ELEVEN
A SUSPENDED FEELING OF warm disbelief hovered around Megan as she and Krista rode in Tyler’s truck to the cell phone store in the next town over. Tyler kept sneaking glances at her as he drove, and she had to squeeze her hands together to keep them to herself.
Grace’s panting had Megan glancing in the back seat to see the dog resting with its head on Krista’s lap. The dog had been so excited to see Tyler when they went to Chasity’s to pick her up. Even now, Grace watched him with adoring eyes.
Chasity had hugged Megan close to her and whispered in her ear, “Don’t think you’re getting away with not telling me what in the world is going on.”
“He’s caught. It’s over,” Megan had replied, feeling her smile widen.
“I’m not only talking about the man who’s behind bars,” she had said, glancing furtively toward Tyler and back.
“Oh.” Megan had even let out a little giggle, the heat in her cheeks burning all the more when Tyler glanced up at her, making her feel like a silly schoolgirl rather than the professional adult she was.
She covered her mouth, another giggle surfacing as she glanced at Tyler behind the wheel. Luckily, she had caught it because Krista’s stare burned the back of her head.
“You two going to tell me what’s going on?” Krista asked.
“We’re taking you to get a cell phone,” Tyler said, glancing in the rear-view mirror.
“That’s not what I’m talking—wait, a cell phone!” Krista sat forward, causing Grace to jump up and let out a little woof.
“I don’t like not being able to get a hold of you when we aren’t together,” Tyler added, pulling into the store?’s parking lot. “We were going to pick one out for you, but now that the threat is gone, I thought you’d like to choose your own.”
“Wow, this is…this is…” Krista stammered, looking at Megan for support.
“It’s a big step,” Megan said.
“In the right direction…the first of many,” Tyler said, turning in his seat after parking and shutting off the truck. “How many more weeks of camp?”
“Three weeks and four days.”
“You sure are a precise girl. I think you might take after your uncle,” Megan said with a laugh.
“Well, when you don’t want something to end…” Krista shrugged.
“You enjoy camp that much?” Tyler asked.
“I do, but it’s not just that.” Krista looked from him to Megan to him again. “It’s going to be extra hard to return to…the Smithers’…after this summer.”
Tyler snapped his eyes to Megan, and she realized they would have to have a serious talk sooner than their budding relationship warranted. If she had it her way, Krista wouldn’t be returning to the Smithers’ other than to pack up her belongings.
“Let’s not think about that now,” Megan said, pulling her out of the truck. “You never know where the future will lead.”
Krista eyed her as if she wished she could read Megan’s mind.
“You need all your focus to choose the right phone, because I have no clue. I’ve been a bit out of touch.” Tyler met them as they walked in.
“I’d say.” Krista knocked into him. “That phone of yours is practically an antique.”
Megan sat back watching uncle and niece banter while Krista chose a phone and got it set up. Her mind was full of thoughts that made her want to settle into the chair and daydream for the rest of her life. Could things really be working out so synchronistically?
Tyler walked over while the cashier showed Krista how to use her phone. “Am I being overindulgent?”
“You mean, are you spoiling her?” Megan laughed. “I don’t think so, and even if you were, the girl could use a little spoiling.” She discreetly wove her fingers into his hand. “So could you.”
He lifted a brow. “Really? What kind of spoiling did you have in mind?”
“Oh, I can think of several ways…” She glanced at Krista, who beamed as she snuck a glance back at them. “I think we have some things to discuss, though.”
“Like?” Tyler sat next to her, his demeanor stiffening.
“Like, I don’t intend on sending Krista back to the Smithers’.” Megan searched his eyes.
“I was wondering if you were ever going to tell me that.” Tyler shifted in his seat. “This is a pretty hefty topic.” He glanced at Krista as she thanked the cashier and headed their way. “Tonight? Over dinner?”
“Your place or mine?” Megan asked, a smile broadening across her face.
Tyler opened his mouth to answer, but Megan’s phone ringing cut him off. She smiled apologetically as she glanced at the phone, seeing Derrick’s name. “Hey, Derrick,” she said as they all walked back to the truck.
“Where are you?” The panic in his voice made Megan reach out to grab Tyler’s arm.
“In Hope City, at the cell phone store. Why?”
“Is Tyler with you?”
“Yes, and Krista. What’s going on?”
“We couldn’t hold him. He threw all this lawyer-junk at us, and we had no evidence beyond similar handwriting. We can take it to court, but we can’t keep him locked up.”
Megan met Tyler’s eyes, her heart in her throat, as she told him. “They had to let him go.”
Tyler took the phone from her. “When did you release him?”
Megan searched Tyler’s eyes as he talked with Derrick, wishing she could hear the other side of the conversation, but one glance at Krista’s face, already paling, and she knew it was good that he hadn’t turned on the speakerphone.
“Thanks for the heads up. I have a plan. I’ll call you once I get them to a safe location.” Tyler ended the call and handed her the phone. “Let’s go.” He ushered them into the truck and ran around to the driver’s side to climb in.
“What’s going on?” Krista’s voice shook.
Megan reached back and held her hand as Tyler started the truck and pulled out onto the highway. “Looks like that guy who’s been sending me letters is being released.”
“But I thought Sheriff Davis caught him?”
“The laws that make our country great also let criminals get away with crimes if they are clever,” Tyler growled.
“So, you’re not safe again…” Krista tightened her grip on Megan’s hand.
“Your uncle won’t let anything happen to me or to you.” She met his eyes briefly before he pulled his gaze back to the road.
“That’s right,” Tyler said.
“You’re going to make me go back to Camp and worry again,” Krista pouted.
“No.” Tyler turned down a road, away from camp.
“No?” Megan said. “Wouldn’t she be the safest there?”
“I can’t keep an eye on both of you if you’re in different places.” Tyler shook his head. “She stays with us.”
Megan looked back at Krista, her beaming smile making her heart melt.
“Well, then,” Megan said, “where are you taking us ?”
“Home.” Tyler dropped his visor to shield his eyes from the setting sun.
“But my house is back there…” Megan pointed down the road fading behind them.
He met her eyes. “Home,” he said again, and didn’t say another word until they pulled onto a narrow, bumpy driveway.
“Home!” Krista cheered from the back, squeezing Grace to her.
Megan’s eyes burned at hearing the emotion behind that one word. How long had it been since Krista had been at the home she had shared with her mom and dad?
“Warning,” Tyler said as he slowed the truck so as not to jostle them all. “The house is in the midst of a remodel…it’s a bit…disorganized.”
Disorganized wasn’t the right word. It was more like in shambles . Almost the entire outside of the house had no siding, and the inside wasn’t in much better shape. Megan carefully stepped over the tools, touching a wall that was almost torn down. “Constructive Emotional Expression?” she asked Tyler with a raised eyebrow.
“That’s the one,” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I had been waiting on one of Jordan’s electricians so I could finish and then…” he shrugged.
“Then our life became a bit complicated,” she finished for him.
“Yeah,” he said. “The rooms are in better shape, and I haven’t really started on the kitchen remodel…yet.”
Krista had frozen in the doorway, her bottom lip trembling and eyes flooding.
“Oh, sweetie,” Megan said, going to her and wrapping her arms around the girl. “Is this your first time back here since…?”
Krista nodded, hiding her head in Megan’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” Tyler came over. “I hadn’t thought of how it would affect you.”
Krista sniffed and wiped at her eyes. “Is my room…is it still…?”
“I haven’t touched it.” Tyler led them down the hall, opening the first door on the right.
Dust layered everything from a trundle bed covered with stuffies to a white dresser with pictures lining the top, cubbies full of toys, and shelves of horseback riding medals.
“It hasn’t changed at all,” Krista said, a single tear running down her cheek.
Megan wrapped an arm around her. “I’ll help you get it all cleaned up.”
“Could I actually…I don’t mean to be rude, but could I get a few minutes alone?” Krista’s voice shook with emotion and she gazed around the room.
Megan squeezed her. “Of course, sweetie. We’ll be close by if you need anything.”
Tyler reached over and patted Krista’s shoulder. Then they closed the door behind them, leaving Krista alone with her memories.
“You sure we should leave her alone?” Tyler asked.
Megan raised her eyebrow. “Oh, you don’t think dealing with things alone runs in the family?”
Tyler grunted and turned away. “Want something to drink?”
She followed him down the hall to the kitchen, wondering what it had been like for Krista to grow up here. “Is this where you grew up, too?”
“Yep,” Tyler said as he poured her some lemonade in a glass. “You do like lemonade, don’t you?”
“I do.” She smiled. “It will be fun getting to know each other.” She met his eyes over the rim of her glass.
“Yeah, like do you cook? Because I’m awful at it.” He grimaced.
“I do.” She glanced at the fridge. “Do you have anything to cook?”
“Maybe?” He chuckled. “Why don’t you sort through the fridge and pantry?” He nodded toward the door off the kitchen. “I’ll get Grace her dinner. You hungry, girl?”
Grace hopped up, wagging her tail so hard her backside waggled with it.
“I’d take that as a yes,” Megan said as she set down her glass and opened the fridge. “You sure you don’t mind me going through your stuff?”
“Nope. Make yourself at home.” He gave her a sideways grin. “That’s what my mom always said. She was a good woman.”
“From what I heard, it sounds like it.” She turned back to him. “I’d love to hear more.”
“I’m sure she will come up from time to time.” Tyler left to care for Grace, leaving Megan to find something to whip up for them to eat for dinner.
When he came back, she stood at the stove and turned to greet him. “Looks like dinner at your place. It’s not conventional, but it's food.”
He glanced over her shoulder, eyeing the mix of vegetables and meat she was sauteing and the eggs waiting to be poured in. “Smells delicious.”
“Thanks,” she said, giving the mixture a little stir before turning to him. He still stood where he was, so their bodies lined up, heat building between them. “So,” she said, a testing lilt to her voice.
“Oh, that’s right, the talk,” he said, half jesting with a touch of disappointment.
“Oh, yeah,” she said, pulling her thoughts away from his closeness as she met his eyes, but she leaned in to plant a quick kiss on his ready lips. “So, Krista,” she said.
“I agree with you.” He took a single step back, not too far to touch, but far enough that it did not tempt them to delay the conversation.
“You do?” she asked.
“Yes.” He searched her eyes and reached for her hand. “I think you should adopt her.”
“What?” Megan choked on the word, surprise flooding her system with shock.
“I know you want to. I see the connection the two of you have.” Tyler kept his face impassive, but his eyes were earnest. “She needs a woman like you in her life.”
“What about you?” Megan asked as soon as the constriction eased enough for the words to pass through her throat.
“What about me?” Tyler raised his eyebrow.
“I thought you wanted her in your life…I thought that we…I mean, what we’re starting…” Megan swallowed, willing the words to push forth.
“There’s still a lot to figure out, isn’t there?” he asked, taking his hat off and swiping a hand along his head. “As for me, I’m next of kin, so Krista is mine. I just have to say the word.”
“You…what…I…”
Tyler moved toward her, taking the spatula from her hand to stir the searing food. “I’m not giving up my rights, we’re just adding to them.”
“I didn’t know, I mean, I thought…”
“I’ve been researching.” Tyler shrugged.
“But if you have guardianship rights and you’re asking me to adopt her…how is that going to work out?” Megan bit her lip.
Tyler touched her cheek, letting his thumb caress her skin. “Remember what I said about hope?”
“It leads to expectations…” Megan said.
“Yeah.” He bent down and kissed the tip of her nose, walking away with less of a limp than she had noticed when she met him, leaving her heart in her throat in a mixture of fear and excitement.
Sitting at the table with someone besides just himself sent Tyler reeling into the past, not the awful past he wanted to forget, but the good times, when his family was all still alive. He glanced at Krista, who picked at her dinner, and he had a flashback of her mom at that age. Of course, he always thought his older sister was cool and couldn’t wait to be a teen with an attitude.
“What’s so funny?” Megan asked, looking at him.
“Oh,” he said, realizing he had chuckled out loud. “I was just remembering Krista’s mom at this age.”
Krista’s eyes snapped up to his. “What was she like?”
“An awful lot like you, picking at your food with a sulky expression.”
“I look sulky?” Krista asked.
“Do you not like eggs?” Megan asked her.
“No. I mean, they’re fine. Dinner is fine.” Krista stuffed a bite in her mouth.
“Want to tell us what’s bothering you?” Megan asked.
Tyler finished his plate and sat back. “If it’s being here, I’m sorry.”
Krista gulped her food while shaking her head. “No, I like being here. It makes me feel closer to my parents.”
Tyler’s shoulders eased hearing that, and he shifted his weight in the chair, getting into a more comfortable position. “You know, I miss those days when all of us sat around the table for meals.”
“I remember the table being much smaller.” Krista glanced at the empty seats.
“That’s because it was crowded. Between your parents, you, me, and Grandma and Grandpa, it was a pretty full room.”
“Sounds like wonderful times,” Megan said with a longing in her voice.
“They were…mostly.” Tyler nodded, thinking about a few of the fights that had rolled through the house. They never lasted long, though.
The conversation died down as Megan and Krista finished their plates, but as Tyler cleared the dishes, stacking them together, Krista looked up at him.
“What if that guy comes here? Will he hurt Megan?” Her lower lip trembled.
Megan pulled the girl into her arms, soothing her. “No one’s going to hurt me, sweetie.”
“He doesn’t know where we are. You have nothing to fear tonight.” Tyler patted her hand, taking the plates to put them in the sink.
“What about tomorrow?” Krista asked, gently pulling herself from Megan’s arms to confront him.
“I won’t let the two of you out of my sight.” Tyler turned toward her.
“Because I…I can’t lose anyone else. I just can’t go through that again.”
Tyler’s heart squeezed, his chest constricting as he brought his niece against him, wishing he could shelter her from the pain and knowing he couldn’t. “You won’t lose us…at least not until we are old and grey and feeble. Well, you get the picture.”
Krista pulled back, wiping at her eyes. “How do you know?”
“Because I won’t let it happen.” He gripped her shoulders and looked her in the eye. “We’re going to be here for you, every step of the way.”
“We?” She glanced at Megan and then back to Tyler. “Every step of the way?”
“Yeah.” He let his eyes fall onto Megan, whose soft smile gave him the confidence to push on. “We haven’t quite worked out the details yet, but let’s just say you won’t be going back to that place you hate.”
“The Smithers? I don’t hate them…they are nice enough…they just aren’t…”
“Family,” Tyler finished for her. “We are.”
“You mean…” Krista sucked in her lip, chewing on it, as her eyes teared up. “Is this more of that hope thing?”
“No, we’ve moved onto the expectation stage.” Tyler squeezed her arm. “Come on. Megan cooked so we clean.”
Krista cocked her head, but she followed him to the sink. “Wait, where’s the dishwasher?”
Tyler held up his hands. “These are the dishwasher.” He set a dish towel in her hands. “That is the dryer.”
Krista let out a small laugh. “Okay. Okay.”
“What do I do?” Megan asked.
“Find us a game to play? There’s a bunch in the hallway closet.” Tyler motioned through the torn-out wall and down the hall.
“A game? I’m not a kid anymore.” Krista looked at him, hands on her hips.
“Do adults not play games?” Tyler asked. “Besides, it beats sitting around and staring at each other. I don’t have a TV.”
“No TV!” Krista’s eyes widened.
“Chill out, kid,” he said with a laugh. “We can negotiate about getting a TV.”
“Is this really going to happen?” Krista asked, and Megan paused to hear his answer.
He looked at Megan, feeling a desire beyond anything he had allowed himself to even hope for…family, a home, and love filling the ranch once again. With a slight nod from Megan, he turned back to Krista. “Yeah, kid. It’s gonna happen.”
Krista squealed and threw her arms around him. “Thank you, Uncle Tyler. Thank you so much!”
Warmth had settled into Tyler and slowly it grew until it consumed his entire being. After playing games, they found some clean sheets and changed Krista’s dusty bed. Megan pulled out the vacuum cleaner from the closet and gave the room a quick once-over so Krista wasn’t breathing in dust all night.
Even though he knew Krista was too old for it, they tucked her in. Megan gave her a hug and told her goodnight, leaving Tyler alone with her.
“You’re comfortable?” he asked.
“Yeah, I can’t believe I remember how my bed feels, even after all these years.” She reached out a hand to him. “Thank you for letting me come home, Uncle Tyler.”
He took her hand, giving it a squeeze, then bent down to kiss her forehead, just as his mom used to do to him. “It feels good to have you here.”
“I promise I’ll listen to you, and I’ll do all the chores you ask me to do, too. I won’t pester you.” Krista sat up on her elbow.
“You just be you,” he told her.
Grace woofed quietly as she ran into the room. The dog looked from him to Krista, then back to him.
“Go on, you can stay with Krista,” Tyler said.
Grace eagerly jumped on the bed, turning in circles by Krista’s feet and lying down with a satisfied huff.
“You keep her safe, girl. Sleep well, Krista,” he said, turning off the light. “I’ll be right down the hall if you need anything.”
“Goodnight, Uncle Tyler.”
He brought the door closed until it was only slightly ajar, then headed to the living room where Megan sat on the couch, staring out the big window into the darkness.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey.” She turned to him, scooting over to offer him the other end of the couch. “It’s so dark out there.”
“No lights to mess with the stars.” He nodded. “Want to see them?”
Megan glanced down the hall, then rose and followed him to the back door. He dusted off the porch swing and offered her a seat before sitting next to her. His arm automatically wrapped around her, feeling as if he had finally come home.
“It won’t always look like this.”
“What won’t?” Megan asked, her voice soft as she nestled into him.
“The house. I’ll fix it up, make it into the beautiful home it once was.”
“I’m sure it will be great,” she said, sighing against him, but she hadn’t relaxed fully.
He could feel her hand on his chest trembling slightly and her back stiff even as she lay against him. “What is it?”
“I don’t want to put you or Krista in danger.” She pushed off him to look into his eyes, hers shadowed and dark. “Court cases can take a long time, if they can’t hold him…”
“We’ll figure it out. Tomorrow I’ll take you into town so you can file a restraining order and grab some clothes and some of Krista’s things.”
“And food?”
Tyler chuckled. “And food.”
“Are you sure this is what you want?” Megan bit her lip, blinking as if she tried to keep tears at bay.
“What? You? Krista?”
“And the mess that comes with me…you and Krista could be happy…safe without me.”
Tyler shook his head. “No. It’s a package deal. I’ll take on whatever I have to. I’ve made my decision, though I never thought I’d be one to fall so fast.”
Megan giggled. “Only in my dreams would I have allowed myself to believe in love at first sight.”
Tyler stiffened and widened his eyes. “Did you just say love at first sight?”
Megan shrugged. “Does that bother you? I mean…you’re talking about a long-term thing here…that usually means the l-word.”
Tyler sat back, rocking them and letting his gaze take in the stars. “I guess I am doing things a little backward.”
“They are moving fast,” Megan said as he jerked to look at her, “not that I mind, of course. When you know, you know.” She shrugged and settled back into his arms.
Her words filtered through him as he processed what she said. He could see how she saw this as moving fast. Had it only been that morning that they had kissed for the first time? For him, though, he had been falling hard and fast from the first moment he saw her gripping the tire iron and yelling out the car window.
A small chuckle vibrated through him.
“What’s so funny?”
“Just remembering the first moment I saw you,” he said, his hand caressing up and down her back.
“I thought you were Derrick,” she said.
“I know. I didn’t know you meant my buddy, Derrick, but then the pieces came together, and I worried you were his new wife.”
“Really?” She stiffened for a moment. “You couldn’t tell I was flirting with you?”
“Oh, I could.” He kissed the top of her head. “That’s what worried me. I thought Derrick would have more sense than marrying a floozy.”
“Did you just call me a floozy?”
“No, I just meant if you had been Derrick’s wife and you were flirting with another man…” He sighed, laying his head back. “But you weren’t Derrick’s wife. I can’t tell you how relieved and scared I was when I met Chasity for the first time.”
“Scared?”
“Yeah, because it gave me hope. Hope is scary.”
“Here we go again,” she said, but even though he heard the eye roll in her words, she squeezed him tighter. “It’s really beautiful here.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I mean, there’s no lake, but it’s peaceful and solitary.”
He adjusted his position a little. “Will that be a problem for you?”
“What, the solitariness?”
“Not being on the lake.”
She pushed off his lap again, meeting his eyes. “Are you asking me to move in, because I…I mean, I’m an all-or-nothing kind of girl, if you get my meaning?”
Tyler swallowed the chuckle that wanted to come forth. “Glad to hear you’re an all-or-nothing kind of girl, because I’m an all-or-nothing kind of guy.” He kissed her forehead, then her nose, and then briefly touched her lips. “And I was meaning eventually…will it bother you to live here and not next to the lake at some point in the future?”
“Some point in the future,” she repeated, her words barely a whisper.
“Yes, most likely the nearer future.”
“You’re willing to take on that commitment even with a stalker following me and leaving me threatening letters.”
“Well, I sure am not going to let you deal with that alone.”
“This is a lot to think about,” she murmured.
He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, letting his thumb caress her cheek and travel to brush against her soft lips. “Doc, I believe you think too much.”
When she opened her mouth to give him a smart aleck retort, he closed in on her, letting his lips mingle with hers with a fiery promise, a commitment that he didn’t plan to back down from, and expectations that he couldn’t imagine ever getting over if they weren’t met.