A Mother for Cindy

“Great. Nate will be home later this afternoon. Come on over and I’ll introduce you to my son and Bingo. I promise you Bingo is nothing like Fred and Ethel.”

“Do you have any other pets?” Cindy took several steps closer.

“I’m afraid I could open my own zoo and charge admission which I probably should since it costs so much to feed them all. Nate has a fish aquarium and a python as well as three gerbils.”

“He does!” Cindy’s big brown eyes grew round. “He’s lucky.”

“I don’t think he feels that way when he has to feed them. You should hear him complaining.”

“I wouldn’t mind doing that if I had a pet.” Cindy’s hopeful gaze skipped to her father.

“Princess, we’ve talked about this. We live in an apartment. Not the best place for an animal.”

Cindy sidestepped to Jesse and whispered so loud anyone in the kitchen could hear, “Daddy’s never had a pet. I think one would be good for him. Don’t you?”

Nick looked as uncomfortable as the silence had felt a moment before. He raked his hand through his dark straight hair that was cut moderately short. “I have enough on my plate without having to take care of a pet, too.”

“But I’d do that, Daddy.”

“Cindy, I don’t think we should bore our guest with this.”

The firmness in his voice brooked no argument. The little girl’s mouth formed a pout, her shoulders sagging forward.

“Well, I’d better be going before Gramps wonders where I disappeared to. Come over after three, Cindy. Nate should be home by then.” Jesse stood.

Nick rose, too. “Let me show you to the door.”

“That’s okay. I know this place well. I often visit when the Millers are here. I’m glad since they’re going to be gone this summer that someone is going to be living here. I hate seeing this old house go to waste.”

Nick smiled, the gesture reaching deep into his eyes. “Thanks for the cookies. I know I’ll appreciate them.”

His warm regard sent a shiver up her spine. She backed away. “Welcome to Sweetwater,” was all she could suddenly think of to say. Her mind went blank of everything except the man’s smile. Before she made a fool of herself, she rushed from the kitchen, relieved he would only be here for a short time.

“I’m sorry Nate couldn’t be here this afternoon. He ended up staying at Sean’s,” Jesse said, running her palm over Bingo’s wiry brown hair.

The medium-size dog rubbed himself up against Cindy, nudging her hand to keep her petting him. “That’s okay. Bingo sure is nice.”

“Yeah. We were lucky he found us. He has more loving in him than most dogs.”

Cindy buried her face against Bingo’s fur. “I wish Daddy would let me have a pet. I’d take good care of him.”

“I bet you would.” Jesse knew of a family down the road whose poodle had puppies a few weeks ago. They would soon be looking for homes for them. Maybe she could convince Nick that a dog would be good for Cindy. A poodle was a small enough dog to live in an apartment. “While you’re here, you can play with Bingo any time you want.”

“Nate won’t mind?”

“Are you kidding? He loves to show off his animals. He wants to be a zookeeper one day.”

Forehead creased, Cindy looked at her. “And you don’t mind the snake?”

“I have to confess at first it bothered me. But now, I don’t mind it. He usually keeps it in its cage. It’s only gotten loose once.”

“Mommy would have had a fit—” Suddenly the little girl stopped talking and stared down at the sidewalk.

“Snakes, especially big ones, can be scary.” Jesse placed her hand on the child’s shoulder, wishing she could take her pain away. She remembered having to deal with Nate’s feelings after his father had died. She wouldn’t have been able to help him as she did if it hadn’t been for her faith in the Lord.

“Yes,” Cindy mumbled and proceeded to pet Bingo some more, her face still averted.

“How long has your mother been gone?” Jesse asked, her voice roughened with sudden intense emotions.

Cindy lifted her tearful gaze to Jesse’s, her lower lip trembling. “About a year. She died in a car wreck. Daddy was in the car, too. He was in the hospital a long time.” Her voice wavered. “Daddy doesn’t like to talk about it.”

Jesse drew the child into her arms, stroking her hand down her back. “If you need to talk to someone, I’m a good listener.” It had taken Nate a while to open up to her about his father’s death, and after he had, he had been much better.

Sniffing, Cindy pulled away. “I’m okay. It’s just that sometimes Daddy doesn’t know what to do with me, being a girl and all.” She swiped her hand across her cheeks and erased the evidence of her tears. “There’s just times I wish I had a mommy, but I can’t tell Daddy that.”

Jesse’s heart constricted, making her chest feel tight. There were times she was sure Nate wished he had a father, but she could never see herself married again. Mark had been a wonderful husband, her childhood sweetheart. She could never find another love like they had. She had been lucky once. She couldn’t see settling for anything less than the kind of love she had with Mark.

Please, Lord, help me to be there for Cindy as I was for Nate. Guide me in the best way to help Cindy. She’s hurting and I want to help her.

With her arm still loosely about Cindy’s shoulder, Jesse asked, “Does your father have any lady friends?”

The little girl shook her head. “He’s always too busy working when he should be resting.” She glanced toward her house. “That’s what he’s doing right now. We’re supposed to be on vacation, but he’s been on the phone for hours.”

A plan began to materialize in Jesse’s mind. “Maybe we can do something about that.”

Cindy’s eyes brightened. “What?”

“I’ll have a party and invite some friends to introduce you all to Sweetwater.”

“You will?”

“Yes. How does tomorrow night sound?”

“What about tomorrow night?”

Nick’s question surprised Jesse. She hadn’t heard him approaching and to look up and see him standing only a few feet from her was unnerving. Her heart kicked into double time. She surged to her feet, smoothing down her jean shorts that suddenly seemed too short.

“Cindy and I were planning a party to welcome you to Sweetwater.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I want to. So pencil me in.”

His eyebrow quirked.

“It won’t be a large gathering. Just a few people.” Jesse heard herself talking a mile a minute. She stopped and took several deep breaths. “How about it? I’m a great cook.”

“After tasting your cookies, you won’t get an argument from me. They were delicious.”