By His Hand: Truly Yours Digital Edition (19 page)

“Yes, well, it seems your father’s had a change of heart these days,” her mother murmured as she opened her purse and took out her compact.

Curiosity sped through Victoria’s veins. Her father had changed. She could see it in his eyes, in his smile. It was in his countenance, in the way he spoke and carried himself.
Oh, precious Jesus, could it be
?

“It seems your father has found the Lord.” Her mother rolled her eyes and stared into her small mirror.

“Daddy?” Victoria gawked at her father, praying he would say what she hoped.

He smiled. “Your mother’s right. I’ve found the Lord.”

“Oh, Daddy!” Victoria stood and hugged her father again. “I’m so happy for you! How? When? What happened?”

He leaned forward in his chair. “When my lawyer called and said I needed to leave the country because I was being accused of embezzlement, I was stunned. I couldn’t even move from my desk for several moments. My world was crumbling around me, and I could feel it. Every thought, every action I’d had in my life seemed to pass before me.”

He clasped his hands. “All I could think about was his suggestion to leave you, my only living child. He said if I took you with me, people would believe you were guilty. I couldn’t bear the thought of it.”

“I’d already lost your brother.” He stood and paced the floor. “How could I leave my baby girl, as well?” He stepped in front of her and touched a strand of her hair. “Then, for some reason, my childhood invaded my mind. Over and over again, I was in church with your grandma. The preacher’s sermons about God’s love, His grace, His mercy, His restoration kept running through my mind.”

“Oh, Daddy.” Victoria touched his hand.

He squeezed it tight. “When I got to the Cayman Islands, I sought out the first preacher I could find. Your mom thought I was nuts….”

“Still think you’re nuts,” her mother murmured as she applied a fresh coat of lipstick to her mouth.

He chuckled. “But I had to know. Had to find out. Had to experience God’s love. He showed me, honey. That preacher opened his Bible and showed me scriptures I’d long forgotten.” Her daddy raked his fingers through his thinning hair and then swiped his hand over his tear-filled eyes.

“God was faithful and merciful to this old man. I got down on my knees and begged Jesus for forgiveness. I never embezzled money, but I sure did steal time from my wife, my son, and my little girl. And I lost all this time with my little grandson.”

He nodded toward the kitchen. “I’m just thankful that Sondra and Dylan are willing to allow us to get to know him now.”

Victoria wiped her own tear-filled eyes. She would have never imagined God would have worked things out so perfectly. “Daddy, I’m so happy, and I’m so glad you came.”

“Me, too, sugar. And after we stay and visit a day or two, we’ll all go home together.”

Chris shut the door and kicked off his work boots. He’d been at the shop since before dawn, and the sun had descended into the ground some two hours before he’d made it home. He rubbed the back of his neck while he moved his head from side to side in an attempt to work out some of the crick that seemed to linger from the day before. The way he felt he might have to bypass dinner and simply hit the sack.

“Chris, we have a guest.” Abby’s voice sounded quiet, winsome.

“A guest?” Chris walked into the kitchen and saw Abby holding Sassy-Girl close to her chest. An older, gray-haired woman sat across from her. With some difficulty, the woman placed her hand on the table and tried to stand.

“Please, you can sit.” Chris walked over to her and offered his hand. “I’m Chris Ratliff. I don’t think we’ve met.”

She shook his hand. “I’m Junie Osborne. I’m glad to meet you.”

“She was one of Mama’s teachers when she was a girl,” said Abby.

Chris frowned. “I’m sorry, Ms. Osborne. We haven’t seen our mother …”

“Mama was living with Ms. Osborne.”

“What?” Chris fell into the chair beside the aged woman. “Where is Mama?”

The woman took off her oversized glasses and placed them on the table. A small tear traced her cheek. She wiped it away. “I’m so sorry. I had to come and tell you in person.” She paused. “I’m afraid your mother has passed away.”

Chris felt as if he’d been struck. He leaned back in his chair and swallowed the knot in his throat. He looked at Abby, who’d covered her face with a tissue. He pulled her, chair and all, over to him and wrapped his arms around her.

“You may not have known, but your mother had diabetes.”

“We knew.” Chris fought the eruption within him. Anger. Hurt. Sadness.

“About a year ago, Winnie showed up at my house. She was such a fragile thing, mourning her husband’s death. I was happy to have her stay with me.” The woman sighed. “I had a time getting your mother to take all her medication. I tried to convince her she’d feel better if she would take her depression medicine.”

“Mama took medicine for depression?” Abby looked up at Chris.

“Yeah. Sometimes it’s a symptom of diabetes, and Mama always struggled.” Chris looked at Ms. Osborne. “Daddy used to have to coax her to take it. She’d feel better sometimes and wouldn’t want it.”

The woman nodded. “Yes, I’m sure that’s true. Once I couldn’t get her to take the depression medicine anymore, she gave up on eating right. Her diabetes was beginning to really affect her sight and her feet. She had another appointment to see my doctor the day …” The woman’s voice caught. She stopped and took a tissue from her purse. “I’m sorry. I wanted so much to be strong for you, to make it easier to tell you.”

“Go ahead.” Chris held tightly to Abby. He’d allowed her to hurt alone once, but he wouldn’t do it again.

“She slipped into a diabetic coma. The paramedics rushed her to the hospital, but she never woke from it.” Ms. Osborne shook her head and touched Chris’s hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t contact you sooner. I didn’t know …”

“She didn’t tell you about us.”
How could she? How could she care so little about us that in a year she never mentioned her own children?

“She told me you were her relations. She had pictures of you all over her room. She kissed you good night every day.

Without her medicine, she couldn’t fight her depression.”

“But how could she not tell you about us?” cried Abby.

“Listen, honey.” Ms. Osborne leaned forward. “Your mama talked about you both constantly. She loved you. She just couldn’t see clearly.”

A knock sounded on the door. Chris stood.

“It’s my cab.”

“Your cab?” Chris looked at Ms. Osborne. She stood slowly and grabbed the cane that rested against the table.

“Here’s my address.” She handed Chris a slip of paper. “You come and get your mother’s things whenever you and your sister are ready.”

“Ma’am, you don’t need a cab. I will be happy to take you—”

She touched his arm. “Stay with your sister. She needs you.” Patting him, she added, “In the best way she knew how, your mother loved you both.”

Chris nodded and helped her to the door. He watched as she and the driver walked to the cab and got inside. She was the only link he’d had to his mother in over a year. He’d never met the woman before, and she told him he’d never see his mother again.

“Deep down, I think I always knew Mama was depressed.”

He nodded and allowed his heart to tender, to hurt, if for nothing else, for his sister. “Her diabetes was really bad, Abby.”

“I know. But how could she not call us? How could she just up and die like that?” Abby cried. The finality of his mother’s life began to sink into his heart. “Do you think she loved us?” whispered Abby.

Chris remembered Mama fixing cupcakes for them each year on their birthdays. He thought about how she always had one item that each member of the family liked for supper every single night. He remembered how she planted a specific flower for each of them in the garden each year. There were several things she did special for her family. “Yes, I think Ms. Osborne is right. She loved us.”

Abby chuckled. “Remember how she used to sing ‘Jesus Loves Me’ at the top of her lungs in the shower?”

“I remember.”

Abby wrapped her arms around his waist. “Mama had a beautiful voice.”

“Yes, she did.”

“I’m going to miss her.” She tightened her hold. “But at least we know where she is.”

Chris exhaled.
Thank You, God, for telling us. Now we can heal, and Mama has been made whole with You
. “Yes, we do.”

Victoria pulled her Suburban into the street parking space. She grabbed her purse and the picnic basket and walked toward Lawton’s community park. The warmer-than-usual November air whipped through her hair. Despite the higher temperature, Victoria could feel the oncoming of cooler weather. The leaves, a mixture of red and golden hues, were also proof of it.

Three days had passed since the chorus concert, and she hadn’t spoken to Chris. She had decided to go home with her parents the following day. Dylan, Sondra, and even Zack had tried to talk her into staying, but she knew she couldn’t. Her heart belonged to Chris, and she had to get over him.

Abby
. She dreaded telling her young friend of her plan to leave. Victoria’s love for Abby was every bit as strong as if the girl had been born into her own family. Hoping Chris would still be at the shop, Victoria planned to drive by their house and talk to Abby before going back to the ranch.
God, You’ll have to walk me through that conversation
.

Shaking her head, she determined to ponder that later in the day. For now, she needed to find Zack. Peering around the park, she spied him already sitting on the bench with his script and a cooler of drinks. He waved, and she picked up her pace.

She had been surprised at what a wonderful actor and singer Zack proved to be. He had really taken the community play seriously, and she had a feeling, come this weekend when he was able to try out, that Zack would have the lead male part in Lawton’s version of
Oklahoma
.

“Hi, Zack.” She lifted the picnic basket a little higher. “Do you want to eat first or practice first?”

“I’m starving. How ’bout we eat first?”

She opened the basket and pulled out some paper plates and napkins. “Sounds like a plan to me. I brought homemade chicken salad sandwiches, compliments of Sondra, a bag of chips, carrot sticks, and some yummy brownies, made especially for us by Peewee and yours truly.”

“Mmm. Delicious. And I brought some drinks.” He opened the cooler. “I think I got the easy end of this deal.”

“Don’t you worry about that. Peewee and I had a blast putting this basket together. Emily even joined in and threw a few carrot sticks at us.”

Zack sobered. “It’s going to be hard to leave them, huh?”

“Unbelievably. I don’t know how I will do it.” Victoria placed the sandwiches on the plates and then opened the bag of chips. She grabbed one and popped it into her mouth, willing herself not to envision driving away from her new family. “My parents and I are leaving tomorrow. I’ve already packed.”

“I haven’t heard anything about your dad’s case on the TV.”

“It’s not been finalized in court. But soon.”

“It all happened so fast. Their coming back. Your dad’s change of heart. Your leaving.”

Fast didn’t even begin to describe it. Victoria felt as if she’d been caught up in a whirlwind. She’d been praying for God’s guidance, but everything seemed to be coming at her quicker than she could be sure of His answers.

“I know. I could hardly believe it. And he and Mother are finally getting the chance to meet their grandson. Once they saw Peewee, they couldn’t deny he was Kenny’s.” She bit into her sandwich and then took a drink. “And Dylan has been amazing about letting them stay. He’s a truly wonderful man.” She smacked her leg. “But enough about me. How is Rosa?”

He smiled. “Beautiful.”

Victoria giggled. “Have you talked to her yet?”

“No.”

“When do you plan on it?”

“I don’t know that I’ll ever get up the nerve.”

“Sure you will. Tryouts are this weekend. Talk to her then.”

Zack dipped his head and played with his napkin. “I’ll try.”

“You’d better, because I’m coming back for the play, and you’d better be dating Rosa by then.”

Zack smiled again. “I hope so.”

Victoria stood up. “Ya ready to practice?”

“Ready as ever.”

Chris splashed some cologne on his chest. It had been three full days since he’d seen or talked to Victoria. Every vehicle in Lawton had decided to break down in some form or fashion. He’d been working sixteen-hour days, but all he could think of was when he could see her again.

He grabbed his tie and put it around his neck. He’d called the ranch to see if Victoria would spend the day with him. Sondra had told him she’d gone to the park to rehearse for Lawton’s community play.
I didn’t even know Victoria acted
. There was still so much to learn about each other, and he longed to spend every single day of the rest of his life learning every facet of Victoria Thankful’s personality.

Opening his dresser drawer, he picked up the small black box tucked away inside. He popped the top and gazed at the small ring. Knowing it had meant so much to Victoria, he couldn’t wait to see her face when he presented it to her. He shut it and placed it in his pants pocket. Sliding into his coat jacket, he grabbed his keys.