“I mean, do you know what happened out there?There is speculation on the fact that you’re new in town and that this missing woman could be you.Not a great many people think that.And it might only be my brother.But he’s set on you being the missing woman.”She told him that she’d worked there before theSheepburnt down.“You could be her, I suppose.You certainly look like the description of her.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”He put up his hands as if to tell her that he’d meant no harm.He even went as far as to tell her that he was sorry.“I had nothing to do with what happened out there.I’m as in the dark as anyone else.”
“But you were there.”His comment was just loud enough for her to hear, and she turned her back on him.“Don’t run.I won’t tell anyone who you are.I followed you home from work last night, and I know where you’re staying.Just so you’re aware, I own that place, and construction will begin in the new year.I’d like to offer you a place to stay that will be safer for you.”
“Why would you do that?”She didn’t know which statement she was asking about, himfollowing her home, or a place to stay but she was scared and confused.“I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”
“All right.But if it gets too bad for you, you can call me anytime, and I’ll come and get you.I won’t even say anything to Wylie.He’s the one who believes that you’re a part of the things that went down out there.”She looked around the corner where Rosie was working on the tables in the back of the room.“She won’t hurt you either.She’ll take you in, too.We don’t know what happened out there, but I’m betting it’s nothing like the stories that are going around.”
“I’m afraid.”He nodded as if he understood.Before she could say anything, another customer came in and asked if it was too late to order.She told him it was fine and took his order to avoid talking to the Pennington man.She didn’t know his name, but was terrified of what he knew or didn’t know.
After the pizza came out of the oven, she handed it to him, and he handed her a ten-dollar bill.She could see that it had a phone number on it, plus the name Gleason.Putting it in her pocket, she was ready to run when Rosie came around the corner.The man with the last pizza was out the door before they closed.Ten minutes later, she was locking the door and getting ready to close up the shop.
It took them less than twenty minutes to get the store ready for tomorrow.The banking was finished up a few minutes later by the night manager.Giving Rosie five dollars from the ten-dollar tip from Gleason, she made her way home.Now she was paranoid that someone was following her again, and she found herself looking over her shoulder all the time.When she was inside the greenhouse, a car drove by, blinking its lights at her, and she could have sobbed.So much for being off the grid.She was about as in the open as if she’d taken a hotel room, she felt like.
It took her nearly three hours to get herself in a position where she felt like she was safe.He said she’d be all right, but did she believe him?And what was his offer of putting her up to be safe?Did he think that she wasn’t?All kinds of questions went through her head, and she had no answers to any of them.All she could really think about was why he knew when no one else did.Or did they?
Not sure she could sleep, she laid down on the big bags of dirt and thought about everything that he’d said to her.He’d been so point-blank about his statements that she should have known that he knew something about her.As she was getting up in the morning to return to work, having not slept at all, she had to worry now about him telling the police about her.She was trespassing on his land, and she was fearful of him getting her arrested.She didn’t know what to do now.
Chapter 2
Kinsey’s ankle was bothering him a great deal today.It was like the cold had seeped into it, and now there was no way to get it warmed up again.He’d been in an accident with his brother Wylie about four months ago, and they told him that he’d have trouble with his ankle for the rest of his life.It seemed that was true.
The two of them had been in their grandda’s old truck on the highway.There was stopped traffic ahead of them, and while waiting for it to move, the semi in front of them stopped dead, another semi behind them rammed them up and under the truck in front of them.He’d been able to save his brother by shoving him down between the seats, but he’d been hurt badly because he’d tensed up when the accident occurred.
If they had been in a newer truck, they neither one would have survived.As it was, the metal bent where the plastic would have crushed them.He was never so happy to be driving an old truck in his life.He still hadn’t been able to drive on his own yet.Every time he got behind the wheel of anything, he would get the shakes and not be able to do it.
Using his cane, he walked around the large reception area, meeting and greeting people.David was there with him as their wives had other things to do, but they were having fun.It wasn’t often that he was able to go out with the older man, and he thought that they had a good time no matter what was going on.
“Have you talked to your doctor about your ankle?”He said that he’d seen him yesterday.“I hate that they couldn’t do anything more for you.It seems with all of today’s medical miracles that they could fix a man’s ankle so it didn’t hurt so badly.”
“It doesn’t hurt that often.Just when it’s cold out.I think he said that as the years went on, I’d have better movement with it, but for now, it’s only been a few months, and I think I’m getting around pretty good.Much better than the alternative.”David shivered when he said that, as if he didn’t want to think about what might have happened.“I’m better all the time.Yesterday I could barely walk on it, so today is much better.”
“Just see that you take your time with it.I don’t want anything to happen to you like that again.”He said that he didn’t either, and they left it at that.“I hate these little plates of things to eat.I want a meal.”
“I usually eat before I come to these things anymore.I got tired of starving when I went home.”He said he should have thought of that.“I didn’t, Meggie did.She and I both go out to dinner when we have to go to one of these functions, so that we’re not starving.I don’t understand why they don’t have a meal either.”Another tray with cheese and crackers went by him, and he snagged a couple for the two of them.
“Thanks.You’d think that I would learn how to eat at one of these things.It’s been a long time in coming that I even want to go.However, when I found out that you were going alone, I decided that I couldn’t do better than to have you as a friend that I could talk to.These other people only have their hands out.”That was true.He’d been hit up for money twice since they’d gotten here an hour ago.He was getting really good at saying no.“Alice has one of these to go to next week.I guess Meggie is going with her, too.The two of them get along so well that I sometimes forget that we’ve only known you kids, for a short amount of time.”
“I forget that too.It’s like I’ve known the two of you all my life.I wish there were times that you were our parents instead of what we had.”He told him that it was the second time today that one of them had said that to him.“We all love you guys.I know that I don’t know where I’d be if you weren’t in our lives right now.Not just the buying of the farm, but your friendship has gone a long way inkeeping us happy.”
“You’ve made the two of us so happy that at times it’s hard to believe that we’ve not adopted you yet.”They both laughed, and Kinsey moved so that his ankle was in a better position.“There should be more chairs around here for people.You need to sit down.”
“I’m doing all right.I will have a seat when the speaker starts.If I sit down, I might not get up.I’ve had a long day today.”He asked him what he’d been doing.“Meggie and I have been working on the nursery.There is so much crap out there that they say you need, but you really don’t.We’ve been talking to a couple who had purchased everything in the market for their child and found out later that none of it was needed.I got her a really nice rocking chair just yesterday and had it put in the room.It’s starting to look like a baby is coming soon.”
“We got some things for the nursery, too.I think you might have gotten them already.”He said that they’d come just before he left to come here.“Just a few things.Things for the new grandbaby.”
“The box was pretty huge, David.”They both laughed.“I had to have help getting it into the house.So what’s your version of just a few things?”
“You know how it is.You get to the store, and everything is so beautiful that you can’t help but buy things.I’ve had a hard time just looking at catalogs to see what I can purchase.It’s our first grandbaby.What do you expect?”Kinsey was happy that they thought of his baby as a grandchild.He certainly thought of the man as his father most of the time.As did his brothers.“This child will want for nothing.I won’t spoil it too much, but I will give it all that I can.”
“You won’t go against us, will you?I mean, when we say no, that’s the end of it.I don’t want to have to get mean about it, but our word is what we go by.”He said he’d never do that.“Good.That would be bad for us and the baby to have you going against what we say.”
“I understand that more than you can know.”He looked around the room before speaking again.“How about we get out of here?You can say your ankle is hurting too badly, and I’ll have to drive you somewhere.I’d like a cold beer and a pizza.How about you join me?”
“That sounds wonderful.”He limped to the hostess and told her that he was in too much pain to be around much longer.When she told them both to go, the speaker was running behind anyway; they were on their way to the local pizza shop.It would give them something to eat, too, besides little cheese and crackers.
They were eating the last of the pizza when David brought up the baby again.He must have been worried about something because of the way he brought it up.When he asked if they’d be able to babysit, at least once in a while, he told him he’d be the first person he called when they needed someone to watch over baby Pennington.
