A Heart Made New (25 page)

He glanced at his bruised thumb. Lesson learned. He’d do well to keep his distance.

D
avid ran a hand over the horse’s long, slick neck, adjusted the lead rope, and led Blackie out of the Shiracks’ barn. Pools of rainwater dotted the muddy path that connected the barn and the corral. At least the mid-morning shower had cooled the air. David inhaled. The air smelled fresh and clean. If the showers of the last few days continued, they would have a good harvest after all. The clouds had dissipated, and the sun on his face promised a warm afternoon. He soaked it up, thankful for each minute free of pain and nausea. A great day to be outside teaching a little girl to ride. Finally. Between his obligations at the bakery, the trip to Wakefield, Luke’s need to use the horse, and Kinsey’s doctor’s appointments, it had been tough to find a time for this first lesson. And those obstacles were nothing compared to Willow’s worry about her daughter getting hurt or contracting some new bug.

He shoved back the brim of his hat and glanced toward the house. Luke was working in the fields and Josiah was at the shop. Annie hadn’t been at the bakery in two days because of some kind of stomach flu. Maybe she would feel well enough to venture out of the house today. Probably not. If their last encounter was any indication, it would be better if their paths didn’t cross. They would sooner or later, of course, but only time could heal the wounds caused by those angry words. He didn’t want Annie to be angry at him, even if it served the purpose of
allowing him to keep her at arm’s length. He couldn’t bear her being mad at him. It was a conundrum he couldn’t fathom.

The horse pranced, his head dipping and bobbing as if he were excited to be outdoors, bringing David back to the task at hand. “Easy, there. Easy, boy.”

He’d better keep his mind on Blackie and teaching Kinsey to ride. Willow was depending on him to keep her daughter safe. The idea of Kinsey riding didn’t thrill her mother. She seemed consumed with the possibility of germs. David understood. Willow wanted to focus on germs so she wouldn’t have to think about what might really kill her daughter.

He shook off the thought and walked Blackie around in a large circle to calm him a little before Kinsey arrived. If she’d never seen a real horse before, she might have second thoughts when she saw the size of this one.

“Good boy.” He ignored the ache in his shoulders and arms. His strength still hadn’t returned, and fatigue overtook him in the middle of the simplest tasks.
Buck up, buddy.

“What are you doing?”

Startled, David tightened his grip on the rope and turned. He’d been so engrossed in his thoughts he hadn’t seen Charisma’s approach. She looked much better than she had after the trip to Wakefield the previous week. No sadness marred her face, and the dark circles had disappeared from under her eyes. She still wore her clothes a size too small, but life on the farm seemed to agree with her. Gracie toddled along behind her, a cookie in one hand and a ragged doll in the other. The doll must belong to one of the twins. David had seen
Englischer
dolls, which were nearly perfect in their mimicry of real babies. This one had no face.

He tied the rope to the fence in a loose split knot and pushed through the gate so he could approach her. “I’m waiting for Kinsey.”

“Annie said you’d be out today.” Charisma fiddled with gauze and tape wrapped around the index and thumb of her left hand. “Kinsey’s doctor finally said yes?”

Annie had been talking about him. David tried to take that fact in stride. Really, she’d been talking about Kinsey.

“Yep. Her numbers are so much better that he’s letting her spend a few days at home.” He leaned against the fence and studied her hand. “What happened to your fingers?”

“Annie’s trying to teach me to sew. I’m all thumbs.” She sucked at the tip of her finger for a second and let it drop. “I mean, really. She thinks I can make baby clothes and cloth diapers. All I do is stick the needle in my hand so much it bleeds.”

“You’ll learn.” Or not. Maybe it was a skill that had to be learned early in life. David had no idea. “Anyway, Kinsey has the all clear to take riding lessons.”

“That’s great news.” Charisma’s gaze dropped to Gracie, who squatted in the mud, chatting nonstop with the doll cradled in her chubby arms. “I can’t imagine having a kid with cancer.” Red blotches marred her long white neck. “Or anybody close to me. Sorry.”

“It’s all right.”

The sound of an engine stuttering and coughing drowned out the rest of his response. David appreciated the good timing. He was tired of trying to make people feel better about his disease. And tired of them apologizing for something that wasn’t their fault. He shaded his eyes against the sun pouring between glowering clouds that couldn’t decide whether to move on or unleash another downpour. A green station wagon that looked as if it had survived a tornado—just barely—puttered along the road, splashing through water pooled in deep ruts.

Willow Navarro waved as she pulled into the grassy area by the corral. At least she wouldn’t get stuck in the mud there. David waved back and started toward the car.

“That would be them, I’m guessing.” Charisma pulled Gracie onto her hip before she could scamper toward the car. “We’ll get out of your way.”

She sounded a little wistful. What did she do with herself all day besides stick needles in her thumb? Surely she helped Leah and Annie with the cooking and cleaning. David almost snorted. She didn’t look
as if she knew a mop from a broom or how to scramble eggs, let alone feed a dozen people three times a day. “You’re welcome to stay and watch. I’m sure Gracie will like Kinsey, and someday Gracie might want to learn to ride too.”

“Gracie’s gonna be a city girl.” Charisma sounded very sure of herself, yet she stayed rooted to the spot. “Still, I ain’t got nothing else to do, I guess. I spent a whole day in town putting in my applications for jobs. At the IGA, the restaurant, the pharmacy, the convenience store, that little salon. Nobody called the phone in your bishop’s barn. Leastwise, that’s what the bishop’s wife told Annie. Nobody’s hiring a pregnant lady who’s big as a house. So here I sit. It’s not like there’s a party going on around here or anything.”

David bit back a retort. She didn’t sound the least bit appreciative of what Annie had done for her or the allowances the bishop made in letting Annie use the telephone intended for emergencies. “Suit yourself.”

Kinsey hopped from the car and scurried toward them. She wore a bright purple bandana today, a neon green T-shirt, jeans that hung on her skinny legs, and the shiniest red cowboy boots David had ever seen. Someone had been shopping at the Waylon’s Western Wear.

“Is that him? He’s huge. Can I ride him now?” She dashed past David, then slowed down when she saw Gracie. She squatted next to the little girl. “Pretty baby, who are you?”

“Pretty!” Gracie took a swipe at the bandana. Her fingers curled around the material and she tugged.

“No!” A horrified look on her face, Charisma grabbed the little girl’s hand. Too late. The bandana slid off, revealing the patches of fuzz on Kinsey’s head. “I’m so sorry, Kinsey. Gracie, give it back right now! Bad girl!”

It seemed an overreaction, but then Charisma wasn’t used to chemo-induced baldness. Kinsey didn’t seem bashful about it or the least bit embarrassed. David plucked the bandana from Gracie’s hand and offered it to Kinsey. She ignored it. Instead she shimmied up the fence like a monkey and threw her leg over the top railing. “No biggie. She can have it.”

“Slow down.” David grabbed her tiny waist. “Stop. Let me get to the other side of the fence and then you can come in.”

He slipped through the gate and approached from the other side. “Come on.” He swung her to the ground. “You need to be calm and quiet. That way you don’t make Blackie nervous. Also, the polite thing to do is to say hello to Charisma and Gracie. Meet them properly.” He held out the bandana. “And you don’t want your head to get sunburned if the sun decides to stay out.”

Grimacing, Kinsey slapped the bandana on her head sideways and stuck her hand through the railing. “Please to meet ’cha!”

Laughing, Charisma shook the hand. Gracie, her face solemn, did the same.

“Yuck, her hand is sticky.” Kinsey wiped her fingers on her jeans. “What is that?”

“Probably peach jelly. Annie made her toast this morning.”

Despite being sick, Annie had made breakfast. What had Charisma been doing?
Don’t judge. It’s wrong to judge.
David plastered a neutral look on his face. “So she’s feeling better?”

“Oh, yeah, she said she’s going into the bakery this afternoon to help your mom bake for tomorrow. Friday being such a big shopping day in Bliss Creek and all.”

David studied the trees over her shoulder. “I’m glad she’s feeling better.”

“I think she misses you as much as you miss her. If she didn’t work with food, she probably wouldn’t stay at home even when she’s sick. She hates not seeing you every day at the bakery.”

“I never said I…” He stopped. The grin on Charisma’s face told him there was no point in disputing her words. “Why didn’t she come out to watch the lesson?”

“Leah’s got her mopping floors, dusting, baking a casserole for supper, and who knows what else. She’ll probably make her do the windows and scrub the fireplace before the day’s over. But I imagine she’ll sneak out later, don’t you worry.”

And Charisma had nothing to do. Why didn’t Annie say something
to her? It wasn’t his place, but he was sorely tempted. Charisma made more work for Annie, plus Annie took a lot of guff from Leah about bringing home this Englischer and her little girl. His mind’s eye filled with a picture he couldn’t forget, no matter how hard he tried. The picture of Annie walking toward him with Gracie’s arms wrapped around her neck that day in Wakefield. What would she look like with his child in her arms? Would their child have Annie’s green eyes and fair skin?
Stop it!

“Now, Mister David, now?” Kinsey tugged at his shirt sleeve. “What are you waiting for?”

“For your mother.” He managed to gather his wits about him. “I want to make sure she’s ready for you to do this.”

Taking her sweet time, Willow sauntered over to the fence. Her reluctance showed on her face. “Grammy says she’s been racing around like a crazy person all day.” She rubbed at a grease spot on her HomeTown Restaurant uniform. “She hasn’t had this much energy since… well, since forever. You’d better get started; I have to be at work at one.”

“That’s plenty of time for a first lesson. It’s good that Kinsey is excited. Getting a little sun and some fresh air will do her good.” Being outdoors always made David feel better. “Exercise is good too. She needs to work her muscles and get her strength back.”

“I don’t know. Her immune system can’t fight germs. What if she catches something out here?” With eyes ringed with dark shadows, Willow gave the corral the once-over. “They probably have mice out here and who knows what germs that horse has? And what if she falls off?”

“Are you kidding? I’ve been here over a month and I ain’t seen a single rat,” Charisma assured her, butting into the conversation. “This is the cleanest place I’ve ever lived in my life. That’s all they do. Clean, cook, sew, clean, cook, sew. And what’s even weirder, they like it.”

The astonishment in Charisma’s voice made David want to laugh, but the frown on Willow’s face forced him to swallow the chuckle. She studied the other woman with a curious look on her face. “I’m Willow.”

“Sorry.” He’d been so wrapped up in the exchange, David had forgotten to introduce them. He quickly corrected his error.

“So you work at the restaurant.” Charisma’s full lips turned down. “I put in my application a few days ago. No one’s called.”

“Naomi—she’s the owner—she does things on her own time. ’Sides, I heard she interviewed her niece yesterday. You know how it is—family.”

David caught the shadow that flitted across Charisma’s face. “There’ll be other jobs—”

“It don’t matter.” Charisma interrupted, her usual smirk anchored on her face once again. “Once she saw this belly, she’d never hire me anyway.”

“Come on, Mister David, come on! I wanna ride!” Kinsey danced around on the damp earth, her boots sinking into the mud. “You said I could ride him.”

“And you will. Patience is a virtue, anyone ever tell you that?”

“Grammy says the early bird gets the worm.”

This time all three adults laughed. It sounded good. He’d done the right thing in bringing Kinsey out here. It would be good for her and for Willow. She needed fresh air and sun too.

In mid-chortle, Charisma winced and gripped the fence post tight with her hand. She leaned over, panting. After a minute, she straightened and inhaled loudly through her mouth.

Uncomfortable, David waited for Willow to jump in. She was a woman. All women knew about these things. She didn’t say a word, and he coughed, hesitating. “Everything all right?”

Her nose wrinkled and Charisma rubbed her belly with both hands. “Happens now and then. I looked it up in the baby book Annie bought me. It’s called Braxton Hicks.”

Willow seemed to come out of her fog. She nodded so hard her nametag wiggled. “I had some of those with Kinsey.”

And they were off. Women really liked to talk about having babies. Expecting babies, delivering babies, diapering and burping babies. It seemed a fascinating topic to all females. David gave Kinsey a little push. Now was the perfect time to duck out of the conversation. Together they approached Blackie, and Kinsey’s pace slowed. She kicked at a clod of dirt. “He’s humongous.”