Love Comes Home (21 page)

“But the Lord made a different way for you.” Kate was glad to see the house up ahead. Her mother might have wiser words for Lorena. “And we needed you too. You made things better in our family.”

“I wish I could make things better for Tori now. She goes out on the porch in the middle of the night sometimes. Even when it’s cold.”

“I used to do that. It’s a good place to think.”

“Did you cry?” Lorena asked.

“Not much. I was always too busy thinking up ways to make things come out the way I wanted them to.”

“Tori can’t do that.”

“No, she can’t.” Kate pulled the car into the driveway and switched off the key. “But Tori’s tougher than she looks. She’ll be okay. With us sisters helping her.”

“Am I tough?” Lorena asked.

“Tough enough to be one of the Merritt sisters.” Kate leaned across the seat to hug her. “Even if your name is Lorena Birdsong.”

“Daddy says there aren’t any Merritt girls left. Tori is a Harper. Evie, a Champion, and you’re Kate Tanner.”

“He can’t get rid of us that easy.” Kate laughed. “Getting married didn’t stop us from being the Merritt sisters. All of us. You too. Now, come on. Mama has come out on the porch, so she must need to tell me something before I take Uncle Wyatt’s car home. We’ll have to make him those oatmeal cookies he likes so well to thank him for letting us use it.”

“Yeah.” Lorena pushed open her door and slid out of the car. “Are we late? Mama looks worried.”

“I told her I didn’t know when we’d be back. She’s probably just anxious to hear how your audition went.” Kate
got out and put her hands on her hips to stretch her back. The dull throb wouldn’t quit. She’d ask Aunt Hattie about it tomorrow. Aunt Hattie probably knew more about babies than that Edgeville doctor ever would, but she’d been the one who told Kate to go to him.

She’d been sitting in her rocking chair by the window the day Kate went to tell her about the baby. “I’m getting old, chile. Much as I’d like to walk you through havin’ this sweet baby of yours, I don’t have the strength to catch babies no more.” She put her wrinkled hand on Kate’s cheek. “But I’m gonna ask the good Lord to put off me moving up to heaven so’s I can hold your little one. He’s bound to be something, coming from you and that Jay Tanner boy. Have I ever tol’ you how much your boy puts me in mind of my Bo?”

Kate smiled, remembering her words, but then her smile disappeared as Lorena rushed across the yard toward their mother. “What’s wrong, Mama?”

Kate ignored the pain in her back and followed her because Lorena was right. Mama was worried about something. Kate looked past her to see if she could see Daddy. Maybe his cough was worse and he needed to go to the doctor. Or something was wrong with Samantha. Or Evie. Worries poked her from all sides.

She shook herself a little. No need in worrying until she knew what was wrong. And no need then either. Then it would be time for praying or fixing things.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Mama came down in the yard to meet them. “Your father is putting on his shoes to go look for Victoria.”

“Where is she?” Kate asked. “Graham’s pond?”

“Where else? But she never stays this late. Never.” Mama
looked to the western sky where the sun had already slipped out of sight, leaving a burst of red behind.

“She doesn’t,” Lorena echoed.

“Is Samantha with her?” Kate asked.

“No, Sammy’s mother has her overnight. Victoria is probably just taking advantage of that to fish a little longer, but it’s almost dark. And I don’t know. I have the feeling something’s wrong. I wanted to go see about her, but your father insisted he could go. But it’ll make his cough worse.”

They could hear him coughing through the open door.

“I’ll go,” Kate said.

New worry lines traced across her mother’s face. “Are you sure you’re up to that? You don’t want to overdo.”

“Walking is not overdoing. I walk all the time.” Kate leaned over and kissed her cheek.

“I’ll go with you,” Lorena said.

Kate looked at her in the Sunday clothes she’d worn for the audition. “You can’t go walking in the woods in those shoes. You’ll end up ruining them and have to go barefoot to church tomorrow.”

Lorena looked down at her black patent leather shoes. “I’ll run change.”

“No need. Just stay here and tell Mama about being on the radio. I know the path Tori takes to the pond. I’ll probably meet her coming out and we’ll be back before you can get the supper table set.”

21

W
alking along the path to the pond brought back memories of the times Tori begged Kate to go fishing with her when she was a kid. Kate let Tori catch the fish while she sat on the bank and dreamed up stories or talked to Graham, who had a way of appearing out of the trees whenever they were at the pond. Kate didn’t fish.

The thought of fish smell and worms made her stomach lurch. She took a deep breath and brought to mind the fragrance of the blooms on her mother’s lilac bush. She didn’t need to start heaving. It was hard enough just walking. She was so tired and the pain in her back kept poking at her. But nobody said being in the family way was easy. At least not for everybody.

The thing was, she had expected it to be easy. She wasn’t Evie. She was strong. Healthy. She thought she’d sail through the months until she was holding her baby. But easy journey or not, she could handle it. Throughout time, millions of other women had done the same.

When she walked under the old trees, she stopped and looked up at their branches reaching toward the sky. A prayer
of thanksgiving rose within her for these trees, the solid, forever heart of Lindell Woods. She ran her hand over the bark of one of the oaks. Here in this spot, she and Jay had shared their first kiss and danced to the music of their hearts. That night had been the beginning, even though it was far from easy coasting for them after that.

The Lord didn’t promise easy coasting. He promised to stay with those who loved him, whatever the ride. Or walk.

Kate pushed away from the oak. She didn’t have time for woolgathering. Light was fading fast under the trees.

When she finally reached the pond, she found Tori on the bank, staring out at the water. Her fishing pole on the ground next to her had the line reeled in.

She looked around when Kate came out of the trees and then turned her face back toward the pond that reflected the pinkish orange of the sky. She made no attempt to get up. She didn’t even say hello. Scout, who had been leaning against her shoulder, jumped up at the sight of Kate. His tail flapped slowly back and forth, as though he knew the mood was too somber for his usual jubilant greeting.

“Hey, Scout, how’s things?” Kate gave his ears a tousle and sat down by Tori. As if relieved Kate had taken over for him, Scout waded into the pond to lap up a drink. Tori had been crying, even though no tears were sliding down her cheeks now. She still didn’t say anything.

After a couple of minutes, Kate broke the silence. “The pond looks pretty.”

“I suppose.” Tori kept her eyes on the water.

“Did you catch anything?”

“One, but it got away. Wasn’t very big anyway.”

“Maybe it’s too early. Graham says the fish have to warm
up enough to get hungry for worms. Or could be Scout scared them away.”

“He just found me a little while ago. Must have been out in the woods hunting.” Tori sighed. “Didn’t matter. I didn’t care if I caught anything or not.”

“I guess not, since you don’t have your line in the water.” Kate let her eyes go to the fishing pole.

“Or my hook baited.” Tori looked around at Kate then. “Do you think I should bait my hook?”

Kate had the feeling they weren’t talking about fishing anymore, but she wasn’t sure exactly what they were talking about. “Maybe. If you want to, but not tonight. We need to head home. Mama’s worried about you.”

“Mama worries too much.” Tori turned her eyes back to the pond. The pink had faded from the sky and the water was going dark. “If I want to sit out here all night, what difference does it make? Samantha’s with Sammy’s mother. Nobody needs me.”

“Mama and Daddy need you. I need you. Lorena needs you.”

“You love me. You don’t need me.”

“I need you to be happier.” Kate wished she had grabbed her sweater out of the car. With the sun gone, the air was cool.

“Happy. Are you happy, Kate?” Tori shivered, and Kate scooted closer to put her arm around her.

“You know I am. I so want to be a mother like you.”

“Like me.” Tori let out a long sigh. “Have you always been happy, Kate?”

“Not always,” Kate admitted. “Once when I was about Lorena’s age now, I was so unhappy that I sat on this very pond bank and told Daddy I didn’t believe in God.”

Tori whipped her head around to stare at Kate. “But you didn’t mean it.”

“I thought I did when I said it. I was that unhappy with what was happening, and I was sure if God really loved me the way everybody always said he did, then he would have stopped the bad things from happening. I was very young.”

“But you figured things out.”

“Not everything by any means, but I did figure out the Lord was right there hurting with me even while I was saying I didn’t believe in him. He never once turned his back on me even when I turned my back on him.”

“Mama thinks I’m mad at God. She told me she was going to pray that I would let go of my anger. But I’m not mad at anybody. Certainly not God.” Tori stared back toward the pond. “Even if he did take Sammy.”

“Is that why you’ve been crying?” Kate gently brushed a strand of Tori’s black hair out of her face. “Were you and the Lord talking about Sammy?”

“No.” The word came out so harsh that Scout forgot about the frogs at the pond’s edge and slunk back to Tori. She ignored him and stood up. “We better head home. It’ll be dark under the trees.”

“Right.” Questions circled in Kate’s head, but she bit her lip and kept quiet. She got to her feet and then had to grab hold of Tori as the world spun around.

“Are you all right?” Tori put her arm around Kate’s waist.

Kate forced out a little laugh. “I’m fine. I just stood up too fast. This being in the family way takes some getting used to.”

“You shouldn’t have walked over here after me.”

“I’m fine, Tori. Really.”

“Really?” Tori frowned at Kate, probing her words and
her face. “You look like you’re not so sure about that. What’s wrong?”

“You mean besides my sister forgetting to come home?”

“Don’t try to change the subject. What’s wrong?”

Kate blew out her breath. “Nothing’s wrong except the thought of worms and fish is making me queasy and my back hurts some. Didn’t your back hurt while you were carrying Samantha?”

“Not until the last couple of months. What does the doctor say?”

“That things hurt when you’re going to have a baby. And sometimes you throw up.”

Tori smiled. “No doubt about that one. And sometimes you feel like crying like Evie.”

“Evie has always cried about everything.”

“Well, now she has reason.” Tori picked up her fishing pole and bait bucket. “But who am I to talk about somebody crying?”

“You have reason too.” Kate eyed the bait bucket. “I can carry the fishing pole, but no worms.”

“Worms won’t hurt you.” Tori laughed. It was a good sound. “But I carried them over here. I can carry them back.”

“Just keep them away from my nose.”

“You do look a little pale.” Tori peered over at her. “I can leave the bait bucket and help you.”

“Help me how? Carry me?” Kate smiled. She did wish she could sit back down and rest awhile, but they needed to go home before Daddy came searching for them both.

“You could lean on me, Kate. You don’t always have to be the strong one.”

“I’m all right, Tori. Really.” Kate pushed assurance into
her voice. She was all right. She was. “It’s just been a long day, but Lorena did great. She’s going to be on the radio.”

“I knew she would be. I guess she’s excited.”

“Very.” Kate hesitated, but Tori was Lorena’s sister too. Sisters needed to share worries. “She hopes her mother will hear her and come see her.”

“Oh.” Tori rested her fishing pole on her shoulder and began walking without saying any more.

Kate dodged the end of it and followed her. That was Tori’s way. She had to think about things. She didn’t just blurt out whatever she was thinking the way Kate sometimes did.

“Did you know she’d been wondering more about her family?” Kate asked.

“I knew something was bothering her. I guess now that she’s older, it’s natural for her to wonder about her family.” Tori looked back at Kate. “That doesn’t mean she doesn’t love us.”

“That sounds like something Mama would say.”

“You mean instead of something your little sister would say?” Tori shook her head a little. “I grew up, Kate. And Lorena is growing up too. You have to let her make her own decisions.”

“But what if they do hear her on the radio and come back for her? She might go away.” Just saying the words squeezed Kate’s heart. She couldn’t imagine Lorena not part of their family. “I don’t want that to happen.”

“Neither do I, but we do want her to be happy.”