Family Ever After

She fitted her small fingers in Cara’s grasp and pulled Cara toward a door to the left. “Molly’s in there.” A scratching sound came from the other side of the wood. “She’ll want out. She doesn’t like staying in there.” The girl paused, her hand on the knob.

“What’s your name?” Cara stood behind the child.

“Lindsay.”

“That’s such a pretty name.”

“My mama gave it to me.”

“Where’s your mama?” Cara asked.

“In heaven. That’s what Papa told me.” Lindsay slowly turned the knob. “I have to be real careful when I open the door. Molly likes to bolt.”

“You’d better keep it closed, Lindsay. She likes to jump up on strangers.” Rusty covered the distance between them and drew away his sister’s hand. “Molly will be okay till we get back. Let’s go bring Adam home.”

Lindsay’s stomach growled. “Yeah, I’m gettin’ hungry.”

Noah followed the trio out to Cara’s car. After the kids were settled in the back, he slid into the front passenger seat. “Buckle up.”

Cara pulled away from the curb. “Let’s go to a fast-food-drive-through and pick up something for you two to eat.” She glanced back at the children. “Okay?”

“Can I have a hamburger and fries?” Rusty asked.

“I’m crushed. Not a pizza?” Noah said.

Lindsay leaned toward Noah. “I’ll tell ya a secret. I’m kinda sick of pizza. We have that almost every night. Adam brings it home when he works.”

“Then burgers and fries it is.” Noah caught Cara’s look. “Thanks for driving. My sports car isn’t kid friendly.”

She chuckled. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I imagine there are some big kids who would love to drive a Corvette around.”

“As your boss I’m gonna ignore that barb. I’m not going through a second childhood. I’ve always had a Corvette since I could afford it.”

“Ah, so you never outgrew your first one.”

“Ouch,” Noah said, studying the way her smile changed her face. Her green eyes glittered as though sun rays kissed the new spring grass. But it wasn’t her eyes that he was attracted to when she smiled. Her full lips, curving upward, lured him away from them and kept him transfixed.

After picking up food for the children, Noah listened to sounds from the back. The rustling of the paper bags. The slurping of their drinks. The quiet while they ate.

When the two finished, Rusty and Lindsay began whispering between themselves. Noah glimpsed the fear in their expressions. He imagined he’d had that same look on his face many times while he’d been growing up. Rusty tried to mask his worry with a brave, tough front, but it was there in the way he bit into his lower lip or nibbled on his thumb.

At the hospital Rusty held his little sister’s hand as they all walked toward the emergency entrance. Noah hung back and gestured toward Cara to do likewise.

“I don’t think there’s a father around anymore. I met him once, but that was a while back.”

“That could explain why all of a sudden Adam is stealing money. There wasn’t much at the house.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. I know their father worked at a place where there was health insurance.” Noah slanted a look toward the two children at the glass doors, waiting for them. “But if he’s left them, that insurance may no longer be in effect. They’ll need help. Thankfully I have some connections.”

“The authorities will have to be notified.”

“I know.” He made a gesture with his head toward the kids. “They won’t like it.”

Cara strode toward the children with a smile on her face. “Let’s go see Adam.”

Chewing on his thumbnail, Rusty hesitated. “Adam will be okay?”

Noah advanced toward the trio. “Of course. Nothing can get your brother down for long.”

Lindsay went inside, standing on the other side of the sliding glass doors. “C’mon, Rusty. I wanna see Adam.” She clutched her teddy bear to her, her eyes round, all her anxiety apparent.

Noah gritted his teeth. He’d caused that fear. Somehow he had to right this wrong.

“Don’t cry, Lindy,” Adam murmured in a weak voice, his eyelids drooping.

“I don’t wanna leave ya.” Lindsay’s sobs permeated the hospital room.

The sound tightened Cara’s chest, as if she couldn’t get a decent breath. Children’s Protective Services would be here shortly to pick up both Lindsay and Rusty to go to the shelter. Noah was in the hall, making one call after another about their situation. But it looked as though, even with his connections, the two kids would be leaving soon while Adam lay in the hospital bed, drowsy from the surgery to repair his broken leg.

Lindsay clung to Adam while Rusty stood behind her protectively, scowling as though he was too angry to talk. The second he’d realized where he and his sister would be staying the night he’d clammed up. Her heart went out to him. Rusty was only a year older than her own son, Timothy. Every time she looked at the boy, she wondered how her son would deal with this kind of situation. He’d always been shielded, even when her life had started falling apart.

The door swished open, and she turned, expecting to see someone from Children’s Protective Services. Instead, thankfully, Noah entered the room, but his expression didn’t bode well for Rusty and Lindsay.

Noah came to Cara’s side, observing the three siblings talking in lowered voices. When he turned his back on them, he cleared his throat and said, “I got them to let me take them to Stone’s Refuge for the night at Hannah and Jacob’s house.”

“Good.”

“But it’s only temporary. All three cottages are full. As it is, they’ll be sleeping on cots.”

“So the refuge isn’t an option for them?” Cara glanced at the children, Lindsay’s face buried in the crook of Adam’s arm while Rusty glared at Noah and her.

“Not at this time. Even if it became available, I can’t see three places opening at the same time. And they wouldn’t be able to stay in the same cottage.”

“What are the chances of them being sent to the same foster home?” Cara lowered her voice even more, feeling the heat of Rusty’s anger from across the room.

“The supervisor I know at Children’s Protective Services didn’t give me much hope of keeping them together.”

She closed her eyes for a few seconds, the weariness she’d fought for the past few hours starting to catch up with her.

“Can you drive me back to the restaurant to pick up my car and then take them to the farm? I’ll follow you.”

“Yes, of course.” Another quick glance toward the three siblings cemented her determination to do what she could for them. They had been through so much. And she owed Adam for what he had done the night before. “How do you suggest we get them to leave?”

“I was gonna ask you that. You’re the expert.”

“Expert! Whatever made you think that?”

“You have a child. I don’t.”