“Thanks. You don’t need to walk me home. I know the way,” she teased.
“But you might want help slipping through the barbed wire.”
She suddenly remembered getting caught. “Thanks.”
“Maybe I’ll put a gate there.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary.”
Miguel shrugged. “What if our girls decide to become friends? It would make it easier for them to visit.”
“Oh, yeah, right.” But she wondered if he really meant morethan just the girls. And why did that send a little thrill through her? “Just don’t let my dad see you making a gate. Who knows what he’ll think about that?”
“I’ll disguise myself and do it by the light of the moon.” He winked. “No one will ever know how it got there.”
She laughed as they reached the fence. “Well, that just might work.”
He lifted the wire and, this time, she slipped through without getting caught. She thanked him again, then turned back to her parents’ house, thinking how fortunate they all were to have such nice neighbors. Too bad her dad didn’t agree!
11
Honey
The old farmhouse had four bedrooms, yet it suddenly felt small to Honey. As much as she loved having Jewel and Cooper around to help out, she realized they needed more room. And if they felt this crowded in the summer when it was possible to be outdoors, what would it be like on a cold winter day?
That wasn’t her only concern though. The stairs were getting trickier for CT to navigate. And even though she’d relocated their bedroom to the first floor more than a year ago, CT still felt the need to go up to the second floor and poke around. And once he was up there, he had no respect for Jewel’s and Cooper’s personal space or belongings. Sometimes they would go to their rooms and find things not only rearranged but missing as well. Why CT wanted the odds and ends, or where he put them, remained a mystery. But there was no denying he was the one responsible.
It was all very irritating, but today felt like the last straw when CT stumbled down the stairs. His arms had been loaded with a few clothing items that he claimed were his, although they were not, and as a result, he hadn’t been using the banister.
“Are you hurt?” Honey asked as she helped him to his feet.
He just nodded, allowing her to lead him to his chair in the living room, where she examined his scrapes and bruises. Shewas just bandaging his knee when Jewel came in from working in the garden.
“What happened?”
“Dad was exploring upstairs again.” Honey nodded to the pile of stolen clothes still heaped at the foot of the stairs. “You might want to put those things back.” She lowered her voice. “And install locks on your doors.”
Jewel shook her head. “He could’ve been killed on those stairs.”
“Yes.” CT nodded like that was a real possibility.
“Plus, I saw him stumble on the back porch stairs yesterday,” Jewel said. “This isn’t good.”
“I know.” Honey rolled his pant leg back down over the bandage. “But what can we do?” She shook a finger at her husband. “I keep telling you to stay off those stairs, but do you listen?”
He gave her his hangdog look.
“I know.” She kissed his grizzled cheek, instantly realizing he hadn’t shaved lately. “You forgot.”
“Yes.” He nodded. “I forgot. I won’t do it again.”
“Right.” But she knew his words meant nothing. Oh, sure, he hoped he wouldn’t do it again, just like so many other things, but he would. His brain would trick him into believing there was a reason to go upstairs. And Jewel was right, a bad fall could kill him. As she took her first aid kit back to the kitchen, she wondered which was the worse way to die—from a bad fall or from slowly losing your mind and winding up bedridden in diapers with someone wiping your chin? She knew which route she’d choose for herself.
“Mom,” Jewel said as Honey came into the kitchen. “We have todosomething.”
“Dowhat?” she asked with irritation. Jewel and Cooper had only been here a week and they were already trying to change things. She needed and appreciated their help, but she and CT were used to being on their own. It wasn’t easy adjusting to a bigger family. But at least CT had started to remember their names ... some of the time.
“About this situation. With Dad.” Jewel sounded determinedto have a conversation that Honey would rather avoid. Really, they could talk until they were blue in the face, but what good would it do? She returned the first aid kit to its cabinet, then turned her back to Jewel, trying to think of a way to change the subject.
