Through the Storm (Bellingwood Book 8) Read online

  Polly waved her arm, encompassing Sycamore House and all of the land, and said, "You'd have to take care of all of this. That's part of the deal, you know."

  "I don't want that part of the deal. I want you. So no hurting yourself in ditches."

  "I'll do my best. You're home early, what's going on?"

  "We came to a stopping point over at the lodge, so I thought maybe I'd come home and see if my adorable wife might want to go out with me this evening. Maybe we could even go out of town."

  "I'd love to. Just us or do you want to call someone?"

  He kissed her nose. "How about just us. We always do things with other people."

  They went upstairs and were greeted by a very happy Obiwan, who wagged his tail until Polly thought it would fly off his body. "I was just here an hour ago," she said, ruffling the fur on his head. "You act like I've been gone for days."

  They walked past him, through Henry's office and into the media room. Rebecca was at one end of the couch, leaning on the arm rest, her feet tucked under her and Andrew was at the opposite end in the same position. They both had books on their laps and their backpacks were open, with papers strewn everywhere.

  "What are you two doing?" Polly asked.

  "We have to do a report on Greece," Rebecca announced. "We're working together."

  "That sounds interesting," Polly said. "Have you had something to eat?"

  "We don't have time," Andrew said. "As soon as Mom is done yelling at Jason, I have to leave and we only have one more day to finish this. We're supposed to write about the pan ... What's it called again, Rebecca?"

  "Pantheon. You know, Polly. All of the gods." She held up a drawing. "I think Poseidon is cool."

  "That's terrific. Okay. You keep working."

  "Did he really steal Eliseo's car?" Rebecca asked timidly. "I can't believe he'd do that. He loves Eliseo."

  "Yeah, he did," Polly responded.

  "Since he started hanging out with those jerks," Andrew observed, "he's gotten worse than ever. Mom told him the other night that she didn't know what she was going to do with him. He made her cry. She didn't let him see, but I heard her crying in her bedroom when I went to the bathroom. I don't like him anymore. He shouldn't make her cry." Andrew slumped a little. "I'm never going to be like that."

  "He's trying to figure it all out, Andrew. You need to be patient. He's a good kid and he'll get there."

  "But he's going to hurt a lot of people before he does," Andrew said. "Do you know why he took that car?"

  "Not really," Polly replied. "It's not my business."

  "He was trying to impress those jerks. One of them dared him to do it. He'd been bragging about how Eliseo lets him drive all the time and they called him a liar so he stole the car and drove it to school. He talked about doing it, but that was last week. I didn't think he really would."

  "One of mom's old boyfriends stole cars," Rebecca said. "He had to go to jail. Jason isn't going to jail, is he?"

  Andrew apparently hadn’t thought of that and he looked up at Polly and Henry, his eyes huge. "Is Sheriff Merritt going to take him to jail?"

  Henry walked over to the boy and put his hand on Andrew's shoulder. "Your mom and Eliseo will work this out. Don't worry. Jason will be home with you tonight."

  "Maybe I want him to go to jail. He isn't very much fun to live with and now he's going to be mad. Especially after Mom punishes him. Can I stay here tonight?" Andrew asked.

  Polly chuckled. "No, I think it's best if you not cross your mom much for a while."

  "No kidding," he said.

  "You two keep working until she calls for you, Andrew." Polly and Henry went out to the living room and she dropped into the middle of the sofa. Henry sat down beside her, then bent over and picked up a woodworking magazine.

  He looked at her. "Do you want to talk?"

  Polly laughed. "You're fine. Read your magazine. I'll make you talk to me at dinner."

  CHAPTER TWO

  Though it was Saturday morning, Polly woke up early to help in the barn. She wasn't sure whether or not Jason would be there. After the altercation with his mother last night, Polly didn’t know if he'd be allowed out of their apartment at all this weekend. She slid into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, then patted her leg for Obiwan to follow her. Henry made a noise and she stopped, standing still as a post, waiting for him to fall back to sleep.

  They'd stayed out late last night, neither of them wanting to come home. After the storm passed, it had been a beautiful evening. They had dinner in Ames and then went for a drive around the countryside. Henry took her up to the Boone River and pulled into a canoe put-in site. No one else was there and they'd spent a couple of hours walking around, then sitting in his truck talking and enjoying the sounds of the river rustling by while bugs sang their songs. In the twenty minutes it took to get back to Bellingwood, Polly had been so relaxed she fell asleep, only waking up when Henry opened her car door.

  Jessie Locke was still living with Polly and Henry. She was saving to get her first apartment. A job at the convenience store and taking care of Joss and Nate's twins kept her busy. They'd fallen into an easy routine around the house and Jessie was more than willing to keep an eye on Andrew and Rebecca when she was available. She helped Sylvie and Rachel in the kitchen for big events and helped in the barn most mornings during the week. Polly had never known anyone quite so driven to make a go of it. She was insistent on proving to her mother that she could live on her own and succeed.

  There was still tension between Jessie and her mother. Kelly had finally accepted the fact that her daughter wasn't coming home and shipped the rest of Jessie's things to Iowa. They didn't talk on the telephone, though Jessie did talk to her father fairly regularly. He'd recovered from his heart attack and was driving his truck again. Jessie had also spent the last two months working with a counselor. Polly was grateful she wasn’t responsible for the girl's mental health. There had been so much trauma in Jessie's life in such a short period of time, she really needed someone dispassionate about the situation to help her get through it.

  Polly quietly closed the door behind her and wasn't at all surprised to find Jessie walking through the front room toward the door.

  "Are you working this morning?" As soon as the words were out of Polly's mouth, she smiled. Jessie was dressed in cut-offs and a t-shirt. "Oh. I guess not. Heading down to the barn with us?"

  "Yeah. I didn't figure Jason was going to be allowed over here again this weekend, so I thought you guys might need some help."

  "Awesome. Thanks for hanging out with the kids last night."

  "They weren't here very long after I got home. Sylvie texted me and told me to send Andrew down, then Rebecca and I had dinner with her mom and I came back up here and found a book. I was in bed early. I didn't even hear you and Henry come home."

  "We tried to be quiet. Henry took the dog out and I was asleep before they came back."

  Polly pushed the side door open and they went outside. Eliseo's car was in its normal spot at the barn. He'd already gotten started.

  "How much trouble is Jason in?" Jessie asked.

  "I have no idea. I haven't talked to anyone since last night. Sylvie didn't know what she was going to do yesterday."

  "I just don't get why he would do something so stupid."

  Polly stopped on the sidewalk and turned to the girl. "Seriously?" She chuckled. "You're the one who came out here to a place you'd never lived and then stayed."

  "Well, yeah." Jessie tilted her head and smiled. "I suppose. But my mom and I don't get along at all. Sylvie's awesome. She's really good to those boys. I can't believe Jason doesn't get that."

  "It's got to be hard growing up without a Dad. He feels like he has to be the man of the house and at this age, everything confuses him."

  "But he has Eliseo. Those two are great together. I hope he figures this out before he screws it up. He's got a good life." Jessie took Polly's arm. "By the way, I don't say it very often, but I have
a good life now, too, thanks to you. Not that living with my parents was the worst thing in the world, but I don't know what I'd have done if you weren't the one who showed up in Oelwein that day. Emily says that I'm lucky. She's right."

  Emily Smith was Jessie's counselor. She was in her late twenties - not that much older than Jessie - but they made it work.

  "I'm glad you're here. You've gotten involved in a lot of things at Sycamore House and we all appreciate your help." Polly pushed the first gate open and waited for Obiwan and Jessie to walk through.

  "You pay really well. I love working the receptions and parties. See, that's what I don't get with Jason. His mom is great."

  They went through the next gate. The door to the barn was already open. "Sylvie is pretty terrific. They'll get through this," Polly said.

  Jason was in the barn. When they entered the door, he was carrying a bale of hay from the back.

  "Hey Jason," Polly said.

  "Hey," he replied. He didn't look up and didn't say anything more, just took the bale into Nat's stall.

  "Where's Eliseo?" she asked as they watched him break it up.

  He motioned with his head and said, "Back there."

  "Great," she muttered as she walked away. "Happy boy."

  Eliseo came out of the feed room with a bucket of water. "We've got a problem with the plumbing down here. I've already called about it. I'm carrying water this morning, though."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Something's wrong with the pipes on this side of the barn. Demi and Daisy aren't getting water. I could tear into it, but I thought maybe you'd rather pay for a little bit of work than have me wreck it." He grinned at her. "Who knows what happened."

  "Jessie and I are here to help and we're early. You guys got going fast this morning."

  He nodded, looking around the place. "Yep. Jason and I were up early so we decided to come on in and start working. We have a very long day today."

  Polly glanced around. "Errr, what?"

  "Mom kicked me out," Jason said in a grumble as he went past them.

  "She what?"

  "She didn't kick him out,” Eliseo interrupted, “but he's going to be staying out at my place on the weekends. We're putting new siding on the house this weekend and if the weather holds, we'll also put on a new roof this fall. Jason is now my sidekick. Every minute that he's not in school or doing homework, I have work for him to do."

  Polly gulped back laughter. Sylvie was one of the smartest women she'd ever known. There was going to be no more time for Jason to get in trouble, and with someone who worked as hard as Eliseo, the poor boy wouldn't know up from down before he finally fell into bed each night.

  Eliseo continued, "That old farmstead is going to get a lot of attention this fall. There is a garden to clean up so that we can plant next spring, the yard needs work and there are some fences that need to be repaired. Betty is going to teach Jason how to take care of the chickens and I'm about to add a few goats to my life."

  Jason walked back through with another bale of hay and went into Nan's stall.

  "It sounds like this is going to be an interesting season for both of you," Polly said, keeping an eye on Jason. He was doing his best to avoid looking at her.

  Eliseo chuckled. "I knew that my list of things to get done was pretty big, but now that I have some good help, I might actually finish it all." He took a step to the side and called out, "Jason, when you're done with the stalls, you can start working on the tack. It's been a while since it's been cleaned and oiled. I'm going up to the garden." He walked over to the stall. "If I'm not back when you're finished in the tack room, sweep out the alley and then come find me."

  Polly didn't hear anything and watched as Eliseo waited by the stall. "Did you hear me, Jason?"

  "Yes sir," came the grunted response.

  "Terrific. I'll see you in a bit."

  "Unless you ladies really want to spend time with the horses, I think we've got it. In fact, why don't you both sleep in tomorrow morning, too." He winked. "We'll take care of things down here."

  Polly and Jessie followed Eliseo out of the barn and when they cleared the last gate, Polly asked, "Do you suppose he's happier working than being banned from the barn?"

  "No question about it. He might sulk, but that's to be expected. I kept him working late into the evening last night and woke him up early this morning. But I promise you that by tomorrow morning, he will be back to his normal self. We'll work through this. He's a good kid and I love him."

  "I know you do. We all do," Polly said. "I hope someday he realizes how lucky he is to have you in his life."

  Eliseo stopped with her just before she opened the side door. "I'm the one who is lucky, Polly. I never thought I'd get the opportunity to raise a son. He and his brother are as precious to me as if they were my own. I hope their mama knows that."

  "She trusts you with him. I'd say she knows that," Polly said, reaching out to touch his hand. "We all do."

  She waited for Obiwan to catch up and then went inside while Eliseo walked around back to the garden. It had been a wonderful season for fresh vegetables.

  "What's up for you today?" she asked Jessie as they hit the stairway.

  "I have to work at ten and then I'm working the reception tonight."

  "You have a busy day."

  "I love it. I don't want to stay at the convenience store forever, but it's fine for now."

  Polly opened the door and smelled bacon. "He's cooking!" she said. "What's up with that?"

  Obiwan ran for the kitchen and Henry came around the corner. He was wearing a purple with pink lace apron that Polly had received as a wedding gift. She rarely wore it, but it made her laugh to see her macho husband comfortable in it. "You girls are back early. I hoped to have everything ready and on the table."

  "We weren't needed. Jason and Eliseo got here early Apparently Jason is Eliseo's lackey for the next several months - spending weekends out at the farm, helping with construction and everything else."

  Henry laughed. "It serves him right and what a terrific way to deal with this. He'll be too tired to get into trouble. Breakfast won't be ready for another half hour though."

  "Then I'm taking a shower," Polly said. "Will you put food down for the dog?"

  "Already done. The cats are fat and happy and your Saturday is about to begin. Take your time. I'll ring a bell when it's ready."

  He spun around and went back into the kitchen. Jessie was trying her best not to giggle.

  "Go ahead, laugh," Polly said. "I can't believe he's wearing it either."

  "It's really purple."

  Polly chuckled. "You don't know the story about that, do you?"

  "There's a story? About a purple apron?"

  "Oh no, not an apron. A pair of purple panties with hot pink bows on them. I hadn't been here very long and was carrying my laundry down the front steps one Saturday morning. Sycamore House wasn't even Sycamore House yet. We were still in the middle of a mess. Doug Randall had come in early to pick up a tool that he needed out on a worksite and I didn't know he was here. When he startled me, I dumped my entire basket of laundry down the stairs and the first thing he saw was my purple panties. I'm not sure who was more embarrassed, me or him, but word got around and those panties were the subject of a lot of teasing. It was all in good fun. I still can't believe it escalated."

  "People in town really like you."

  "They're just good folks. All you have to do is treat people well and they'll return the favor. You go on and get ready. I'll meet you in the kitchen for breakfast."

  Polly went into her room and found both cats sleeping on the bed. "Did you two get up too early this morning?" She reached down and picked Luke up and sat where he'd been sleeping, then kicked her boots off. Luke jumped out of her arms and padded to the other end of the bed and curled up on her pillow.

  "That's telling me," Polly said.

  ~~~

  Breakfast was a bacon and sausage breakfast casserole wi
th sausage gravy. Henry had been working on Polly's recipe. He'd told her that she wasn't allowed to be the only good cook in the family. He could learn. And he was. She often wondered how she'd been fortunate enough to land on his radar. The man was pretty close to perfect.

  Jessie left for work and Polly helped Henry finish cleaning the kitchen. Since he'd moved in, the place was in much better shape on a regular basis. Honestly, as Polly looked around, she realized that it was both Henry and Jessie who helped keep this place clean. She'd quietly worked harder at picking up her belongings, but when she got distracted by too many things, cleaning was the last thing on her mind. The one household chore she managed to keep up with was laundry. Especially since Henry installed a small washer and dryer in the bathroom across from his office. Things suddenly became much easier.

  "I want to run over to the lodge this morning," Henry said. "Do you want to go with me? It won’t be long. The guys had some trouble installing the tile on the backsplash behind the bar and they wanted me to check it before Monday morning."

  "Sure. Then what are we going to do?"

  "Are you telling me you don't have any plans for today?"

  "I guess I could hang out here with Andrew and Rebecca, but I'd rather be with you."

  "No shopping with Sal or snuggling babies with Joss?"

  Polly sidled up to him and tickled his neck. "Are you feeling left out?"

  "Stop that," he shook his head and brushed her hand away. "You know how I hate it when you play with my neck. No, I'm not feeling left out, but you're not around very often on Saturdays."

  "I am today."

  He looked at her suspiciously. "Everyone else has things to do, right?"

  "No!" Polly clapped both of her hands against her cheeks, opening her mouth into a surprise “O” shape. "Why would you think that?"

  "You're so transparent. Well, whatever. I'd love to have you come with me."

  "Maybe we could go look for a new car for me?" Polly twisted the ring on her finger and looked at the floor.

  "You really want a new car?"