Doubting Thomas (Tarnished Saints Series) (19 page)

“How wonderful,” she said with a smile, looking over to Gus. He quickly looked the other way.

“I’m going to follow you back in the convertible. I can’t wait to see Dan’s face. He’s going to be so excited.”

“I imagine he will. I’ve got the goodies for a nice family party. This is going to be one special day for Dan.”

“You do know how to drive stick?” he asked.

“I haven’t done it in awhile, but I’ll be fine.”

“Great. Then let’s get going.”

“You load the groceries, and I’ll be right there. I just want to thank Gus.”

When Thomas walked away, she hurried over to Gus and shook his hand, the folded check for two grand being transferred in the process.

“I don’t like all these secrets,” he complained. “It just don’t feel right.”

“Thanks, Gus. I appreciate it. Now remember, don’t tell Thomas.”

“He’s not a fool, you know. He’ll find out sooner or later.”

“Let me worry about that,” she said, hurrying over to the truck, satisfied with the way things were going.

Thomas held the door for Angel, noticing the satisfied look on her face.

“You start back to the house,” he said. “I forgot to ask Gus for the extra key.”

As soon as she pulled away, Thomas headed for his friend.

“Alright, Gus, what’s going on?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Gus put his hands in his front pockets.

“Face it, buddy, you’re a skin flint. You wouldn’t take a two cent loss let alone one for two thousand dollars. How much did she pay you?”

“Now, Thomas. I promised not to say anything.”

“She’s my wife, Gus. I have a right to know.”

“Two thousand,” he said, finally. “I wouldn’t have taken it, but she was very insistent.”

“Like hell. You probably tried to get more out of her and she set you straight.” Thomas pulled the two thousand dollars out of his pocket he’d had left over from the sale the day before, minus the fifty bucks he’d paid Gus for the beds and stove. “Here,” he said, pushing it into Gus’s hand. “I owe you fifty bucks. Now give me the damn check.”

Gus licked his finger and started counting the cash in front of him.

“Damn it, Gus, you know I don’t lie. Now hand over the check, will ya?”

“All right, all right,” he said, pulling the check from his pocket and handing the crumpled paper to Thomas. “And don’t worry about the fifty bucks. I was going to throw that junk out anyway, so there’s no charge. We’ll call it even.”

“Fine,” said Thomas. “And don’t say a word of this to Angie.”

“Here we go again,” grumbled Gus. “What’s a man to do?”

* * *

Angel couldn’t imagine what was taking Thomas so long. She’d been home for nearly an hour, and the Ainsleys would be arriving shortly. Tillie and the girls were already there, as Angel had arranged to have her stay with the children while they went to town, just in case Child Services showed up. Dan had been out with Sam running the horses and she didn’t want the younger children unsupervised.

“I’ve got a table set up with plywood and construction horses outside,” Dan told her eagerly.

“Great,” said Angel, handing Josh a table cloth. “Go put this on the table,” she told him. “And tell Jake he’d better turn those hot dogs on the grill before they burn.

Tillie was helping her in the kitchen, unloading paper plates and plastic cutlery from the grocery bags.

“Thomas is going to kill you when he sees what you’ve bought for this party,” she told Angel.

“I bought it with my money,” she explained. “Plus, I don’t care what Thomas says. This is a birthday celebration and no one will be doing dishes tonight.”

Next, she handed a pair of scissors and a glass vase of water to Zeke. “I need you to go pick a bouquet of wildflowers and put them on the center of the table.”

“Sam,” she called out the door. “It’s time to hang the birthday banners you painted.”

She handed a huge stack of plates to little Eli standing silently watching her. Then she put the cups and utensils atop it. The little boy teetered and the things threatened to fall.

“I’ll take them,” said Dan, reaching out for them.

“No,” she stopped him. “Eli has to learn how to handle chores just like the rest of you. Besides, you are not supposed to be working on your birthday.”

“Since when?” asked Dan with a laugh. “Last year Pa had me scrubbing pots on my birthday. I’m not used to all this fancy stuff.”

“Well it’s about time you boys had parties. And there’s nothing fancy about hot dogs and paper cups.”

Dan picked up the pitcher of lemonade. “Still, I think I can handle this one.”

“You’re just as stubborn as your father,” she told him, shoving a plastic bag of napkins under his arm and condiments in the other. “May as well take this while you’re going.”

Once they were alone, Tillie turned to Angel. “So you really think Thomas is going to let you get away with paying for half that car?”

“He’s not going to find out,” said Angel, wiping a lemonade spill off the table.

“I’d hate to be around when he does find out. My aunt and uncle told me he has a bad temper.”

“They don’t know him well,” she said, wiping slower. “He’s not that bad. More bark than bite.”

“So do you think you’ll be spending an intimate evening together soon?” Tillie asked with a smile.

“No.” Angel pushed a chair aside and sat down. “Tillie, he told me yesterday that he didn’t intend to stay married to me.”

“What?” Tillie reached out for a chair and sat beside her. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“I knew he didn’t love me,” she said with a downward glance, but I thought in time things would change. But now, I can see I was wrong. He never wanted this marriage and although I don’t regret what I did - for the children’s sake - I know I had no right to basically force him into it.”

“You didn’t force him, Angel. You did it to save his children from foster homes.”

“It was because of me they almost went there in the first place.”

“It was because of that reporter, not you.”

“I never should have come to Thunder Lake. I just should have stayed home where I belong.”

“You belong here now, Angel, and you know it.”

“I’m not so sure anymore,” she answered sadly, shaking her head. “I’m not so sure.”

The honking of a horn and the squeals of children had Angel jumping from the chair. Thomas pulled up to the house with the convertible top down, and the Ainsleys drove in right behind them.

“He’s here,” she said, throwing down the towel and running out to meet him. Tillie followed right behind her. Gabby and Stacy were holding the pans for the hot dogs as Zeke unloaded the last one. They put them on the table and came to join the rest.

“Pa!” shouted Dan, the first to make it to the car. “What are you doing with Gus’s car?”

Thomas got out and tossed the keys to Dan. “Happy birthday, son. The car’s yours now.”

Dan caught the keys and just stood there with his mouth open. Then Angel nearly cried when she saw the teenager fall into his father’s arms for a hug. It was the first time she’d ever seen Thomas hug any of his kids. It was a sight that set her heart on fire.

“Pa, this is the greatest,” Dan exclaimed jumping into the car. “How did you get Gus to sell it to you?”

He looked up at Angel and for a moment she thought maybe Gus had told him she’d been involved. But she changed her mind once he answered Dan.

“I guess one of my prayers has been answered.”

The kids all jumped into the car and Dan started up the engine.

“Let’s go for a ride,” shouted Zeke.

“Not till after you eat,” intervened Angel. “The food is ready.”

“Aw, Pa, can we please?” Jake whined.

Thomas looked over to Angel and she wondered if he would be angry that she’d thought to take control without even confronting him.

“You heard what your mother said,” he answered, looking at her through hooded eyes. Angel’s heart leapt into her throat when she heard him refer to her as the boys’ mother.

“I made some great potato salad,” said Agnes, holding up a very large bowl.

“And a cake,” Clarence reminded her, arms filled with Tupperware square containers stacked high.

“Well, actually more than one cake,” Agnes said, putting her arm around Eli and heading for the table. “I couldn’t decide if I should make German chocolate, French vanilla, Strawberry twirl, Crunch cake . . . ”

Agnes’s voice trailed off as the group of people headed over to the table. That left Angel and Thomas standing there alone.

“The place looks great,” said Thomas, scanning the painted banners, brightly decorated table, and vase of flowers.”

“So you’re not angry?” she asked with a slight smile.

“Why should I be? You went to a lot of trouble to throw this party for Dan.”

“You called me the boys’ mother,” she said, still stunned by his words. “Did you mean that?”

He looked at her and slowly brought his hand to caress her cheek. She leaned into his touch, feeling so good.

“I’m sorry about yesterday, Angie. I didn’t mean what I said about not staying married.”

“It’s alright,” she replied. “I understand it’s not easy to lose someone you love. I could never take Brianne’s place nor do I ever intend to. Please understand that, Thomas.”

“I do.”

The two words sounded so sincere. More sincere than the day they’d taken their wedding vows. Maybe this would all work out after all,” she decided. “Maybe they just needed time.

As luck would have it, they’d just started on the birthday cake, when the social workers pulled up to the house. Thomas was on his feet immediately, his guard up to protect his children any way possible.

“It’s okay,” Angel said, her hand on his wrist stilling him from going to them. “I’ll talk to them.”

Thomas watched her hurry across the lawn, greeting first Bob and then Barb. They talked quickly, and then Angel escorted them into the house. A silent lull came over the kids, and Thomas’s stomach tied in a knot.

“Are they here to take us away?” asked Josh, eyes widening in fear.

“Pa, don’t let them,” Sam pleaded.

“No one’s taking you boys anywhere. I’ll see to that,” Thomas reassured them.

“Angel knows these people.” Tillie tried to put them at ease. “She’ll know what to say.”

“Oh my,” said Agnes, wiping crumbs from the plastic table cloth. “I certainly hope there’s nothing wrong.”

“It’s just a routine check, Aunt Agnes,” Tillie told her. “I’m sure Angel’s seen to correct anything that would make them suspicious.”

Thomas wasn’t so sure. He’d brought beds into the house for the kids, but they were old and rusty. He’d replaced the wood burning stove with an electric one, but he wasn’t sure that was enough. He paced back and forth, wanting to follow Angel into the house, but too upset to do it. He knew his temper might blow off at the wrong time, giving these social workers more fuel for the fire.

“I can’t stand it any more,” he mumbled, after waiting nearly half an hour and still they hadn’t left the house. “I’m going in.”

He started for the house just as Angel and the two came out. He met them at the bottom of the stairs. He would have felt more secure if he hadn’t seen the disturbed look on Angel’s face.

“Angie, is everything alright?” he asked her.

“Yes,” she said. “They’re just about finished. They just want to talk with the children.”

“Why?” The word left his mouth before he could stop it. He’d had enough of reporters and police questioning after Fawn’s death. They’d all been questioned over and over again. He couldn’t put them through it again.

“It’s routine,” said Barb, pushing her eyeglasses up her nose. “Just routine, Mr. Taylor.”

“We’ll take the oldest first,” said Bob. “Please send him over.”

“Angie, not now. Not in the middle of his birthday party,” Thomas pleaded with her.

“We have no choice,” she told him, calling Dan over and sending him inside the house to be questioned by the case workers.

“Damn it, Angie, why do they have to do this now?”

“It’ll be alright,” she told him, laying a hand on his arm. “They liked the changes inside, though they suggested more, and did say the living quarters are too small for so many people. But they’re willing to overlook that for now since they know you’re  . . . you’re . . . ”

“Poor? Go ahead and say it,” he challenged her. “I can’t support this family and you know it as well as I.”

He turned and ran a hand through his hair and walked over and leaned on the horse corral and she followed.

“I’m your wife now, Thomas. I have assets that’ll cover for the lack.”

“I don’t want my wife supporting me or my boys.”

“Marriage is a combining of two people as well as their money and belongings. You’re going to have to push your pride aside and accept that.”