Picture Perfect Family

Chapter Two

Daniel Brantley never failed to appreciate the beauty of his hometown. No matter how many astounding landscapes he’d seen in his travels around the world, no matter the marvelous sights, smells and sounds of God’s creation that he’d witnessed during his seven years in the mission field, Claremont always took his breath away.

Maybe it was the memory of being a kid and running these streets with Jacob, Chad, Mitch and the other guys from Claremont High … or maybe it was simply the picturesque beauty of the town nestled perfectly at the foot of Lookout Mountain in north Alabama. Daniel had no idea why, but he knew that in all of his twenty-eight years, in spite of how often he’d felt close to God in his travels, there was something about being home that made God even closer, close enough to touch.

He cranked the window down and inhaled the scents of early spring, flowers blooming, trees budding. Honeysuckle and gardenia mixed and mingled, their sweet scents lingering on the air and showcasing the fact that he was no longer in Africa.

He was home.

Nearing the road leading to the high school, he saw two rows of Bradford pear trees covered in stark white blooms lining the path to the school’s entrance. Those blooms used to fall like snow all over this old red truck every spring a decade ago.

Glancing toward the brick buildings, he saw a bounty of teenagers’ cars parked in the gravel lots on both sides. He and Jacob parked out there back in the day. They’d ridden to Claremont High together every morning, stayed after school for football practice in the fall, basketball practice in the winter and finally baseball, which had been the favorite sport for both Brantley boys, every spring.

The Brantley boys. The Brantley twins. The Brantley brood. They’d been dubbed lots of things back then, but no matter how the townsfolk referred to them, it’d never been individually. They’d always been a pair, and in spite of their differences, they’d liked it that way.

Daniel sighed. Would he ever get used to the fact that Jacob was gone? And didn’t it seem odd that he’d been the one to venture out into more than his share of dangerous circumstances in his attempt to follow their missionary parents into the world and preach the Gospel, and yet the son that stayed home lost his life?

He pondered that irony as he drove through town. After Brother Henry told him to take his first day back to “get reacquainted with Claremont,” Daniel had headed directly to the photography studio in the town square to find Mandy Carter and see Kaden. Yes, he loved his hometown, but he’d have never returned this soon if it hadn’t been for his nephew. Unfortunately, he hadn’t found Mandy or Kaden at Carter Photography. Instead, he found a hand-painted sign on the door.

On a photo shoot. Be back later.

And wasn’t that just like Mandy? Be back later. No promises, nothing definite. Expecting the entire world to cater to her plans, her desires, the same way she had so many years ago. Some things never changed.

But Daniel wasn’t going to simply sit outside her door and wait for her to show. Instead, he drove through town enjoying the gorgeous day and taking in the scenery while thinking about Kaden. A little boy needed a man in his life. In truth, a little boy needed a dad in his life.

Daniel had originally thought it was fine to stay in the mission field and let Mandy Carter raise his nephew. Daniel’s parents had also agreed that Mandy was perfect for raising their grandson. Their commitment to the mission work in India kept them away, and while they loved the country there, they didn’t think they should move Kaden away from the only home he’d ever known right after losing both of his parents. And they all agreed that Mandy adored Kaden and wanted to take care of her nephew.

“I love Claremont, and I love Kaden. Let him stay here with me, please. It’s what Mia wanted.”

Maybe because he’d been so upset over losing Jacob, Daniel had agreed. He couldn’t wait to get back to Malawi to pray, to work and to grieve. After a few months, however, he realized that he couldn’t get his nephew off his mind. And when he prayed to God to help him know what he should do about Kaden, he’d received that email from Mandy.

After reading what she’d written, he realized that Mandy was still the spoiled little princess she was way back then. Why he’d believed her when she said she wanted to make a life in Claremont and raise Kaden was beyond him. If Kaden was going to have the life Jacob and Mia had planned for him, it’d be Daniel who provided it. Certainly not Mandy Carter.

He continued driving toward the edge of town so he could see the new neighborhoods everyone was talking about, but before he reached the entrances to the subdivisions that had replaced the cotton fields, something caught his eye. Or rather, someone caught his eye.

A woman stood beside a blue pickup truck waving her hands in the air. Her sleeveless pink shirt was tied in a knot at her waist, and a turquoise scarf had been threaded through the belt loops of rolled up jeans. The ends of the scarf were tipped in sparkling stones that appeared to match the bejeweled sandals on her feet. She looked like a modern princess Jasmine, waiting for Aladdin to scoop her up on a magic carpet and whisk her away from this “horrid little town,” as she’d dubbed Claremont so many years ago.

While she waved him down, a thick ponytail of shiny, chocolate-brown hair whipped across her face in the March breeze. But regardless of the mass of hair that made her face play peekaboo with Daniel as he approached, he had no doubt to the identity of the woman.

“Have mercy, Lord. Do You have to let her keep getting prettier?” His heart bumped solidly in his chest, the way it always did when he encountered the beauty that was Mandy Carter.

Daniel slowed the car as he neared and watched as one hand moved to shield her eyes from her hair, and her mouth formed a silent “Oh.” Which was quickly followed by “No.” Her wide smile slid into a flat line and she looked at him the same way she had practically every time he’d seen her in the past seven years, since that night he’d turned her down and walked away.

“You have anyone else in that old truck?” Mandy asked. “Someone who might actually be interested in helping me, perhaps?”

Here we go again. He grinned. “Afraid not.”

He heard her grumble something and was pretty sure it included, “Should’ve recognized that truck,” and “Why don’t you drive away, you always do.” But before he could respond, another voice joined in.

“Uncle Daniel?” Kaden called from her truck.

Daniel’s heart leaped at the sound, and his smile widened. “That you in there, slugger?”

“Uncle Daniel! Hey, you’re back!”

Oh, how he loved that boy. “Yes, I am, and I’m so glad I found you,” Daniel said, leaning his head out the window as he spoke. “Let me pull the truck over, and I’ll help you and Aunt Mandy.” He was still in the middle of the street, and even though there wasn’t a sign of another car around, he figured he should probably be safe.

He parked, then climbed out of the truck and walked to Kaden’s side of the vehicle. He was anxious to hug his nephew, and he could do that while figuring out Mandy’s problem with the truck.

“Uncle Daniel, my new friend Nathan said you’re cool. He was talking about you and the elephants and stuff,” Kaden said, climbing from his car seat and jumping into Daniel’s arms.

“Nathan?” Daniel asked, holding his nephew tight.

“Chad and Jessica Martin’s son.” Mandy didn’t look at Daniel as she spoke. Instead, she peered down the road as though she could will another car into existence.

“Right, I remember him. And he has a little sister, too, doesn’t he?” Daniel asked Kaden, since he seemed to be the only one interested in conversing.

“Uh-huh, Lainey. She’s little, only two.”

Mandy cleared her throat. “I did a photo shoot at Hydrangea Park of Chad and Jessica’s kids, and after the shoot, we stayed awhile to let Kaden play with Nathan.” She’d apparently given up on anyone else coming to her rescue and was now more interested in the dirt around her feet than looking at Daniel.

“And then we got in the truck to go back home but we ran out of gas,” Kaden said.

“Out of gas?” Daniel asked, smiling down at his nephew.

Mandy’s head snapped up. “Yes, out of gas.” Then she moved to the back of her truck, climbed into the bed and stepped around bales of hay and potted plants, searching for something. “I used the truck today because I needed some props, and I hardly ever drive granddaddy’s old truck, so I forgot to check the tank,” she said, shoving a hay bale aside. “Apparently, it was close to empty.”

“Apparently,” Daniel said, watching her push a few boxes, a shovel, an old-fashioned tricycle and some other odd, colorful objects around before withdrawing a small orange gas can.

“There,” she said, pushing dark bangs out of her eyes as she worked her way through the maze of objects to reach the back of the truck. Then she jumped down with the orange can in hand. “We need a ride to the gas station, if you don’t mind.”

“And you’ll need a ride back to your truck,” Daniel said, uncertain why he found it so much fun to push her buttons.

“Yes, that, too. I thought someone from town would probably drive by soon and give us a ride, but if you could do it, that will work.”

“I am from town,” he reminded, “and it isn’t a problem.” He put Kaden on the ground beside him and ruffled his hair. “Come on, we’ll move your car seat over to my truck.”

“He likes to call it a booster seat,” Mandy said. “Car seats are for babies, according to Kaden.”

Kaden gave her a toothy grin then smiled even bigger for Daniel. “I guess it’s both.”

Mandy’s face dropped. Daniel noticed, but had the wherewithal not to mention it. He really didn’t want to participate in a contest of who Kaden liked better. He wanted Kaden happy. Period.

Within minutes, he’d moved the booster seat over and buckled Kaden into the extended cab, then opened the passenger door for Mandy.

She maintained her distance as she climbed in, but the breeze still sent a hint of her peach shampoo, or perfume, across Daniel’s senses. He hadn’t smelled anything quite like it in a long time, especially not in Malawi or Tanzania, that’s for sure.

“When’d you get back from Africa?” Kaden asked.