Heidi hummed as she dusted the living-room end tables. It was amazing how quickly a film of dirt could develop when the windows were open during the hot summer months. August would be over soon, though, and then fall would be on its way, with cooler days and chilly nights, which she found most welcome. It would certainly be a pleasant change from the sticky humidity that came after the summer rains.
Heidi thought about Randy, and how he would be starting first grade the week after next. For sure, it would be an adjustment for him. But he was a smart little boy, and Heidi felt confident he would do well in school.
She stopped humming and turned toward the door when Velma stepped in. “Did Hank bring all the groceries in?” Velma asked.
“Yes, and they’re all put away.”
Velma snapped her fingers. “Sorry, I shoulda been here to help with that. I went to the phone shed to call my mom.”
Heidi nodded. “Hank mentioned it. How did things go? If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”
“Don’t mind a bit.”
Velma took a seat in the rocker, and Heidi seated herself on the couch across from her. She sat quietly, waiting for Velma to speak.
“It went better than I expected. Mama and I had a good talk. And guess what?” Velma grinned. “Bobbie Sue was there, and I got to talk to her too.”
“I’m glad. Is she staying with your folks?”
“Yeah.” Velma let her head fall against the back of the chair. “Bobbie Sue broke up with her good-for-nothing boyfriend, and she’s got a job at a restaurant near my folks’ house. I’m sure glad she’s all right. Oh, and Mama said they’ve heard from our oldest boy. Guess Clem joined the army.”
Heidi smiled. “It must be a relief to know your children are safe and doing okay.”
“You got that right. After everything we went through with those two, it sounds like they are going down a better path in life—one they’ve chosen on their own. Guess it’s good to let kids learn from their own mistakes rather than tryin’ to make ’em do something you think they should do. That causes resentment and rebellion—at least in our case it did.”
Velma closed her eyes and rocked silently for a few minutes, but then her eyes snapped open, and she sat up straight. “Whoa! I better not get too comfy here or I’ll be out like a light.”
“Maybe you should go up to the guest room and take a nap,” Heidi suggested.
“No way.” Velma stood. “I need to get busy doin’ something. So what have ya got for me?”
Heidi straightened her headscarf, which she wore whenever she worked around the house and didn’t want her white covering to get soiled. “Let’s see now… You could go out to the garden and see if any of the produce needs to be picked. I’m fairly sure more string beans are ready. We got a lot the last time we picked them, and it looked like more were on the way.”
“No, problem. I’ll get to it right now.” Velma started for the door, but turned back around. “Oh, I almost forgot… When I was makin’ the call to my mom, I noticed the light on your answering machine was blinking. Figured you’d probably like to know, so you can check the messages.”
“Actually, Lyle checked early this morning, before he left for the auction he’s in charge of today. There’s probably no reason for me to check it again until sometime this evening.”
“Okay.” Velma turned and grasped the door handle. “I’m heading outside now. Give a holler if you need me for anything.”
When Darren entered the house, carrying a black-and-white puppy, Jeremy jumped off the couch. “Wow, Dad, where’d ya get the mutt?”
“It’s not a mutt.” Darren stroked the dog’s silky ears. “As near as I can tell, this is a cockapoo.”
Jeremy tipped his head. “What’s a cockapoo?”
“Part cocker spaniel, and part poodle.”
“Oh.” Jeremy didn’t show much enthusiasm.
Darren lifted the whimpering pup and held it out to his son. “She’s a cute little thing, isn’t she?”
“I guess so, but why’d you bring the dog here?”
“I rescued her earlier this morning from an abandoned building close to one that had caught fire. Poor little thing was so scared she was shaking all over when I found her.”
“Wonder what happened to its mommy.” Jeremy stroked the dog’s head.
“I’m not sure, but she was nowhere around, and this was the only puppy in the building. Now you understand why I couldn’t leave it there.” Darren rubbed the puppy’s nose and it started chewing on his finger. “Looks like this little gal is hungry. How about we go warm up some milk?”
“Okay, but what are you gonna do with her?”
“Thought maybe we could give her a home here.”
Jeremy held up his hand. “No way, Dad! Bacon would have a fit if we brought another dog into our home. He hid under my bed the night we brought Velma’s dog home, and he didn’t come out till we took the black Lab to Heidi’s place the next day.”
“True. Guess I’ll take the pup with us to Heidi’s next Saturday and see if any of the kids would like her.”
“But that’s a whole week away. What are we supposed to do with her till then?”
“Good question.” Darren snickered when the puppy licked his ear. “Do you think Bacon could deal with the pup for a week? We could keep her in the utility room at night, and outside in our fenced yard during the day.”
Jeremy shrugged. “It might be okay, but what happens if none of the kids from the cooking class want a puppy?”
“I’ll deal with it then.” Darren shifted the pup in his arms. “Where’s Mrs. Larsen?”
Jeremy nodded with his head in the direction of the kitchen. “She’s baking cookies again.”
“I should have guessed.” Darren sniffed the air. “I’ll go show her the pup. Maybe she’d like a dog to take home.”
Denise and Greg sat on chairs inside their screened-in patio, sipping lemonade. The overhead fan rotated on medium, keeping it comfortable, despite the outside heat.
“It was nice going for ice cream after lunch, Greg.” Denise looked at her husband, feeling a tenderness she hadn’t felt in a while. “I can’t remember when we last did something fun as a family, or when an ice-cream cone tasted so good.”
“It’s my fault for not taking the time to be with you and Kassidy more.” Greg rubbed his thumb over a brow. “We’re going to do more of that from now on.” He looked toward the door leading into the dining room. “By the way, where is our daughter?”
“She’s on the phone, telling Hillary about our outing today.” Denise shook her head. “I have to tell you, Greg, our daughter was more excited about spending time with us today, than about all those niceties we’ve given her over the years.”
“Objects don’t give or show your love, that’s for sure.” Greg took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you something else. Last week, when the lightning struck close to that guy at the golf course, I had an epiphany.”
“What do you mean?”
“I realized how quickly someone’s life can change.” Greg snapped his fingers. “Lightning could have struck me, and it may have turned out far worse than it did for that man. Imagining you and Kassidy having to fend for yourselves really put a scare into me.”
“Last Saturday was an eye-opener.” Denise inhaled sharply. “Even for Kassidy.”
“Really?” Greg cocked his head. “But you’re right. I have noticed a difference this week in our daughter’s attitude. What has changed?”
“During the cooking class last Saturday, I overheard the kids talking in the kitchen while we parents waited in the dining room. And then later, Kassidy told me she heard one of the boys tell how his mother had died from cancer. Kassidy was quiet the whole time Jeremy told how he has to have a babysitter whenever his dad has to work. Jeremy also said he missed his mom, and it’s hard for his dad to do everything.”
“Wow, imagine our daughter learning a lesson from another kid.”
“Yes, it certainly wasn’t planned. And coming from someone who has had a huge loss in his life made her think what it would be like if something happened to one of us. In fact, when she heard about the lightning strike on the news, she was highly upset and feared it was you. You can only imagine how relieved we both were when I called and you answered the phone.”
“I was a bit nervous myself,” he said. “Just thinking about you driving home from class in that terrible weather had me on edge.”
“Thank the Lord, we are all okay.” Denise placed her hand on her husband’s arm and gently squeezed it.
“You know, this is nice sitting out here, just the two of us, talking. I need to stay home more instead of playing golf so often. I still have my work, of course, and so do you, but when we have free time, we’re going to spend it as a family. Besides, I have a lot of catching up to do around our property—especially taking care of those gutters.”
Denise clinked her glass against Greg’s before they took another sip of lemonade. She almost felt like a young woman again who’d been kissed for the first time.
Heidi put a kettle of freshly snapped beans on the stove. They would go well with the ham and potatoes baking in the oven for supper. Having the oven on had heated up the kitchen, so they would eat their meal outside this evening.
Heidi was about to light the gas burner but decided to hold off a bit, since Lyle wasn’t home yet. After working in the garden several hours, Velma had gone to take a shower, and Hank was in the living room, keeping all four kids entertained. That was evidenced by the giggles coming from the other room.
Think I’ll go out and check for phone messages. There might be something from our lawyer or the social worker about the adoption proceedings.
Heidi dried her damp hands on a paper towel and scooted out the back door. As she approached the phone shed, Rusty ran across the driveway in front of her. She jerked to one side, nearly losing her balance.
“Rusty, you scared me.” She shook her finger at him.
Arf! Arf! The dog ran around her in circles, and then dropped at her feet, looking up at Heidi with his big brown eyes.
She paused and bent down to pet him. “So you need some attention, do you? Where’s your new friend, Abner?”
Woof!
Heidi laughed and looked toward the shade tree in the backyard where Velma’s dog was stretched out. “That’s what I thought. You played him out, huh?” She gave Rusty a few more pats, then continued on her trek to the phone shed.
Once inside, she closed the door so her dog wouldn’t follow. It was hot and stuffy inside, so she would hurry and jot down any messages she found.
Heidi took a seat and punched the button to retrieve the first message.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Troyer. This is Gail Saunders, and I have some unexpected news to share with you.”
Heidi leaned forward, eager to hear what the social worker had to say. Please let it be about the adoption. It would be wonderful to have some good news to share with Lyle when he gets home.
“I know this may come as a surprise, because it did to me, but Randy and Marsha’s grandfather has contacted the agency. Mr. Olsen wants to see the children as soon as possible, so…” Gail’s voice was cut off. Apparently Lyle hadn’t deleted enough messages this morning, and now their voice mail was full.
Heidi brought a shaky hand up to her head, where she felt the beat of her heart in her temples. How could this be? We were told the children had no living relatives. Who is this man who says he’s their grandfather, and why has he come forth now after all these months?
Heidi released an uncontrollable whimper. Oh, no… He’s come to take the children away from us. Tearfully, she bent into the excruciating pain. Dear Lord, what are we going to do?