Harriet and Luke were sitting at the kitchen table eating leftover cinnamon rolls for breakfast when James returned from the restaurant. He took off his coat and hung it on the closet doorknob.
“I waited down the street from the restaurant until they pulled in. Julio has a key, but I left the warming tray on, so I wanted to be sure they actually arrived.”
“I’m surprised Julio wanted to do a breakfast proposal. They were here till…what? Eleven o’clock?” Harriet said.
James laughed.
“He’s a guy in love, he didn’t want to wait any longer than he had to. I can understand that.”
“Can we go see Major today?” Luke asked as he finished his second cinnamon roll.
Harriet wiped her mouth on her napkin.
“Fine with me.” She looked to James. “Did you have anything else planned?”
“Not really. Just rest and not cook. I did grab a bin of bagels from the freezer. I was going to pick up some cream cheese at the store and take them out to the homeless camp, but I didn’t have a specific time in mind to do that.”
“What if we take Luke to the stable, then deliver the bagels and cream cheese and then go back to the stable,” Harriet suggested.
James picked a cinnamon roll off the plate and took a bite. He chewed thoughtfully then held up the remainder of the roll and examined it.
“Do you think these have too much cinnamon?”
Harriet laughed. “They’re delicious. Now, what do you think of the plan?”
He took her hand.
“If it works for Luke, it works for me.”
Luke jumped up.
“I’ll be ready in a flash.”
“Don’t hurry too fast, we still have to walk the dogs before we go,” Harriet called after him as she carried their plates to the sink.
James carried the plastic bin of bagels to the common area of the homeless camp and set it on the table.
“Good morning, Joyce. We brought you a little snack.”
“Thank you, James. Can you stay for a cup of coffee?”
James looked at Harriet, and she nodded.
“We could have a quick cup.”
Joyce moved the coffee pot toward the center of the fire grate then opened one of the large wooden storage boxes that defined the back of the common area, pulling out three cups before closing it again.
“The Lutheran church sent a bus for us on Christmas Eve,” she said as she filled the mugs with coffee. “It was a lovely service. I was hoping to see Joe, but he wasn’t there. He has a daughter in Foggy Point. Maybe he’s with her.”
“If you mean his stepdaughter Arinda, she’s looking for him, too,” Harriet told her.
Joyce shook her head. “It’s just not like him to not tell anyone where he’s going.”
“We can ask around when we’re in town,” Harriet offered
Several other camp residents drifted into the common area as the smell of coffee permeated the area. Harriet got up when she and James had finished.
“I hope you find your friend.”
“Thank you for that, Harriet. And thank you for the bagels, James.”
James turned the car around and headed out of the parking lot.
“Do you think Luke will mind if we watch him ride?”
“I don’t think so. He doesn’t seem inclined to hide his blossoming friendship with Emily.”
“Do you think he’s doing okay?” James said in a quiet voice.
“I’m not exactly an expert parent here, but he seems to be doing well enough. I think coming out to the stable has really helped him. He seems really attached to that horse.”
James let out a breath.
“I know I’m not a real father, and I haven’t been a foster parent very long, but I worry. What if something happens because we didn’t do something we should have or say the wrong thing or something.”
Harriet reached across the space between the seats and took his hand.
“I find it incredibly sweet that you’re so worried, but I think you’re doing fine. We’re doing fine. We may not have much experience, but Aunt Beth does, and she would tell us if we were making any missteps.”
“I hope so.”
Harriet held up a teal-green laminated card when they turned into the stable driveway. A gate that had previously always been open was closed. A private security guard stood in front of the gate; and when he saw the card, he swung the gate open, closing it again when they were through.
“Now I really do feel like a negligent parent. This seems like a dangerous place to let our only child come to alone.” James said.
“They have a locked gate and security guard, and there are security cameras in every barn aisle and both arenas. I think he’s safe here.”
They parked the car and headed for the barn. Harriet took James’s hand and led him to the arena.
“They should be riding by now.”
No one was in the main arena. They walked around to the smaller warm-up arena but found it empty, too. Harriet hurried as they headed toward the barn. No one was visible in the aisle.
“Luke?” Harriet called when they entered.
A horse nickered. Harriet jogged inside. James caught up and grabbed her arm. He held his finger to his lips, gesturing for her to be quiet. Muffled voices were coming from a stall.
Harriet could tell the male voice was Luke’s, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying, so she crept closer.
“I have to tell Harriet,” Luke said.
“I promised not to tell anyone. If you tell, I’ll get fired.”
“Some weirdo is camping out on our street for who knows why, and it didn’t start until Jade gave Harriet this horse.”
“How will telling Harriet change any of that? Jade gave her the horse. That’s done.”
“She needs to know,” Luke insisted.
Harriet strode to the stall the conversation was coming from and pulled the door open.
“Okay, that cat’s out of the bag,” she said. “What is it we need to tell Harriet?”
James came in behind her. Luke looked from Emily to James and back to Emily.
“I’m sorry,” he said to her quietly.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
“Emily just told me that Jade has been hiding out here at the stable.”
“How long?” Harriet asked.
Emily hung her head.
“She never left. She wrote you the note about giving you Becky and moved out here.”
“So, the whole ‘I’m joining my parents’ bit was a ruse?”
Emily nodded.
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on,” James said. “You expect us to believe that?”
“I don’t know—for real.”
“Emily,” Luke interrupted, “are you or are you not hiding Jade?”
Emily wiped her nose on a sleeve as tears dripped down her face. She shook her head.
“But she’s here?” Harriet persisted.
Emily nodded.
“Is Marcia hiding her?”
She pulled a tissue from her pocket and handed it to Emily as the girl’s tears began falling in earnest.