good for you. The doctor will be with you in a few minutes.” Carl knew he should the woman’s name, but, for the life of him, he couldn’t think of it. She was pleasant looking with grey hair worn in a simple style and he liked the pants suit she wore. The veterinarian interrupted his thoughts. He greeted Carl and beckoned him into the examining room. Blue sat calmly on the table, letting the doctor probe and check him. “This big guy seems in excellent health. How long has it been since he’s had his shots?” “I don’t know if he’s ever had any. He’s a stray that wandered onto my property.” “Well, in that case, I’ll have to run a few tests. I’ll give him his shots, but I’ll have to take a stool sample to check for heart worms.” Blue stood like a soldier when he got his shots. “Good boy,” the vet said. “I’ll call you with the results of the heart worm test.” Before he left, the receptionist smiled at him and said, “Good to see you again, Carl.” He still couldn’t who she was and it bothered him all the way home.

CHAPTER 3

The phone rang just as he walked in the house. Blue ran to his food bowl and was disappointed to find it empty. Carl ignored his pleading eyes and answered the phone. “Dad,” Nancy said in a hurry. “Can I bring Susie over for a while? I have somewhere to go today.” “Any time, you know I love having her. Where are you going?” “I have to check out Catering Plus’s equipment and see what else I need.” “So you’re going to go into business. Who lent you the money?” “First National Bank,” she said. “But I’ll need a cosigner.” Here is comes, Carl thought. “You’ll cosign for me, won’t you, Dad?” “You’ll have to prove to me what the equipment is worth first. Make sure they aren’t robbing you.” “Geez, Dad,” she said disgusted. “You can never be too careful,” Carl said evenly. “Okay, I’ll have something to show you in a day or two.” “When are you dropping Susie off?” “In about an hour.” “Good, I’ll feed her dinner and she can stay overnight. I don’t get to see her near enough.”

“I suppose you’ll feed her something unhealthy like hot dogs or hamburgers and french fries.” “Look, she’s a kid and they like that kind of food. If she eats it every once in a while it won’t kill her,” Carl said and hung up the phone. In a way, Carl felt sorry for Nancy. She married a no-goodnik in spite of her parent’s disapproval. Shortly after Susie was born, he left her and was never seen again. Susie didn’t know her father and Nancy had to earn a living for the two of them. Carl would cosign her loan. He couldn’t turn her down. He hoped to God she could make a go of her new business. When Susie arrived, the first thing she did was ask, “Grandpa, can I get rid of these braids? I’m a big girl now and no one in my class has pigtails anymore.” “Sure,” Carl answered and Susie immediately took the rubber bands and ribbons out of her hair and untied her braids. Her lovely blonde hair fell to her waist. She ran in the bathroom and brushed all of the snarls out, then came out to show her grandpa. “How pretty you look,” Carl complimented her. “You’re my little princess.” Carl opened the screen door and whistled for Blue. The dog came running as fast as he could and slid to a stop in front of Susie. “Grandpa, Mommy told me you got a dog!” she cried with delight. She sat on the floor and hugged Blue. After that, the pair became inseparable. Carl was glad that at least one member of his family loved Blue as much as he did. Carl went to Harry’s Hamburger Emporium and picked up hamburgers and french fries. The whole time they were eating, Susie snuck Blue bites of food. Carl pretended not to notice, even though he’d gone to great lengths to teach him not to beg. “Mommy won’t let me have a dog,” Susie wailed. “She says I can have a goldfish, but I don’t want one of those darn things. There’s no way you can pet a goldfish.”

“Your mother says she’s allergic to dogs.” “Nuts,” Susie replied. “She’s only using that as an excuse.” “Maybe you could have a kitten. My neighbor’s cat just had a litter.” “Mom hates cats even more than she does dogs,” she said glumly. “Maybe I can get a pet when she sells our house.” Carl exploded. “Sell the house? When did she decide that?” “She says she needs the money for her new business.” “Where would you live?” “Mommy says if you get rid of Blue, we could come and live with you.” “She does, does she? Well, she’s wrong. Your grandmother and I raised her and when she left, it was like a baby bird leaving the nest. There’s no going back. I’d love to have you around, honey, but that’s not the way it works. Besides, I’d never get rid of Ol’ Blue, he’s my buddy.” Susie’s eyes filled with tears. “I knew you’d say that, Grandpa. Things just wouldn’t work out.”

CHAPTER 4

The next day, a strange car pulled into the driveway. When a woman and a young girl got out, Carl recognized them as Blue’s former owners. He didn’t think they were there to take Blue back, but none the less, fear washed over him. The woman knocked timidly on the door. “Answer it,” Carl instructed Susie. She did as she was told and when she saw a girl her age, she became animated. “Hi,” she said. “Come on in, I’m Susie. What’s your name?” “I’m Kay,” the girl replied. Blue, hearing a familiar voice, came running. When he saw Kay, he turned around in circles, happy to see her. “He used to be my dog,” Kay said sadly. “My dad didn’t want him and dropped him off around here.” She began to cry. “Grandpa loves Blue and takes good care of him,” Susie consoled her. “I’m Elaine,” the woman said to Carl. “I hope it’s okay that we dropped by.” “That’s fine,” he replied. “I said you could come visit Blue anytime.” A car drove down the road leading to the house and Carl saw it was Nancy. She got out of the car and walked over to him. She looked at the four people gathered there. Since she was in a hurry, she decided to ask for the money in front of them. “Dad, I found the perfect building for my catering business. Cox’s old showroom? It’s been vacant since they moved out.” “What do you need now?” Carl asked bluntly. Nancy could hear the anger in her father’s voice, but plunged ahead. “The owner

wants the first month’s rent in advance, but I’m dead broke.” “Alright, Nancy, I’ll write you a check for the rent, but that’s all the money I can give you. After this, you’re on your own. In other words, succeed or fail.” “Thank you, Daddy,” Nancy said with relief. She threw her arms around him and hugged him. “You won’t regret it!” she exclaimed. Just then, a blue Ford came up the drive. Oh God, Carl thought, here comes Hattie. That’s all I need. Blue, who didn’t like Hattie, made a bee line for her car. He stood by the door, baring his teeth and growling. Hattie rolled down the window and shouted, “What are you doing? Having a party? I’d like to you, but this beast won’t let me out of the car.” Carl snickered and Susie yelled, “He’s not a beast! He’s a wonderful, loyal dog.” Kay nodded her head in agreement. Hattie stared at Blue. “I don’t care what anyone says, I don’t like him.” “Love me, love my dog,” Carl snarled. “Now get out of here!” He called Blue and the dog obediently came running to him. Hattie started her car and drove off. “Good riddance to bad rubbish,” Carl said, making everyone laugh. “Who was that?” Kay’s mother asked. “My crazy sister,” Carl returned. “Oh,” Elaine said. She turned to Kay. “Listen, honey, we have to go if you want me to whip up a good meal for you tonight.” Nancy spun around and looked at her intently. “Are you a good cook?” “Everyone says I am. Even if I’m not, I enjoy doing it.”

“Have you ever thought of getting a job?” Elaine frowned. “My husband won’t let me. He always says a woman should be barefoot and pregnant.” Nancy looked at her old, faded dress and would bet that her husband didn’t give her any money either. “Would you like to come to work for me? I’m starting a catering business and I need a good cook badly.” Elaine thought about what Nancy had said. “It certainly would be nice to have my own money for a change. It’s time I asserted myself too. I’m tired of being a doormat.” She smiled at Nancy. “When do you want me to start?” Nancy clapped her hands. “Great! You can start tomorrow!” Elaine looked at the ground. “I don’t have any transportation though; I borrowed my husband’s car today.” “That’s okay; I’ll pick you up at eight thirty. Just give me directions.” “It sounds like a plan,” Elaine agreed. “I’ll go into the house and make out your check,” Carl told Nancy, giving her a wink. His daughter was a clever girl, he had to give her that much.

CHAPTER 5

A few minutes after everyone left, there was a timid knock on the door. When Carl opened it, one of Laura’s friends stood there carrying a covered dish. “Hi Carl,” she said. “I know you have a lot of women chasing after you, but I’m not one of them. As a friend of Laura’s, I’ve taken it upon myself to watch over you. Here’s some shrimp and pasta salad that I made. There was too much for me to eat and I thought you’d like some.” A smile lit up Carl’s face. “Thank you, Bridget,” he said. “How did you know I was plum out of food? Can you come in and visit for a while?” “I don’t mind if I do,” Bridget said, entering the house. Blue came running from the kitchen and stopped in front of her. “What a sweet dog!” she exclaimed, reaching down to pet him. Blue didn’t back away as he usually did with strangers. He let her pat him on the head and scratch behind his ears. “It’s love at first sight!” Carl declared. “I’ve never seen him act that way with anyone before!” “I have a way with animals. They can sense when someone likes them,” Bridget said as she followed Carl into the living room. “I’ll just sit for a few minutes. I have to check on Norma Becker because she’s been feeling under the weather.” “I made some lemonade this morning. Would you like a glass?” “Yes, thank you, it’s awfully warm outside.” Carl left the room and came back with two glasses of lemonade. He tasted his and made a face. “This needs a shot of vodka to make it taste better.” “I’m glad you said that,” Bridget said laughing. She handed her glass to Carl.

In a few minutes, they were discussing their past experiences and their hopes for the future. The conversation continued until dusk. Bridget jumped up in alarm. “I’ve overstayed my welcome!” she exclaimed, then looked around the messy room. “You need a woman to take care of this place. You have at least a week’s worth of newspapers in here. I’ll bet your sink is full of dirty dishes too.” Carl hung his head. “Guilty as charged,” he said. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll come over once a week and do some chores for you, but you have to make an effort to pick up after yourself. Now I really have to go.” Carl put his hand on her arm. “Hang on a minute,” he said. “I’ll drive you home.” Carl helped her into his truck. Blue wanted to come along, so Carl let him jump in the back. He told Bridget good night and waited until she was in the house. He felt better than he had for a long time. It occurred to him that he missed a woman’s companionship.

CHAPTER 6

Hattie was disturbed and angry at Carl and decided to appease herself by going shopping. She went into a drug store and filled her prescription for “happy pills”. She popped a few in her mouth and walked over to Macy’s to look over the woman’s clothing. Hattie wandered into the lingerie section and found a bra in her size. She slipped it into her tote bag. She looked over a table of panties until she found some that fit her. She put two pairs in the tote next to the bra. Hattie looked through a rack of blouses and found one she fell in love with immediately. It had a geometric print with many colors, so she could wear it with almost anything. She folded it and put it in the bag with the bra and panties. Bored with shopping, Hattie exited the building without paying for the items. An alarm sounded and a security guard grabbed her by the arm. “You have some unpaid items in your purse,” he said. “Oh, I’m sorry; did I walk out without paying?” Hattie asked innocently. “Cut the crap, lady. You know you did it on purpose.” “I’ll pay for the merchandise right now,” she said, pleading. The man considered and said, “Follow me back into the store.” Obediently, she followed him into a vacant office where she pulled a fifty dollar bill off a sizable roll. “Let’s see what you have in your purse,” the guard said. Hattie pulled the bra and panties out, purposely leaving the blouse in her bag. Even though it was on sale, it still cost forty dollars. The guard gave her change from her fifty. The purchases came up to twenty-two dollars. Hattie smiled; happy she didn’t

have to pay for the blouse. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I won’t do it again.” “You’re damn right you won’t because if I see you in this store again, I’ll personally throw you out.” Hattie walked out of the office with her head held high. The incident had given her a jolt of pleasure. She decided she wanted to try it again. When she got home, Hattie forgot all about her purchases and left the tote bag in her car. When she found it a few days later, she wondered where she had gotten the beautiful blouse.

The following day, Hattie was turning onto the main road when she got disoriented. Her eyes darted back and forth, trying to find something that looked familiar. She ed street after street, but everything still looked strange. She saw a man and woman standing in their yard and meant to stop and ask directions, but forgot and drove right past them. Hattie thought she found the street that her friend, Lilly, lived on, but when she drove to her house, something wasn’t right. The house was blue instead of white and there were children playing in the yard. Hattie paused for a moment and then drove on, trying to find someone she knew. She drove further until she saw a sign that said Highway 76 with an arrow. Thinking she would have better luck on a highway, she turned and drove down the incline. All of the cars were coming toward her. A Chevrolet slammed on its brakes, almost hitting her. Another hit loose sand on the shoulder of the road and spiraled out of control. Hattie kept driving and the cars kept whizzing by her, honking their horns. She came upon a road crew repairing a pot hole. She almost kept going, but she had a moment of clarity and turned the wheel. She overcorrected and skidded into a ditch. A culvert blocked her way and she came to an abrupt stop. Her chest hit the steering wheel and her knees were pinned to the dashboard.

A man stopped his car and ran over to the smashed vehicle. “Are you alright, lady?” he yelled. “Yes,” she mumbled in a daze. Another erby came to the car and peered through the window. “My God, she’s alive! It’s a miracle!” A siren pierced the air and a squad car screeched to a stop. When they saw Hattie wasn’t badly injured, the officers pulled her out of the wreckage. One officer called a tow truck while the other one called the sheriff. When he heard it was Hattie Burke, the sheriff told his officers just to drive her home.

CHAPTER 7

Bridget stopped over a few days later and shooed Carl out of the house. He was disgruntled, but he snapped a leash on Ol’ Blue and took him for a walk. They went all the way to town, stopping to talk to people he knew. After an hour, they headed back home. On the way he encountered Mrs. Gretzcraft walking her poodle. Blue got excited when he saw the dog and strained at his leash. “Down boy,” he ordered. “She’s too small for you.” Mrs. Gertzcraft laughed. “Tinker Bell, I think you have an irer.” “I think your dog’s in heat,” Carl said. “You should keep her home until she’s over it.” “I didn’t think we’d meet up with any horny dogs, so I thought it would be okay.” “Well, you have now. Tinker Bell is driving Blue insane. Take her back home before she gets what she wants.” “What a barbarian you are!” she cried and pulled Tinker Bell away. Blue whined, wanting to follow them. It’s time to get Blue fixed and spoil all his fun, Carl thought.

When he got back to his house, it smelled clean. Bridget had picked some wild flowers and put them in a vase on the kitchen table. He gazed at the spotless kitchen and neat living room. Bridget was packing up some cleaning supplies, getting ready to leave. “How do you like it?” she asked. “It looked like a bachelor pad, now it looks like home.” “The house looks perfect, just like it did when Laura was alive. I didn’t realize

how slovenly I’ve become.” “Never fear, Bridget’s here,” she said laughing. “How much do I owe you?” “Silly man, you don’t owe me anything! This one’s for Laura. The next time I’m here, I’ll charge you big time!” “Thank you, Bridget,” Carl said. “I’ll pay you every dime you ask for.” Bridget grinned and walked to the door. “See you later, alligator,” she said.

CHAPTER 8

“Well, old buddy,” Carl said to Blue the next day. “You’re going to get your balls cut off. Sorry to do it to you, but I don’t want you running around chasing pussy.” Blue put his head down as if he knew what he was in for.

This time when the receptionist greeted him, Carl ed her name. She was Carrie, Rex Furman’s widow. She had attended Ladies Aid with Laura. “The doctor will be out to get Blue. You can pick him up after four this afternoon. He’ll be a little woozy. Try and keep him quiet for a day or two. We don’t want him to pop his stitches.” “How do you keep an energetic dog down?” he asked her. “It’s not easy,” she itted.

Carl picked Blue up promptly at four o’clock. The poor dog was unsteady on his feet, so Carl didn’t put the leash on him, but walked him slowly to the truck without it. When they got there, he carefully lifted him into the truck. Blue lay down on the seat and fell fast asleep. Carl decided not to disturb him when they got home. Blue could sleep off the anesthesia in the truck. Hattie’s old car came racing down the driveway and screeched to a stop near the house. What the hell is she doing here? Carl wondered. He noticed her car was

smashed badly in the front. When Hattie got out of the car, she looked around in confusion. At the same time, Blue began howling. Carl ran over to the truck and helped the dog out. He walked unsteadily as Carl led him to the house. “Do you still have that cur?” Hattie hollered. “Yes, I do, and I intend to keep him,” Carl retorted. Hattie stopped in her tracks and said vaguely, “I didn’t mean to come here at all. I was going to visit my friend Marge.” “She lives on the other side of town. What were you thinking?” “I don’t know. I’ll get back in my car and turn around.” Not saying another word, she got started her car and weaved down the driveway. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think she had a buzz on,” Carl said to Blue. “Come on, buddy, I want you to lie down on your bed. I’ll give you some food when you wake up.”

When the dog awakened, he began running around in circles like he was chasing his tail. He kept trying to get in position to lick his stitches, but to no avail. After an hour of watching his antics, Carl decided to call the vet. The vet told Carl to bring Blue back in. Reluctantly, Carl put the dog back in the truck and drove to town. The vet met them in the waiting room. The receptionist was already gone for the day. The doctor looked Blue over and laughed. “Your dog can see the stitches, but can’t manage to lick them. We’ll fix that in a hurry.” He took out a large roll of gauze and placed it between Blue’s legs, running it a little below his stomach. He taped it securely.

It was evident the bandage had done the trick. Blue settled down and wagged his tail. “That’s it,” Rudy, the vet, said. “Leave the bandage on until the incision is partially healed and Blue’s used to it.” “Thanks, Doc. I had no idea there was such an easy solution. What do I owe you?” Rudy slapped Carl on the shoulder. “I’ll consider it part of the cost of the operation.” “I don’t know how to thank you.” “Just keep bringing Blue back to me. He’s a good dog and I’d like to keep him healthy. Besides, you have to come in every once in a while and see Carrie. I think she has the hots for you.” Carl was dumbfounded. “Me? I hardly know the woman!” “Why don’t you give her a call? I imagine you’re getting pretty lonely by now.” “I don’t think I’m ready.” “Sure you are, just give it some thought.” That night, as he was eating dinner alone as usual, his mind went into overtime. What if I did find a woman to take out? What would anyone see in me? Although I’m reasonable attractive, I don’t have any money to speak of.

CHAPTER 9

Nancy called her father breathlessly. “Dad, I’m picking you up in about fifteen minutes. You have to come see my new digs. The grand opening of Catering by Nancy is tomorrow and I want you to be the first to see it.” “Whoa, settle down, honey. I’d love to see your new set-up, but I can drive myself.” “No, Dad, I want to pick you up so we can walk in together. I want to see your gut reaction.” “Alright, give me time to take a shower and put on some clean jeans.” Nancy came through the door and stopped in her tracks. “I don’t believe this! Is this the same house I saw before?” Carl walked into the room smiling. “You like?” “I like. Come clean, Dad, who did this for you?” “Do you Mom’s friend, Bridget? Well, she’s my cleaning lady now. She also keeps me on the ball; Bridget’s a tough task master.” Nancy ran to Carl and threw her arms around him. “Way to go, Dad. I’m proud of you!” Blue walked in, his bandage all frayed and torn. Nancy looked at him and started laughing. “What’s with him?” “It’s a long story, I’ll tell you on the way to the shop. But to make it short, he had his balls adjusted.” Man and daughter walked arm and arm to the car, snickering over the poor dog’s misfortune. Nancy’s preparatory area was pristine white and all of the appliances were

stainless steel. Elaine was placing large metal trays of hors d’oeuvres in a large, double door refrigerator. “For tomorrow,” she explained. “Everyone gets a tantalizing taste.” “Hello, Elaine, how are you doing?” Carl asked. “Fine, I love working here!” she replied. “She’s a Godsend,” Nancy told her father. “I don’t know what I’d do without her.” The tour was short since there only one large room, Nancy’s office and the obligatory restrooms.

On the way home, Carl suggested that Nancy come in for a drink. “Oh, Dad, I really don’t have time. I have so much to do!” “Take a break for a while, humor your old man,” he said with a wink. In the end, she stayed and they had a lengthy conversation, which they hadn’t made time for recently. In the middle of it, Bridget breezed in, carrying a bucket of cleaning supplies. “Hi guys,” she sang out merrily. “Lovely day, isn’t it?” Blue walked over to her and stumbled on his unraveled bandage. Bridget dropped to her knees. “Hasn’t Daddy taken that bandage off yet?” Blue stood quietly while she unwrapped the gauze. When the dog was free of the bandage, he raced around in circles. Carl let him outside, thinking he could chase squirrels for a while. Bridget got out the vacuum cleaner and started vacuuming the living room. Unexpectedly, Nancy jumped up and motioned for her to stop. Bridget put her hands on her hips. “What do you want? Can’t you see I’m busy?”

“I want to ask you a favor.” “What is it?” “I’m too busy right now, but would you consent to taking Dad to Parkinson’s Clothes Shop for some new duds? He needs them badly and a woman’s touch is just what the doctor ordered.” “Now just a minute!” Carl objected. Ignoring him, Bridget smiled and said, “I’d be delighted to. We’ll do it tomorrow before Carl puts his foot down and gets stubborn about it.” “See, Dad? You can get all gussied up if you decide to take a lady out to dinner.” Carl surprised himself by answering, “I just made up my mind last night that I’m going to do just that.” Nancy’s eyes widened with surprise. “You are? Who?” “My lips are sealed. You’ll find out soon enough. The gossips in this town will be talking about the date before you know it!” “Good for you, Carl,” Bridget said. “I know Laura wouldn’t want you to be alone.” “It’s just a date,” Carl groused. “It’s not like I’m getting married, for Pete’s sake.” “I know,” Nancy replied. “But it’s a start.”

CHAPTER 10

Nancy’s grand opening went without a hitch until her Aunt Hattie appeared. She had on a black dress with large red roses and a black straw hat. “You can start the party, Hattie’s here!” she yelled. Everyone laughed, but Nancy’s face grew red with embarrassment. She rushed to the door and took Hattie by the arm. She led her to a table and gave her a plate of hors d’oeuvres. “Where’s the booze?” Hattie asked loudly. Nancy bent down and whispered in her ear, “Please behave yourself, Aunt Hattie. This opening is very important to my business.” Hattie was subdued for a while, but after she ate some of the hors d’oeuvres, she let a loud one rip. Everyone at the table was shocked. “Stop that or I’ll have to ask you to leave,” Nancy said firmly. Hattie looked at her absently and let another one fly, louder than the last. Nancy grabbed her by the arm as Hattie wailed, “I’m as old as Methuselah, I can do whatever I want!” By this time, all of Nancy’s guests were enjoying the side show. Cheeks burning, Nancy propelled Hattie to the ladies room. She pushed her in and shut the door, thinking there wasn’t any way she could get in trouble there. For a while, things were quiet and the guests resumed their conversations. Suddenly, there was a loud banging noise coming from the restroom. Hattie was obviously kicking at the door, trying to get out. Just open the door, Nancy thought with dismay.

Elaine ran to the ladies room door and tried to open it. She pulled and tugged, but the door wouldn’t open. “She’s locked herself in!” she cried. The guests stopped laughing, feeling sorry for Nancy. All of them could hear Hattie screaming for help from the restroom. Two men quietly walked over to Nancy and asked if she had a screwdriver. She rummaged through a drawer, but couldn’t find one. Sirens outside signaled an emergency vehicle’s approach. Someone had called 911. The EMS workers calmly removed the hinges from the door and found Hattie lying on the floor in a heap. They wheeled a gurney in and placed Hattie on it and rolled her, kicking and screaming, outside. “We’ll take her to the hospital and sedate her,” the EMT told Nancy. People started leaving, talking animated to one another. Some offered congratulations to Nancy and wished her well. When everyone left, Nancy put her head in her hands and sobbed. Someone has to do something about Aunt Hattie, she thought. The woman has definitely lost her marbles. The sad scenario actually jump-started Nancy’s business. In the first week, she booked seven parties. Not all of them were large, but Nancy was grateful for the business.

CHAPTER 11

When the sheriff, Sam Sparks, heard of the commotion at Nancy’s grand opening, he called Carl and told him about Hattie’s accident and the most recent incident. “My God, I knew something was wrong with her, but I didn’t know it was this serious. I’ll go to the hospital.” Hattie was ranting and raving when Carl got there. He tried to talk to her, but she was incoherent. A doctor in the room told Carl that Hattie would have to be transferred to a nursing home and suggested Ultra Care. “They’re the best in the business,” he said. “They specialize in dementia and Alzheimer’s patients.” Carl reluctantly agreed to arrange for an ambulance to transport Hattie to the facility. They had to temporarily restrain her until she calmed down. “We handle these cases all of the time and we’re prepared for it,” a nurse assured Carl. “We ask that she doesn’t receive visitors until she’s acclimated. At first, our patients want to go home. Give it two weeks, chances are she’ll think she belongs here by then.” Carl sadly left the nursing home, praying to God that nothing like that would ever happen to him. He was tired when he got home, so he opened a beer and settled down to read the newspaper with Blue at his side. In no time, he drifted off to sleep.

CHAPTER 12

The phone rang at noon the next day. “Dad, my babysitter quit this morning and I don’t have anyone to take care of Susie after school. I don’t know what to do!” “Honey, you know I’ll help you out. I’ll pick her up at three o’clock sharp.” “Thanks, I love you, Daddy.” Carl was waiting in his car when Susie came out of school with Kay. She saw Carl and waved enthusiastically. “Hi Grandpa!” she yelled. She and Kay stopped at the end of the sidewalk, obviously saying good-bye. Carl rolled down the window. “Kay,” he called. “I’ll give you a ride to the babysitter’s.” Kay brightened and ran to the car with Susie. “Where’s Mom?” Susie asked. “She has to work late, so I told her I’d watch you.” “I don’t need a sitter!” Susie complained. “But if I have to have someone babysit me, I’m glad it’s you, Grandpa.” “I like having you too, little one. Do you want to get a pizza later?” “You know I love pizza, but Mommy won’t let me have it because she says it’s not good for me.” Carl chuckled. “She doesn’t have to know.” Kay’s babysitter was sitting on the front steps waiting for her when they got to her house. She smiled and waved when the car pulled up. Kay got out of the car and ran into her outstretched arms. Susie looked at them with envy. “I wish I had a babysitter like that. Loretta was mean!”

“She couldn’t have been that bad,” Carl said. “She was too! Every time I did something wrong, she’d lock me in the closet and made me stay there!” Carl looked at her sharply. “Did your mother know about this?” “I tried to tell her, but she’s always too busy to listen.” Carl frowned. He would have to talk to Nancy; she needed to make time for her daughter, business or no business. He stopped by the shop the next day and caught Nancy in her office. “I need to talk to you.” “Can’t it wait, Dad?” she asked. “I’m swamped today!” “No, it can’t. I have to talk to you now,” he said sternly. Nancy took one look at his face and knew she had to do as he said. He shook his finger at her. “What’s the matter with you? Susie told me her babysitter was mean to her and locked her in the closet!” “She never told me that!” Nancy exclaimed. “She tried to, but she said you were too busy to listen.” Nancy hung her head in shame. “I’m sorry, Dad,” she said quietly. “I’ll find Susie’s next babysitter. I don’t trust your judgment.” Nancy broke into tears. “I have so much to do and I can’t find the time to get it all done. I guess I’ll forgo seeing Aunt Hattie again.” “Again?” Carl exploded. “I specifically told you to stay away for the first two weeks!” “I thought she’d be lonely.” “The nurse at the home emphasized that Hattie needed two weeks to get

acclimated before having any visitors!” he thundered. “I can’t do anything right!” Nancy cried. “I screwed up an order today, too!” “Sit down, Nancy. You’ve taken on too much; you can’t burn the candle at both ends. You need to hire more help or you’ll make yourself sick. I’ll take care of finding a babysitter and you straighten out your problems here.” He left Nancy standing there and stomped out of the office. Nancy knew her father was right. She’d gotten herself in too deep. She left the office with a different attitude. Carl drove to Kay’s babysitter’s house. She smiled when she answered the door. “Hello, Mr. Burke, this is a surprise.” “I’m here to ask you if you know of a reliable babysitter for Susie. The last one was rotten.” “I know, I can’t imagine where Nancy found her.” She thought for a moment. “I’ll tell you what, if it’s okay with Kay’s mom, I could watch both the girls. It’s only for a few hours on school days.” “That’s wonderful! I’ll tell Nancy, I know she’ll be relieved. I’ll give you an extra twenty dollars a day for your trouble.” “Thank you, Mr. Burke. I can certainty use the money.” “It’s my pleasure,” Carl said, happy with the arrangement. He drove back home feeling like a load had been lifted from his shoulders. Now he just had to figure out where he was going to come up with twenty dollars a day. Carl called Nancy when he got home and told her about the arrangements. He could tell she was relieved, but he made the conversation short on purpose. He wanted her to think about her neglect of important things.

CHAPTER 13

On the pretense of picking up Blue’s shot records, he drove down to the vet’s office. When he arrived, the front desk was empty. His heart fell, Carrie must have the day off. A few minutes later, she came out of one of the examining rooms. She saw Carl and smiled. “Well, hello, Mr. Burke,” she said pleasantly. “Call me Carl,” he replied. “Carl it is, then. What can I do for you?” “I came to pick up Blue’s shot records. I might need them some day.” Carrie looked in the cabinet and pulled out Blue’s file. “I’ll make you a copy,” she said. After she handed Carl the form, he cleared his throat. “I was wondering if you’d care to go to dinner with me next Saturday. I’m tired of eating at home alone.” She smiled. “I’d love to. I’m tired of eating alone too.” “Is it okay if I pick you up around seven?” “That’s fine. I’ll be ready.”

Saturday rolled around quickly and Carl was nervous. He didn’t know how to act on a date anymore. He’d have to fake it and see what transpired. He knocked on Carrie’s door at seven o’clock. The little he could see of the house was well appointed with thick blue carpet and a white sectional in the living room. It was then he ed that her husband had been wealthy and left her well off when he died. Carl was worried he was out of his class. “Ready to go?” he asked.

“All set. Where are we headed?” “To lover’s lane,” he joked. “Good, I can give you some lessons!” she said smiling. They laughed together and that broke the tension. The food was delicious at the Sand Bar and served at a leisurely pace so one could enjoy the meal. The waiter was attentive, but not pushy. “What have you been doing since Laura died?” Carrie asked. Carl shrugged his shoulders. “Not much. I get up at seven in the morning and have a bowl of cereal, then work in the garden until lunch. After lunch, I pick up my granddaughter from school, eat dinner and read or watch TV, then go to bed. “Sounds boring. Don’t you have any recreation?” “Nope, not that I can think of.” “Well, we’ll have to change that. How about going bowling tomorrow afternoon?” Carl was surprised by her forwardness, but he couldn’t think of a reason not to go. “Okay,” he agreed. “But I haven’t lifted a bowling ball in twenty years.” “Neither have I. It will be the blind leading the blind.” “It sounds like fun!” “Enjoying yourself with a friend is always fun.” “Amen to that,” Carl replied. “I’m all for trying it.” “Good, it’s a plan then. Pick me up at eleven o’clock and we’ll have lunch on the way.” “Will do. I’m sorry I have to escort you in my old truck.” “I don’t mind. My big Cadillac sits in the garage gathering dust. Rex wanted a

big boat of a car, but I never liked it. Give me a little sports car any time. He always wanted to impress people, so he bought a new car every year. His last trade-in only had nine thousand miles on it.” When Carl walked Carrie to the door, he said, “I have enjoyed this evening immensely. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.” “Me too,” Carrie said and tilted her head up for a kiss. He obliged her with a light touch of his lips on hers. His pulse quickened and he pulled away quickly. “I have to go,” he said. “Blue must be crossing his legs since I’ve been gone so long.” “I’ve never been one upped by a dog before. Are you trying to crush my ego?” “Not on your life,” Carl replied, impulsively giving her a hug. This time, Carrie backed off. “I never get too close to a man on the first date. That was the first lesson my mother taught me.” “We’ll obey Mom’s wishes then. Bye, Carrie, I’ll see you in the morgan.” “Do you speak German?” “Only what I picked up from my grandparents.” “I’m German too. My maiden name was Bunde.” “I knew there was something I liked about you,” Carl teased and walked down the steps to his truck. Everything about that night seemed right to Carl. He liked Carrie’s warmth, her good humor and her readiness to speak with feeling. He definitely wanted to spend more time with her. Blue snuggled up to Carl in bed and, for the first time since Laura died, he felt she was entirely out of his life. Life, after all, was for the living. Carl intended to enjoy himself as Laura would have wanted.

Carl and Carrie had a great time the next day. They stopped for a fish sandwich at a small restaurant on the beach and decided it was too nice of a day to spend inside bowling. Instead, they took a long walk on the white, sandy beach. They stopped to rest and Carrie declared, “I’m going to see if the water’s as warm as it looks.” She took off her shoes and rolled up her jeans, then ran into the surf up to her knees. “Come on in,” she called. “The water’s fine!” Carl removed his shoes and ed her. For a while they frolicked like kids. In the end, they had a water fight which made Carrie squeal with delight. They both got soaked, but dried off in the sun before they got back to the truck. “What fun that was!” Carrie enthused. I felt like a teenager again!” “It was awesome. Sometimes spontaneous things are the best.” Carrie sat close to him in the truck, their thighs touching. Carl kept one hand on the wheel and placed the other one around her. She dropped her head onto his shoulder. “It was a hell of a day,” she said and closed her eyes. Soon, her breathing slowed and she was fast asleep. Carl looked over at her. He wanted to park and make love to her on the front seat of the truck. He immediately shoved the thought from his mind. Those days were gone forever. He was an old man now and shouldn’t be entertaining such thoughts. When he walked Carrie to the door, Carl took her in his arms and kissed her. He went home and took a shower, applying aloe to his red skin. He had never felt more content in his life.

CHAPTER 14

Carl felt obligated to visit Hattie the next day. It had been more than two weeks and he had been putting it off. When Hattie saw him, she jumped up. “Where have you been, Carl? I’ve been waiting for you to take me home.” He didn’t tell her he had rented her house a few days before. “I need to go to the store, too. The food here sucks.” Carl laughed at her statement. He knew the food there was good; Ultra Care prided themselves in having a gourmet chef. “Mother’s coming to see me pretty soon,” Hattie declared. “Mother died fifteen years ago,” Carl said bluntly. Hattie stuck her tongue out at him. “No, she’s alive; she comes to see me every week.” Carl knew the subject was hopeless, so he said, “Why don’t you show me your room?” “Okay, but I won’t be here for long. I’ll be going home soon.” The room was sufficient for her needs. She had a TV and a refrigerator that wasn’t plugged in. There was a small table with two chairs and a comfortable recliner. Hattie sat down on the bed, which was structured so if she fell out, she wouldn’t hurt herself. “Do you watch TV a lot?” Carl asked. “Not really, the news is all propaganda and the movies are too long to hold my

interest.” “What do you do all day then?” “I go sit in the lounge. There’s usually someone there to talk to.” “I see. The board in the lobby says they have bingo and sing-a-longs. You’ve always had a good voice. Do you ever go to those?” “The activities are for the birds!” Hattie exclaimed. “Bingo’s no fun because we don’t play for money. As for the sing-a-longs, everyone sings off key. The noise hurts my ears. I find it more peaceful to come to my room and take a nap. Hattie was making Carl more depressed with every word. He looked at his watch. “I’m afraid I have to be going now,” he said. Hattie brightened, not looking at all bothered by his leaving. Carl gave her a hug and told her good-bye. Before he got out the door, Hattie pushed past him. “I’ve got to go find Joe. He’s my boyfriend, you know,” she said as she hurried down the hall. Carl shook his head. He wondered why he had bothered to come at all. She’d probably forget he was there in fifteen minutes. Carl knew her dementia was getting worse, but he didn’t want to accept the idea. It would be hard to watch her decline. However, he was named guardian in her will and had to oversee her care, pay her bills and act as her health care surrogate. He didn’t want any part of it, but there was no one else to assume the responsibility.

CHAPTER 15

Carl called Carrie as soon as he got home. He was depressed and wanted to hear her cheerful voice. “Honey, I need your company right now. Why don’t you grab a bottle of wine and come over for dinner? I make a mean spaghetti sauce. It’s my mother’s recipe. I have to warn you, the sauce is a little on the hot side, that’s why we need some wine to wash it down. Do you think you’re up for that?” “It sounds wonderful! What time do you want me to come?” “How about six for cocktails and we’ll eat around seven?” “Sounds great! I’m looking forward to it. An evening like that sure beats the book I was planning on reading.” Carl ran to the store for garlic bread and salad fixings and then he set the dining room table. He used Laura’s damask table cloth, fine china and crystal wine glasses. When he looked over his handiwork, he was impressed with the results. Carl intended to light the candles just before they sat down to eat. Around a quarter to six, he heard a car coming down the driveway. He raced to the door to greet Carrie, but Nancy stood there instead with her arms full of Styrofoam containers. “I brought you dinner, Dad. I figured it had been a long time since you’ve had a wholesome meal.” She walked into the house and stopped dead. “Why do I smell a fragrant aroma coming from the kitchen? The table is set for two. Who are you expecting for dinner?” Carl was just about to reply when Carrie waltzed into the room carrying a bottle of Merlot. The two women stared at each other. “I see I interrupted something,” Nancy said sarcastically. “I guess you won’t be needing the food I brought you. If I leave it here, you’ll probably feed it to Blue.”

Carl wanted to slap her for her insolence, but said, “Sorry, honey. You forget I’m a grown man in complete charge of my facilities.” “You can never replace my mother,” she cried and ran out the door. He turned to Carrie. “Come on over here and give me a hug. Nancy’s just disturbed because I’m entertaining a woman.” He looked Carrie in the eye and said, “And what a woman she is.” Carrie laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. “Make the world go away,” she sang softly in his ear.

CHAPTER 16

Nancy was beside herself. She had totally forgotten that her mother had been dead for two years and her father needed female companionship. A thought occurred to her that he would inherit Hattie’s money when she died. He didn’t deserve it the way he was acting. She picked up the phone and called Hattie’s attorney and made an appointment to see Steve Blackburn in the morning. Nancy arrived at the appointment early and sat in the waiting room until the receptionist told her Mr. Blackburn was ready to see her. “Good morning, Mrs. Olson. What can I do for you today?” Nancy plunked down heavily on a chair. She plunged right in. “Your firm made up Aunt Hattie’s will, didn’t you?” Steve nodded, wondering where the conversation was going. “I want to see who the beneficiaries are. My aunt is thinking of changing it.” The attorney cleared his throat. “If that’s true, her guardian must bring her here to discuss the changes she wants to make.” Damn, Nancy thought. Dad is Hattie’s guardian. She thought quickly. “Dad’s busy right now, so he asked me to get a copy of the will and then he’ll discuss any changes she wants to make with her.” “This is highly irregular,” he stated. “Have Carl bring Hattie to my office and we’ll discuss it.” “Do you doubt our motives?” Nancy asked belligerently. “Of course not,” Steve replied. He had handled all of the family’s business for years and he didn’t want to stop now. Besides, he had always ired Nancy. She was a go getter and beautiful too. He’d wanted to ask her out after her divorce, but was afraid of rejection.

“I’ll get the will out of the archives and make a copy for you,” he said, knowing he shouldn’t. He could lose his partnership in the firm if anyone found out. He excused himself and returned with the copy neatly folded in an envelope. “Please let me know what your father wants to do, Nancy. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.” Nancy stood up to leave when Steve said, “I’m about to take a break for lunch. Would you like to me?” She was about to refuse because Steve wasn’t her type. He was too staid and scholarly for her. Instead, she replied brightly, “How nice of you! I’d like that.” She beamed a smile at him and the poor sucker fell for her act. “Great, we’ll be on our way, then. I know a great little Greek restaurant.” Nancy tuned him out. She’d gotten what she wanted, so going to lunch with him was the least she could do to repay him. Besides, she was hungry.

When Nancy got back to the shop, Elaine was preparing veal cordon bleu for a dinner they were catering for twenty people. Nancy told her she had some business to attend to, but she would be out in a bit to help out. She went into her office and closed the door, sat down at her desk and started to read. As she thought, the bulk of Hattie’s estate went to Carl. She read further and saw that she was only going to inherit ten thousand dollars. However, Susie would receive one hundred thousand dollars when she turned eighteen unless she needed money for necessities before that. Nancy would make sure she did. She formed a plan in her mind that she was sure would work. She typed a paragraph saying Hattie wanted to change her will to leave Carl fifty thousand dollars, exactly half of what he would have received. She then adjusted her inheritance to fifty thousand dollars. As for Susie’s money, Nancy would make some excuse to use most of it before she turned eighteen. She typed a line for Hattie’s signature and dated it. She folded it and put it into an envelope, then placed it in her purse.

When she arrived at the nursing home, Hattie was in her room staring at the television. It was obvious she didn’t comprehend anything the announcer was saying. She looked up and smiled with recognition. “Here’s my favorite niece to see me!” she exclaimed. Yeah, sure, Nancy thought. That’s why you only left me ten thousand dollars. “I brought you an amendment to your will. Steve Blackburn told me to get you to sign it in front of a notary.” “What’s that?” Hattie asked. “Don’t worry about it. I just need your signature.” Luckily, the woman at the front desk was a notary, so the transaction was completed quickly. Nancy told Hattie she had to leave, but she would be back to see her soon. Before she left, she moved the area rug closer to the bed, explaining to Hattie she didn’t want her to have to step on the cold floor when she got out of bed. Nancy quickly gave Hattie a kiss on the cheek, hoping she would never have to see her again. She didn’t feel any remorse. Nancy could almost feel Hattie’s money in her pocket.

She rushed out of the nursing home and jumped into her car. Nancy couldn’t get away fast enough. When she got on the main road, she floored the accelerator. Nancy realized she was in a school zone when she had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a boy on a bicycle. She heard a siren and saw a squad car in her rear view mirror. She pulled over and the squad car stopped behind her. An officer with a stern look on his face walked up to her car. “Roll down your window,” he demanded. Nancy recognized the officer as her friend, Marilyn’s, fiancée. Relieved, she rolled down the window. “Hi, Robert,” she said pleasantly. The man ignored her greeting, but said curtly, “Your driver’s license, please.”

“You know very well who I am,” Nancy complained. She was in a hurry to get to Steve’s office. “Hand over your driver’s license, Ms. Olsen; I need to make sure it’s current.” Nancy removed her driver’s license from her purse and practically threw it at him. The officer looked it over. He handed it back and said sternly. “Do you realize you were going twenty miles an hour over the speed limit in a school zone? You’re lucky you didn’t hit that little boy. I should throw the book at you, but since I know you, I’ll let you off with a warning.” He wrote out the ticket and handed it to her. “Make sure you’re more careful from now on because I won’t give you a second chance.” He got back into his squad car and followed her for several blocks before he turned off. Nancy was shaking so hard, she could barely hold the steering wheel. She saw a gas station ahead so she pulled over and stopped the car. After getting a key to the restroom, she hurried in and splashed cold water on her face. She blotted it dry with a paper towel and repaired her make-up. Nancy left the key in the door and drove off. She’d have to hurry if she wanted to see the attorney before he left for the day.

Nancy rode up the elevator, heart thumping, afraid she had missed Steve. She rushed into the waiting room just as he was leaving his office, briefcase in hand. “What’s you hurry, Nancy?” “I wanted to catch you before you left.” Steve looked at his watch. “I can give you ten minutes, but I have an appointment I can’t miss.” “That’s enough,” she replied, following him into his office. With no preamble, she reached in her purse and placed the paper signed by Hattie on his desk.

He read it over and looked at her quizzically. “Where’s Carl?” he demanded. “After he came home from the nursing home, he handed me this envelope and asked me to deliver it to you.” “Why didn’t he bring it himself?” “He has a part time job,” Nancy lied. Steve laughed. “I heard through the grapevine he did. Her name is Carrie, I believe.” Nancy flushed. “Whatever,” she said quietly, knowing she had been caught in a lie. “It’s okay,” Steve said. “I’ll file this with the original will. Let’s hope Hattie lives a long life and we won’t have to read it for some time.” He opened a file drawer and placed the amendment in a folder. “There, that’s all done. Would you like to go down to Rally’s for a cocktail?” “I thought you had an appointment.” “It can wait.” “Well then, let’s go,” she said seductively. “I could use a bit of libation.”

When Nancy finally made it home that night, she waited for her father to call and tell her Hattie had died. Instead, he called and told her that Hattie had a bad fall, but she was in the hospital and expected to recover. Damn it! Nancy thought. The old bitch didn’t die. Now she would have to find another way to do her in. Nancy wracked her brain wondering what she could do next. When she went to see her in the hospital, the perfect solution presented itself. Nancy was in the room by herself as Hattie dozed off. She walked over to the bed and pretended to fluff her pillows. Hattie barely stirred.

Nancy removed the pillow from under her head and placed it over her face so she couldn’t breathe. For a while, Hattie struggled and Nancy had to put all of her weight on the pillow, holding it over Hattie’s face as hard as possible. After about five minutes, she removed the pillow and gazed at Hattie’s still body. She checked for a pulse, but there wasn’t any. Nancy quickly replaced the pillow under Hattie’s head and rushed out of the room. The hospital corridor was deserted because it was a shift change. Nancy had counted on this happening. Now no one would know she had been to visit her aunt.

CHAPTER 17

When the hospital called Carl to notify him of Hattie’s demise, he felt like he had been stabbed in the heart. Hattie had been a character, but she was his only sister. He called Carrie to come over and comfort him. He didn’t call Nancy with the news until the next day. She hadn’t slept all night, waiting for the call. When it did come, she feigned tears and asked her father what he was going to do for funeral arrangements. Carl told her shortly that she didn’t have to worry about it because he and Carrie would take care of everything. Nancy slammed the phone down so hard, it hurt Carl’s ear. The service was a small one, attended only by Carl, Carrie, his daughter and his granddaughter. The pastor said a few words and everyone placed a red rose on the casket.

The reading of the will was scheduled two weeks after the funeral. To Nancy’s surprise, Steve wasn’t in attendance. Mr. Wright presided over the reading for the firm. When he opened the folder, he frowned and said, “I see there’s an amendment to Ms. Burke’s will, but it was dated a few days before her death, so it’s invalid. Hattie was declared incompetent when she was put into the nursing home, so anything she signed after that date is null and void.” Nancy gasped, putting her hand over her mouth as if to stifle a cough. The attorney proceeded to read the original will and afterward, Carl felt thankful. The will contained exactly what he thought it would. After all, they were the only children their parents had.

Nancy hurried Susie out of the office without a word to anyone. She was already devising a plan to get her hands on her daughter’s inheritance.

Carl used his inheritance wisely. He spent part of the money fixing up his house. His old roof was still leaking so he replaced it and got estimates from two painters. Carl changed the color from white to pale yellow with green trim. Blue loved the new fenced in area where he could run and play without Carl worrying about him. Carrie insisted that he plant shrubs on either side of the front steps and, though he didn’t particularly like the idea, he decided not to argue about it.

CHAPTER 18

Bridget came to clean and Carl hardly recognized her. It was the first time he had seen her in make-up and her hair neatly done. “Hello there,” she said to Carl and smiled broadly at him. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think she was flirting with him. “You look nice today. Do you have a hot date?” “No, I just dressed like this to show you how I look without an old, baggy pair of jeans on.” He ignored her remark and told her he had to go into town for a while. She looked hurt and asked, “You’re meeting Carrie, aren’t you?” “No, I’m not. I have business in town.” “Everyone knows you’re an item, it’s the talk of the town.” “Carrie and I are just friends. We enjoy each other’s company.” Bridget sniffed. “That’s not the way I hear it.” “Why are we having this conversation anyway? My personal life is no one’s concern.” Bridget opened her mouth to reply, but closed it again. She grabbed the mop and pail and marched into the kitchen. Carl could tell by her demeanor she was angry. What did I do? he asked himself. Then it hit him, Bridget was jealous. He knew he had to nip this in the bud. He went in the kitchen and hollered, “At my age there aren’t any picket fences. I just want to enjoy life. Now finish your work and be gone. I’ll leave your money on the table.” Carl quickly exited his house, leaving Bridget standing there with a sour look on her face.

CHAPTER 19

Nancy was busy putting her plan into action. One day Susie came home from school and found her mother in her room taking all of her clothes out of the closet and throwing them on her bed. “What are you doing, Mommy?” she cried. “I’m giving all of your clothes to the church rummage sale.” “Why? Some of them are almost new!” “They’re getting too small for you.” “They are not!” Susie screamed and started to cry. “Don’t sass me, young lady. Go in the den and do your homework.” Susie shuffled out on the room, wondering what she had done to annoy her mother. Her mom was gone so much that Susie did all of the housework. She wanted to call her grandpa, but her mother didn’t like her tying up the phone.

After dropping Susie’s clothes off at the church, Nancy drove to the Salvation Army. It was a large store with many racks of used clothes. To her satisfaction, all of the clothes were clean and in good shape. She knew Susie wore a size 810, but there wasn’t much of a selection. She decided to buy her 10-12s so she could grow into them. She picked out several pairs of jeans. They were a bit faded, but Nancy decided that was the style anyway. The dresses were like new, but they were party dresses with frills and bows. Nancy knew Susie would hate them, but she picked them up. She grabbed a couple of t-shirts and a sweater that had obviously shrunk. She paid the cashier ten dollars for all of it.

Nancy was sure Steve would release money to her if she told him Susie needed new clothes. It never occurred to her that her daughter would be embarrassed to wear the old clothes to school. After leaving the Salvation Army, Nancy drove past Thelma’s Dress Shop and saw a stylish dress in the window. She wondered if it was her size. She walked into the store and asked if she could try the dress on. It featured a slim skirt and a fitted bodice. When she looked in the mirror, she knew she had to buy it. The dress looked like it was made for her. She asked the sales clerk how much the dress was. “A hundred and twenty dollars and that’s a bargain! The same dress would cost you a hundred and fifty anywhere else!” Nancy fell for it and got out her credit card with trepidation. She knew she was getting close to the limit. The sales clerk ran the card and her purchase went through. Nancy didn’t worry about her credit. After all, she worked her fingers to the bone and deserved something new.

Susie didn’t stop at the babysitter’s house, but ran straight home after school. She wore the only pair of jeans and blouse that she still owned. The blouse had a ring around it’s collar and the bottom of her jeans were dirty where she accidently stepped into a puddle. When she found that her mother wasn’t home, she looked at her dirty clothes with disdain and threw them into the washing machine. Susie ran upstairs and came to a dead stop when she saw the open closet and all of the clothes hanging there. She rifled through them and started to cry. The clothes were out of style and looked worn. She took a pair of jeans off the hanger and tried them on. To her chagrin, they were at least two sizes too big. She tied a string belt through the loops, but the jeans billowed out below the belt. She put on an ugly black t-shirt over it so the puffiness didn’t show. Susie ran back to the laundry room and put her clothes in the dryer.

When she ed the kitchen table, she saw a note from her mother. “Susie,” it read, “I have a party to cater tonight, so I won’t be home until late. Grab yourself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich; I didn’t have time to get to the store. Don’t forget your homework. Love, Mom” Susie balled the paper up and threw it in the waste basket. All her mother thought about was her business. Susie didn’t think she loved her anymore. She thought wistfully of the fun times they used to have and her eyes filled with tears. She got her clothes out of the dryer and went to her room. She packed a duffle bag with panties and the clothes from the dryer. Susie stopped in the kitchen to write a note to her mother. It said, “You don’t love me so I’m leaving. Don’t look for me.” She signed it, “Your kid”. Susie jumped on her bike, not sure where she was going. Then she thought of her best friend, Kay. She would go there, anything was better than staying in her empty house alone.

CHAPTER 20

Elaine opened the door and saw Susie standing there, looking forlorn. Her heart went out to her. Susie was always happy go lucky and smiling. She couldn’t believe the girl standing there with a tear streaked face was the same child. “Come on in, Susie,” she said, taking her by the hand. She led her into the living room and sat her down on the worn sofa. “Tell me what’s wrong,” she said in a soothing voice. “My mother doesn’t love me anymore!” Susie cried. “Oh, honey, I’m sure that’s not true.” “Yes, it is! She gave all of my clothes to the church and got me some from a resale store. I’ll look like a bag lady!” Susie wailed. Elaine put her arms around the child. “I can’t believe she did that. Nancy always looks so stylish.” Susie started to cry harder. “Can I stay with you for a while? I don’t know where else to go.” “Of course you can. I’ll have a good talk with your mother in the morning.” “No!” Susie shouted. “I don’t want her to know where I am. If you tell her, I’ll run away again.” Kay came bounding into the room. When she saw Susie sitting on the sofa in tears, she ran over and sat down next to her. “What are you doing here?” she asked her friend. Elaine intervened, pointing at the duffel bag. “Susie came to spend the night with us.” “Are you, Susie?” Kay asked smiling. “I’ve wanted to have a sleep-over for a

long time.” Susie smiled back, relieved to see Kay’s friendly face. Just then, heavy footsteps were heard in the kitchen and Elaine jumped to her feet. “Kay, take Susie to your room. We won’t let your father know she’s here.” “Where are you, woman? Why isn’t the table set? Haven’t you started dinner or did you just get home from your stupid job?” Elaine flinched. “Get going!” she prompted the girls. As the two of them scampered from the room, she called back to Billy, “Coming, I was just picking up the living room.” “It’s about time you did something around here!” he groused. Kay led Susie to her bedroom and closed the door. They heard loud, angry voices coming from downstairs. Kay placed her hands over her ears and cried, “Here we go again!” Susie stood transfixed, not knowing what to do. In a few minutes, the voices quieted and Kay took her hands from her ears. “He must be slapping Mom around again,” she said glumly. “I could kill him for what he does to her.” Susie wondered what she had gotten herself into. She decided to make the best of it and go somewhere else when she left the babysitter’s tomorrow. She didn’t know where she would go, but she couldn’t stay here.

A while later, Elaine appeared with two plates of ham and scalloped potatoes with green beans and two cream puffs she had brought home from work. Her left eye was puffy and there were red marks on her neck. “Oh, Mom, what did he do to you?” Kay wailed, hugging her mother. Elaine calmly pushed the girl away. “Don’t worry, little lamb. Your dad’s had three martinis and is in his recliner out cold. Now you girls can watch TV for a

while, but keep the volume down. You don’t want to wake Billy up.” When Elaine left, Susie looked at Kay. “Why doesn’t your mother kick him out?” she asked. “She’s afraid to. He says he’ll beat her to a bloody pulp if she does.” “She could at least call Sheriff Sparks. Maybe he could put him in jail.” Kay hung her head. “She’ll never do it,” she said sadly. The next morning, Kay and Susie showered and Susie put on the same clothes she had worn the day before. Kay noticed a stain on her shirt, so she gave her one of her t-shirts to wear. When they got downstairs, Elaine had set the table with two glasses of orange juice and bowls of Cheerios. Beside each bowl was money for school lunch. Susie looked at Kay gratefully. “Someday, I’ll pay your mother back.” “You don’t have to. Mom just wants to help.” “Be sure and thank her for me.” “I will, now let’s eat and go to school.”

When Elaine came into work, Nancy looked at her with disgust. “You look horrible. Did Billy beat you again?” Elaine nodded her head yes. “That bastard!” Nancy exclaimed. “You’re going to see Steve Blackburn and file for divorce.” “I can’t!” Elaine wailed. “Yes, you can and you will,” Nancy said firmly. She didn’t mention that Susie had run away since Elaine had enough problems of her own.

CHAPTER 21

After school, Susie skipped going to the babysitter’s and went directly to Kay’s house to pick up her clothes. She got on her bike and went to the only person that loved her. Susie suddenly got cold feet when she arrived at her grandfather’s house. She knew he had a temper and, even though her mother had hurt her badly, she didn’t want him to be angry at her. She shrugged her shoulders; she didn’t have any other choice. Susie rang the doorbell, but no one answered. She could hear Blue whining, so she knew he was alone in the house. She sat down on the steps and waited for her grandfather to get home. Soon, the old truck pulled into the driveway. “What are you doing here, darling?” Carl called. Susie burst into tears and ran into her grandpa’s arms. “What is it, little one?” he asked. “I ran away from home!” she cried. “Mommy doesn’t love me anymore.” “What?” Carl exclaimed. “Come into the house and tell your grandpa all about it.” He hated to see her cry and wondered what had happened. He noticed her pigtails were sticking out at odd angles and the ribbons were askew. “Sit down and tell me what’s wrong,” he said in a soft voice. Susie did as she was told and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her t-shirt. “Mom gave all of my clothes to a church rummage sale and bought me some from a resale store that don’t fit me. This outfit is all I have to wear. I’d never wear the others to school because all of the kids would laugh at me.” “That can’t be true; your mother’s doing well with her business.”

“It is true!” Susie shouted and started to cry again. “Can I stay with you, Grandpa? Please say yes, I don’t have anywhere else to go.” “Of course you can, you know that. Blue and I could use the company. I’ll make you a cup of hot chocolate. That’ll make you feel better. After that, I’ll go to the diner and get us some good food. I’m thinking of fried chicken with the works. Would you like that?” “That sounds great, Grandpa! It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good meal. Mom works late and I’ve had to fend for myself. I’ve been living off TV dinners and cereal.” Carl was appalled. “Surely, that’s not true.” “Yes, it is!” Susie cried. “I’d never lie to you!” Blue, sensing her distress, put his head on her thigh and looked at her with sad, black eyes. Susie absentmindedly patted him on the head.

Carl went down to the café and came back with chicken dinners. Susie looked at the food with delight and attacked it with a vengeance. Her grandpa told her, “Mrs. Brown sent over some of her blueberry pie. I don’t suppose you’d have room for it.” “It sounds great! I’d love some,” the little girl answered. Carl poured her a half glass of milk to go with it. “Sorry, honey, that’s all the milk I have. I’ll go to the store and get more in the morning.” “I don’t want to bother you,” Susie said, tearing up again. Carl placed his hand over hers. “Don’t worry,” he told her. “Having you here will make Blue and I very happy.”

Before bedtime Carl took Susie’s braids apart and let her long, blonde hair fall to her waist. “There, doesn’t that feel better?”

Susie nodded yes. “Now, would you like me to read you a bedtime story?” “Grandpa,” she groaned. “I’m too old for that! I’m almost twelve! I’ll get my Kindle out of my duffel bag and read that for a while.” Wistfully, she added, “That was the last thing Mom gave me.” Suddenly, Carl felt very old and behind the times. “Whatever you say, honey.”

At nine o’clock, Carl announced it was bedtime for little girls who had to go to school in the morning. Reluctantly, Susie climbed the stairs to the guest bedroom. Blue followed right behind her. “Frivolous animal.” Carl said to him. “Any port in a storm, huh?” Actually, he was happy Blue accompanied her. That dog could make anyone’s troubles go away. He got on the phone and called Carrie. “I need you,” he simply said. She was there in ten minutes. When she saw the expression on Carl’s face, she knew something was terribly wrong. He didn’t say a word; he just walked over to her and hugged her. “Sit down and tell me all about it.” “Susie’s here, she ran away from home.” “Whatever prompted her to do that?” Carl shook his head sadly. “Nancy’s never home and she has to fend for herself. On top of that, she apparently gave all of Susie’s clothes to a church and bought her some from a thrift store.” Carrie put her hand over her mouth in disbelief. ““Why in the world would she do that?” “The only thing I can think of is that her success has gone to her head.” “That’s no excuse for neglecting your own child.”

“I know and it makes me madder than hell! I’m going to put a stop to this one way or the other.” Carrie looked at his flushed face and said, “Calm down. I’ll get you a stiff drink to help you relax, then we’ll decide how to handle this.” “I know how to handle it. I’ll take her over my knee and give her a good spanking like I did when she was a kid.” “Stop that, Carl! You’re not making any sense at all. I’ll be right back.” Carrie left the room and came back with a tumbler of brandy. “Here, drink this. It’ll make you feel better,” she said, handing the glass to him. Just then, a sleepy little girl in an extra-large t-shirt came down the stairs, rubbing her eyes. Carrie jumped up from her chair and ran to her. She took Susie gently by the hand and told her not to worry. The three of them would figure something out. “First off, Susie, you’re staying home from school tomorrow.” At Susie’s surprised look, Carrie explained, “It’s okay, your grandpa will write a note to the teacher saying that you’re sick. I’ll take you shopping for some new clothes and I think it’s time for you to get rid of those pigtails. You’ll feel much better after that.” “Not without my mommy,” Susie said forlornly. “I’ll take care of her myself,” Carl raged and took a big swig of his drink. Carrie looked at him with disgust. “Hold on to your temper!” she exclaimed. “Take some time and think about the best way to handle Nancy.” Not answering, he lifted his hand and finished his drink. “Another one,” he demanded of Carrie. “I’ll pour you another one to help you sleep, but you’ll have to wait until I make some cocoa for Susie.” When she left the room, Carl gazed at his lovely granddaughter. Dear God, he

prayed, please let me stay on this earth long enough to see her happily married and having children of her own.

Susie drank her cocoa and Carrie took her upstairs to bed. She stayed with her until she drifted off to sleep. Carl had poured himself another drink and it was already half gone. “Do you think you can drown your sorrows?” she asked sarcastically. “Get up, you old fool. You’re going to bed too.” “Will you come with me?” “I’ll see that you get upstairs and into bed,” she said. She took his arm and led him to the stairs. He swayed a bit, but Carrie didn’t say anything. After all, the man had all he could take for one day. When Carrie got Carl to his bedroom, she made him take off his shoes and pants and then shoved him into bed with the rest of his clothes on. She pulled the covers to his chin and was about to leave when Carl moaned, “Come lay down with me, please. I need a warm body beside me.” Carrie looked at him skeptically, but took off her shoes and lay on top of the covers. Carl rolled over and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek and then rolled back. Carrie was positive she heard him say something about being too old for picket fences before he started snoring loudly. Carrie started to get up, but Carl’s hand came out from under the covers and gripped hers. “Please don’t leave me,” he said. Carrie lay back down and after a while sleep overcame her too. When she awoke, the sun was coming up. She quickly got out of bed and put on her shoes. She wanted to get home and clean up and come back before Susie got up. She hastened downstairs and left the house. As Carrie was backing out of the driveway, she saw Mrs. Watson, the next door

neighbor, getting her newspaper. She peered at Carrie through her glasses and shook her head with disgust. Carrie knew by noon everyone in town would know she spent the night at Carl’s house.

CHAPTER 22

Nancy drove a shaking Elaine down to see Steve Blackburn. “Are you sure I’m doing the right thing?” she asked Nancy. “I’m not sure I can myself and Kay.” “There’s something I haven’t told you,” Nancy said. “There’s a catering service for sale in Bakersfield and I’m thinking of buying it. I’ll need someone to run it and you came to mind. I’d ask for a percentage of the profits, but that should leave you enough to live on.” “Do you think I can do it?” “Of course I do. I’ll tell you what, let’s see what Steve has to say and we’ll talk about it after that.” “Okay,” Elaine said. Steve rose and greeted them when they walked into his office. He took one look at Elaine’s battered face and knew why they were there. “This is Elaine Masters, she works for me,” Nancy explained. Steve nodded and looked at Elaine. “You have an abusive husband, don’t you?” She lowered her eyes. “Yes sir, he beats me, but the next day he says he’s sorry.” “That fits the pattern. What do you want to do about it?” “I still love him. I’m not sure I want to do anything.” “Use your head, Elaine. You can’t live your life in fear,” Nancy interjected. “I know. I’m afraid for my daughter too. I don’t want him to turn on her.” “I think you should serve divorce papers immediately,” Steve said bluntly. “Also, I’ll write up a restraining order. If necessary, we’ll place you in a safe

house for abused women.” “I don’t have the money for a divorce!” Elaine cried. “I’ll give you an advance on your wages,” Nancy stated. “Ten dollars an hour doesn’t go very far.” “ what I told you on the way here? I meant it. There are a few things to iron out, but with a little luck and some money, things will go as planned.” Steve offered to take the case pro bono. All Elaine would have to pay was a hundred and fifty dollars for court costs. Elaine was ecstatic. She felt a load had been lifted off her shoulders. “Don’t let him know what you’re doing,” Steve warned. “It could result in a serious injury. Bide your time until he’s served and then if he hurts you, the law will intervene.”

Nancy and Elaine stopped at a bistro to celebrate with a glass of wine. They were just seated when a dark haired, suave man walked in with a swagger. “Oh my god,” Nancy whispered. “Let’s get out of here quick.” “But we haven’t even ordered yet,” Elaine objected. “I don’t care. We’re out of here.” She grabbed Elaine by the arm and pulled her to the door. She looked across the room and saw the man was flirting with a waitress. Outside the door, Elaine balked. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “We have to get out of here fast. The guy who walked in is my ex-husband.” “You mean that good looking hunk?” “One and the same. He’s a no good, skirt chasing bastard. He disappeared and now he’s back again. I never want to see his two timing face again.”

Elaine laughed at Nancy’s tirade. “I guess we’re just two peas in a pod!” she exclaimed. The whole episode with Larry came flooding back to Nancy. She felt a migraine coming on and asked Elaine if she would cover for her at the shop. All she wanted to do was go home and cry her eyes out. She wished her little girl would be there to comfort her, but she had no idea where to find her. Granted, she hadn’t tried very hard. She had pretended she was just too busy.

CHAPTER 23

Kay rode her bike over to Carl’s to see Susie after school. “Come in, Kay!” Susie exclaimed. “I have something to show you.” Together the girls ran upstairs to Susie’s room where there was an array of new clothes on the bed. “Look what Grandpa got me!” she said proudly. One by one, Susie held up several pairs of jeans and t-shirts. She had two new pairs of shoes, a jean jacket and an all-weather coat. There were also two new dresses. “Your grandpa picked all these out?” “Of course not, silly. Carrie took me.” “Who’s Carrie?” “You know Carrie; she works at the vet clinic.” “Why did she take you?” “Don’t tell anyone,” Susie whispered. “I think she and Grandpa are an item.” Kay laughed out loud. “Your grandpa’s too old to have a girlfriend!” she exclaimed.

CHAPTER 24

Nancy walked into her office the next morning and found the place a mess. “What on earth happened here?” she shouted, dismayed at the sight. She noticed the door to the safe was open. She ran to it and looked in to find that all of the money was gone. “There was almost six thousand dollars in there!” Nancy screamed. Elaine came running. “What happened?” she asked and then took in the chaos. “Is there money missing?” “Every bit of it,” Nancy wailed. “I know who did this! That no good ex-husband of mine.” “Would he do such a thing?” “That and other things I can name.” Nancy rushed to the phone and called the sheriff.

Sheriff Sparks looked at the destruction and said, “Someone sure did a number on you, didn’t they?” Nancy nodded glumly. “They busted open my safe and took six thousand dollars.” “Do you always keep that much cash around?” Nancy hung her head. “I usually don’t, but I’ve been preoccupied and didn’t get around to taking it to the bank.” “Do you know who might have done this?” “Yes!” Nancy cried. “My ex-husband’s back in town. I saw him yesterday.” “That louse is back?”

“It’s been ten years. He must have come back because he found out how well I was doing.” “I’m going to take a look around and see how he broke in. Take it easy, we’ll find the jerk.” There was a window smashed in the restroom with just enough space for a person to crawl in. Shards of glass littered the floor along with a tire iron. The sheriff wrapped his hands in a paper towel and gingerly picked it up. “I’ll check this for fingerprints, but I think it’s a long shot,” he told Nancy. “I wondered why the back door was open when I got to work. I thought one of us forgot to lock it,” Elaine said. “The perp walked right out as nice as you please.” The sheriff turned to Nancy. “Are you insured?” “Yes, I am.” “Call them immediately and have them send an adjustor over. Don’t touch anything. Leave the mess just as it is.” Elaine’s howl came from the kitchen. Nancy rushed in, afraid of what she would find. Elaine was standing in front of an open refrigerator. “Look inside!” she exclaimed. “All of our eggs are smashed and the hors d’oeuvres I made for tonight are ruined. Look at the busted bags of flour on the bottom.” “It looks like an act of revenge,” the sheriff commented. “I’ll turn this town upside down looking for Larry Olsen. With his big mouth, I should find him soon enough.”

The insurance adjustor arrived within an hour. He looked over Nancy’s office and took notes. “I see the safe is open. How much money did the thief get away with?” “About six thousand dollars,” Nancy answered.

“Six thousand dollars? I can’t believe you keep that much money here!” Nancy stuck her chin out. “That’s the money we took in this month.” “We’ll check with the bank and see what your monthly average is.” “Last month was extraordinarily slow,” Nancy said. “I can for all of the money.” She opened her desk drawer and saw that her ledger and checkbook were missing. She threw her hands up in despair. “I have to call the bank at once!” she cried. She told the bank manager not to pay out any checks and he said coldly, “I suggest you come here immediately. We need to talk.” Icy fingers played up and down Nancy’s spine and her face turned deadly white. She held onto the desk tightly, afraid she would faint. Elaine ran to her and put her arm around her waist so she wouldn’t fall. “Why don’t you leave and give us a report when you have it?” she told the adjustor. Nancy gave Elaine a grateful look. “Can you call the bank and tell them I’ll be over as soon as I can? Right now, I don’t feel up to it.”

CHAPTER 25

Kay stopped going over to the babysitter’s every day and came over to play with Susie instead. She was back in school now and all of the kids were jealous of her new wardrobe. Carl decided that since Kay and Susie came directly to his home after school, he didn’t need to pay the babysitter anymore. When he went over to see her, she wasn’t her pleasant self. She opened the door without a word. Carl followed her in, wondering what was bothering her. Since Mrs. Perkins wasn’t talking, he started the conversation. “Since Kay and Susie are coming to my house after school, I don’t believe we need your services any longer. I want to thank you for taking such good care of the children.” Mrs. Perkins stared him down. “Mr. Burke, I want to thank you too. You’ve been on the spot with your money. However, I haven’t gotten anything from your daughter in six months.” “What is wrong with her?” he exploded. “Why didn’t you let me know?” “Blood is thicker than water. I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me.” “Nonsense! How much does Nancy owe you?” “About six hundred dollars.” Carl took out his checkbook and made out a check for a thousand. He handed it to her and said, “I hope this takes care of your inconvenience. I’m so sorry.” Mrs. Perkins looked at the check and grew red as a beet. “Mr. Burke, this is far too much!” she exclaimed. “Not at all. A job well done should be rewarded. I wish you well.” Driving home, he realized he hadn’t heard from Carrie in about a week and

wondered what was wrong. He decided to give her a call as soon as he got home. Blue met Carl at the door, tail wagging. “I’ve been neglecting you, haven’t I, boy?” he said to the dog. “Come on into the kitchen and I’ll give you the ham bone from last night. Then the two of us will lie down and take a nap. God knows I need one!”

CHAPTER 26

It didn’t take long for Sheriff Sparks to find Larry Olsen. He was playing poker in the back room of the Coral Bar. The stakes were high, so no one played unless they had a large amount of cash. The bar was instantly quiet when the sheriff walked in the door. The patrons watched as he marched directly to the room where the card game was being held. A fight was brewing as the sheriff approached. “I won that game fair and square!” one man shouted. “You cheated!” another replied. Sam walked in just as Larry was raking all the chips toward him. “Prove it!” he said loudly. “Hello, boys,” the sheriff said. “Having a little disagreement?” “Think nothing of it, Sheriff,” a small man said. “It’s all part of the game.” Sam ignored him. Instead, he looked directly at Larry Olsen. “You’re rubbing shoulders with some big boys here. Where’d you get the money?” “I won the lottery,” Larry bellowed with a laugh. “I’ll just bet you did,” Sheriff Sparks said as he clapped his hand on Larry’s shoulder. “Come with me, we have some serious business to discuss.” “What would that be?” Larry asked, feigning innocence. “You know very well what this is about. You’re coming with me now.” He pulled him out of the chair and pushed him toward the door. “You didn’t let me pick up my chips,” Larry thundered.

The sheriff turned around to the other players. “Divide up his winnings. I have a feeling the money belongs to you anyway.”

CHAPTER 27

Carl slammed his truck door shut and strode purposely toward the catering shop. Elaine saw him coming and could tell by the set of his shoulders that Nancy was in big trouble. She started to the office to warn her, but didn’t make it back there before Carl walked in, slamming the door so hard against the wall that the building shook. “Where is she?” he yelled. “In her office,” Elaine answered meekly. Carl stomped down the hall to Nancy’s office. He didn’t knock; he just barged through the door. He sat down in the chair in front of her desk. “Aren’t you going to acknowledge my presence?” he asked. Nancy kept her head down, continuing her work. “I came here to call in the loan I gave you.” That got her attention. She looked at him with startled eyes. “What?” she said. “You heard what I said. Don’t you have any money to give me?” He looked at her expensive dress. “That garment barely covers your boobs. No one is as important as number one, are they? Including your daughter.” Nancy had the courtesy to blush. “I don’t know what you mean,” she said lamely. Carl pounded his fist on her desk. “What did you have up your sleeve when you gave all of Susie’s clothes away? Don’t tell me you gave them to charity out of the goodness of your heart.” “Susie had outgrown all of them and I donated them to a good cause.” “Bullshit! Take off that dress; it must be a size too small the way you’re falling

out of it.” “You’ve got to be kidding!” Nancy exclaimed. “I said take it off!” Carl roared. Slowly, Nancy pulled the dress over her head and stood there in her bra and panties. “Give it to me. I’ll take it to the Salvation Army and trade it in for an old one you’ll really like. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” he said sarcastically. Carl grabbed the dress and walked out the door, dragging it on the floor behind him. Elaine stared at him speechlessly. He pointed a finger at her. “Lie with dogs; you’ll get up with fleas. You’d better get Nancy another dress before she catches pneumonia.” Carl felt like a million dollars as he walked to the truck. He’d hang the dress in his closet. He had a feeling Nancy would need it by the time he was through with her.

CHAPTER 28

When Carl got home, Blue wasn’t there to greet him. He looked around, but didn’t see him. Then he heard shouts from the backyard where Susie and Kay were obviously playing with him. He went to the back door and let the kids know he was home. Blue bounded up to him, happy to see him. Carl patted his thick fur and said, “Go back out and play catch with the girls. The dog looked at him with his large, brown eyes and raced back to continue the game. Carl went to the refrigerator and got himself a cold beer. He intended to sit down and enjoy it. He heard the girls calling Blue over and over again, but he didn’t pay any attention because he figured it was part of the game. Susie came running in the house. “Grandpa, we threw the ball for Blue and it landed back in the woods. He went to find it and he didn’t come back! Can you help us look for him?” “Be right there,” Carl sighed. “He’s probably just chasing squirrels.” The copse of trees wasn’t that big, but they couldn’t find Blue. “Where is he?” Susie cried frantically. “He wouldn’t run away!” Carl knew Blue wouldn’t either, so an uneasy feeling traveled down his body. “I’ll tell you what, girls. You go into the house and get some lemonade. I’ll find him soon and bring him to you.” Reluctantly, the girls left and Carl kept calling Blue. He heard a cry of pain and ran in the direction of the sound. Blue was chewing on his leg which was caught in the grip of a trap. “God damn Sanderson boys!” Carl said out loud. “This time they trapped my

dog and they’re going to pay!” He ran to Blue, who was howling in pain. Blood was running down his leg and the fur was pulled out from his leg where Blue was trying to chew himself free. “I’ll be right back, boy,” he said and ran to the house as fast as he could. Heart pounding, he went in the kitchen and called the vet. The girls looked at him with questioning eyes. “Blue is caught in one of the Sanderson’s traps. You can go see him, but be careful. Dog’s in pain sometimes bite.” The children raced to the woods to find their friend.

A young girl’s voice answered the phone at the clinic. “Tell Rudy that Carl Burke called and I need him at my house immediately.” “I’m sorry, sir, Dr. Ryder is seeing other patients.” “Put the doctor on the line!” “I really can’t, sir.” “Yes you can! Do it now!” Reluctantly, the receptionist stuck her head in the door where the doctor was finishing up treating a hound. “A Mr. Burke is on the phone. He says he needs you at his house at once.” Rudy didn’t waste any time. “Tell him I’m on my way,” he told her. The doctor knew Carl and figured something was seriously wrong with Blue. He said goodbye to the man with the hound and jumped in his jeep.

Carl met him at the end of the driveway. “Blue’s been caught in a trap. When I found him, he was trying to chew his leg off to get free!” “Lead me to him,” Dr. Ryder said grimly.

To the vet’s surprise, Blue was letting Susie and Kay pet him. He knelt down beside the dog. “I’ll give him a shot for the pain, then we’ll unsnap the trap and pull his leg free. When his foot’s released, the pain will be worse, so be prepared for Blue to get ugly.” Carl slipped a gaffe hook between the jaws of the trap and pulled hard. The trap opened with a snap. Blue’s howls of agony filled the air and both girls started to cry. Carl stooped down and stroked Blue’s head. The dog jerked his head back at first, but Carl continued to stroke him. “Good boy,” he said. Rudy turned to the girls. “Susie, go to my jeep and grab the blanket that’s in back. We’ll make a sling to carry Blue.”

The procedure went as planned. When they reached the clinic, they carried Blue to the operating room and placed him on the table. The new receptionist poked her head in the door. “Is the poor thing going to be alright?” she asked. “Yes,” the doctor said curtly. “Go back to your desk.” After considering his harsh words, he added, “Please.” “Sure,” the girl replied. “Where’s Carrie?” Carl asked. “Later,” the doctor said. “I have to take care of your dog right now. Go home and I’ll call you when I’m done. Get out of here and let me do what I’ve been trained for.” Carl and the girls didn’t want to leave, but they knew Blue was in good hands. When they got home, Susie and Kay played a quiet game of Uno while Carl took a much needed nap.

The phone rang mid-afternoon and Carl ran to answer it. Surprisingly, it was Sheriff Sparks. “I wanted to let you know that Rudy called me and told me what happened to your dog. I had the Sanderson boys arrested. I’m sorry, but that’s all I can do.” Carl hung up and went to the clinic to see Blue. He was just regaining consciousness and weakly thumped his tail when he saw Carl. Carl grinned and went over to pet him. “I’m glad you’re okay, pal. When you get home, I’m going to fry a steak just for you.” “Blue came through the surgery with flying colors,” Rudy said. “His leg is broken and I put it in a cast. It will take some time, but he’ll be good as new.” Carl sighed with relief. “When can I take him home?” “Not for a few days. I’ll call you when he’s ready. Let’s go into my office and talk for a while.”

When they were both seated, Carl asked, “Where’s Carrie? Why do you have a new receptionist?” Rudy cleared his throat. “She took a leave of absence for an unspecified time.” “Why?” “She says her sister is ill and she needs to help her out, but I doubt it. I think she felt she was getting in too deep with you and wanted to take a break.” Carl dropped his head and stared at the floor. “What did I do wrong?” he asked. “I don’t think you did anything wrong. If you want my advice, I think you ought to leave her alone until she gets her thoughts straightened out.” “Can I have her phone number?” “No, I’m sorry. She specifically told me not to give it to you. Don’t worry, she’ll be back. The new receptionist is from a temp agency.”

Carl put his head in his hands. “I really need her right now. She could help me get through the mess that is my life.” “I know, my friend. I’ll tell her you said hello the next time she calls. That will have to do for now.”

CHAPTER 29

Roy Sanderson stormed into the sheriff’s office. “What do you mean, threatening my boys?” he shouted. Calmly, Sam pulled a sheet out from the desk drawer. “Your boys have been trapping everything, mostly cats. Hurting Mr. Burke’s dog was the last straw. They placed the trap on Burke’s property, so I could charge them with tresing too.” “Boys will be boys. I have good kids,” came the reply. “They’ve been criminals since they were ten years old. Here’s the proof.” The sheriff slid the printout across his desk for Sanderson to see. “They were juveniles then,” he protested. “Yes, I know. Since they’re eighteen now, they’ll be tried as adults.” “Then why are they in juvenile detention?” Roy asked. “Would you rather they be held in an adult facility?” Sam countered. “No, I guess not.” He leaned forward and looked the sheriff in the eye. “How much will it take for you to drop the charges?” “You want to pay me off?” the sheriff shouted. “No chance. Now get out of my office before I charge you with attempted bribery!” Sanderson shook his fist at him. “You’ll pay for this!” he hollered and stomped out of the room.

After the meeting with Roy Sanderson, Sam had to deal with Larry Olsen. The sheriff was not having a good day. “Get him from his cell and bring him to the interrogation room,” he told his deputy. “I want you to sit in on the questioning.”

The three men sat down at the table with a tape recorder in front of them. “Where did you get the money you were gambling with?” “I told you I won the lottery.” “Stop goofing around and answer the question.” “I found a satchel by the side of the road.” “Okay, Ross, take this goofball back to his cell. He can stay there until he decides to talk.” “You have to let me go, you have no grounds to hold me.” The sheriff knew he was right, but said, “You’re in my jail, ? I’m the boss and what I say goes.”

A deputy called in just as Sam was getting ready to go home. “I just picked up Roy Sanderson for DUI. What do you want me to do with him?” “It will give me great pleasure to let him cool his heels in jail overnight.” “Okay, I’ll bring him in, Sheriff.”

CHAPTER 30

Instead of going home, Sam decided it would be a good time to talk to Roy’s wife about the boys. “No rest for the wicked,” he moaned as he left the building. Arlene Sanderson was a petite, olive skinned woman. She seemed puzzled to see the sheriff at her door. “May I come in?” Sam asked. “Of course,” Arlene replied. “Come in and sit down in the living room. Can I get you something to drink?” “No, thank you,” the sheriff declined. “What are you doing here?” Sam cleared his throat. “I’m here to discuss your sons. They’ve gotten into trouble again.” “What have they done now?” “They’ve been trapping animals and this time they went too far. Eric and Jim tresed on Carl Burke’s property and set a trap. Carl’s dog got caught in it and broke his leg.” Arlene’s hand covered her mouth and she looked like she was in shock. “Why wasn’t I told this before?” “Didn’t your husband tell you? Your boys have been in detention for a few days now.” Arlene punched a pillow in anger. “He told me they were camping out. I guess it was just another lie,” she said bitterly. Sam’s heart went out to her.

She continued, “Roy lies all of the time. He slaps me around. The boys have tried it too and it won’t be long before I can’t handle them anymore.” “So the boys are imitating their father?” “Always. The worse they act, the more Roy eggs them on. At the rate they’re going, they’ll never amount to anything.” “Why do you stay with him?” “Those kids are my life. If I lose them, I lose everything.” “The law can arrange to place you in a safe house in another town.” Arlene shook her head no. “I’d like to return to Sicily, where I was born, but my mother and father are dead and I only hear from my brother at Christmas.” “Surely you have more relatives there.” “Just a few cousins.” Her eyes took on a faraway look. “I dream of going back there some day. Even though I was eighteen when I left, I can still smell the flowers and see the rows of grapevines.” She sighed. “Yes, I’d love to go back where I belong. Do you think it’s possible my boys and I could go back there to live?” “That’s an unusual request. I’ll check into it. What was your maiden name?” “Costello,” she answered quietly. “We lived in a small village outside of Palermo.” The sheriff stood. “I’ll check and see if there is any way we can help you. I’ll call you later in the week.” “Please don’t call me when Roy’s home. He won’t let me talk on the phone.” “How did you meet this guy?” “He was stationed in Italy when he was in the service. He was so handsome in his uniform and he promised to bring me to the states. I was thrilled with the idea and mistook that feeling for love.” Arlene put her hands over her face and

cried. Right then, Sam was determined to help her get back to Sicily.

CHAPTER 31

Carl was happy when the day came to pick up Blue from the clinic. He was lonely with Carrie gone and he needed something to occupy his time. He was glad he had Susie. She made him feel young again. She had gotten tired of fast food, so she and Kay looked at recipes and learned how to cook. Carl bought canned vegetables, but Susie discovered the vegetables from her grandfather’s garden tasted better. Susie and Kay were proud of their cooking. They could make scrambled eggs, fried potatoes and macaroni and cheese. They could also make a good meatloaf. The girls were happy when they could serve Carl one of their culinary creations. Sometimes the dinners came out too well done, but for the most part, the meals were tasty. He knew they would be happy to have Blue home again and the dog would be ecstatic to see them.

When he walked into the clinic, Rudy already had Blue on his leash. The dog saw Carl and his tail wagged so fast that his whole back end moved. Carl ran over and hugged him tight. “Be careful of his sore leg,” Dr. Ryder warned. Carl stood up quickly. “What do I owe you, Doc?” “I’ll send you a bill,” Rudy said. “It’s time for you to take Blue home.” “Much obliged. I know two little girls who are waiting to see him.” “, Blue can’t roughhouse yet. You should try to keep him quiet for a while.”

“Wish me luck,” Carl said laughing. “See you in a week to get the cast off.” “We’ll be here with bells on,” Carl replied. It wasn’t easy lifting Blue into the truck, but he was able to sit on the seat with his front leg with the cast held out in front of him. Blue raised his head and sniffed when they were a few blocks from the house. Carl was certain he knew he was almost home. The girls heard the truck pull up and ran outside shouting Blue’s name. His ears perked up and he started to wiggle. “Stay still, boy,” Carl told him. “I have to go around the truck and lift you out.” When the girls saw the cast, they spoke to him in a soothing voice. “Does it hurt, boy?” Kay asked him while Susie whispered something in his ear.

Later, Carl found out that Blue didn’t like sleeping downstairs by himself. When he tried to go to sleep, Blue started howling at the top of his lungs. Susie ran out of her room. “It’s Blue hurting, Grandpa?” “No, I don’t think so. He doesn’t like not being downstairs alone.” “I’ll help you carry him.” Somehow, they got the dog to the upstairs landing. He limped into Carl’s bedroom and looked at the bed, then at Carl. Carl smiled at him and said, “Okay, up you go.” He lifted the dog onto the bed, where Blue settled on his side with the injured leg extended out in front of him. He heaved a huge sigh and soon Blue was snoring softly. Carl patted his back, happy that Blue was home at last. Content, he fell asleep too.

CHAPTER 32

Nancy couldn’t get the money together to buy the other catering business, so she had to get her hands on Susie’s inheritance. She made an appointment with Steve Blackburn to get the ball rolling. Steve greeted her with a smile and said, “Please come in, my dear. What can I do for you?” Nancy made her expression anxious. “Is something troubling you?” Steve asked with concern. “Everything!” she wailed. “How can I help?” “My ex-husband is back in town and robbed me of six thousand dollars. He’s in jail now, but the sheriff can’t hold him much longer. There was no evidence that ties him to the robbery. On top of that, Susie outgrew all of her clothes and I was forced to give them to the church rummage sale. Since I’d lost a month’s revenue, I couldn’t afford to buy her a new wardrobe so I bought her some clothes from the Salvation Army. They were perfectly good, but she threw a fit and refused to wear them. After that, she ran away from home while I was at work.” She took a tissue from her purse and squeezed out a few tears. “Oh, honey, don’t cry. I wish I could help you.” “But you can, Steve!” she cried. “How?” he asked. “You could lend me money from Susie’s trust fund. I’d pay it back, of course.” “I can’t do that. It would go against the of the will.” “No, it doesn’t,” Nancy said. “It specifically states that if Susie needs money

before she’s eighteen, some can be advanced. I’m having trouble making my living expenses, much less buying her new clothes.” “I thought you had a lucrative business.” “I do, but my stove went out and it’s the slow time of the year.” Steve thought she made a good case. “How much do you need?” he asked. “About twenty five thousand dollars,” Nancy replied. “Twenty five thousand dollars? That wouldn’t leave much for Susie’s education.” “I told you I was going to pay it back!” “I still think you’re asking for too much money. Surely you can get by with less.” “Okay, twenty thousand would probably do,” she sighed. “Alright, I’ll give it to you, but you have to keep quiet about it.” Nancy made a zipper motion across her lips. Steve pressed a button on the intercom. “Miss Jepson, cut a check for Nancy Olsen for twenty thousand dollars. Have it ready before she leaves.” Steve sat back and looked Nancy in the eyes. “Okay, now you owe me. I’ll start my payment tonight when I take you out to dinner.” “I have to cater a party tonight,” Nancy lied. “What time will you get done?” “Not until nine o’clock.” “That’s plenty of time. The restaurant I’m taking you to serves until eleven. I’ll pick you up at your office at nine thirty. I look forward to the dinner and a drink at my apartment afterward.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Who knows what that will lead to?”

Oh, God, what have I gotten myself into? Nancy thought. Oh well, it’s not like I’m a virgin. I’ll do anything for twenty thousand dollars.

On the way back to the shop, Nancy stopped at a Cadillac dealership to check on the price of new cars. There was a beautiful blue convertible in the showroom. She asked the price, but it was more than she could afford. After that she decided to visit her father. She was on a roll; maybe she could get a few bucks from him. Carl heard a car pull into the driveway. He looked out the window and saw it was Nancy. “Quick, Susie, get into the utility room and stay there. Your mother’s here!” Nancy didn’t knock, but breezed in the door like she always did. “Hi Dad,” she said. “About time you came around,” he said coldly. “I’ve been busy.” “Too busy for your own daughter?” Nancy didn’t reply. “The poor little girl had no place to go. Elaine couldn’t take her in because of Billy.” “So where is she now? Of course, she ran to Grandpa, telling all sorts of lies about me,” Nancy said. Carl looked at her with disgust. “You’ve been neglecting her. When was the last time you cooked her dinner?” “She survived.” “On what? At least the hamburgers and french fries I give her keeps her stomach full. Susie told me you didn’t ever give her lunch money. Don’t let me get started

on her clothes.” “Where is she?” Nancy shouted. “I’m taking her home where she belongs!” “Oh no, you’re not! I can have you declared an unfit mother!” “You wouldn’t do that!” “Yes, I would. You have to stop thinking of yourself and consider the well-being of your daughter.” Blue limped into the room. “What happened to your mutt?” Nancy asked with disdain. “Shut your mouth! This dog has more manners than you do!” “Enough!” Nancy screeched. “Go get Susie because I’m taking her home!” “I won’t go,” a small voice said. Susie came up behind Carl and put her arm around his waist. “I like it here, Grandpa’s good to me.” Nancy ran over to Susie and tried to pry her arms away from Carl’s waist. “Get out of here!” he thundered. “I’m going to adopt this little one and give her a chance at a good life.” Susie looked at him wide-eyed. “Are you, Grandpa?” Carl didn’t know where his words came from, but it was too late to back down. He gave Susie a little squeeze. “You can bet on it, honey.” He said, wondering if he was young enough to pull it off. Nancy knew she had to leave, but she would get the last word in. “I’ll sic Steve on you, old man. You don’t stand a chance.” “Oh, it’s Steve now, is it? , he’s been the family lawyer for years. I’m sure I could enlighten him with a few facts about you he doesn’t know.” Nancy turned and flounced out of the house without a backward glance. She forgot all about her date with Steve, but she didn’t care, she had her twenty thousand dollars.

Steve called Nancy the next day at work. “It’s for you,” Elaine hollered. “Who is it?” “Steve Blackburn.” “Tell him I’m not here.” Elaine knew Steve had heard the conversation. “I’m sorry, Steve, she’s very busy right now. She’ll call you back.” “She’d better!” he said and slammed down the phone. Nancy had gotten to work early to fire Elaine. She had betrayed Nancy by trying to take Susie in. When Elaine came to work, Nancy realized how much she needed her in the business. She decided to wait until she could replace her.

Nancy finally called Steve back at three o’clock in the afternoon. “Hi, sweetie, did you call?” “Don’t ‘sweetie’ me. I want you in my office in fifteen minutes. There’re a few things we need to talk about.” God, Nancy thought, I didn’t think he’d get that upset about a broken date. I’d better go down there. When she walked into Steve’s office, he didn’t stand up and greet her as usual. “Sit down,” he barked. Nancy stared at him with disbelief. “If you’re angry at me for missing…” Steve cut her off. “Your father came to see me this morning. He certainly enlightened me about you.” “He’s just angry with me,” Nancy protested. “We had a fight; there was no reason for him to come running to you about it.”

“I think he did have a reason on the basis of what he told me. I cancelled payment on the check I gave you yesterday.” “You can’t do that!” “I can and I did. I can’t let word get out that a little bitch like you ruined my reputation. When the other partners hear what I did, I’ll be lucky if I still have a job. Now, you’re going to listen to what I have to say.” Nancy’s knees began shaking and she pulled her skirt down to cover them. “I’m glad you didn’t keep our date last night because I wouldn’t want to be seen with a person like you. Your father filled me in on how you planned to use the money for your own selfish gain. He also said your daughter ran away because you treated her so badly. Carl told me about the clothes episode and how he bought Susie a new wardrobe in the same size you gave away. When he told me he wanted to adopt the girl, I felt like standing up and cheering. Carl is a good, decent man and I’m sure Susie will be better off with him. I intend to help him as much as I can.” Steve paused to wipe his glasses. “For the last thing, I understand you haven’t been paying enough attention to your business. I’ve made some calls and found out some people aren’t pleased with your service. Word travels fast so you’d better get in gear before you lose your business too. Now, get out of here. I have work to do.” Nancy got up and quietly left the room. She knew Steve was right and the truth stung. On the way back to work, Nancy decided she couldn’t fire Elaine. In spite of her difficulties at home, she’d been there every day. If fact, she was the backbone of Nancy’s business. Resolutely, she decided she was going to roll up her sleeves and go to work.

CHAPTER 33

When she got to her office, Nancy tried to think how she could rectify the damage she had done by cutting costs to her best customers. After a while, an idea came to her. She’d make a list of her best customers and send them all boxes of Amaryllis plants with thank you cards. The more Nancy thought about the idea, the more she liked it. “I’ll sign each card personally,” she told herself. “Elaine,” she called. “Come into my office, I need you.” Elaine came running. “What is it, Nancy?” She had flour on her apron and her hands were covered with dough. “Get cleaned up and go down to Wal-Mart. I need you to buy twenty-five boxed Amaryllis plants.” Elaine looked at her and cried, “I can’t drop everything I’m doing right now! I still have to bake the rolls and make deviled eggs. I’m behind schedule as it is.” “I’ll finish up the rolls and make the eggs,” Nancy said, grabbing a smock from a peg by the door. Elaine couldn’t believe her eyes. It had been ages since Nancy helped with the food preparation. “What do I do for money?” she asked. Nancy got out her wallet and handed Elaine her credit card. “Just sign my name,” she said. Elaine hesitated. “I don’t have any gas in the car; the gauge is on empty.” Impatiently, Nancy dug in her purse and threw a ten dollar bill on her desk. “Get going,” she said. Elaine ran out the door with the ten dollar bill clutched in her hand.

Elaine had to make three trips to the car to carry all the boxes in. She looked in awe at what Nancy had gotten done while she was gone. The deviled eggs were lying on a bed of lettuce, garnished with sprigs of parsley, and there was an aroma of baking rolls coming from the oven. Looking at the large mixer churning, Elaine asked Nancy what she was doing. “It’s high time we offered a dessert table,” Nancy replied. “I’m whipping up a New York cheesecake!” Elaine smiled. “Way to go, boss!”

The party was a huge success and the hostess was so pleased that she gave both Elaine and Nancy a twenty-five dollar tip. “I know I’m not supposed to tip the owner,” she said. “But in this case, I’m making an exception.” After they had unloaded the serving trays and dirty dishes, the two women sat down to rest. “I’m pooped!” Elaine exclaimed. “Me too, but it’s a good feeling,” Nancy replied. “Listen, I’ve been thinking and there’s something I want to discuss with you.” Elaine raised her eyebrows in question. “You’re obviously overworked. You have bags under your eyes and have lost at least ten pounds. You’re a physical wreck and it’s all my fault for making you work so hard. I’m going to hire someone to wash the dishes and mop the floor. I’m also going to hire a student part time to be a gopher for us. Lastly, I’m going to work side by side with you. It’s time I paid more attention to my business.” Elaine grinned and hugged Nancy. “Thank you!” she cried. Nancy put on a stern face. “Don’t think I’m getting soft. Tomorrow morning you’re going to use the catering van to deliver all those flowers.”

Elaine grinned. “Anything you say, boss lady.”

CHAPTER 34

Carl hadn’t been acting like himself since Carrie left. He was moody, often snapping at the girls and yelling at the dog. Blue didn’t know what he did wrong and tried to make up for it by sticking to Carl like glue. Every time Carl moved, Blue moved. “What’s the matter with you?” Carl shouted as he tripped over the dog again. Blue slunk away, chastised for something he hadn’t done. Carl sat down and put his head in his hands. He knew he was taking his loneliness out on everyone around him. Suddenly, he hated himself for acting like such a jerk. “Come here, boy,” he said to Blue. “I’m sorry, my old friend.” The dog looked at Carl with hope in his eyes and walked over to him slowly. “How could I treat you so badly when you’re such a loyal companion?” he asked Blue as he petted him. “Would you like to go for a walk, maybe chase some squirrels?” Blue perked up his ears and danced on his hind legs in anticipation. He still had the cast on his front leg, but Carl felt they could walk slowly. He knew Blue would enjoy a walk in the woods.

CHAPTER 35

Sam Sparks called Nancy the next day. “Good morning, Nancy,” he said pleasantly. “How are you?” “I’m fine. What’s up?” “I have some bad news for you. I’m going to have to let Larry out tomorrow. I don’t have any reason to hold him any longer.” Nancy felt like a knife had gone through her heart. She couldn’t speak for a while. Sam finally said, “I’m truly sorry, Nancy. I’ll have my deputies keep an eye on you, but we can’t watch you 24/7.” “I know that, Sheriff. Maybe he’ll give up and leave town,” she said hopefully. “Maybe, but I don’t trust the guy as far as I can throw him.” “I’ll keep an eye out too. If you hear anything, please let me know.” Nancy felt a chill as she hung up the phone. Everything was going great at the shop now and she was afraid Larry was going to ruin it. She tried to convince herself she could handle him.

The day finally came to get Blue’s cast off. The dog seemed to know where he was going as he was helped into the truck. The cast looked terrible. It was filthy and had a crack in it that was getting longer by the day. It was so dirty it obscured the signatures that Kay and Susie insisted on writing on it. Rudy greeted the man and his dog when they got to the clinic. “Are you ready to get that disgusting cast off you?” he asked Blue. He helped the dog onto the

table and slit the cast open. Blue licked the doctor when he was done and jumped off the table. He shook himself and ran out to the lobby. “See?” Rudy said to Carl. “Your dog is as good as new.” “I haven’t paid you yet, Rudy. You never sent me a bill.” “I guess I forgot,” Rudy replied unconvincingly. “No you didn’t, you scoundrel. I’m writing you a check right now.” Carl wrote a check for five hundred dollars and handed it to the doctor. “That’s probably not enough, but if you don’t charge your customers, you can’t stay in business.” “I heard from Carrie again and she asked about you and Blue. I told her you both were fine. I didn’t want to tell her about Blue’s leg. Anyway, she’s decided to stay with her sister permanently. She already has a job with a vet up there.” “Wonderful,” Carl muttered. “I know, Carl, I miss her too. She’ll have to come back to pick up the rest of her things. Maybe you can catch her then.” Carl nodded desolately. “Come on, Blue, let’s go.” When they got to the truck, Blue jumped in all by himself. “Good boy,” Carl praised him.

The dog ran to the door when the girls got home from school and jumped on them with exuberance. “His cast is off!” Susie hollered. The girls ran into the kitchen and dumped their backpacks on the table. “Come on, Blue!” Susie shouted. “Let’s go outside and play!” Carl watched the girl’s throw a Frisbee for Blue to catch. He was glad things were back to normal. Carl noticed that Susie’s hair had come out of her braids and was flying in her

face. Carrie hadn’t had time to take her to get her hair cut when they bought her new wardrobe. Carl went to the phone and called Rosie’s Beauty Shop, where Laura used to go. Carl identified himself and Rosie said, “Oh, Carl, how nice to hear your voice. I haven’t seen you in ages.” “I don’t get out much anymore.” “That’s right, I heard Carrie left town.” “Yes, she went to live with her sister. I miss her; we had a lot of good times together. I was wondering if you had some time today to cut Susie’s hair.” “I’ll tell you what, Carl, since it’s you, I’ll stay a little later. Can you have her here in fifteen minutes?” “We’ll be there.” Carl called Susie into the house. “Comb your hair. We’re going to Rosie’s to get your pigtails cut off.” “Great!” Susie hollered enthusiastically.

Rosie placed a plastic cape over Susie’s shoulders and washed her hair before cutting it. “You’re taking too much off!” Susie wailed as Rosie kept snipping. “Don’t skin me!” However, when Rosie combed her hair forward to frame her face, Susie smiled with pleasure. “I like it,” Carl said and paid Rosie.

Blue was lying on the kitchen floor, panting, when they returned home. Carl replenished his water and he lapped down all of it.

Kay came into the house and looked at Susie. “Wow,” she said. “You look like a different person! No one at school will recognize you!” “You girls do your homework while I fix you something to eat.” Carl was feeding Kay tonight because Elaine was working late.

The next day, Carl called an adoption agency to start the ball rolling. He was used to having Susie around and she was a joy to live with. The agency was busy and couldn’t see him until the next week. He knew he would be on pins and needles until the adoption went through. He was in a hurry, afraid that Nancy would try to stop him.

CHAPTER 36

Elaine went over to Steve’s office to sign the divorce papers. He assured her they would be served the same day. She was afraid to go home and face Billy, but she didn’t have a choice. She called Carl and asked him to keep Kay overnight. Elaine didn’t want her daughter caught in the middle of it. Elaine parked her car in front of her house and got out. She noticed Billy’s car was in his usual spot. She was about to turn around and get back in the car when Billy jumped out of the bushes and knocked her to the pavement. She cried out in pain and he kicked her in the stomach. She doubled over and begged him, “Please stop. You’re hurting me.” “That’s what you deserve, you bitch!” he screamed. The next door neighbor heard Elaine’s screams and looked out his window to see Billy beating her. He ran to the phone and called 911. Two officers rushed to the house and saw a woman lying on the ground with a man standing over her. They jumped out of the car, intending to subdue him. Before they could reach him, Billy took off running. One of the officers ran after him while the other stayed behind to check on Elaine’s condition. Since she was out cold, the officer called for an ambulance. The EMTs carefully loaded Elaine into the ambulance and took off with sirens blasting and lights flashing. By now, all of the neighbors were standing outside trying to see what was going on. When gun shots rang out, everyone quickly went back into their houses. The officer that had stayed with Elaine ran to catch up with his partner, heading in the direction of the shots. He saw a man standing in front of a high fence, clutching his shoulder. His partner had a gun pointed at him. “Hold your fire,” he called. “I’m going to cuff him.”

Billy offered no resistance. The officers took him to the squad car and roughly shoved him in the back seat. “We’ll take you to the hospital, although I can see you’re not badly injured. I wish I could say the same thing about your wife.” Billy started sobbing. “I didn’t mean to hurt her!” he wailed. “You abusive husbands are all the same. You beat your wife half to death and then you say you’re sorry. After we have you checked out at the hospital, you’re going to jail where you can’t hurt her again.” “No!” Billy shouted, but it fell on deaf ears.

Elaine’s neighbor called Nancy and told her what had happened. “What? How is she?” she asked, horrified. “I don’t know. She wasn’t conscious when the ambulance took her to the hospital.” “Oh, no! I have to call someone to come and answer the phone, but I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She hoped with all of her heart Elaine would be alright.

The two deputies brought Billy to the jail. “What do we have here?” the guard asked. “A louse that beat his wife half to death.” “Yeah? Throw him in a cell. I hate wife beaters; I hope the judge throws the book at him.” Billy was marched down the hall and put into the same cell as Larry Olsen. “What did you do?” Larry asked him. “I beat up my wife,” Billy replied. “How about you?” “I stole money from my ex-wife.”

They both laughed. “We sure showed them who’s boss!” Larry said. “Get them where it hurts, that’s my motto!” Billy said, laughing harder.

The sheriff was pacing his office floor. “We’ve arrested two loose cannons in one week,” he lamented. “I sure as hell hope there aren’t any more around here.” “Look at it this way, sir, at least we don’t have any drug addicts,” his deputy said. “Thank God for that,” Sam answered.

CHAPTER 37

Carl was nervous when he entered the adoption agency. “You must be Mr. Burke,” the receptionist said. “I am.” “Please have a seat. Mrs. Parker will be with you in a moment.” Carl leafed through a magazine until the receptionist indicated that Mrs. Parker was ready to see him. He sat down in a chair in front of her desk. “Hello, I’m Mary,” she said. “Here are some forms for you to fill out. I’ll go over them with you when you’re finished.” Carl scanned the questionnaire. “I’m surprised it doesn’t ask how many times I poop a day,” he groused, but he dutifully filled out the form and handed it back to Mary. She cleared her throat. “I see you’re sixty five years old, that’s kind of aged to be requesting a child, especially an eleven year old.” “Susie’s my granddaughter and she lives with me now.” “Do you realize you’ll be seventy three when she turns eighteen?” “I do, but I don’t see a problem with that. I’m in excellent health and I can easily keep up with a child that age.” “You may not always be able to do that.” “Can you look into the future?” “Of course not.”

“I knew several people who dropped dead at fifty.” Mrs. Parker ignored the remark. “I see you were born in Minnesota. What brought you to Kansas?” Carl had no idea where this line of questioning was going. “My folks moved here when I was fifteen years old.” “Oh, well, you’re almost a native here, aren’t you?” “If you say so.” “I mean, you probably won’t be moving and disrupting the child’s life.” “I own property and my daughter lives here.” “Susie is your daughter’s child, isn’t she?” “Yes, she is, but Nancy started a business that has become highly successful. She has to devote all of her time to keeping it running. Being alone so much isn’t good for any kid. I help Susie with her homework, see that she has clean clothes, make sure she showers and brushes her teeth…” “That’s enough, Mr. Burke, I get the picture. What does your daughter think of this arrangement?” “She’s fine with it. She knows Susie will have more hands on care and she can visit her as often as she wants,” Carl lied. “I see your assets total four hundred thousand dollars. How did you come up with that figure?” Carl was getting angry. “I have some money invested in annuities, some in my savings and the value of my property. What business is it of yours?” “Don’t use that tone of voice with me. You know we can check out your finances.” “Be my guest,” he said, standing up to leave. “Sit down, I’m not finished.”

“Well, I am.” Carl walked further toward the door. “I have a lot of teenagers that would fit your situation better.” “I came here to adopt my granddaughter and no one else. If that’s all you have to say, then I’m out of here.” “Next week I’ll send a social worker over to see your living conditions. She will show up unannounced. Is that clear?” “We’ll be ready for her,” he said and walked out the door. On the way home, Carl felt like he had gone through hell. The first thing he was going to do when he got home was play with Blue. Then he would take a shower and put a roast in the oven for dinner. He’d be ready for the kids when they came home from school. “Old?” he said out loud. “I do more work in one day than most guys half my age!”

The next day, Carl mowed the lawn and trimmed the hedges. He washed his truck, even though it didn’t need it. Bridget came over and cleaned the house from top to bottom and Susie picked up her room. As luck would have it, the woman from social services came the next day. She appeared very straight laced in a tailored suit and flat shoes. She wore her hair in a bun. “Hello, Mr. Burke,” she said coldly. “I’m from social services, here to inspect your home.” “Yes, I know. Please come in,” Carl said, trying to display his best behavior. He showed her around the house, saving Susie’s room for last. Blue followed them from room to room, sometimes getting in the way. After she almost stumbled over him, the social worker asked, “Does he bite?” “Gentle as a lamb,” Carl replied.

She didn’t say another word, but Carl noticed she stayed as far away from Blue as possible. “All kids should have a pet,” he said. “Dogs teach kids a lot of things such as loyalty and responsibility. Their love is unconditional.” The woman didn’t reply. Carl pointed out the fenced in back yard. “It’s a perfect place for kids to play!” he exclaimed. He pointed at the tire swing hanging from the tree. “Susie even has a swing to play on.” Actually, Susie thought she was too old for the swing, but he didn’t tell the social worker that. The tour was completed in forty-five minutes. “I’ll show you out,” Carl said. The social worker turned to him and gave him her first smile of the day. “Your house is immaculate, I’ll give you that.” What the hell is that supposed to mean? Carl asked himself. The woman stuck out her hand for Carl to shake. Her fingers were cold as an iceberg. Carl opened the door and she said primly, “Thank you for the tour. I’ll give Mary Parker my report tomorrow.” “Thank you, it was nice meeting you.” It was then Carl realized that she had never told him her name. She didn’t say good-bye, just walked stiffly to her car.

CHAPTER 38

Nancy called the woman she had hired to clean and had her watch the phone. She drove as quickly as she could to the hospital. She was almost there when flashing lights forced her to pull over and stop. “Roll down your window, please,” the officer said. Nancy rolled down the window. “Your license and registration,” he said shortly. Nancy, thinking she could kid herself out of a ticket, made a grave mistake. “Where’s your coffee and donuts?” she asked, grinning. The officer looked at her nonplussed. “Your ID please,” he repeated. “In the commercial, this is where I hold up a carton of milk and say ‘This is my ID.’” Nancy said laughing. The trooper didn’t change his expression. “Driver’s license and registration, now,” he growled. Nancy fumbled though her purse and opened her wallet. Her license was on display. She pushed her wallet through the window. “I can’t touch your wallet. Remove your license and hand it to me.” By now, Nancy was shaking badly. “My friend’s husband beat her and she’s unconscious. I have to get to the hospital as fast as I can!” she wailed. The officer regarded her coldly. “I’ve heard all the excuses before, lady,” he said and started writing out the speeding ticket. Just then, a car flew by going at least thirty miles over the speed limit. The trooper whipped around and stared at the vehicle. He ripped off the ticket and handed it to Nancy. “Next time drive the speed limit or you’ll get a real ticket,”

he said, handing her a warning. Without another word, he ran to his squad car and took pursuit of the speeding car. Nancy sat there until her heart quieted and then drove slowly to the hospital. She parked the car and ran into the lobby.

She walked up to the information counter, but there was a man ahead of her flirting with the pretty girl behind it. Nancy waited a little while, then nudged the man. “Please,” she said frantically. “I’m here because of an emergency. If you move over, I can find out where the patient is.” “Just a minute,” he said, reaching in his pocket to locate his business card. He handed the card seductively to the girl behind the counter. “Give me a call, baby,” he said and sauntered off. “Just point me in the direction of the emergency room,” Nancy said when she finally got the girl’s attention. “That way,” the girl motioned and turned her back on her.

In the hall, Nancy approached a doctor. “Doctor, can you please tell me Elaine Masters’ condition?” “Are you a relative?” “I’m her sister,” Nancy lied. “Mrs. Master is in critical condition. She’s still unconscious and the prognosis isn’t good. We don’t know if she’ll awaken.” Nancy’s face went white and the doctor put his hand out to steady her. Nancy pulled herself together. “May I see her?” she asked. The doctor shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Maybe tomorrow for a while.”

Nancy burst into tears and ran down the hall, through the lobby and outside to her car. She laid her head on the steering wheel and sobbed loudly. A erby knocked on the window. “Are you alright, lady?” he asked. Nancy looked at him as tears ran down her cheeks. “I’ll be fine in a few minutes.” The Good Samaritan nodded and went on his way. After a while, Nancy blew her nose and wiped her eyes. She sat for a moment longer and then started her car. She drove slowly out of the parking lot.

CHAPTER 39

Nancy started driving aimlessly. She didn’t want to go to her empty, lonely house. Suddenly, she longed for the comfort of her father’s arms. She turned the car around and headed in the direction of the house where she was raised. When the doorbell rang, Carl grumbled to himself when he went to answer it. Who could it be at ten o’clock at night? He opened the door and saw his disheveled daughter, tears drying on her cheeks. He knew at once that something was terribly wrong. “Come here, baby,” he said and Nancy walked into his waiting arms. “Come on in. I’ll make you a hot toddy and you can tell me all about it.” Nancy and her father talked half the night, then she took off her shoes and lay down on the couch. Carl put a pillow under her head and covered her with a blanket. He patted her shoulder and said, “Rest well, my daughter. Tomorrow’s another day and you’ll be able to face your problems then.”

Nancy woke up at six o’clock and looked around the room, not knowing where she was. Then she ed the night before and felt comforted that she was in the home of her youth. Susie came racing down the steps and saw Nancy sitting on the couch. “Mommy!” she cried and launched herself straight into her mother’s arms. Nancy hadn’t realized how much she missed her daughter until now. She wished she was still living with her. However, she couldn’t stop the adoption; it was too late for that. She knew her father would raise Susie in a loving atmosphere. Nancy let her father sleep in and got the girls off to school. She decided to call the hospital and check on Elaine. She was connected to the head nurse in ICU. Nancy identified herself as Elaine’s sister and asked if she had regained consciousness.

The nurse said there was no change, but they were watching her closely. She asked if she could come in and sign some papers. “What kind of papers?” Nancy asked. “If she doesn’t regain consciousness, you need to sign that you don’t want her kept on a ventilator.” “But…” Nancy said. The nurse cut in. “You don’t want her to just lay there for years, do you?” “I guess not. It wouldn’t be good for her or her daughter.” “I thought you’d see what’s best.” “I’ll be in later today. Thank you for enlightening me.” “It’s a necessary part of my job, but I hate it.” the nurse said. “I’ll see you later then. Oh, I didn’t get your name.” “It’s Nancy Olsen.” “Take care, Nancy.” Nancy ran to the bathroom and upchucked the oatmeal she had for breakfast. When she came out of the bathroom, Carl was standing there with a bottle of Maalox. “Drink some of this. It will settle your stomach.” Nancy swallowed some and lay down on the sofa to rest. “I assume it wasn’t good news,” Carl said. Nancy shook her head no. She drifted off to sleep and woke up at one o’clock feeling much better. She jumped up from the couch and put her shoes on. “I have to go, Dad,” she told him. “After all, I have a business to run.” Carl could see Nancy was back in charge, so he didn’t worry about her any longer. He wondered if Nancy had told Kay about her mother. Carl hoped the

responsibility wouldn’t fall on him, but if it did he would break it to her gently.

Billy Masters acted truly repentant at his hearing, so the judge released him. When the sheriff asked the judge about it, he was told the jail was overcrowded and they needed the space for more serious crimes than domestic violence. Sam let it go and agreed to escort Billy over the county line.

CHAPTER 40

When Nancy got to her shop, it sunk in that she was going to have a hard time managing her business without Elaine. She was glad she didn’t have any commitments for the next two days, but after that she had a sit down dinner for seventy-five people. She had agreed to serve cocktails first. On a whim, she called the country club and asked for Tom Beady, the manager. “Hi Tom, it’s Nancy Olsen. I have a favor to ask you.” “Hi, Nancy. What can I do for you?” “I suppose you heard what happened to Elaine. I find myself short of help for a party two days from now.” “Yes, I heard about the beating. Poor gal, I always liked her.” “I need a couple of bartenders and I was wondering if you knew of anyone.” “I have a good one and that’s his night off. I’m sure he’d be happy to fill in for you. As for another, there’s an older man that used to work here. He quit because his legs started bothering him. How long would you need him?” “Only for a couple of hours.” “I’m sure Jack could handle that. I’ll phone him and call you back later today.” “Thanks so much, Tom. I knew I could count on you.” “Flattery will get you everywhere.” “I owe you one,” Nancy said. “Good-bye, doll,” Tom said and clicked off. Nancy decided her cleaning woman and the high school girl she hired could plate the food in the kitchen.

When she talked to her part time girl about the party, she suggested using her older sister as a waitress. She had worked at a restaurant to put herself through college. Nancy decided to ask her neighbor, Diane, to be the other server. At one time, she had worked part time as a waitress in a diner. Nancy was sure her party would go off without a hitch. With that accomplished, she decided to go to the hospital to see Elaine.

CHAPTER 41

Nancy pulled a chair over to the bed and took her friend’s hand in hers. She talked softly to her, telling her about the business and Kay, but Elaine had no reaction. The doctor stood in the doorway and listened for a while. “How long have you been here?” he asked. Nancy looked at her watch. “About an hour,” she said. “Come out in the hall, I need to talk to you.” Nancy followed him and looked at the doctor questioningly. He took her hand. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but the longer Elaine stays in a coma, the less the chances are she’ll come out of it.” “That bastard, Billy. I’d like to wring his neck. How could he do that to a sweet girl like Elaine?” “He should rot in jail without a doubt, but I hear they ran him out of town instead.” “Do you think that will work?” “Only time will tell.” Reality set in and she began crying softly. For the first time, she realized that Elaine might not survive.

CHAPTER 42

When Susie came home from school, Kay wasn’t with her. “Where’s your buddy?” Carl asked her. “Mrs. Perkins picked her up. She took her to her house for a few days. She’s going to take Kay to see her mom.” Carl was shocked. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Kay’s too young to see her that way.” Susie shrugged. “Kay wants to go see her.” “I only hope Kay can handle it. How about a game of Go Fish before dinner?” “Sure, Grandpa, but you know I always beat you!”

Carl and Susie were just getting into the game when the phone rang. Carl got up to answer it, hoping it wasn’t more bad news. “Hello, Carl,” Carrie said. Carl’s face lit up. “Hi, honey,” he returned. “How have you been? I miss you.” “I miss you too, but it doesn’t look like I’ll be back anytime soon.” Carl’s heart fell. He was hoping she was calling to say she was in town. “My sister needs me; she’s not doing very well.” “Aren’t you coming back to get some of your things?” “Yes, but I’ll be in and out. I can only take one day off my job.” “How can you work if your sister’s so ill?”

“She has a neighbor who stays with her during the day. Nights are the worst and I’m there then.” “What’s your job like?” “It’s a large clinic with modern equipment. There are a dozen employees.” “Do you like working there?” “I love it!” she exclaimed. “Who runs this fabulous place?” “What is this, twenty questions? It’s been run for generations by the Walker family. Brett’s the fourth Walker to run it.” “How old is he?” “Sixty-five and a great boss.” Carl felt a pang of jealousy. “Sixty-five? He should be thinking of retiring. What does he look like?” “He’s very handsome with a full head of white hair.” “He’s probably gay.” Carrie had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. “He’s one of the nicest men I ever met. I went out to dinner with him the other night and he was a perfect gentleman.” Carl almost choked. “If he’s so wonderful, why isn’t he married?” “I didn’t say he wasn’t. I went out to dinner with him and his wife. They’ve been married forty years and have five grown children.” “Oh,” Carl said. “Don’t worry, I still love you.” “Then why aren’t you here?” he asked angrily.

“Because I can’t be,” she said coldly. “Listen, I have to go. It’s been nice talking to you,” she said sarcastically and hung up. “That went well,” Carl mumbled, disgusted with himself. He reached for the phone to call her back, but realized he didn’t have her phone number.

CHAPTER 43

The party went fine. The younger waitress slipped on some liquid that was on the floor, but managed to right herself before she dropped the large tray of ham she was carrying. Nancy held her breath when this happened because she hadn’t prepared extra food to replace it. The only other problem was Jack, the retired bartender, who showed up with liquor on his breath. Nancy watched him closely, but he pulled it off. In fact, he had people in stitches with his jokes and they were generous with their tips. Both of the waitresses made good money in their tip jar too. Nancy’s neighbor said she would be happy to fill in anytime Nancy was in a pinch. Feeling good because the party was a success, Nancy invited the crew out for a drink. They all wanted to wind down and relax for a while.

Nancy left the bar and walked to her van. The street was very dark with only one street light per block. She was feeling good about herself when she heard footsteps behind her. She stopped and turned around, but there was no one there. She became very nervous and picked up her pace. Nancy fit her key into the van door and jumped in as fast as she could. She clicked the power locks and started the van. Nancy still didn’t see anything behind her. When she pulled out of the parking lot, she saw a man dressed in black hovering in an alley across the street. She wondered if she had been followed, but put the idea out of her mind. Still, she didn’t feel comfortable until she was home with the dead bolts secured. Nancy didn’t sleep well that night. Dreams of a dark man chasing her troubled her all night. She woke up exhausted the next morning.

CHAPTER 44

Susie was late getting out of school the next day because she had play rehearsal. She hurried out of the school as soon as she could because she didn’t want her grandfather to worry about her. She was trotting down the street when a green car rode slowly up to the curb. A strange man opened the car door and grinned at her. “Want a ride home, little girl?” he asked. Susie looked straight ahead and didn’t answer. The car kept crawling along next to her, so Susie took off running, but she couldn’t outrun the car. “Come on,” the man said. “It looks like it’s going to rain and you don’t want to get wet, do you?” Susie looked at the sky just as a few raindrops fell. She was tempted to get in the dry comfort of the car, but decided she’d rather walk in the rain. “Come on,” the man urged again. “No!” Susie screamed. “Grandpa told me never to ride with strangers!” The man frowned and said, “That old man doesn’t know everything.” Susie put her chin up. “Grandpa’s the smartest man in the world!” she exclaimed. Just then, a police car drove by and Susie waved her arms to get their attention. When she wasn’t looking at the man, he got out of the car and grabbed her from behind. He was dragging her to the car when the policemen made a u-turn and parked in front of him. They jumped out of the squad and started chasing the man, who was running away.

He raced between two houses and was gone. One of the officers called for backup and ran the car’s license plate. The other went over to Susie, who was shaking with fright. “Do you know that man?” he asked. Susie shook her head no. “Have you ever seen him before?” Again, Susie shook her head. The other officer ed them and said, “The car was reported stolen this morning and the dirtbag is long gone. Where the hell is our backup?” “I want to go home!” Susie exclaimed and started to cry. “I’m sure you do. We’ll take you home soon. First I have to call a tow truck. Is that okay?” “Yes, sir,” Susie said quietly.

After he put Susie in the back of the squad car, an officer asked, “Where do you live, honey?” Susie pointed. “I live at the end of this street with my grandpa.” The two officers looked at each other. “She’s Nancy Olsen’s daughter,” one said. “I’ll bet the guy in the car was her father.” “Grandpa says my dad’s a very bad man,” Susie said. “You got that right,” one of the officers said.

Carl ran out the door when he saw the squad car. “What happened?” he cried.

“Don’t worry, the little girl’s fine,” an officer explained. “What happened?” Carl asked again. “Some guy tried to lure her into his car.” “Did you catch him?” “No, he got away. We checked and the car he was driving was stolen. If the dog won’t bite, we’ll come in and tell you all about it.” “Come on, Blue,” Carl said. “Everything’s okay, go back into the house and be a good boy.” The dog did as he was told. “I’ll be damned, he’s a pussy cat,” one officer said. “He is as long as you don’t try to hurt Susie or me,” Carl replied. Susie grabbed Carl and hugged him. “I never want to go to school again!” she exclaimed. “Don’t worry, sweetie. Grandpa will take you to school and pick you up in the afternoon. You’ll never have to walk home alone again.” “Thanks, Grandpa,” she said. “I’m going to play with Blue in the backyard now.”

CHAPTER 45

Even though Nancy was reluctant to do so, she hired a twenty-six year old woman who had graduated from Cooking School of America. The school had a good reputation, so even though Marge didn’t have any experience, Nancy decided to give her a try. From the start, the girl worked hard and took over Elaine’s job with ease. Hiring Marge took a load off Nancy’s shoulders, leaving her free to do other things.

Nancy visited Elaine every chance she got. She held her hand and talked to her for hours, but there was still no change in her condition. Her doctor warned Nancy repeatedly that time was running out and if she didn’t awaken soon, they would have to unplug the life . Nancy refused to accept the truth. She believed Elaine would wake up soon and be her old self again. Late one night, a nurse called from the hospital and told Nancy to come down immediately. Thinking Elaine had regained consciousness; Nancy quickly dressed and drove to the hospital. The doctor stopped Nancy before she got to Elaine’s room. “What happened?” she asked. “It’s not good,” the doctor said. “Someone went into her room and unplugged the ventilator.” “Oh my God, who would do that?” Nancy shouted. “It had to have been Billy; he must be back in town. I’m calling Sheriff Sparks right now.” “Hold on,” the doctor said, grabbing Nancy’s arm. “Elaine’s okay, luckily, the alarm sounded and a nurse rushed in and reconnected it.”

“Thank the Lord!” Nancy exclaimed. “I’m still going to call the sheriff. Sam has to know that Billy’s back in the area. I’ll take a quick look at her first.” “I have other patients to attend to. I’ll keep you abreast of the situation.” Nancy stood in the doorway of Elaine’s room and watched her chest rise and fall. Her face was pale and she looked like a sleeping doll.

Nancy decided to go to the sheriff’s office in person. When she walked into the station, it was filled with activity. Wondering what was going on that late at night; Nancy asked a deputy if the sheriff was in. “He sure is, he’s in his office.” Nancy knocked on Sam’s door. “Come in,” he shouted. Nancy timidly opened the door. By the sound of his voice, the sheriff was in a foul mood. The sheriff looked up. “What do you want?” he asked angrily. Nancy started to back out of the room. “Come on in, Nancy,” he said in a calmer voice. “I shouldn’t take my problems out on you. There was a six car pile-up Route 55 and five people are dead. Things are crazy around here.” “I’m afraid I’m going to add to your problems.” “Can’t you save it for later?” “No, I can’t,” Nancy replied. “Okay, fire away.” “Someone got into Elaine’s room and disconnected her life .” “Is she okay?”

“Yes, help got there in time. It had to be that louse, Billy.” “Son of a bitch. I thought he agreed to leave town too easily.” “What if he comes back and tries again?” “I’ll get a deputy there at once. I’ll post a guard at her door 24/7. We’ll question the hospital staff to see if anyone saw anything. Personally, I think Billy’s too slick to get caught.” “Thanks, Sam. I know you’ll do your best. I’m going home and try and get some sleep now. I have a funeral to cater in the morning.” “Good night, Nancy, sleep well. I’ll call you if I hear anything.”

Nancy had only driven a few blocks when a car pulled up behind her at a light. She was humming a song to stay awake when the car lurched forward. She looked in the rearview mirror and realized the car was crashing into her bumper. She ran the red light and the car took off after her, ramming the bumper again. She turned left, then right, but the car stayed with her. She finally ducked into an alley and the car kept going. When Nancy crept out of the alley with the lights off, the car was nowhere in sight. Breathing a sigh of relief, she headed to her father’s house because she didn’t want to stay at home alone.

CHAPTER 46

When she got to Carl’s house, all of the lights were off. Nancy parked as close as she could to the front steps and pounded on the door. Her knuckles were getting raw when a light came on upstairs. “Who’s there?” Carl yelled. “It’s me, Dad, let me in,” Nancy said breathlessly. “Come on in,” Carl said. “What are you doing here this time of night?” Nancy squeezed through the door, relieved by the familiarity of the house. “Put on some coffee,” she said. “I need caffeine badly. I have a lot to tell you.” After Carl heard the story of Elaine and her problems that night, he went directly to the phone. “What are you doing?” Nancy asked. “Calling Sam Sparks, he needs to know what’s going on.” Nancy tried to dissuade him. “I already told him about Elaine. When I went to the station, they were really busy. There was a bad accident on Route 55.” “I’m still calling him,” Carl said stubbornly. However, when he reached the station, he was told that the sheriff had left for the night. “Damn it,” he groused. “I’ll have to wait until morning.” He picked up the two coffee cups and put them in the dishwasher and then looked at Nancy. “No sofa for you tonight. Why don’t you go upstairs and crawl in with Susie?” The idea sounded wonderful to her. It had been a long time since she felt her daughter’s warm little body next to her.

Nancy woke up the next morning to fairy kisses all over her face. “Mommy, I’m so glad you’re here!” Susie exclaimed. They got up and went downstairs where Carl was making eggs with pancakes and bacon. Nancy realized she had forgotten to eat the day before. She wolfed down six pancakes, two eggs and three slices of bacon. “Mommy, if you eat that much every day, you’ll get fat,” Susie said giggling. “Hurry up, princess, it’s a school day,” Carl reminded her. Susie groaned, but quickly finished her orange juice and grabbed her backpack.

CHAPTER 47

The adoption agency called Carl later that day. Mrs. Parker said his house had ed inspection and his finances proved to be sufficient. The only problem was his age. She told him there would be a committee meeting that evening that would have the final say. “For Christ’s sake!” Carl exploded. “I told you I’m in the best of health. What more do you want?” “I’m just following the rules, Mr. Burke. I’ll let you know the committee’s decision.” Carl was sick of the whole thing. Maybe he should just forget all about it.

Carl helped Nancy load her van after the party. Nancy wanted to unload the dirty dishes that night, but Carl talked her into waiting until morning. “It’s getting late and I don’t like leaving Susie alone,” he said. “I’m not going home with you tonight, Dad. I’d like to enjoy the peace and quiet of my own home.” “I won’t have it!” he cried. “How can I protect you if you’re not with me?” “, Dad, I’m a big girl now and can take care of myself.” “The hell you can. If you insist, at least promise you’ll call me if there’s anything out of the ordinary.” “I will,” she replied.

Nancy decided to have a glass of wine to help her sleep. She was reaching in the refrigerator for a bottle of chardonnay when she looked up and saw a man’s face

at the window. She screamed and ran to the phone. When Nancy looked again, the face was gone. She called the station and talked to the sheriff. “God damn it, Nancy, where is the officer I scheduled to watch over you?” Nancy could hear him on the radio requesting an answer from the squad car. No one responded, so he got back on the line and said, “I can’t reach the officer, but I’ll be right over. Be sure all of your windows and doors are locked.”

When the sheriff got to Nancy’s house, he saw the squad car parked across the street. He rushed over to it. The deputy inside was turned slightly away from him. Heart pounding, the sheriff touched the man’s shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked blurry eyed at the sheriff and then he yawned and asked, “What are you doing here?” Sparks could barely control his temper. “The question is, what are you doing? You’re supposed to be guarding Nancy’s house!” The deputy yawned again. “I guess I drifted off.” “Take your car back to the station and go home. Don’t come back in until I call you,” Sam shouted.

He ran across the street and pounded on Nancy’s door. She opened it wide and smiled. “Hello, Sam, thanks for coming.” Sam exploded. “You opened the door without knowing who was on the other side! Don’t ever do that again! I thought you had more brains than that!” He shoved the door open further and walked to the kitchen. “Which window was the man at?” Nancy pointed a finger at the window over the sink. The sheriff went over to inspect it and turned to Nancy in dismay. “It’s not even

locked. Lady, are you out of your mind?” “Well, I…” “Go around the house and lock every window, do you hear?” “Yes, sir,” Nancy said meekly. “I’ll be outside, checking for footprints. After that, I want a description of the perp.” Sam could see footprints beneath the window plain as day. It was clear that whoever was there had been wearing boots. The sheriff estimated the size to be eleven or twelve. He called the station and arranged for Stan to come out and make a cast of the prints. He stalked into the house. “Nancy, where are you?” he shouted. She walked down the stairs in a beige satin robe and matching slippers. Her hair had been brushed and lipstick applied. The sheriff looked at her with disgust, wondering what was going on.

Just then, the doorbell rang and Stan stood there. Sam had forgotten how handsome the man was with black hair and sparkling dark eyes. “Hello,” Nancy trilled to the new arrival. Sheriff Sparks cleared his throat. “Let’s get to work. Follow me, Stan.” As they were walking out the door, Stan said, “Wow, she’s hot!” “Keep your mind on your job, boy.” After they finished making the cast, the two men took their leave. As they walked to their cars, Sam turned to Stan and said, “It’s not like you don’t have a ton of girls chasing you. Don’t complicate the issue by adding a notch on your

belt with Nancy.” The casts proved that the boots were Larry’s size. The sheriff was determined to find him and put him back in jail. Unfortunately, Larry was nowhere to be found.

CHAPTER 48

In the middle of Nancy’s ordeal, Carrie breezed into town. She called Carl and asked him to have lunch with her before she left. Carl was torn. He wanted to see her, but felt it was useless. Nancy, hearing about the invitation, urged him to go. “What have you got to lose?” she asked. After that, Carl took Carrie up on her invitation.

It was a beautiful, sunny day when Carl left to meet Carrie. She was just as attractive as ever. “I can’t tell you how great it is to see you,” Carl said. He wanted to tell her how much he missed her, but he knew he shouldn’t. They sat down at a table by the window. Carl leaned toward her. “I have so much to tell you. Things have been crazy around here.” “Tell me,” Carrie said. Carl told her about Elaine and Nancy’s problems. When he was finished, he looked at Carrie longingly and said, “How I’ve missed talking to you. I’d like to hear your take on things.” “Why didn’t you call me?” “The phone was no place to discuss this. Besides, I didn’t have your number.” “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. By now, I know my decision was foolhardy. I miss all of my friends here, you in particular.” Carl was elated. He thought Carrie was ready to return. Carrie went on. “However, until my sister’s back on her feet, I have to stay with her. When that happens, I’ll be back with bells on.”

“That could take a month or even a year,” Carl said glumly. “I know, but I’ve committed myself. I can’t back out on the deal now, I’m sorry.” Carl pulled himself together. “By the time you return, I’ll probably have adopted Susie. Is that alright with you?” “Of course it is, I love Susie and Blue. By the way, how is he?” “Getting older, but he still acts like a puppy.” Carrie smiled. “That’s good. We’d better eat now so I can get back before dark.” They ate their lunch in silence, both of them knowing there wasn’t anything else to say. Outside the restaurant didn’t seem like the place to say good-bye, but Carl caressed Carrie’s soft cheek and said, “Hurry back.” “I’ll try,” she replied and giving him a little wave, she was gone. Carl watched her until she was out of sight. His heart was heavy as he drove the lonely road home.

CHAPTER 49

Elaine’s doctor called Nancy and asked her to come to the hospital. “Has she woken up?” she asked excitedly. “No, I’m afraid not. It’s another matter. We’d like to see you as soon as possible.” Nancy called her father and asked him to go with her to the hospital. Carl said he’d be right there to pick her up. The hospital lounge was empty when they got there. Nancy was sure she was going to get good news about Elaine. When the doctor approached her with a serious expression, Nancy’s hopes vanished. “Nancy,” he said sadly. “I’m afraid it’s time to disconnect Elaine from the life system. She hasn’t responded, so there’s no hope for her.” Nancy began to cry. “There, there, honey,” Carl said, patting her arm. “You know this is best for her. You don’t want her to lie there for years, do you?” Nancy shook her head no. “Then we’ll proceed,” the doctor said. He looked at a nurse nearby and simply said, “We’re ready.” Nancy shrank back, not wanting to go into Elaine’s room. Carl pushed her ahead. “This is something you must do,” he whispered. “You’re her closest friend and she would want you here.”

The doctor was getting ready to disconnect the line when Elaine moved her hand. At first, Nancy thought she was seeing things, but then Elaine moved her

hand again. “Stop!” Nancy cried. “Elaine moved her hand!” The doctor looked at her with disbelief. “I saw it too!” the nurse said. Carl spoke up. “Check her out before you continue,” he suggested. The doctor shrugged his shoulders. “If you insist, but I’m warning you not to get your hopes up.” He took a pen light and shown it into Elaine’s eyes. He ed the light back and forth. In a surprised voice, he said, “Her eyes are following the light.” Elaine moved her arm, reaching up toward the doctor. He patted her hand. “I’ll give her a shot to stimulate her nervous system,” he said. “I’m still not convinced this isn’t temporary, but I’ll do all I can.” The doctor turned to Nancy. “Go home. If she regains full consciousness, I’ll call you. She’ll be disorientated when she wakes up and I want to keep her as quiet as possible until she recognizes her surroundings.”

Nancy reluctantly left, hoping this was the beginning of Elaine’s recovery. “Dad, can I come home with you?” she asked. “I don’t want to be alone right now.” “Sure you can, honey,” he said. “We’ll pick Susie up from school together.” When they were waiting for the kids, Carl told Nancy, “I don’t think we should tell Kay about her mother. We don’t want to get her hopes up.” “I agree,” Nancy said. “Don’t tell Susie either, little girls can’t keep secrets.” “My lips are sealed,” Carl replied.

CHAPTER 50

Nancy catered a small group of bowlers at Bowl More Alleys. It was a buffet of barbequed chicken, baked beans and potato salad. Since she didn’t have to serve, she worked it alone. The bowlers approached the table with beers in their hands. The first man in line looked familiar, but she couldn’t place him. As he was picking up his food, he looked at Nancy and said, “Hi there! We meet again!” Nancy looked at him blankly. “You don’t me, do you?” he asked. “No, I’m sorry, I don’t,” Nancy itted. “Think sheriff’s office,” he prompted. Nancy smiled. “Oh, hi, Stan,” she said. “You looked a lot sexier the last time I saw you.” Nancy’s face grew red when she ed what she had worn. “Come on, Stan, you’re holding up the line,” someone shouted. “Later,” he told Nancy and sat down to eat his food. In a short time, all of the food was gone and Nancy began to clean up. Stan walked over to her and handed her some money. “Frank said to give this to you,” he said. Nancy counted the money and said, “This is too much! There’s an extra fifty dollars.” “Frank said for you to keep the change.”

“I can’t take all of this!” “Sure you can. Frank spends money like water.” He looked at the men leaving the bar. “They’re in a hurry to get home to their wives,” he commented. “And you’re not?” “Nope, I tried that once and it only lasted a year.” Nancy began cleaning again, stacking up the serving pans. “Let me help you,” Stan said. Nancy started to protest, but he was already throwing plastic plates and forks in the trash. When everything was cleaned up, Nancy said a brief thank you and headed for the door. “Wait!” Stan called. “My job isn’t finished yet!” “What do you mean by that?” “The sheriff told me to make sure you got home safely.” “Oh,” Nancy said. After they loaded the back of the van, Stan jumped in the enger seat. “What are you doing?” Nancy asked. “I can take care of myself.” “That’s debatable. In any case, I’ve already arranged for some of my buddy’s to pick up my car, so you’re stuck with me.”

The two of them laughed and talked all the way to Nancy’s house. When they got there, Stan carried the boxes into the kitchen. “Nice place you have here,” he commented. “Wanna play house?” Nancy punched him playfully on the shoulder. “Of course not!” she exclaimed.

“That’s what I thought,” Stan replied, reaching for her. He took her in his arms and gave her a lingering kiss. Nancy felt herself leaning into him and quickly stepped back. Stan looked surprised, but just then a horn blew in front of the house. “My ride’s here,” he said and headed for the door. “See you later,” he said with a smile. Nancy stood there confused and watched him walk to the car. He got in it and never looked back. She was nonplussed, but decided she had enjoyed his company and was looking forward to seeing him again. The man driving Stan to his car asked, “Did you make out?” “None of your business, but no, she isn’t my type.” “Are you kidding? All women are your type!” “Knock it off! This one’s different.” “Uh oh,” the man responded.

CHAPTER 51

Nancy decided to go to the hospital to see how Elaine was doing. She hadn’t heard from the doctor, so she feared something was wrong. She took the elevator to the third floor and walked into her room. To her surprise, Elaine was sitting up in bed eating lunch. “Hi!” Nancy said cheerfully. “I’m glad you’re doing so well!” “It’s about time you came to see me. I wondered what you were up to.” Elaine tried to spear a carrot with her fork, but missed. Nancy pretended not to notice. “I was here almost every day when you were sleeping.” “Sometimes, I imagined you were talking to me.” “That’s because I was.” “Thank you, you were my lifeline.” “Do you want help with that? You’re not doing so well.” “I thought you’d never ask. I’m getting a lot better at it though.” She has a long way to go, Nancy thought. “I think you’re well enough for me to bring Kay to visit you,” she said. “Oh, would you?” Elaine cried. “I miss her so much!” “I’ll bring her over tomorrow after school.” Nancy spooned mashed potatoes into Elaine’s mouth. “Eat up; you need to get your strength back.” “I know. I only hope the food is better in rehab.” “Is that where they’re sending you?”

“Yes.” “For how long?” “As long as it takes,” Elaine said forlornly. Nancy could tell Elaine was getting tired, so after feeding her lunch, she told her she had to leave. “Do you have to go so soon?” “Yes, but I’ll be back.” Nancy gave her a kiss on the cheek and Elaine was asleep before she was out the door.

She drove over to her father’s and had a glass of wine with him while they waited for the girls to get home. “Will Elaine be coming home soon?” Carl asked. “No, they’re sending her to rehab. It will take her a long time to get back to normal.” Carl nodded. “You’ve been running around a lot by yourself lately and I don’t like it.” “Well, last night I had a knight in shining armor take care of me.” “Who was that?” Carl asked. “His name is Stan; he works for the sheriff’s department.” “I’ll have to check with Sam about him.” “Honestly, Dad, I’m thirty-five years old. Stan’s the one who made the cast of Larry’s footprint. I catered a party for a bowling team last night and he was there. He helped me pack up and rode home with me. He said Sam made him promise to take care of me.” “Oh,” Carl said. “If Sam told him that, I guess he’s okay.”

“I’m glad I have your blessings, Dad.” Carl looked dismayed. “You’re not going to marry the guy, are you?” “For God’s sake, I just met him!” Just then, the two girls walked in. “Honey,” Nancy said to Kay, “guess who I saw today?” “My mommy?” she asked hopefully. “Yes, I’m taking you to see her tomorrow. She misses you.” “I miss her too. Can she come home now?” “Not for a while, but I’ll take you to visit her often.” “Okay, I’ll wear my prettiest dress.” Nancy smiled at her. “That would be very nice,” she said. “Do you want to stay for dinner?” Carl asked. “I’m making a pork roast with vegetables.” “When did you learn how to cook?” “I found an easy cookbook. I’m getting quite good.”

After a delicious dinner, Nancy said she had to be going home. She was followed by a deputy in a squad car, who beeped and kept going when she pulled into her garage. She woke up in the middle of the night and saw a searchlight wash over her yard. She felt good that the sheriff was watching over her. Relaxed, she fell into a deep sleep and didn’t awaken until morning.

CHAPTER 52

Nancy was at her desk paying bills when the phone rang. She was surprised to hear Steve’s voice. “How are you?” he asked. “I’m fine, busy.” “I’ve heard how hard you’ve been working, Nancy, and I’m proud of you. You’ve really gotten yourself together.” “It had to happen sooner or later.” “Indeed it did. By the way, the catering service you wanted to buy is back on the market again because the buyer couldn’t get financing. Are you still interested?” “Steve, I can’t, I was counting on Elaine running it and that’s not an option right now.” “I figured that, but I thought I’d let you know.” “Thanks.” “I also called to ask you if you would like to go to the country club dance with me Saturday night.” “I’m sorry, Steve, I have a party to cater. Can I get a rain check?” “Sure, we’ll get together another time.” When she hung up, Nancy realized she had become a hermit, married to her business. It was high time she got out and enjoyed herself.

CHAPTER 53

Nancy was at her father’s house bringing Kay back from seeing Elaine when Carl hung up the phone with a huge smile on his face. “What’s up?” she asked. “Carrie’s coming home!” he exclaimed. “Nancy, open that bottle of champagne I’ve been saving. We’re going to celebrate!” Susie poked Kay. “See? I told you he was sweet on her.” “I thought he was too old for that,” Kay replied. Overhearing the exchange, Carl said, “I don’t have one foot in the grave yet. I intend to enjoy myself until I do.” Nancy lifted her glass. “I’ll drink to that!” she announced. A car horn honked in front of the house. Susie ran to the window. “It’s a police car, Grandpa,” she said. “I’ll go out and see what they want.” “Stay here, Dad, I’ll go.” Carl raised his eyebrow. “Are you expecting someone?” “Maybe,” Nancy said. She ran up to the squad car expecting Stan when an arm snaked out of the window and grabbed her. “Hi, darling,” Larry said. Nancy tried to jerk away, but Larry just pulled harder. “Get in; we’re going for a ride!” Nancy screamed at the top of her lungs, but Carl didn’t hear her. Larry let go of her to open the car door.

Nancy took off running, but Larry easily caught up and tackled her. She hit the ground hard and Larry was all over her. He grabbed her hair and began kissing her ionately. Struggling, Nancy tried to throw him off. “You’re crushing me!” she cried. “You used to like it,” he growled and pinched her breast. He ripped her blouse open and began sucking on one of her breasts. Nancy tried to squirm away from him. “You little bitch!” he screamed and bit her as hard as he could. He pulled her pants down and had just unzipped his pants when a siren sounded loudly. Nancy pushed Larry off her while he was distracted. Enraged, he back handed her across the face. Nancy screamed out in pain. Two men jumped out of the squad car. Larry tried to run, but his pants were down around his ankles. A deputy caught him and pulled his arm roughly behind his back. “Yeow!” Larry cried. “I’d like to kill you, but I know better,” the deputy said. In a lightning move, he pulled Larry’s other arm behind him. He heard a bone crack and wished it was his head. “Bring me some cuffs, Stan,” he yelled. Nancy was horrified; she didn’t want Stan to see her this way. She tried to cover her bare breasts. Stan handed the cuffs to his partner and walked over to Nancy. He took his jacket off and put it over her shoulders. It covered her to her thigh. Nancy began to cry. “I’m so embarrassed,” she said. “Don’t be,” Stan said gently. “You’re okay, that’s all that matters.” The deputy dragged Larry to the squad car and threw him in the back seat. “I’m going to take this asshole in. You stay here and take care of Nancy.”

Carl came out of the house with Blue. Seeing Nancy’s condition, he screamed, “You son of a bitch!” and started to go after Stan. “Dad, don’t!” Nancy cried. “Larry did this! Stan’s helping me.” Carl stepped back. “Stay with her, I’ll go into the house and get her something to wear.” “What about the girls?” Nancy asked. “They’re upstairs playing their music so loud that you can’t think straight. Believe me, they didn’t hear or see anything.” He went into the house and came back with an old housecoat of Laura’s. Nancy could still smell her mother’s scent on it and it comforted her. Stan took her hand and led her into the house. The three of them gathered around the table, drinking coffee and talking for a while. When Stan saw that Nancy had stopped shaking, he got up to leave. He bent over and kissed her on the cheek. “Try to get some rest. I’ll call you in the morning.” When Stan left, Carl looked at Nancy. “I think he likes you.” “I hope so,” she replied.

The sheriff called a meeting the next morning. “Alright, who left a squad car in the parking lot with the keys in it?” he asked angrily. All of the men looked at each other, but no one said anything. “Be a man and come forth!” Sam yelled. A deputy finally stood up. “Sir, I believe you were the last one to use the car.” Sam was shocked, but realized he was right. He had taken the car to get

doughnuts for his men that morning. “Don’t do as I do, do as I say,” he hollered and marched out of the room, knowing he would never hear the end of his mistake. A deputy asked Reeves how he and Stan knew there was a problem at the Burke’s house. “Well,” Reeves began. “Stan asked if he could ride with me, which I thought was strange, but of course I said yes. I drove my regular route and everything was quiet, so I suggested we go to Lois’s Diner to get a cup of coffee. Stan asked me to check out a few places, among them Nancy Olsen’s house. The place was dark, so Stan asked me to check Carl Burke’s.” He paused and took a sip of his coffee. “When we got to the Burke place, there was a squad car parked out in front. Naturally, we were curious. We pulled up and saw Larry attacking Nancy in the front yard. I brought Larry in and Stan stayed at the house with the girl.” “We all know that Stan’s got the hots for Nancy Olsen,” one man commented. “You can’t prove it by me,” Reeves said.

CHAPTER 54

Bridget was humming happily, moving to the rhythm of the music as she mopped the floor. Carl had just gotten back from taking Susie to school and could hear her when he walked through the door. It wasn’t her regular cleaning day, so he wondered what she was doing there. Carl crept into the kitchen and snuck up behind her. “Boo,” he cried loudly. Bridget jumped and slipped on the wet floor, skidding on her butt away from him. “My stars!” she exclaimed. “You startled me!” “I guess I did,” Carl said laughing. “You looked like a clip from America’s Funniest Videos!” Bridget looked insulted, but when Carl helped her up, she started laughing too. “What are you doing here?” Carl asked. “You’re not supposed to come until next Monday.” “I heard Carrie was coming back and I thought I’d clean the house up before she got here.” “Who told you that?” Bridget shrugged. “I don’t , the news is all around town.” “Did I ask you to come in early?” “No, but…” “How did you get in?” “Nancy gave me a key,” Bridget lied. “Nancy did not give you a key. She doesn’t have one.”

Bridget blushed. “I always thought I should have a key,” she mumbled. “You had a key made, didn’t you? You took my key down to the hardware store and had it copied.” Bridget looked down at the floor. “Guilty as charged,” she said. “Get your things together and leave!” Carl screamed. “You’ve overstepped your bounds! You’re fired!” “You can’t do that! Carrie doesn’t know the first thing about cleaning!” “I just did. Now get going!” She slammed her things together and headed for the door. “You’ll see how much you need me!” she shouted. “In a pig’s eye!” Carl shouted back and slammed the door behind her.

CHAPTER 55

Nancy usually took Kay along when she visited Elaine, but this time she wanted to go alone. She wanted to tell her about Larry. Nancy stopped at Wendy’s on the way and got Elaine a cheeseburger with fries. She was sure she would be getting sick of rehab food. When she got there, Elaine was trying to eat a bowl of mush. “Look what I brought you,” Nancy said. “Is that what I think it is?” “Yep, dig in.” Elaine inhaled her cheeseburger. “The food here’s so bad; I’ve been living on coffee.” “When do you think you’ll be coming home?” “I don’t know. The doctor said I have to have someone stay with me for a couple of weeks to make sure I can handle things.” “I had an awful experience the other night and I want to talk to you about it.” Elaine frowned. “I have enough problems of my own; I don’t want to hear any of yours.” Nancy’s mouth dropped open. Hurt, she decided to leave. “I can’t stay longer today, I have to run.” “So soon?” “Yes, I’ll see you later.”

CHAPTER 56

Carrie got into town about five o’clock in the evening. She started to call Carl, but decided to take a nap first. When she woke up, it was two o’clock in the morning and she knew he’d be asleep. She made some coffee and sat down with a pile of newspapers that had accumulated in her absence. There was an article about a woman in her thirties being attacked, but it didn’t mention her name. A chill washed over her. Carl had said something horrible had happened to Nancy, but he didn’t tell her any details. She wondered if the article was about her. Carrie got so worked up; she went to the phone to call Carl even though it was the middle of the night. She picked up the phone, but put it back down. Just because she had a foolish premonition, there was no reason to wake Carl up so late.

Carrie was getting ready to take a shower and go back to bed when the doorbell rang. She looked through the peephole and saw Carl standing there. “Hello, sweetie,” he greeted her. “What are you doing here so late?” “You didn’t call me. I couldn’t sleep because I was worried about you.” Carrie gave him a hug and told him to stop being silly. “Come on in, I have a fresh brewed pot of coffee.” It wasn’t lost on Carl that Carrie was naked under her robe. It was evident when she hugged him. He followed her to the kitchen and sat down at the familiar

table. When Carrie leaned over to place the cups on the table, a tantalizing view of her breasts showed. Carl had to swallow and force himself to think of other things because he was getting aroused. He couldn’t believe what was happening; he hadn’t felt like that for ages. Abruptly, he got up from his chair and took Carrie in his arms. Carrie snuggled against him. “I’ve missed you so much,” she said. “I missed you too,” he replied. He stepped back and gazed at her. “Did you come back because of me?” “You were my only reason.” Carl hugged her again. “It’s late. Can I spend the rest of the night here?” Carrie poked him in the chest. “Of course not,” she chided him. “What would the neighbors think?” “Too bad.” “Do you want some more coffee?” she asked to change the subject. Carl sat back down and said, “Carrie, I’m lonely. Why don’t you come and live with me?” “We’re too old, you know that. You’re the one who said no white picket fences.” I didn’t ask her to marry me, Carl thought. I only asked her to live with me and be my companion. “You know in your heart I could never do that. Let’s see a lot of each other and be friends.” Carl wanted to be more than friends, but he knew he had to take his time. When he left, he gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. “I’ll probably see you tomorrow,” he said vaguely.

He purposely didn’t call her the next day, or the day after that, even though he ached to see her. On the third day, he decided to ride by her house. There was a strange Lexus parked in her driveway. As he watched, a good looking man with a full head of white hair emerged from the house and got into the car. Carl sped up and drove away as fast as he could. “It didn’t take Carrie long to find someone else,” he moaned to himself. “I’ll show her,” he mumbled, wondering who he could ask out to lunch.

CHAPTER 57

A man walked into the kitchen at the rehab center. “Hello,” Billy said. “The manager said you needed help here. I’m your new cook.” “Great!” the chef said. “You can start by helping us get caught up. Would you wash some pots and pans?” Billy scowled. This isn’t what he had in mind at all, but if he wanted to put his plan into motion, he had to do what the chef said. He washed the dishes carefully and asked what he should do next. The chef put him to work peeling carrots and washing lettuce. At last, the dishes were being taken out of the cupboard for lunch. Billy saw his chance. While everyone was busy, he walked over to a pot of stew that was bubbling on the stove and dumped in a bottle of white powder. Seeing him stir the pot, the chef asked him what he was doing. “The burner is too high, I didn’t want the stew to burn,” Billy replied. The chef looked at the rapidly bubbling gravy. “You’re right; I’ll turn it down a little.” When the chef walked away to check on something else, Billy quickly walked out the back door. He threw his uniform shirt in the dumpster and got into the car he had stolen. “I got you Elaine!” he cried as he drove away. When the candy stripper brought in her meal, Elaine looked at the tray with distaste. The stew looked awful, but the canned fruit and pudding looked okay. She decided to have those with her coffee. By two o’clock in the afternoon, most of the people in rehab were deathly sick. Sirens filled the air. When Elaine asked a nurse what was going on, she was told many people were being transferred to the hospital. Apparently, there was

something wrong with the stew. The next day, Elaine heard that four people had died. She was thankful that she ate only the fruit and pudding. Then a horrible thought hit her. She wondered if Billy had poisoned the food. Elaine pushed the idea from her mind. Surely, Billy wouldn’t harm so many people just to get to her.

CHAPTER 58

Nancy and Stan became good friends and went out together several times a week. Nancy was very fond of him, maybe even in love, but she wanted to keep the relationship just the way it was. Stan, on the other hand, doted on her and treated her like a porcelain doll. They frequented a restaurant and bar on the edge of town, where the locals never went because they liked being alone. One night, they walked into the bar and Joe, the bartender, greeted them. “Hi guys, do you want your usual?” “You bet,” Stan said. Joe set up a rum and coke for Stan and a glass of chardonnay for Nancy. Stan looked at Nancy and said, “Drink up! We’re going to celebrate!” Nancy took a healthy sip of her wine. “What are we celebrating?” “Today’s our three month anniversary!” They laughed together until Nancy abruptly stopped. “What’s wrong?” Stan asked. “Don’t look behind you; just keep talking like you have been.” “You’re giving me the creeps. What’s with you?” Nancy leaned toward him. “Larry’s sitting in the corner!” Stan started to turn around because he was sure she was imagining things.

“Don’t look at him,” Nancy hissed. “Look at him? I’d like to punch him out! When the hell did he get out of jail? I’m going to have a word with the sheriff tomorrow.” “Let’s finish our drinks and get out of here.” She moved her bar stool closer to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t antagonize him,” Stan warned. “He’s crazy enough as it is.” Nancy and Stan finished their drinks and waved to Joe. “Leaving so soon? It’s still early,” he said. Stan wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “We have better things to do!” he said, putting his arm around Nancy’s waist. The bartender grinned. “See you two later.” Larry clenched and unclenched his fingers as he watched them leave. Stan was helping Nancy into the car when he suddenly yelled, “What the hell?” “What is it, Stan?” “Someone slashed all four of my tires! It had to be that asshole, Larry!” He took out his cell phone. “I’m calling for help and then I’m going to the station to file a report.” “Take me home first,” Nancy begged. “Fat chance, I’m not taking you home to be by yourself. You can stay in the car if you want to. Like it or not, I’m staying overnight at your place.” Stan leaned against the car and lit a cigarette. The bar door opened and a man in a long coat and hat pulled down over his eyes walked out. Stan thought it was Larry, but he wasn’t sure. The man’s build was slightly different and he had a moustache and glasses. Stan stomped out his cigarette and walked to the enger window. “Is that the man you saw in the bar?” he asked Nancy.

Nancy looked at the man. “It could be, I’m not sure,” she said with uncertainty. Stan sighed. “I think your imagination’s working overtime.” Nancy didn’t reply. She knew the man she had seen in the bar was Larry. A man in blue overalls wheeled four new tires off his truck and put them on Stan’s car. Stan gave him his credit card when he was done. He got into the car and took off. “That bastard owes me big time. This little caper cost me a fortune.” Nancy knew he didn’t make much money. “Listen, Stan, this is all my fault. I’ll give you the money for the tires.” “No, you won’t!” he exploded. “How many times have I told you I don’t want your money?” Nancy cringed. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I’ll report the slashing when I go into work tomorrow, there’s no need to go tonight.” He looked at her and said, “I love you, baby.” Nancy was startled. There was no way she could respond in kind. She had done it once and look where it had gotten her. Instead, she said softly, “I’m very fond of you too.” Nancy couldn’t read his expression, but she knew she had hurt him. They didn’t speak the rest of the way to Nancy’s house. When they got there, she jumped out of the car and ran up the front steps with her key in hand. Stan ran to catch up with her. “Hang on, I told you I’m spending the night here.” “You don’t have to!” she cried. “I can take care of myself!” “Shut up and give me your key!” Nancy wondered why she was arguing with him. This was Stan, her special friend. She suddenly realized she was flawed. She couldn’t accept his love

because of her past. She knew it was unfair, but she didn’t know how to correct it. Nancy decided she would talk to her father about her problem. When they got into the house, Nancy started making up the sofa without a word. Stan took her by the arm. “Look at me, Nancy. I don’t want to push you because I know you’ve been through a lot. He pulled her into his arms and patted her back. “It’s okay,” he murmured. “I’ll take care of you.” He felt a stiffness leave her body as she relaxed. “Why don’t you go upstairs and put your night clothes on? You can come back down and we’ll have a night cap. After all, we still have that anniversary to celebrate.”

CHAPTER 59

“Do you know a nurse that would like a job?” Elaine asked her doctor. “I miss my home and my daughter. If I find one, you’ll release me, won’t you?” The doctor felt it was a little early, but Elaine was progressing and familiar surroundings might help her get well faster. “I’ll see what I can do,” he answered. “I want to start weaning you off the prescription drugs first. It will help clear your mind.” The doctor arranged for a nurse and Nancy took Elaine home. When they pulled up to her house, Elaine began sobbing. “What’s wrong?” Nancy cried in alarm. “Is this my house?” “Of course it is,” Nancy said. “Oh, God, I don’t it!” Elaine wailed. “You and Kay have lived here for many years. Come on, we’ll go inside, maybe it will be more familiar to you.” The two of them walked arm in arm to the house. The door opened when they approached. A pudgy, silver haired woman smiled at them. “Welcome home, Elaine,” she said. Elaine shrunk against Nancy. “Who’s that?” she asked fearfully. “I’m Minnie,” the woman said. “I’ll be staying with you for a while.” “Oh,” Elaine said vaguely. Nancy looked at the nurse with alarm. “It’s natural to be disoriented after a head trauma. In time, things will fall into

place,” the nurse said. “Why don’t you take Elaine up to her room to rest?” Nancy asked. “I’ll get her things out of the car.” She needed to get outside and breathe; she felt like she had all of the life sucked out of her. Nancy took Elaine’s things to her room. She was sitting up in bed wailing. Minnie was trying to calm her down. Nancy took over. She took Elaine’s hand and led her to Kay’s room. “This is your daughter’s room. See all the stuffed animals?” Elaine brightened. “Where is my baby?” “She’s at school; she’ll be home soon.” Elaine seemed satisfied with the answer, so Nancy took her back to her room. “I’ll give her a sedative that will put her to sleep for a while,” Minnie said. “When she wakes up, her daughter will be here.” Nancy sat with her until the medicine had done its work and Elaine was fast asleep. She went downstairs and picked up the phone. “I’m going to call the doctor,” she told Minnie. “Go ahead, but I know what he’s going to say. Why don’t you wait until tomorrow and let things settle down a bit first?” Nancy realized Minnie was right. She drove home slowly, her head throbbing. Right now, a nap seemed like a good idea for her too. She called or went by Elaine’s house every day. Her progress was slow, but she recognized more daily. Her daughter was the bright spot in her life and the two of them spent as much time as they could together.

CHAPTER 60

Nancy called her father and asked if he was going to be home because she wanted to talk to him. “Here it comes,” he told Blue. “Nancy wants to borrow money again.” She came over and said, “Sit down, Dad. I want you to tell me what to do.” Carl looked at her in shock. This was the first time Nancy had ever asked him for advice. “You know I’ve been seeing Stan.” Carl nodded. “He seems like a good guy; I’m happy for you.” “I know, but I have a problem. Something’s wrong with me.” “What could be wrong? Your business is booming and you’re going out with Stan. You should be sitting on top of the world!” “I think he’s getting serious and I can’t handle that. I’m afraid it will be a repeat of Larry.” “That’s in the past now. You have to look forward to the future.” “I put him off the other night and I doubt if I’ll ever see him again.” “Come on, I’m sure it was just a lover’s spat.” “Oh, Dad,” Nancy said, starting to cry. “I don’t want to lose him. What do I do?” “Give him a call and tell him you’re sorry. Chances are, he’s as miserable as you are.” Then Carl frowned and said, “I have a similar problem with Carrie. I made it clear I don’t want any picket fences this late in life. We haven’t talked in two weeks. I rode by her house one day and saw a man leaving, so I assume she’s seeing someone else.”

Nancy placed her hand over his. “I was wrong about her. Mom wouldn’t like you to be alone and Carrie’s a very nice lady.” “I have to shit or get off the pot. I know that now.” “You’re lonely, Dad. You love Blue and Susie, but you need female companionship.” “What should I do?” “Take the same advice you gave me. Call her and tell her you’re sorry and want to see her.” Carl laughed. “We’re two peas in a pod, aren’t we?” “Good luck, Dad. I have to get going now. Call me and let me know what happens.” “I will,” he said. He gave her a hug and Nancy was on her way.

The next day, Mrs. Parker called from the adoption agency. “I have good news for you. The committee decided to approve the adoption of your granddaughter.” Carl didn’t know how to answer. He hoped that Carrie would come and live with him, but he wasn’t sure how she would feel about having an eleven year old around. He asked Mrs. Parker if he could have a week to think about it. “Well, Mr. Burke, don’t wait too long. I have a long list of people who would love to adopt your granddaughter. “My granddaughter is not up for adoption by anyone but me!” Carl exclaimed. “If you had read the papers before you signed them, you’d know you consented to place her with us if you turned her adoption down.” “All right, I’d be happy to take her.” “Fine, I’ll talk to the committee and get back to you.”

CHAPTER 61

Nancy thought Elaine had shown enough progress to take her down to the shop where she was getting things ready for a small dinner party she had booked. She picked her up at ten o’clock in the morning. “Aren’t you excited to get your hands in the business again?” “I guess,” Elaine said vaguely. “Where is your business located?” Nancy was taken aback. How could Elaine forget where the shop was? When Nancy parked the car, Elaine gazed at the building. “This is nice, Nancy. I can’t wait to see the inside.” “Come on,” Nancy urged. “You can help me like you always did.” Everyone smiled when Elaine walked into the kitchen. “Hi, Elaine. Welcome back.” Elaine looked at Nancy. “Do I know these people?” “Of course you do. You worked with them.” “Oh,” Elaine said and smiled. Nancy asked Elaine to start chopping the vegetables. She began cutting up the carrots, but when Nancy checked, she saw they weren’t slices, but large and small sections. She put Elaine in charge of washing the potatoes, but they kept sliding out of her hands. She looked at Nancy and said, “I don’t like it here. I want to go home.” “That’s okay, honey, I’ll take you home. We’ll try again another day.” When they got to the house, Elaine jumped out of the car and ran up the steps to her refuge. Minnie opened the door just as Elaine crumpled to a heap on the last step.

Aghast, Nancy ran to help her. She and the nurse managed to get Elaine into the house and seated in a recliner. “Call 911!” Nancy screamed. The ambulance arrived and Elaine suddenly went into convulsions. The EMT checked her pulse and shook his head. “I can’t get a reading.” Nancy began to sob. “I never should have pushed her! It was too soon!” Minnie looked at her tenderly. “Don’t blame yourself, it wasn’t your fault.” All Nancy could think of was calling Stan. She needed his comfort right now. When he answered his cell phone she cried, “Stan, please come over to Elaine’s house!” “What’s wrong?” The only answer he got was more sobbing. “Never mind, I’ll be right there!” Stan arrived just as the coroner’s van was picking up Elaine’s body. He quickly took Nancy in her arms. “What happened?” he asked softly. “Elaine went into convulsions and died right in front of me! I shouldn’t have taken her to work! I didn’t even ask the doctor for permission!” “Honey, it wasn’t your fault. You had no idea this would happen.” “I could have done something to save her…” “You couldn’t, it was her time.” “Damn Billy. None of this would have happened if it weren’t for him.” “Take it easy. You’re going to make yourself sick.” “I don’t care!” she screamed.

“That’s it; I’m calling your doctor. He can come to your house and give you a sedative.” Stan dragged her to the squad car and took her home. On the way, he called the sheriff and told him what had happened. Sam was angry. “We’ll change Billy’s charge from aggravated assault to murder. He won’t get out of this one!” “Nancy was there when it happened. She’s beside herself with grief. I’m going to take her over to Carl’s house so he can take care of her.” When Carl heard what happened, he was horrified. He led Nancy upstairs and put her to bed. “She should sleep for a while. Hopefully when she wakes up, she’ll come to with Elaine’s death.” Suddenly, a thought struck Carl. “Who will be responsible for Kay now? Elaine didn’t have any living relatives.” He decided Kay could live with him. She and Susie were like sisters anyway.

The court had to try Billy in another jurisdiction. Everyone in town knew about the case and an impartial jury couldn’t be found. They all wanted to see him hanged. Nancy missed her friend and put flowers on her grave every day.

CHAPTER 62

Carl was having a hard time getting used to having two little girls in the house. They had endless energy and Carl thought he was getting too old to be living in chaos. He wanted to call Carrie, but could never seem to find the time. One day, Carl was at the grocery store and bumped into her at the meat counter. “Carl!” she exclaimed. “How have you been?” “Busy,” he replied. “Both Kay and Susie are living with me now.” “So I heard.” Carl thought she looked wonderful with her dark brown eyes aglitter and her easy smile. “I’m back working for Rudy, you know.” “I didn’t, but Blue’s due for his checkup soon, so I’ll see you there. Why don’t you come over for dinner one night and we can talk about old times?” “Great!” Carrie said. “I’d like that!” “How does tomorrow night sound to you?” “That sounds good. I’ll bring some coleslaw. I have to go before my ice cream melts, but I’ll see you tomorrow night,” she said with a smile. Carl felt on top of the world. Why had he waited so long to renew their friendship? The next evening Carrie arrived bearing a foil covered dish. Blue greeted her at the door and Kay ran up to her and gave her a hug. Susie shrank back and didn’t say a word.

Carl helped her take off her jacket and placed it on the back of a chair. “Kay, the Flintstones are on,” Susie said, sitting down on the chair that held Carrie’s jacket. It slid down the back of it and landed crushed on the seat. “Get up,” Carl said. “You’re wrinkling Carrie’s jacket. There are plenty of other places to sit.” Susie looked at him pouting. “I don’t want to sit anywhere else.” Carl reached over and grabbed her by the arm. “Sit over there,” he commanded, pointing at another chair. Sulking, Susie walked slowly over to it. Kay, sitting on the floor, patted a spot next to her. “Come sit here, we can see the TV better.” Susie refused to move. Kay turned away and became engrossed in the program. Carrie started laughing. “Kids will be kids,” she said. “Let’s go set the table so we can eat.” Carrie was pouring milk into Susie’s glass when the little girl purposely knocked it over. The milk spread over the tablecloth, leaving a large wet spot. Carl was on his feet immediately. “I’ve spoiled you rotten. Leave the table at once!” Susie got up reluctantly and stalked into the other room. “I hate her,” she said, looking at Carrie. “That’s it, go to your room! You can go hungry tonight. It’s a good thing Carrie’s here or I’d give you a spanking.” Susie burst into tears and stomped up the stairs to her room. “Carl,” Carrie said soothingly. “Susie feels someone is intruding on her territory. She doesn’t want to share her grandpa with anyone. Let’s finish up our meal and

I’ll be on my way.” The rest of the dinner was eaten in silence. Kay finished her dinner quickly and asked if she could go to her room. After they had cleared the table, Carl led Carrie into the living room and they sat together on the sofa. He put his head in his hands. “I’m over my head trying to raise two girls. What am I going to do when they become teenagers? On top of that, I still haven’t found another cleaning lady.” Carrie took his hand. “It’ll look better in the morning.” “No, it won’t. I’m overwhelmed.” “What you need is a woman in this house.” “The only woman I want in this house is you,” Carl said sorrowfully. “Alright, you’ll have me then.” “You mean you’ll move in with me?” “Yes, that’s what I mean.” Carl couldn’t believe his ears. “What would the silver haired guy driving a Lexus say?” Carrie started laughing. “Do you mean Wally?” “Who’s Wally?” “He’s my cousin. He’s a salesman and comes over to visit when he’s in town. You weren’t jealous, were you?” “Damn straight I was,” he replied and took her in his arms and kissed her. It was a heartfelt kiss, given by a man who had found his lifeline. Carl smiled broadly. “These days, all the kids live together, why shouldn’t we?” “Everyone will talk.”

“Then they won’t be talking about someone else,” Carl said and kissed her again.

Kay stopped on her way downstairs and peered through the banister. She decided that if Susie hated Carrie, so did she. She trotted down the stairs and Carl and Carrie jumped apart. “Get back to bed, Kay, and I mean now!” Carl said. “I can’t sleep.” “Then take Blue out for his evening walk. When you come back, you’re attitude had better have changed.” Kay slipped the leash on Blue’s collar and dragged him out the front door. Carl looked at Carrie with disgust. “Don’t worry, I can handle it,” she said. They heard a screech on tires outside. “What was that?” Carl asked. When he ran to the window, he saw Kay sitting on the curb with Blue lying beside her. “My dog!” Carl shouted and ran out the door with Carrie right behind him. Kay was crying. “I didn’t mean to hurt him,” she said. Carl bent down and petted the dog. “What the hell happened?” Kay didn’t answer, she just started crying harder. “I asked you what happened!” “I accidently stepped off the curb and there was a car coming. Blue grabbed me by the seat of my pants and pulled me out of the way. I think the car hit him.” Carl looked down at Blue, who still hadn’t moved. The driver of the car ran toward them. “It was all my fault. I was thinking of

something else and before I knew it, the accident happened.” “I hope you learned your lesson,” Carl said bitterly. Blue still hadn’t moved and Carl had to face the fact that he was dead. Tears filled his eyes and the driver saw his distress. “I’m sorry,” he said and walked slowly to his car. A neighbor helped Carl carry Blue in the house. They laid him on the kitchen floor and suddenly the dog jumped up and shook himself off. Seeing his full food bowl, he trotted over to it and began to eat. “I’ll be darned,” the neighbor said. “He must have just been knocked out.” Carl let Blue out in the backyard and watched him ran around normally. He decided he didn’t have to take Blue to see Dr. Ryder after all.

CHAPTER 63

Nancy became distant after Elaine’s death. Stan tried to comfort her, but she wouldn’t let him touch her. Growing sick of it, Stan gave her an ultimatum. They either go on as they had before or he would forget her for good. Nancy was hurt, but realized she only had herself to blame. She knew she had to drop the baggage she was carrying or lose him completely. After a bitter argument, Stan didn’t call her for a week. Nancy was miserable and couldn’t concentrate on her work. She made several mistakes preparing for a party and the staff kicked her out of her own kitchen. She finally broke down and called Stan, but the call went to voice mail. She tried for the next three days with the same result. The women were unusually quiet when Nancy arrived at work the next day. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked them. They all looked at each other until Marge spoke up. “Nancy, we think you ought to know that Stan’s been seeing Cindy, the barmaid at the bowling alley. A friend of mine saw them together and she was all over him.” Nancy felt like she had been hit in the stomach with a baseball bat, but she shrugged her shoulders and lied. “It’s been over for some time. We haven’t seen each other in at least a month.” The women stared at her in disbelief. “I have to get to work,” Nancy said, hurrying in her office to cry. Later, she tried to call Stan again, but the number had been disconnected. She tried his cell phone, but it went to voice mail.

She felt like a dagger had been thrust through her heart. Nancy could picture Cindy in her mind. She had brittle, dyed blonde hair and wore way too much makeup. Nancy wondered what Stan saw in her. She had heard Cindy was an easy lay, maybe that’s what Stan wanted. Nancy didn’t sleep at all that night and got up looking like a wreck. She had dark, puffy circles under her eyes and her skin looked sallow and unhealthy. She repaired the damage with makeup as best as she could and dragged herself to work. Later that night, Stan called to apologize. At first, she would have none of it, but then she began to soften. “What I don’t understand is that you’re dating a floosy. Everyone knows she’s the town whore. What in God’s name were you thinking?” “I felt rejected and wanted to show you I could date other women.” “You sure picked a doozy,” Nancy observed. “Look, I want to see you again and clear the air between us.” Nancy hedged. “I’m busy.” “I’ll be there at six thirty tonight,” Stan proclaimed. “We’ll get things straightened out then.” Nancy wanted to say no, but didn’t have the heart. “I’ll give you fifteen minutes,” she said coldly and hung up the phone. Stan arrived at Nancy’s house looking like a beaten man. Her heart went out to him, but she was determined not to show it. “May I come in?” Stan asked humbly. Not saying a word, Nancy opened the door wider. When they were seated in the living room, Stan began speaking. “I’m ashamed of myself. I couldn’t stand your rejection.” “I didn’t reject you; I needed more time to get over the horrific thing that

happened to me. Your actions of late made me rethink our situation.” Stan looked at her with hope in his eyes. He moved over to the sofa and gingerly put his arm around her. Nancy stiffened and then relaxed. “Can we start over?” he asked. “Yes,” Nancy said softly. “That’s my girl,” Stan said, getting a small box out of his jacket pocket. Nancy accepted it with trepidation. Noting the strange look on her face, Stan said, “Go ahead, open it.” Nancy opened the box slowly and peeked in. Relieved, she broke into a smile. “I love it!” she exclaimed, extracting a gold filigree ring with a ruby stone. “It was my grandmother’s. I want you to have it.” “Oh, Stan, I can’t accept this. It must be a treasure to you.” “You’re my treasure, Nancy. I know you have a long way to go, but you’re worth waiting for. I’ll call it a friendship ring until I give you the real thing.” Nancy slipped it on her finger and it fit perfectly. “I’ll be honored to wear this,” she said, trying not to cry. Stan pulled her close and kissed her deeply. Nancy felt herself falling in love with him. Soon, she would be able to tell Stan what he wanted to hear.

CHAPTER 64

It was slow at the station, so some of the deputies were ing the time by playing cards. As usual, they gossiped when they played. Eventually, the discussion turned to Stan and Nancy. One deputy said, “I saw Stan and Nancy walk into her catering shop Wednesday night.” “You couldn’t have, Stan was on patrol with Peter Wednesday.” “Maybe it was Tuesday then.” “You’re imagining things. No one has ever seen them together. She’s out of his league. Nancy wouldn’t give a poor deputy the time of day.” “Maybe the money’s what Stan’s after.” The sheriff walked into the room. “Who’s winning?” he asked. “We’re taking a break.” “I thought I heard you mention Nancy and Stan. It’s not right to talk about them behind their backs.” “Come on, Sheriff, it’s just harmless speculation.” “Yeah, I guess. You can forget about Nancy and Stan though, if you think they have something going, you’re dead wrong.” Bart, a good friend of Stan’s, knew better. “Do you want to make a bet, boss?” The sheriff thought about it. “Okay, if I win, you owe me fifty bucks. If I lose, I’ll stand on my head in my skivvies.” “You’re joking, aren’t you Sheriff?”

“Nope, my word is good. How about it? Shall we shake on it?” Bart stuck out his hand to seal the deal with the sheriff.

CHAPTER 65

Susie took Blue for a walk. It was a beautiful day and he checked every nook and cranny on the way. Susie got tired of him lifting his leg on every tree, so she tugged his leash and they continued on their way. They walked a little further and Blue stopped to nose something in the dirt. Susie pulled on his leash, but he wouldn’t budge. Disgusted, she walked over to see what was so interesting. Blue had nosed out a twenty dollar bill. Susie picked it up and shook the dirt off. “Come on, let’s go back and show Carrie and Grandpa what you found.” “Take off your shoes,” Carrie said when she walked into the kitchen. “You’re tracking dirt all over the floor.” Susie dutifully took off her shoes and wiped Blue’s paws off with a paper towel. She reached into her pocket and held up the twenty dollar bill. “Look what Blue found!” she shouted. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Carl said laughing. “He has a good nose!” Carrie exclaimed. “How should we spend it?” Kay asked. “Blue needs a new collar and we can get him more toys,” Susie suggested. “We could put it in the bank for a rainy day,” Carrie said. “Dogs don’t have rainy days,” Carl said. “It’s Blue’s money, so it should be spent on him. Let’s not decide right now. We’ll think about it and talk it over in the morning.” It was time to eat, so everyone put Blue’s money out of their minds.

Carl made an announcement at breakfast. “I’ve decided to buy lottery tickets with Blue’s money. He’s certainly been a lucky dog so far. Let’s see how long his luck lasts!” In the weeks ahead, Blue’s twenty shrank down to ten dollars. He got three numbers on a small pot and it went back up to fifteen. After that, Blue lost every week. “Well, Blue,” Carl said when there was only one dollar left. “You had a good run, anyway.” Carl didn’t care what the numbers were on the ticket he bought with the last dollar. He had run out of birthdays and ages. “Give me a quick pick,” he told the man behind the counter. He stuck the ticket in his shirt pocket and forgot about it until Susie asked him where it was. “It’s in my plaid shirt pocket,” he said, disinterested. “That shirt was dirty, so I threw it in the hamper,” Carrie commented. Susie was in the laundry room in a flash. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her grandpa’s shirt was still in the dirty clothes. She took the ticket out and ran back to the living room. “I found it!” she said, waving it in the air. No one paid any attention to her. As far as they were concerned, the fun was over. Only Susie stayed up to watch the lottery numbers being drawn. The first number was a six. Susie looked at the ticket and the number wasn’t there. The announcer rattled off the next five numbers, but Susie wasn’t listening. She was thinking what could have been if Blue had won the lottery. She glanced at the TV and looked at the numbers displayed. She stood up and stared at the screen, then looked at the ticket in her hand. All of the last five numbers matched! Susie stood there dumbfounded. “I’m not seeing straight, I can’t be,” she told Blue. She rechecked the ticket and saw that Blue had won.

She ran to everyone’s room shouting, “Get up! Blue won the lottery!” Carrie sat up in bed and said, “Go back to bed, Susie. You were having a dream.” Kay put her pillow over her head and went back to sleep. The only one that paid attention to her was Blue, who was barking and wagging his tail furiously. Carl opened one eye and hollered, “What’s wrong with Blue?” “Grandpa, Blue just won the lottery!” Susie shouted. Carl sat up and shook his head. “Well I’ll be damned,” he said. He went downstairs and paced and drank coffee until the morning paper was delivered. He ran to the door and grabbed the paper. Carl sat down at the kitchen table and opened the paper with shaking hands. Due to a large jackpot, Blue had won ten million dollars! Carl had to sit on his hands to control the shaking. He started to get up to pour more coffee, but decided he didn’t need any more caffeine. He sat quietly in the chair and thought about what they would do with all that money. By the time the rest of the family got up, he had a plan. Kay was the first one downstairs. “I had a foolish dream that Susie came into my room and told me Blue had won the lottery,” she said laughing. “Can you believe that?” “Believe it,” Carl said. “I can’t believe it’s true!” Kaye exclaimed. “I need some coffee to clear my head,” Carrie said, disbelieving. Susie came downstairs rubbing her eyes. Blue scratched at the door to go out, unaware he was a multimillionaire.

“Sit down, we have to talk,” Carl said. When everyone was seated, he cleared his throat and began. “First of all, I have to go to Topeka to claim the money,” Carl explained. “After taxes, the sum should be between five and six million dollars.” Carrie gasped. “I can’t even contemplate that much money.” “Me neither,” Kay added. Carrie looked dreamily at Carl. “Now we can take a trip around the world!” “I can finally see Disneyland!” Susie exclaimed. Kay shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not sure what I want, but a swimming pool in the backyard would be nice.” “What are we going to do for Blue? After all, he’s the reason we have all of this money.” Susie pointed out. “We could buy him a diamond collar!” Kay suggested. Carl slammed his hand on the table. “Listen to yourselves!” he yelled. “We can’t let anyone know we’ve won the lottery or change our lifestyle. People will come out of the woodwork wanting money. Suddenly, everyone will want to be your friend. We’d have to put bars on the windows so people won’t rob us.” Susie and Kay looked at each other. “I like my life here,” Kay said. “I don’t want it to change.” “I’m going to see Steve Blackburn in the morning. He’ll know what to do.” Carl made the girls watch a church service on TV while Carrie prepared roast chicken and dressing. The family followed their usual Sunday routine. Carl took a long walk with Blue. When they returned, he sat down on a lawn chair and stared off into space. His eyes flicked over his old truck sitting in front of the garage. He realized he could afford a new one now. He stood up abruptly and shook his head. He was used to working for everything

he had. He knew it meant more to acquire things like that. Carl walked slowly to the house. He had to make a list of things to do in the morning. What he’d rather do was lie down and take a nap like he usually did on Sunday afternoons.

CHAPTER 66

Carl went to the bank and got a safety deposit box. Under the teller’s supervision, he placed Laura’s death certificate, insurance papers and an envelope containing the lottery ticket in it. He put the key in his pocket and walked to Steve Blackburn’s office. Since he didn’t have an appointment, he had to wait twenty minutes to see him. When Carl was finally called in, he sat down and said, “Steve, I have a huge problem.” “How so?” “I won the lottery and need some help getting the money and dispersing it.” Steve stared at him. “I don’t believe it. You wouldn’t kid me, would you?” “I’m serious, Steve. Let’s get down to business.” “How much did you win?” “About five or six million.” “Have you thought about how you’re going to take it? Do you want a lump sum or monthly payments?” “A lump sum. The six million is what I should get after taxes. At my age, I think a lump sum is the only way to go.” Steve nodded. “Where’s the ticket now? Do you have it in a safe place?” “It’s in my safety deposit box at the bank.” “Good. What do you want me to do?” “Come with me to pick up the money. I’m afraid to go alone.”

“I’ll make sure there are no pictures taken and keep your name out of the press. Don’t tell anyone you won, not even Carrie. You have no idea what money will do to a person.” Carl looked sheepish. “She already knows, so does Susie and Kay. I haven’t told Nancy yet.” “Good, I don’t trust her. How come you told everyone in your household?” “I didn’t. We were all together in it. Actually, it’s Blue’s money.” Carl told him the story of the twenty dollar bill. Steve burst out laughing. “That story belongs in a movie!” “Don’t I know it,” Carl replied. “Will you go to Topeka with me?” “Sure, but it’ll cost you,” Steve said, winking at Carl. “You can afford it now, can’t you?” All Carl had to do in Topeka was have the ticket verified and sign some papers saying he wanted the amount in a lump sum. Steve suggested that Carl get a number of smaller checks instead of one large one. The lottery committee complied and they deposited three million dollars in twenty different banks before they left Topeka. Steve saw that some of the money was put into investments and bank stocks. About twenty miles from home, they stopped in the sleepy town of Oxford and set up a checking of thirty thousand dollars. “Steve, I’d like to keep five thousand dollars in cash to have at my disposal.” “Good thinking, you can use it for incidentals. Where will you keep it?” Carl grinned. “Under my mattress,” he wisecracked. The last stop was at Carl’s regular bank where they deposited twenty five hundred dollars. It was a respectable amount, but not enough to raise eyebrows. Steve told Carl his firm would keep the rest of his money in escrow for him. “It

won’t make any interest, but your money will be safe.” Carl thanked him and Steve got out of the truck. “The bill for my services will be in the mail,” he said. “My check’s already in the mail, but don’t hold your breath. I sent it pony express!” They both laughed and Carl headed home. When he arrived, he saw Susie in the neighbor’s yard, talking to a little girl that lived there. She was gesturing madly and the girl seemed to be listening intently. When she saw Carl, Susie ran to meet him. “What were you telling Ashley?” he asked. “You seemed very excited.” “Nothing,” Susie replied, but her eyes gave her away. “What did you tell her?” Carl demanded. “Only that we’re going to get an in ground swimming pool.” Carl was about to blow up and then reconsidered. “A swimming pool wouldn’t be out of the question. Consider it done,” he said, tousling her hair. “But no more blabbing, we don’t want to raise suspicions.” “Okay, Grandpa, I promise.” The next day, Kay came home with a new collar and leash for Blue. Carl asked her where she got the money. “Carrie lent it to me,” Kay explained. Carl looked at Carrie. “Did you?” “Yes, Blue’s collar is old and he needs a new one.” Carl eyed the new collar with distaste. It was bright red with large glass studs. “Do you want my dog to look like a sissy?” he cried. “Pretty soon, you’ll have ribbons on his ears too! Take that thing back and get Blue a man’s collar. Black leather with silver studs would be fine.” Blue wagged his tail as if he agreed.

Later that evening, Carl and Carrie sat on the porch swing, chatting about their good fortune. “Couldn’t we take a vacation?” Carrie pleaded. “Where would you like to go?” “I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii.” Carl tried to control his temper. “Is that what you call being inconspicuous? We can take a weekend trip to River Lodge and do some fishing if you want, but that’s all!” Carrie looked disappointed, but said, “You’re right, we can do Hawaii later. A relaxing weekend without the kids and Blue would be nice.” “I knew you’d see it my way,” Carl said, kissing her lightly on the lips.

CHAPTER 67

Carl went down to the local bank and asked to see an officer. Soon, he was escorted into a vice president’s office. Carl didn’t know the man, so he assumed he was new. “Hello, I’m Carl Burke. I’ve been dealing with your bank for a long time.” “I’m Stewart Ohlin, pleased to meet you.” He sat down and asked, “What can I do for you today?” Carl handed him a file folder containing the deed to his house. “I’d like to mortgage my house for thirty thousand dollars.” The banker cleared his throat after looking at Carl’s papers. “You know the economy is poor right now and our bank isn’t making many loans.” “My house and the two acres I own are worth at least two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.” Mr. Ohlin shook his head. “I’m afraid that was before the bottom fell out of the market. Your property is only worth half as much as it was a year ago.” Carl became angry. “I’d like to talk to Cal Watkins, please. He knows me well.” The man picked up the phone and dialed the bank president’s extension. “A Mr. Burke is in my office demanding to see you.” He hung up the phone and told Carl, “He’ll be right in.” A few minutes later Cal entered the room and walked over to Carl. “Hello, you old devil. Long time no see.” “That’s because every time I’m here you’re out on the golf course.” Cal laughed. “What did you want to see me about, pal?”

“I need to borrow thirty thousand dollars on my property. I’ve been looking at new trucks and I can’t believe how expensive they are.” “Don’t I know it! I just bought a Cadillac that cost more than my first house!” He turned to Stewart. “Make out the papers and give him anything he wants. Carl’s good as gold.” After Cal left, Stewart called in his secretary to make out the necessary papers. Carl could tell he was galled because he had been one upped by Cal. Carl took the thirty thousand dollar check to the teller and told her he wanted a money order made out to Nancy Olsen for the same amount. When he got home, he called Nancy and made arrangements to meet her at her shop at seven o’clock that night. Carl walked in and saw a crack of light coming from under Nancy’s office door. She smiled when she saw him. “Come on in, Dad.” Carl could tell she had been paying bills. “It isn’t all profit, is it?” he said. “Nope, but I’m keeping my head above water. Business is great, but the food cost is high. I’m not complaining, everyone’s feeling the pinch.” “What do you hear about the faltering catering business in Watertown?” “It’s closed. The owner skipped town and left all of his equipment behind.” “I guess someone should snap it up then. The company that financed it would probably take fifty cents on the dollar just to get rid of it.” “Do you think so, Dad?” “Nothing like finding out.” “I don’t have the money to expand and now I have other things to consider.” “Such as?” Nancy twisted her ring and the ruby sparkled in the light. “That’s a beautiful ring. Where did you get it?”

“It was Stan’s grandmother’s ring. I didn’t want to accept it, but Stan insisted.” “I see. This is getting serious, isn’t it?” Nancy reddened. “Oh, Dad, I don’t know if I’m ready, but if I wait too long, I could lose him.” “Do whatever your heart tells you to do,” Carl advised. “I love my business and I love him. I don’t think I can have both.” No one heard Stan come in. “We can work it out, Nancy,” he said. “Hello, son,” Carl said. “Are you here to take Nancy home?” “No, I’m on duty, but I saw her lights on and decided to check up on her. I’ll leave you two alone. It’s not often you spend time together. Bye, Mr. Burke. Bye, honey, I’ll call you later.” “He’s such a sweetheart,” Nancy sighed. Anybody would be lucky to have him for a husband.” Carl reached into his pocket and pulled out the money order. “I came here to give you this in case you were still interested in expanding.” Nancy looked at the amount and stared at her father. “What did you do? Find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?” Carl smiled. “In a manner of speaking. Look, honey, it’s yours to do anything you want. Just use it wisely. I’m leaving, are you sure you’ll be okay here alone at night?” “I won’t be long. I just have a few things to finish up.” She walked around the desk and hugged him warmly. “Thanks, Dad, you can count on me to make the right decision.” Carrie was waiting for Carl with a glass of wine and a bowl of fresh buttered popcorn. “I thought this might hit the spot. Why don’t you light a fire and we’ll sit and talk for a while?”

They settled in front of the fireplace with the bowl between them. “Carrie, I gave Nancy thirty thousand dollars today. It felt so good I find I’d like to use some of the money to help people.” “I think that’s wonderful! What do you have in mind?” “A dog refuge for strays and unwanted pets. People can adopt them, but no dog will ever be killed. I’ve given this some thought and the two acres adjacent to this property would be excellent. I’ll call it Ol’ Blue’s Dog Sanctuary.” “That’s a great idea. Everyone knows how much you love animals.” “I’m so excited about this that I’m going to call an architect tomorrow and have him draw up some plans.” “I always knew you were a kind hearted person.” “Thanks for the vote of confidence, honey. You know, I’m beginning to rethink this picket fence theory.” Carrie gave Carl a kiss on the cheek. “You’re never too old for a picket fence,” she said. Nancy called Carl the next day. “Dad, Stan and I have decided to pool our money and build a house. Expanding my business would be great, but I think I have all I can handle with my operation here.” “Does your and Stan’s decision mean what I think it does?” “I think so, Dad. At least it’s a step in the right direction.” “I’m happy for you. Stan’s a great guy and will make a wonderful father.” “Don’t put the cart before the horse!” Nancy exclaimed. “We both want to take things slow and easy.” “You don’t take after your father, that’s for sure. Once I decide what I want, wild horses couldn’t keep me from getting it.” Nancy laughed. “I guess I’m more like Mom. I know she’d love Stan and would

be happy for me. I think you and Carrie would have her blessings too, Dad.” “I hope so, honey.” He hung up the phone and looked at the sky. “I’m sorry, Laura,” he whispered. “I will always cherish the years we had together, but it’s time for me to let go. Rest peacefully, my love.” After Carl finished, he smiled. There was nothing holding him back, he would enjoy whatever time he had left.

CHAPTER 68

The deputies were in the lunch room drinking coffee and telling jokes before their shift started. “Are you guys ready for the big party?” one asked. He was referring to an annual dinner dance the sheriff held to thank his employees. “Yeah, I’m ready,” one replied. “Except I don’t know whether to bring my mother or my sister.” “Come on, lover boy; bring one of your married girlfriends!” Everyone laughed. “I wonder who Stan will bring.” “He isn’t dating anyone, is he?” “Maybe he’ll bring Nancy Olsen.” “I bet he does,” Bart said. “I bet he doesn’t.” “I already have a bet with the sheriff, ?” “Yeah, and you’re going to lose fifty bucks.” “Don’t count on it,” Bart said smugly. Everyone was in a good mood the night of the party. The Knights of Columbus hall was jam packed. The deputies had drawn straws to see who would be working and the department was running on a skeleton crew. The sheriff hoped it would be a quiet night.

Everyone was on their second drink and Stan still hadn’t arrived. “I’ll bet he’s not coming,” someone said. “You know he’s always late. He’ll probably be late for his own funeral.” A few minutes later, the door opened and Stan walked in with Nancy. She looked gorgeous in a short, red skirt that showed off her shapely legs. The matching sweater was off the shoulder with sparkling rhinestones. One of the deputies poked the sheriff in the ribs. “Looks like you lost your bet,” he said laughing. “What are you trying to do, rub it in?” The band was good and everyone enjoyed dancing. The lights were lowered for the last song, which was “Goodnight Sweetheart.” When the lights came up, the sheriff was standing in his skivvies. He had bony knees and a protruding stomach, so he cut quite the figure. The women stood there with their mouths open and the men clapped loudly. Sam laid his palms flat on the floor and attempted to stand on his head. He got about halfway up when he fell down with a crash. He quickly gathered himself and tried again. This time, his shorts slid down to show the crack in his behind. After being told what was going on, Stan looked at Nancy and whispered in her ear, “I think it’s time for us to leave. I don’t want to see the sheriff make a fool of himself over a bet about me.” He put his arm around her and they walked out of the hall unseen. “I guess we’re the talk of the town,” Stan said when they got outside. Nancy laughed and they kissed ionately. “Let them talk,” they said in unison. “They ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” Stan exclaimed.

Other Novels by Sally A. Allen

Seeing Sparks Fading Sparks After the Sparks Cougar Choices The Rogue Big Bad Killing Machine