M. Donice Byrd - The Warner Saga (41 page)

His life was far from perfect but Pete had noticed that the gnawing in the pit of his stomach had lessened recently. He was b
eginning to accept he and Lolly were in a safe place, far away from the war and the horrible things that happened in Missouri. That in no way exonerated Blake from his part in the tragedy, but Pete was learning to tolerate him and acclimate himself to his new home. He still thought about running away but he had to admit, the time when he and Lolly had been on their own had been much more difficult than he thought it would be. Blake had been right; Lolly couldn’t make it on the streets. She was just too young.  But perhaps when she was older, they’d run away again. But until then, he’d bide his time.

He worried about what Lolly would be learning living with these rich people. Would she grow up spoiled? Blake was too generous with his money. In the year they had lived there
, not once did Blake deny any request for material things. Sometimes he’d say something in passing, like when he said he wished he could play his guitar better, and the next thing he knew, a music instructor was knocking on the door. Pete suspected Lolly would have a pony as soon as it occurred to her to want one. Blake even thought he could keep him from running away by putting two dollars a week into a savings account for Pete for as long as he stayed. But Pete didn’t want Blake’s money.

When the baby began to fuss again, Pete shifted her to the crook of his left arm and put his little finger in
the baby’s mouth. He lifted the baby and kissed her forehead. He carried little Sarah into the master bedroom. The fire was burning low in the hearth but he could still make out Meredith wrapped in Blake’s arms. Getting used to the way Blake and Meredith bickered constantly had been one of the hardest things to adjust to. If Lolly’s ma had ever argued with Pa like that he would have hit her but Blake never touched his wife. It was one of the few things about Blake he actually hoped he could learn to emulate.  But Pete knew he had inherited his father’s temper.

He pulled his finger out of Sarah’s mouth and laid his hand on Meredith’s shoulder. When that didn’t wake her, he gently shook her.

“Pete?” she croaked sleepily then cleared her throat. Seeing the baby in his arms, she moved to sit up waking Blake in the process.

“Did Sarah wake you?” she asked holding her
arms out to take the baby.

Pete nodded. “I don’t mind,” he signed after relinquishing the baby.

Blake had worked hard to catch up on the sign language lessons he missed and would frequently slip into the study during classroom time just to watch Sam to improve his own understanding of it. It was rare he didn’t understand Pete’s signs anymore.

“Do you want me to stay so I can take Sarah back after you feed her?” Pete asked.

“That’s not necessary, Pete.”

“Do you want me to build up the fire before I go?”

It was Blake who picked up on the fact that Pete didn’t want to go back to bed. He wondered if he’d had a nightmare.

“It’s already stuffy in here but if you’d like to stay to put Sarah back to bed after she’s been fed, you may.”

“Blake,” Meredith protested. “Pete needs his sleep. He’s a growing boy.”

“It’s just one night. He can sleep late in the morning if he wants.”

As Pete sat down in the rocker a few feet from the bed, Meredith put the baby to her breast.

“I can’t imagine anything more beautiful in the world than watching a woman nurse her baby.” Blake said sitting up and moving close enough to Meredith to put his arm around her. He was thankful he wasn’t married to one of those women who hired a wet nurse. “Someday, Pete, you’re going to fall in love with a woman and she’s going to have your b
abies and you won’t imagine you could be any happier than in a moment like this.” Blake smiled at Pete. “I have to admit, I feel a bit shortchanged that I didn’t get to experience this with you and Lolly – but it doesn’t mean I love you less than I love Sarah.”

Pete resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Blake was always saying stupid stuff like that; telling them he loved Lolly and him as much as he loved the baby, calling him son. He would never be his father. His father was a drunk. Pete didn’t need a replacement father any more than he had needed his real one and Lolly didn’t need him either.

As Meredith leaned her head against Blake, he noticed Pete was frowning. “You’re going to be a great father when you’re grown. I can tell because you’re so good with your sisters.”

Pete picked up his hands to speak but dropped them back into his lap.

“What’s wrong, Pete?”

Pete looked back and forth between them then tentatively raised his hands. “No woman will want a man
who can’t talk.”

“Well,” Blake began. “I know quite a few men who would love to have a wife with that particular affliction – Dr. Billingsham, for example. I should imagine there are many women who feel the same way.” Blake chuckled until Meredith’s elbow found his side.

“Blake, that’s not funny. He’s serious. Pete, of course, there are women who will look past your injury. When the right woman comes along, she’s going to learn sign because she will want to know what you have to say.”

Blake interrupted Meredith. “You know what girls like? They like boys with meat on their bones. How are those ribs?”

“You can barely see my ribs anymore,” Pete signed with a wide grin.

“Come over here and let me feel for myself.”

Pete came around to Blake’s side of the bed and held his arms out to his side. A moment later, Pete was flat on his back on the bed, fighting off Blake as he tickled his sides, laughing uncontrollably.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

M. Donice Byrd lives in a small town near Lubbock, Texas. She has been married to the same man since 1985. They have one daughter, a grandson and three cats.