Picket Fence Pursuit (7 page)

“You’re not missing any meals are you, Dalton?” Kylie broke free and patted her brother’s rounded gut.

A monster of a smile bowed his lips. “Nope. When Mama’s not feeding me, Tanya is.”

Kylie’s mouth fell open. “Tanya? Little Tanya Burns?”

“The one and only.”

“You two are seeing each other?”

“I bought her a ring.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope.” He laced his fingers through his jeans belt loops. “I’d imagine we’ll all be married before you.”

Kylie squinted her eyes. “That doesn’t hurt my feelings. Are you still going to the technology school?”

“Nope. Got a job at the mine.”

“Why?” She smacked her hip. “Why would you do that, Dalton? Just—just look at Daddy.”

Dalton frowned. “Yeah. Look at Daddy. He’s raised eight children. Every one of them loves the Lord. Every one of them watched him work hard—”

“Dalton, you know what I mean.”

“Let me finish.” He pointed to his chest. “We’ve watched him love our mama, watched him come home from a hard day and sit on the porch and play his guitar and sing hymns to us.” He pointed toward her. “When are you going to figure out what’s important, big sister?”

“You know he had to have wanted a better life, an easier life. He’s sick now, little brother.” She clenched her teeth and stared at him for several moments. Finally she exhaled. “I didn’t come here to fight.”

“Dalton, did I hear the door?” Mama walked up behind him. She clapped her hands when Kylie peeked around her overgrown brother. “Kylie, come here, girl! How was your drive?” She opened her arms and wrapped Kylie in an embrace.

“Hi, Mama.” Kylie kissed her mother’s cheek. “It wasn’t bad. Just took a little over an hour.” As always, Mama’s hair was rolled in a large knot on top of her head. It was as close to being a beehive as she could get it without it actually being one. Her bright blue eyes sparkled, overshadowing the wrinkles that lined her face. Mama wore the same type of outfit she always wore: a pair of stretch-waist jeans and a blouse with a big floral pattern.

“Get yourself in this house. We don’t see enough of you. First you go off to college an hour away, then you get an apartment that’s an hour from the college and still over an hour from your family.” Mama grabbed her arm and pulled her farther into the living room. The same burnt orange couch and light brown, oversize chair sat upon the same dark brown, worn carpet. The same old cuckoo clock rested on the wall above the television. Everything was clean but as aged as her parents’ anniversary, thirty years.

“How’s Daddy feeling?”

“He has good days and bad days. The good news is his disability starts next month.”

“It’s about time. Where is he?”

“Taking a nap.” She looked at Kylie. “How long are you staying?”

“I have to work tomorrow afternoon.”

“I’ll tell you what. Let’s call your sisters and your brothers-in-law and get their families on over here for dinner. I’ll fix some fried chicken, and we’ll whip up some mashed potatoes and baked beans—”

“Mama, you know Kylie’s nothing but a nuisance in the kitchen.”

Kylie looked back, scrunched up her nose, and stuck out her tongue at her brother.

“Now, Dalton, don’t go picking on Kylie. Why don’t you call Tanya and have her come over, as well?” She opened the freezer and grabbed several packages of chicken. “Your daddy will be tickled pink to see all of us here when he wakes up.”

Kylie wrinkled her nose when her mother handed her a ten-pound bag of potatoes and a paring knife. She hated peeling potatoes. Trudging to the trash can, she pulled it beside the table so she could throw the peels into it. “I can’t wait, Mama.”

Later, as Kylie placed the last dish on the dining room table, she had to admit helping Mama in the kitchen felt wonderful despite the nick on her thumb from cutting some apple slices and the cut on her finger from dicing the onion.

“You helped Mama with all of this?” Sabrina, Kylie’s oldest sister, set up the card table for her three boys and Natalie’s son.

“Yes, I did.”

“I’m impressed.” Natalie smiled. “We thought you were only good at schoolwork.”

“Ha-ha. I’ll have you know—”

“Is that my Kylie?” Daddy’s deep voice sounded from just outside his bedroom door.

“Daddy!” Kylie ran and hugged him. “I’ve missed you.”

“And I’ve missed you.” He looked past her. “Looks like the whole family’s here.”

“Yep.”

He turned his head and coughed several times. He looked back at her, then wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Well, let’s eat. I’m starved.”

His cough and the weariness in his eyes tugged at her heartstrings. She loved her daddy and couldn’t imagine life without him. Soon God would provide her with the income to help her parents.

As everyone gathered around the table, Kylie walked her father to his seat. Soon the adults settled at the big table, and the four grandchildren sat at the card table.

“Are you ready for me to bless the meal?” asked her father.

“Yes, Daddy, let’s hurry it up.” Twenty-one-year-old Amanda snorted. “After all, I am eating for three.”

“What?” Mama stopped arranging the serving dishes to make room for the butter dish and gawked at her fourth child. “Did you say three?”

“Me and my big mouth.” Amanda hit the table. “I wanted to surprise you guys after dinner.”

Kylie watched as tears glistened in her daddy’s eyes. “I remember when Chloe and Cameron were born.” He looked at his youngest children, the twins. “We had the best times, didn’t we Mama?”

“It was an adventure, that’s for sure.” Mama walked over to Amanda, patted her shoulder, and kissed the top of her head. “The Lord just keeps on blessing us.”

Kylie placed her napkin on the table. “Excuse me.”

“Are you okay?” Daddy’s face was etched with concern.

“My stomach’s just hurting a bit. Must have been all the taste testing Mama made me do.” She tried to chuckle. “You all start without me.”

Kylie shut the door to the bathroom and dropped onto the pink toilet seat. Same pink toilet. Same pink tub. Same pink sink. Same single bathroom. Nothing had changed. They didn’t have the money to change any of it. She bit her lip and willed the tears to stay away.

How could her parents possibly be happy that Amanda was having twins? Her sister was a baby herself, a baby married to a coal miner. Natalie, pregnant with her second child, married to a coal truck driver. At least Sabrina had the good sense to marry a man with a safe and stable job. Although she wasn’t sure if being a high-school principal was exactly safe, but at least it was stable, and he had a good income. One that provided consistently for his family.

She remembered her father coughing when he got up from his nap. Coughing again when he sat down for dinner. She didn’t know how many more years she’d have with her father. All because of the coal mines. She hated the feast or famine they’d endured as a family at the hands of her daddy’s employer. She hated seeing her daddy sick.

Two brothers-in-law working in the mines. Now, her flesh-and-blood brother would join them. One grandchild after another, and none of her sisters had an education above high school. Yet her parents, her sisters, her brothers—they all seemed content, happy.

She stood and stared at herself in the mirror. “Am I missing something here?”

Yes.

She squelched the answer that popped into her mind. Yes, she was missing something all right. She was missing the fact that no one in her family had a lick of sense. No one except her.

❧

Ryan gazed out the window of the airplane. Kylie’s rejection of him had hurt more than he initially realized. Trying to escape, if only for a few days, Ryan had booked a flight to see his old friend in Alaska. He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly, willing the Dramamine to kick in. Though he traveled by plane at least three times each year, flying still made him nervous.

He closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. A vision of Kylie peering up at him at the arcade just before the boy ran into them filled his mind. He visualized lowering his lips to hers. They were soft and sweet beneath his.

His mind shifted to the remembrance of the pain in her eyes when she told him she needed more. More. Why did women always want more? Why couldn’t they be content with love, with knowing a man cared about them?

He turned his head. He didn’t care what women wanted. Only what Kylie wanted. His heart was filled to the brim and spilling over with her, and he couldn’t stop the overflow. I think I’m falling in love with her.

Darkness surrounded him for a brief moment. He jolted at the voice of a woman instructing him to remain seated as the flight landed. He rubbed his eyes and looked at his watch. “Wow, I’ve been out for three hours.” He smiled. Dramamine was God’s gift to the fearful flyer.

The plane landed, and Ryan snatched his carry-on bag from the overhead compartment. Holding in a yawn, he made his way past the attendant and into the airport. He stopped at a coffee shop and bought an extra-large black java. After a few quick puffs to cool the coffee, he sucked down a large gulp.

He rented a pickup then headed for his hotel. After
checking in, he drove to the Alaskan Logging Company. He yanked his cell phone from his pocket and dialed the owner’s number.

“You don’t get to surprise me this time, buddy.”

Ryan snapped his phone shut and turned at the sound of Jim’s voice behind him. “You take all the fun out of things, Jim.” He grabbed Jim Thompson’s hand and shook it as he patted his friend on the back. “How are you and your ladies doing?”

“Good. Callie’s working part-time in a florist shop now that all three girls are in school. What about you?”

“I’m doing good.”

“Any special lady in your life?”

Kylie’s face popped into Ryan’s mind. He swept the image away. “No.”

“Wouldn’t you say it’s about time?” He punched Ryan’s shoulder. “Aren’t you pushing thirty?”

Ryan forced a laugh. “Yeah. I’m just waiting on God’s timing.”

“Maybe you just need to make a move to cooler climates.” Jim nodded for Ryan to follow him into the office. “You know I would welcome your help here. Your dad was one of my uncle’s best workers, and the machine you invented—why, production has nearly doubled in the last several years.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Ryan settled into the plush couch that sat opposite Jim’s desk. The phone rang.

“Just a sec, Ryan.” He picked up the receiver and his pen at the same time. “Thompson.” A grin lifted his mouth, and he laid down the pen. “Hey, doll, how’s your day going?” Jim’s attention stayed on his desk as he shook his head. “Sorry ’bout that, but don’t worry. I’ll be home at six, and I’ll call them. No, you don’t have to worry. I love you. I’ll see you tonight.”

Jim replaced the receiver, and Ryan started to stand. “I’ll come back tomorrow. Sounds like you need to get home.”

Jim shook his head and motioned for him to sit. “No. It’s fine. Callie had to take the SUV to the shop. She feels like she’s getting the runaround. She just needed to know I’d take care of it.”

Jim’s words echoed in Ryan’s mind. Callie wanted security. Kylie wanted security. Maybe Kylie’s wants were less about money and more about her need to feel cared for. Ryan would do anything to ensure that Kylie was safe and taken care of. Somehow he had to prove it to her.

Maybe I need to take Jim up on a job here. Maybe she needs to know that I go to work each day and come home each night. Help me, Lord. I love the freedom I have to serve You in any way You lead. Now that Kylie’s entered my life, show me how I’m to follow.

❧

Having spent a never-ending dinner with her future supervisor, Kylie led Brad Dickson to the exit of Marinelli’s. If she had to spend another moment listening to Brad praise himself for his business abilities or brag about the many women who fell at his feet, Kylie felt sure she would vomit. She glanced at her watch. We’ve spent forty-five minutes in the restaurant—it seemed like hours.

She looked back at Brad, noting his exquisite pinstriped navy suit, starched white shirt, and red, silk tie. A power outfit, for sure. She wondered what he thought of her not-so-elaborate attire of a good pair of khakis and a fitted sweater. She’d thought their dinner would be a get-to-know-each-other-a-bit kind of thing. Obviously, he’d expected something a bit more formal. She pushed open the door and walked outside.

“That was a quaint place. Do you go often?” Brad peered down at her with a condescending smirk plastered on his face.

She recognized the tone. His intent was to make her feel inferior. Marinelli’s was beneath him. Well, where did the man usually eat? A five-star restaurant? She agreed with Gramps. Marinelli’s had awesome Italian food.

“Yes. It’s probably my favorite restaurant.”

“Really?” He wrinkled his nose. “I’m surprised you would take your future boss to such a second-rate place. I thought the meat was overcooked, the noodles pasty, and the bread had hardly any garlic taste to it at all.”

What an arrogant, self-righteous baboon! Okay, so he didn’t like the place. But why act as if she’d purposely tried to displease her boss? Anger surged through her veins. Taking slow breaths, she remembered who dwelled within her heart. Help me turn the other cheek, Lord. She closed her eyes for the briefest of moments. God called His children to love, to tell others about Him. You never said it would be easy. Give me patience with him, Lord.

“Hi, Kylie.” She turned at the sound of Gramps’s voice beside her in the parking lot.

“Hello, Gramps.” She hugged the older man, then nodded toward Brad. “Gramps, allow me to introduce you to Brad Dickson. He’ll be my supervisor at Miller Enterprises.”

“How do you do, Brad?” Gramps grabbed Brad’s hand and shook it firmly, then pulled Kylie close and patted her back. “You’ve got a good one here.”

“I couldn’t agree more, Gramps.” Brad’s smug tone made Kylie want to punch him in the jaw. She couldn’t fathom how she would stand working with him on a day-to-day basis.

Gramps leaned toward Kylie. “Did you see Elma’s hair this morning at church?”

Kylie shook her head. She watched as Brad’s eyebrows
lifted in humor. He cupped his chin with his finger and thumb, then smirked at her and Ryan’s grandfather.

“The woman’s hair was pink! Silly woman can’t make up her mind.” Gramps chuckled and nudged her shoulder, knocking her back a step.

Ryan walked up beside them. A knot formed in Kylie’s throat. She hadn’t seen him in two weeks, and she’d missed him more than she expected. Heat rushed to her cheeks. She didn’t want Ryan to think she was dating Brad. “Ryan.” She touched his arm. “This is Brad Dickson. He’s my future supervisor.”

Hurt flickered in his eyes before he nodded to Brad and grabbed his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Brad lifted his nose and grunted an acknowledgment. He released Ryan’s hand and wiped his palm on his pants. The unbelievable arrogance of the man! He was nothing like this in the interview. He had been kind, more than civil, but then Mr. Miller had been sitting there, as well. She looked up at him and willed her dinner to stay in her stomach. How would she make it through each day on the job?

❧

Ryan studied this Brad Dickson. The man’s dark blond hair had been highlighted with lighter streaks. Clean-shaven and groomed to a tee, the man would definitely be considered good-looking. He walked behind Kylie with his nose so high in the air, Ryan wondered if he would trip from not watching where he was going. Ryan had seen men like this before. Power hungry. Their main objective was to make others feel of little worth. So this is what Kylie wants in a man?

He huffed as he followed Gramps into the restaurant. He’d missed Kylie something fierce the two weeks he’d spent in Alaska. However foolish he’d been when he fell head over heels for Vanessa, Ryan wouldn’t make the same mistake again, even if it ripped his heart to pieces.