Four

There was no way to sneak up to my farm unnoticed. For one thing, my truck tires made an awful racket on the gravel road, and for another, a big cloud of dust trailed me down the road. So I was just turning in the gate when I spotted Robin running out of my barn. I skidded the truck to a stop by the barn and jumped out to chase him. As he ran, he dropped the armload of boards he was carrying.

I tackled him halfway up the first hill. He landed a couple of good kicks before I pinned him to the ground. From inside his jacket, I pulled out my two best towels.

“Robin! What’s going on?”

We both gasped for breath. He glared at me.

“Why are you hiding?”

“Not hiding.”

“Then tell me who you are and where you live.”

His chin wobbled, but he didn’t answer.

“Then let’s go. We’re calling the police.”

“No!”

“You can’t steal from me. It’s wrong. I’m trying to help you!”

“Sorry.” He struggled to get free. “No police!”

“But you can’t just stay in the woods. Winter’s coming.”

“I stay with you. On farm.” He looked at me, his blue eyes huge. “Please.”

“You can’t stay with me. You’re a kid.”

“I strong. I help. I know farm.”

I thought of all the trouble that could cause. Not just with his parents, who might be missing him, but with Aunt Penny and Jessica Swan. I would have to lie to all of them. I could feel him shivering beneath me, and I loosened my hand on his arm.

He grabbed my coat. “Please. No police. I promise not steal.”

He was dirty, cold and scared. Something terrible must have happened to this boy. Something that had made his home worse than living rough in the woods. I didn’t know what it was, but I could buy us both some time. Time for him to calm down. Time for me to figure out what to do.

I tried to sound fierce. “You promise you won’t run away again?”

Tears filled his blue eyes. “Yes. Promise.”

“And you’ll give me back my shotgun shells?”

His wet eyes flickered. I tightened my grip. He looked away. Gave just the tiniest nod.

What have I done? I thought as I led him home again.

This time I ran him a bath. While I handed him clean clothes, I secretly checked his body. No scars, no wounds. I didn’t ask him about the blood. For now, I needed to build some trust. I even put clean sheets and an extra blanket on the bed in the hopes he’d feel safe.

But the next morning the bed was empty. The blankets and pillow were gone. I swore out loud. “The kid has just blown his last chance,” I grumbled as I headed out to the barn. I was surprised to see fresh straw in the chicken coop and clean water in the old laundry tub I used as a trough. Even the goat had been fed and milked.

Robin, however, was nowhere in sight.

Back inside, I found half a loaf of bread missing. But there was a bowl of fresh eggs and a pail of goat’s milk on the counter. Also on the counter were the pencil and the map I had shown him the first night. It was even more scribbled on than before. Curious, I studied the scribbling. I saw that he had been practicing straight lines, curves and angles, and in the end had made an R. Sort of.

Had this kid been up half the night?

Hoping he’d come back, I fixed some breakfast for him and me. Then I drew up a couple of estimates for small jobs that were going to keep me afloat through the winter. It was almost noon when I packed up the eggs, milk and a couple more squash from the garden and signaled Chevy into the truck. I scanned the fields one last time, but they were empty. I couldn’t put off Aunt Penny any longer.

The O’Tooles were never much for family even when my mother was alive. Aunt Penny was the only one still speaking to her after I was born. I guess being sixteen and pregnant without a man in sight didn’t go over well with my mother’s clan. But Aunt Penny was the O’Toole patron saint of lost causes. Even after my mother died, Aunt Penny figured she was all that stood between me and the wrong path.

Lake Madrid was mostly a cottage town, with a jumble of houses and stores strung along the lake. During the summer cottage season, the store kept Aunt Penny too busy to pay much attention to me. But now that most of the cottages were closed up for the winter, she had more time for her favorite lost cause.

Before I even opened my mouth about Robin, she saw right through me. She took a long look at the ice cream and popcorn in my order before she rang it through. I’m not big on junk food, but Robin needed a few pounds on him. And I needed something besides vegetables and eggs to fill that bottomless pit.

“You got an extra mouth to feed, Ricky?”

I mumbled something about liking ice cream on the apple pie she gave me. Then I slipped a notebook and a box of crayons onto the counter. Her eyebrows shot up.

I shrugged. “For a job.”

She studied me. “You want to be careful, Ricky. A certain pretty blond constable might not be pleased.”