Chapter Nine

“I can’t. I can’t climb down. It’s too far. I want my mommy,” Michael Jensen cried from a sturdy branch of the large oak behind Grace House.

How the boy got up there undetected was anybody’s guess. Nicole admonished herself for not cutting off the lower branches, but the thick arms and lush green leaves not only gave a cool shade in the summer months, but she believed they also offered comfort and stability to a bunch of preschoolers who already had a lot of turmoil in their young lives. The children loved to hide behind the old tree and their giggles were something to be cherished as they swung on the hanging tire swing.

“Michael, if you don’t look down you’ll be fine. I promise if you fall, I’ll catch you,” Nicole said calmly.

“No. No you won’t. You can’t catch me. Where’s my mom?”

It was no use. Reasoning with a four-year-old could be trying under normal circumstances. Coaxing one down from halfway up a twenty-foot tree was next to impossible. In fact, the more she pleaded, the farther he climbed up the branches.

“The boy’s got a point.” Regina shaded her eyes from the afternoon sun and gazed up into the ancient oak. “If he jumps, your arms would snap like pencils. Better call the fire department. That’s the only way you’re gonna get him to the ground safely.”

Nicole blanched. The last thing she wanted to do was have an enormous red fire truck pull up in front of Grace House like a neon sign, announcing that something had gone wrong at the school. To make ends meet, they had opened up the school to any family in the neighborhood who needed preschool and daycare services. She had prided herself on telling parents that Grace House had the lowest cases of accidents of any preschool in the town. Golden Ridge was a small hamlet; news of a fire department rescue would race through the town faster than a brush fire.

Even worse, what if William Pendleton found out? Since his wife found refuge from his abuse at Grace House months ago, the attorney had been looking for ways to shut them down. He had friends in high places and that included judges too. If he got wind of Michael’s tree exploration, it might mean a long and expensive court battle to keep Grace House open. Using money she didn’t have. Grace House would be a thing of the past.

She thought opening the preschool would take care of Grace House’s financial concerns. The preschool had been doing pretty well. To the point where Nicole believed if they could open a kindergarten in the fall they could wind up in the black. She’d been pretty proud of her planning, up to then. But now she wasn’t too sure. Perhaps the preschool hadn’t been such a good idea after all. Nicole gave a heavy sigh. Why were things always so complicated?

“Michael, if you try to come down, I’ll give you a couple of my Snickerdoodle cookies,” Regina called.

The boy turned his head toward the trunk of the tree. “No,” he wailed. “I can’t. I can’t.”

“If he won’t budge for my cookies, he isn’t going to move for nothing. Call the fire department.”

Michael let out another curdling cry, “Leave me alone.”

Some of the other preschoolers were begging Michael to come down too. Thin droplets of sweat dripped down Nicole’s back as she rubbed her aching temple. Could things get any worse?

“Looks like you got a little problem here.” Yep, and it just got worse.

The deep, smooth, rich voice sent a rod of steel up her slippery spine and a vise of iron around her hammering heart. Though she hadn’t looked at him yet, if she were a betting woman—which she wasn’t—she’d bet a million dollars Sam Morgan was smirking at her from ear to ear. Things had been strained between the two of them since she’d talked to his friend, the judge.

Trying to gain her composure and what little pride she had left, Nicole turned to see him standing right behind her. And she was right, that smirk on his face was wider than the St. Louis Arch.

Quite different than he had been two days earlier when he let her have it for not telling him about Vicky’s boyfriend. But then he’d gone further and added that Joshua could stay at Grace House a little longer—as long as she didn’t involve social services. But he had also made it clear, when he thought Joshua was ready to leave, they were gone. And nothing she could say or do would change his mind.

That last comment had made her blood congeal. Yet when Sam didn’t show up at Grace House for a few days, she knew she had been right about him. It was obvious Sam’s needs came before his son’s.

However, here he stood today, bold as brass.

She lifted her chin. “Michael climbed up the tree and he can’t get down.”

He didn’t even have the decency to change his expression when he looked up at the screaming child clutching the oak branch for dear life. “I see that.”

“It’s not funny,” she snapped.

His gaze dropped to hers and the smile fled. “No, ma’am. It sure isn’t.”

At the moment, Nicole wished she could bring back the cheery expression he’d worn a few seconds earlier. This wasn’t the time or place to start an argument with Dr. Morgan. She let her shoulders slump. “He’s too afraid to come down. We’re going to have to call the fire department.”

His features softened and the smile slid back into place. “What looks like a good idea in the beginning, always looks different from another angle. Sometimes you just need the right encouragement to help you through a tough situation.”

“Already done that.” Regina folded her arms across her chest. “Offered him my cookies—his favorite ones, to boot. Nobody has ever turned down my cookies. That boy is stuck like a goose feather on tar paper.”

“I guess she’s right.” Nicole pulled out her cell phone.

“Hold on.” Sam held up his palm. “I don’t think we have to go that far. Let me try.”

Nicole shook her head. Michael’s father abused him physically. If the tyke wouldn’t come down for people he knew, he sure wasn’t going to come down for Sam, a man the child hardly knew. But Sam Morgan thought he had all the answers. She stepped aside and waved him forward.

“By all means, Dr. Morgan. Do try.”

Sam gave her an arrogant sideways glance before he moved slowly toward the oak. “Hi, Michael. Do you remember me? I’m Dr. Morgan. Joshua’s dad.”

The boy closed his eyes and tucked his face into his arm. “No,” he screeched. “I want my mommy.” Deep, wrenching sobs left his throat.

Oh, yeah. The fine doctor had this all figured out. Better call the fire department now before Michael was scarred for life. “Dr. Morgan, I don’t think this will—”

He waved her off. “A few minutes please, Miss James.”

“Let the man try,” Regina piped in.

Indecision warred within her as Michael’s wails filled the air. This was pointless. She could hear some of the other children sniffling as well. If they didn’t get Michael down soon, the backyard would be filled with a pool of children’s tears.

Suddenly Nicole felt a tug on her fingers. She looked down to see Joshua standing next to her.

“He’ll help Michael, right?”

“I hope so.” Nicole wrapped Joshua’s hand in hers and gave it a little squeeze. At that moment she wanted Sam to succeed, not only for Michael’s sake, but for Joshua’s as well.

Sam pulled something out of his pocket as he made his way to the base of the tree.

“Michael, I have something here that might help you get down.”

“No!” Michael shrieked.

Sam held up a small brightly colored bag. “In this bag is something special that was given to me in Guatemala. You remember I told you I lived in Guatemala, don’t you?”

The boy studied Sam for a few long seconds. Finally, he gave a little nod. Sam inched forward until he was right under the tree. He opened the small sack and picked out a very tiny doll that was no bigger than the size of his index finger. He held the toy up. It was painted in bold yellows and oranges. Its hair was made of bright red string.

“Can you see this, Michael?” Sam asked.

The tears started rolling down Michael’s face again. “No, no. It’s too small. I can’t see it from here.

Sam grabbed the bottom branch and hoisted himself up. Slowly he crept up another limb. “It’s a doll. A worry doll. The Guatemalan children believe that if you put one of these under your pillow at night you can put all your worries and fears on it. Of course I know you give all your worries to God, but do you know what’s so special about this doll? It has little wings.”

Michael gave a huge sniff and wiped his eyes. “Wings?”

Sam wove upward a few more branches at a time. “That’s right. This worry doll was made by a native at the Guatemala Medical Mission. This doll has wings because it’s the Archangel Michael.”

“Michael? Like me?”

The doctor was about five feet beneath the boy and thankfully, the boy hadn’t climbed further up. “Do you know who Archangel Michael is?”

“No,” Michael said weakly.

“He’s one of God’s most important angels. He fights against the devil every day.”

The child had stopped crying, his attention totally on the small doll that Sam Morgan held out to him. “He does?”

“Yep. Do you want to see it?” Michael nodded again.

“Well, you have to come down,” Sam encouraged.

The boy whimpered.

Sam climbed up a few more branches and held out his hand. “I’ll help you. I promise.”

As Michael tentatively took his foot and felt for the branch below him, Sam moved up a little more. Once Michael had one foot down, he dropped the other and managed to get down one branch. He repeated the process again.

The shouts of encouragement from his classmates below must have given him more courage because soon Michael had his arms around Sam’s neck.

“Praise the Lord,” Regina shouted.

“Amen,” Nicole whispered. Somehow the Lord had helped Sam Morgan achieve what had seemed impossible minutes before.

The children cheered and raced toward Sam and Michael when the pair made it to the ground beneath the oak. They all wanted to see the tiny worry doll Sam had in his hand. He knelt down so the children could have a look.

Joshua still stood next to Nicole though his interest was clearly on what his father held.

“Don’t you want to see the doll?” she asked.

Joshua grinned and nodded. He looked up at her with pure adoration in his eyes. Clearly, Joshua was having a case of hero worship in that moment. He loosened his grip and followed the other children to Sam’s side. Nicole’s heart twisted. This could be awful or it could just be what Joshua needed. She had to put Vicky’s words about Sam to the side. Miguel reminded her to keep an open mind about Sam and what was right for Joshua.

Her gaze locked with Sam’s and her cheeks warmed as the children gathered around him, Sam passed off the doll to Michael then he rose to his feet and brushed off his not-so-tidy tan pants.

Out of nowhere Regina came up and gave Sam a big hug. “God bless you.” She pulled back and gave a hearty laugh. “I had my doubts, when that boy snubbed my cookies, but you did it. You have quite a way with children.”

Sam took the praise in stride. “Thanks, but it was nothing.”

Regina slapped his shoulder. “Don’t be so modest. If it wasn’t for you, we’d be knee-deep in firemen right now.”

Both started laughing and Nicole’s mood plummeted. If she couldn’t keep Regina on her side then who could she count on? Another selfish thought. What was wrong with her? She had to keep an open mind.

“Yes thank you, Dr. Morgan. You saved us a little extra excitement today.” She must have sounded quite shallow because Regina rolled her eyes.

“I got a cake to frost for lunch. You will be staying won’t you?” Regina didn’t even look at Nicole to see if she agreed.

Sam didn’t answer right away, he just turned to see Nicole’s reaction.

She cleared her throat. “Are you planning to have lunch with us?”

The corners of his mouth quirked upward. “Sure, if that’s okay with you?”

She raised her chin and hoped she looked cool and calm, even though her heart was pounding out of her chest. Surely her nervousness was due to her uncertainty about how Sam would behave while he was at Grace House. There wasn’t any other logical explanation… At least none she would admit.

“Of course it is. You have every right to spend time with your son.”

His smile vanished as if she’d punched him and his face took on a serious bent. “That’s right, I do.”

She nodded, which he answered with a curt nod back. Without another word, he turned his back on her and headed toward the children. He pulled a small, brightly colored bag from his pocket. Air seeped from Nicole lips. She’d have to get a handle on her emotions when it came to Sam Morgan or she’d never make it through that day, let alone a month.

By the end of the afternoon, Nicole was more than ready to see Sam Morgan leave Grace House. All the children were looking at him like he was the one who walked on water instead of the good Lord. He had brought a worry doll for every child. Each doll was a different biblical figure. Later he played ring toss and even helped lead during song time. Sam was a huge success with the kids.

Regina decided a celebration was in order and rustled up some homemade mac ’n cheese with fresh fruit—and of course, Snickerdoodle cookies and chocolate cake. Yes, the afternoon was a sunny success, but Nicole’s insides were dark, gray and gloomy. Why? To be honest, it was because Dr. Morgan was triumphant… Though she knew her ill will toward the doctor wasn’t warranted that didn’t change her mood.

Finally, Sam Morgan made his way over to her again. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of hand. His pants were still covered with bits of tree bark and grass stains, his white shirt was rumpled—one tail hung outside his belt—and a whiff of his perspiration testified he had definitely spent the afternoon with a bunch of active preschoolers.

“I guess I’ll be going. I have to clean up a little. I’m having dinner with a friend,” he said.

She wanted to say “good,” but she decided to be cordial. After all, he was acting like the perfect father, wasn’t he? And wasn’t that what she’d wanted for Joshua?

“I’m very glad you came to see Joshua today and of course that you rescued Michael.” She stood up from the picnic table and held out her hand as a peace offering.

His handshake was warm, firm and confident.

Abruptly he slid his hand from her grasp. “My pleasure. Today didn’t go at all the way I expected.”

“No? What did you think it would be like?”

“Well, to be honest, I expected you to be following Joshua and me around with a notepad and pen.”

“What?” she exclaimed—in denial—though if she were to be honest, the thought had crossed her mind.

“Yeah, I thought you’d have a check-off list on what makes a good father and then rate my performance. Just so you would have enough information for social services.”

Her insides turned squeamish. Though she didn’t have a physical check-off list, she had been taking mental notes and knew, at that moment, that her current moody disposition was because she’d had to award a lot of positive checks on his list. She tried to cover her conflicted emotions by giving a silly laugh that was plastic and hollow.

“Oh, Doctor Morgan, I just want you to get to know Joshua better.”

“Right. So I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Miss James, I plan to see my son every day.”

“Really? Don’t you have work to do?” She couldn’t hide her surprise. According to Vicky, he hadn’t cared to spend any time with Joshua. And she’d had that notion bolstered because Sam hadn’t bothered coming to see Joshua for a few days. Had today’s visit been some kind of act for Brownie points?

“Miss James, didn’t Vicky tell you? I’m a professional and very thrifty. I’ve saved up quite a nest egg. I don’t need to work while I’m here. And I already have a job in Guatemala. Right now I can’t think of any other way I’d rather spend my days than playing with my son.” He gave a nod. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Take care.”

Sam Morgan turned and walked to the front of the house, leaving her standing with her mouth hanging open. Every day. He’d be here every day? Was he doing it because he loved and truly cared about his son or was he trying to get to her like a wood tick burrowing into her flesh? She prayed the Lord would show her the truth of his behavior. Nicole trudged over to the picnic tables and slumped down on a seat next to Regina.

“He’s a good man and looks to be a wonderful father. He sure gave Joshua a lot of attention,” the older woman said.

“I don’t doubt that he loves his son, but what will it be like for Joshua once Sam is working again? Who’s going to watch Joshua in that far off place? Things will be different there and Dr. Morgan will be too.”

“Maybe. But today I saw a full-grown man bustle up that huge oak over there to comfort and rescue a terrified child. I saw a man give gifts to a bunch of children he doesn’t even know and I saw a man roll around in the dirt for hours without a complaint. Perhaps you should reevaluate your opinion about the good doctor. You might have judged that man wrong and you know it. That’s why you’ve been sitting here all day wearing that long face.”

Nicole opened her mouth to defend herself, but couldn’t. There’s no point arguing. Sam Morgan looked like the perfect parent, but sooner or later she still believed he’d get bored or let his guard down and show his true colors. When that happened, Regina would sing a different tune.