Love Comes Home (40 page)

The woman pointed. “You’ll hear her. If you listen.” She made a disgusted sound. “Sometimes you don’t listen.”

He did hear whimpers then. Pitiful, sorrowful whimpers. “Is she hurt?” he asked the woman as he pushed past her toward Samantha.

“Not bad. Tripped on some briars.” She followed him. “She was wailing for a while, but I started singing to her till I heard you coming.”

“You sing?” Clay couldn’t hide his surprise at the idea of the woman behind him singing.

“Like a bird.”

With her gravelly voice, he couldn’t imagine her singing like any kind of bird except perhaps a crow, but it didn’t matter how she sang. What mattered was getting Samantha back to her mother as fast as he could.

The little girl cried louder and pointed at the scratches on her legs when she saw Clay. “Hurt.” Then she lifted her hands toward Clay.

“It’s okay, baby. We’ll fix those scratches.” Clay scooped
her up and held her close. With his heart extra full, he looked up toward the treetops. “Thank you, Lord.”

She cuddled against him with her head on his shoulder. Her sobs turned to sniffles. “I want Mommy.”

“And she wants you.” He wiped her face off with his shirttail.

“Better go.” Fern stepped out of the trees behind them. “Dark comes fast in the trees.”

Samantha peeked over at Fern and then hid her face against Clay’s shirt. At least she didn’t cry again. He headed back the way he’d come, but Fern stopped him.

“Not that way. Quicker this way.”

“But what about Graham?”

“He won’t get lost.” Fern turned and started back through the trees. “Baby wants her mama.”

Clay followed her. With the shadows deepening, Clay wasn’t sure he could retrace his steps without getting lost. Graham might be the same. “Maybe I should holler at him.”

“Worry, worry.” She stopped and whistled like a hawk alerting the world it was on the hunt. “There. Now we’ll see who gets there first.”

It took Clay a minute to realize the odd sound rumbling out of her was a laugh. She took off so fast Clay almost tripped over some prickly vines in the rush to keep up.

Samantha actually giggled as she bounced against his shoulder. Kids could go from tears to happy in a minute’s time. It wasn’t until people piled on more years that they started hanging on to things, even things that hurt.

When they got close to the edge of the woods, Clay asked the woman, “That was you in the woods the day I went to the pond, wasn’t it?”

Fern looked over her shoulder at him without slowing down. “You wouldn’t listen. Girl was crying like the baby there.” She nodded toward Samantha.

“What makes you think I could have made her stop?”

“Couldn’t if you didn’t try.”

“I’ll try now.”

She stopped walking so suddenly Clay almost ran into her. She pointed ahead. “She’s right over there. Waiting.”

“For Samantha.”

Her lips curled up a little. “And you.” She moved off the faint path to let him pass.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“Not waiting for me.”

“The house is,” Clay said.

“They put a bed in it?”

“I think so.”

“Then I might sleep there.”

“Everybody worked hard on it.”

“That girl, the one who’s not afraid of me, she did it.” Her face softened for a moment, but then her frown came back. “You shouldn’t have cut all the bushes out of the yard.”

Clay almost laughed. “They’ll grow back.”

“Samantha,” Victoria called. She sounded like she was losing hope.

Samantha’s head jerked up off Clay’s shoulder. “Mommy!”

Fern gave Clay’s shoulder a shove. “Baby wants her mama.”

With tears streaming down her cheeks, Victoria ran to meet them when they came out of the trees. She did just what Clay told her she would and grabbed Samantha away from him to hug her close. What he hadn’t told her, what he
wasn’t expecting, was her stepping closer to him, needing his arms around them too. He didn’t know how he knew that, but he did.

It was like Fern was whispering in his head. “Hold her.” This time he listened.

38

P
lease, Tori. You have to come.” Lorena caught a corner of the sheet Tori flipped across the bed and tucked it under the mattress. The sheets carried the fresh smell of May sunshine.

Tori did the same on her side. “Why? You don’t need me to go walking with Fern.”

A week had passed since Samantha got lost, and Tori had absolutely no desire to be in the woods. With Fern or anybody else. Even now, thinking about those long terrible minutes that seemed like hours before Clay came out of the trees with Samantha made Tori’s throat so tight she could barely swallow.

Clay. He’d been so strong that day. Lending her his strength. Praying for them all. Finding Samantha. He said Fern found her, that Fern called to him in the woods to lead him to Samantha. But Clay carried her out. Clay brought her daughter back to her.

Tori held the pillowcase against her face to breathe in the outdoors. Clay smelled of the outdoors. Of sweat and soap too. A thrill went through her at the memory of his arms around her. A guilty little thrill. She kept her eyes away from
Sammy’s picture on top of the bureau. Instead she handed the pillowcase to Lorena and watched her scoot it over the pillow.

Try as she might, Tori couldn’t stop thinking about Clay. After services Sunday, he asked to come see her. He had to plow all week and wouldn’t be able to get off the farm until Saturday unless it rained. It hadn’t rained, but now it was Saturday afternoon. She was home from the store, and Samantha was at Mrs. Harper’s. That made Tori’s throat feel tight again.

Chores went faster without Samantha underfoot, but Tori missed her sitting on the pillows to turn making the beds into a game. Tori had wanted to say no when Mrs. Harper came by the store to see if Samantha could go home with her. Both her mother and Mrs. Harper settled their eyes on her, waiting for her answer. Her mother’s eyes were troubled because of how Tori hadn’t let Samantha out of her sight since she wandered off in the woods, and Mrs. Harper’s hopeful because she loved Samantha so much. So she’d said yes.

Now Lorena wanted her to say yes to a walk. They hadn’t finished the beds and they still needed to sweep the floors and dust. Tori sighed and plumped the pillows as the clock chimed two in the front room. She didn’t have time to let Fern get her lost in the woods. Clay promised to be there around six. Only four hours from now. Her heart did a funny lurch at the thought of him stepping up on the porch, sitting with her in the swing, offering her his heart.

An argument had gone on inside Tori’s head ever since Sunday. She should have said no. She couldn’t do this. Not yet. But what could it hurt to talk to him? They were friends. But it wasn’t a just-friends feeling that tickled awake inside her every time she thought about him. That’s what scared her. She didn’t know why, but it did.

Lorena smoothed the bedspread down until every wrinkle was gone. “This isn’t just going walking. This is different.”

“Different how?”

“She knows where Kenton’s buried.”

Tori reached across the bed to grasp Lorena’s hand. “I’m sorry, Lorena. I’ve been so busy thinking about myself I haven’t been listening to you.”

“That’s okay.” Lorena gave the bedspread another tug with her free hand.

“No, it’s not okay. I’m not being a very good sister.” Tori pulled Lorena around to sit beside her on the bed. “I should have listened. But I can’t imagine why Fern says I have to go with you. Kate and Jay maybe, but not me.”

“I don’t know why. But please, you have to come. She won’t show me where it is unless you do.”

“She would.” Tori rubbed her hand up and down Lorena’s back. “Fern would do anything for you. You’re the only person in the world she cares anything about.”

“She likes all of us. She just thinks you don’t like her. She says you’re afraid of her.”

“I used to be. She was different before she started staying with Aunt Hattie.” Tori shivered a little. “When I was a kid, I was terrified of her. I think she tried to scare us kids back then.”

“Maybe, but not now. She helped Kate and then she watched Samantha when she got lost in the woods to make sure she didn’t get hurt,” Lorena said.

“She could have brought her back.”

“Clay told you why she didn’t. She thought Samantha would be scared like you used to be.” Lorena leaned over in front of Tori. “Please, say you’ll go.”

Tori sighed. “I guess I do owe her.”

“It’s not for her. It’s for me.”

“All right. I’ll go.” It wasn’t like Samantha would be with them. She could do this for Lorena.

“Thank you. Thank you.” Lorena bounced up and grabbed Tori in a hug that almost knocked her off the bed. “I love you. You’re the best sister ever.”

“Better than Kate?” Tori laughed as she stood and smoothed down the bedspread again.

“It’s okay to have more than one best sister.” Lorena’s smile wavered a bit. “I’ve got another sister too, you know. Her name was Melanie Birdsong, but now it’s probably something different. Kate says that when people adopt a baby they usually pick a new name. I’m glad Mama and Daddy didn’t want to change my name.”

“You liked your name.”

“I did.” Lorena’s smile completely disappeared then. “You remember what that Mrs. Baxter tried to name me, don’t you? Pansy. Can you imagine me named Pansy?”

“No, no, I can’t.” Tori smiled and touched Lorena’s cheek. “That was just wrong, but you’re with us now. As long as you want to be.”

“That’s forever.” Lorena’s smile spread across her face. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to remember my first family. And know where Kenton is buried. I know he’s not there now, but I still have to see it. I have to.”

“Okay. When?”

“Now.” Lorena made a face and hunched up her shoulders as she answered.

“Now?” Tori stared at her.

“Kate will be here any minute and Fern’s waiting over in the woods.” Lorena pushed the words out fast.

“I can’t go now.”

“Please,” Lorena begged. “I know Clay’s coming, but that’s not for hours and you’ll be back way before then.”

“Sweaty with spiderwebs in my hair.”

Lorena laughed. “Clay won’t care. Kate says he loves you.”

“Kate knows everything, huh.” Tori turned away from Lorena to hide the color crawling up her neck.

“She does, but it’s not much of a secret that Clay likes you.” Lorena slid around in front of Tori to peer up in her face. “You like him too, don’t you?”

“I’ve known him forever. Of course I like him.” She hoped Lorena would let it drop, but that wasn’t Lorena. She was too much like Kate. She had to know everything.

“Do you think you can love him?”

“I don’t know.” Tori looked up then, straight at Sammy’s picture.

“Do you want to?” Lorena’s eyes went to Sammy’s picture too. “You said Sammy had been telling you goodbye in your dreams.”

“But I can’t tell him goodbye. That wouldn’t be right.”

“Liking Clay doesn’t mean you’ve forgotten Sammy. I’ll never forget Kenton and my mother. But see, I have this second family here now. You could have a second family with Clay.”

“Let’s not get carried away. He’s coming to see me, not propose.”

Lorena raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure?”

Tori gave her a little push. “Go put your shoes on. You can’t go in the woods barefoot.”

Fern barely nodded at them when they found her at the edge of the woods before she took off down a faint path. They made a funny procession with Fern leading the way in
her overalls and a man’s T-shirt she’d probably snatched off somebody’s clothesline. Behind her, Lorena was practically walking on her toes with nervous excitement. Kate and Tori brought up the rear. Fern set a pace that had Tori breathing hard and Kate looking pale.

After they’d walked a ways, Tori put a hand on Kate’s arm. “You need to rest a minute.”

Kate leaned against a tree to catch her breath. “I hate feeling so weak. The doctor said it might take a couple of months to get my strength back.”

“You shouldn’t have come.” Tori waved away a fly. “I shouldn’t have come.”

“We had to. For Lorena.”

“Well, they can just go the rest of the way without us or wait.”

Kate looked around. The color was coming back into her cheeks. “I’ve never been in this woods, have you? We left Lindell Woods when we climbed that fence a little ways back.”

“I stick to walking to ponds with fish in them and I haven’t seen the first pond. Just trees and bugs.” Tori smacked at a mosquito.

Up ahead, Lorena stopped Fern, who glared at them, but then trailed Lorena back down the faint path.

“Fern says it’s not much farther.” Lorena motioned toward Fern, who had stopped and folded her arms across her chest. “She says you can rest when we get there.”

“Kate’s resting here.” Tori looked straight at Fern. “This was too much for her.”

“I’m all right, Tori,” Kate insisted. “If we can keep up with Fern a little longer, we can take our time coming back.”

“Not Tori.” Lorena went on in a singsong voice. “She’s got a date.”

“Clay?” Kate smiled.

“It’s not a date,” Tori said. “He’s just coming over to the house.”