Lacy's End (29 page)

“I know it’s you,” she said, choking out the words. “And I know that I would do the same if it were I in your place.”

She looked up at him. He brushed a tear from her cheek. “I love you, sis, and I promise to be careful.” He kissed her forehead, and they pulled apart.

They climbed the stairs holding hands. Their fingertips barely touched, as if he were leading her—much as they had done when they were children. Only she had led him, then.

Lacy lay in bed, listening to the sounds of the house go silent. When the last door had squeaked shut, she gently slithered out of bed and stole to the window. She gazed out over the land spread out before her in endless acres. The glass was cold from the icy temperatures outside, and Lacy’s breath created a mist of fog as it hit the glass. She drew a sad face, to match her mood, into the foggy circle. As she was pulling her hand away, she caught sight of movement near the barn. She wiped the windowpane clean with her sleeve and peered out, her eyes mere inches from the window. She held her breath so as not to cause any more fog. The moon was high, giving a soft-white glow to the barn and the surrounding pasture.

A dark stallion galloped in circles, his hot breath rising like fog as he expended energy. “What are you doing out?” she asked, her voice low. Her mother stirred in the bed. Lacy turned and looked. Brenda turned on her side, and resumed her even breathing. Lacy looked out the window again, but the horse had grown still. Without him moving, it was difficult to find him in the dark, but she finally located the fog from his breath. He walked toward the barn. She could see him better in the light cast down from the electric bulb that hung above the barn door. “Aw,” she said. “I see the problem.” Someone had left the barn door open, and the stallion had found its way out.

He turned toward her, stamped his hoof on the ground three times, and bowed his head. Lacy smiled. “My royal court.” She nodded her head, as she had seen princesses on television do, and laughed.

“Lacy?” her mother called from the bed. She slid out of bed, grabbed a blanket off the end and wrapped it around her daughter. “Honey, it’s freezing. What are you doing out of bed?”

“Someone left the barn door open, and one of the horses got out.”

Brenda moved in closer, straining to see. “Where?”

“He’s over by the barn.”

“I see him. Should we tell someone?”

Lacy shrugged. “I would think he’s smart enough to go back inside if he’s cold.”

“Still…” Brenda said, pondering. She was still pondering when she saw the baby they had seen on the way in move into the stable, next to the stallion. “I don’t like that, Lacy. While the daddy may know better, the baby might not. Let’s wake Allen.” She turned from the window, headed for the door.

“Wait, Mom. Look,” she said, pointing toward the barn.

A figure, clad in a dark coat was urging both horses toward the barn. “Is that Jackson?”

Lacy shook her head. “Who else would it be?”

“Come back to bed,” Brenda said.

Lacy did, but as she lay there listening to her mother’s rhythmic breathing, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of danger in the darkness.

Lacy awoke to the sound of new arrivals. She looked at the spot next to her, but her mother was already up.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and closed them. Was there any reason she had to get up at the crack of dawn? Ethan let out an Indian whoop call. Apparently, the crack of dawn was the time Ethan came alive.

“Ugh…..” She flung back the covers, sighed and rolled onto her side. As she did, she caught sight of the clock. She sat upright, straining her neck muscles in the process. Ten o’clock! That’s hardly the crack of dawn. If she had been at home… She let the thought drift away. She wasn’t at home, and her father was hundreds of miles away.

She pulled on her jeans and a tee shirt, brushed out her hair, and headed downstairs. Halfway down she came nose-to-nose with a tall, thin boy, who appeared to be about her age.

“Ow!” he cried, with a look of irritation rather than pain on his face.

“I’m sorry,” Lacy said.

“Do you always go barreling through people’s houses?”

“I said I’m sorry,” she protested.

She stood back, eyeing him. His dark, shoulder-length hair stood out in spikes.
The hair gel companies are making a killing off him
. She thought, smiling to herself. She knew immediately, this must be the dreaded Chase, who had caused the clam-up the previous evening. His eyes, emerald colored like his Aunt Pammy’s, were angry—giving them an entirely different appearance than his aunt’s sparkling ones. He wore all black, including black eyeliner. If he were in her home state, the kids would call him a sissy. A large chain hung from around his hips, extending to his back pocket, where it was clipped to his pants by some kind of gadget. His tee shirt sported a large guitar and the name Metallica. So… Allen’s nephew is a metal head. She grinned. Every family had one, and she had just found the black sheep of this family.

“My name’s Lacy,” she said, extending her hand for a handshake.

“Don’t care,” he said and continued his run up the stairs, apparently not learning a thing from their earlier collision.

She followed the smell of bacon to the kitchen, her growling stomach eager for food. She found everyone gathered there, some with coffee cups, some with empty plates spread before them. Alice greeted her with a warm smile.

“Good morning, dear. I’ll bet you’re starved.”

“I am hungry,” she said. “Sorry, I slept through breakfast.”

“It’s not a problem. I saved you some.” She took a plate from the oven and set it down on the counter.

Lacy took the stool in front of it and lifted the warming cover from the plate. Her eyes scanned the kitchen, looking for her mother. She caught her eye and noticed the happy glint. She was talking to a man, laughing lightly at something he said. From the looks of him, it appeared he must be Allen’s brother, as the two men shared the same sharp nose.

Brenda excused herself and came to put her arm around her daughter’s shoulder. “You slept late.”

“You should have woken me up. I feel funny sleeping so late.”

She reached up and brushed Lacy’s bangs from her forehead in a sideways sweep. “You’re on holiday. There was no reason not to let you sleep.”

“I guess that must be Allen’s brother?” she asked, nodding at him, taking a bite of bacon.

Brenda nodded. “His son’s around here somewhere.”

“Yes, I ran into ‘metal head’ on the staircase.”

“Lacy,” Brenda said sharply, “Don’t be rude.” But she grinned all the same. “Bradley says he’s having issues.”

“It’s all that metal he’s wearing. He’s drawing radioactive rays from the sun into his body.”

Brenda laughed, drawing attention. She gestured for Bradley to come over. “This is Lacy,” she said.

Lacy nodded and greeted him. Bradley smiled and offered his hand for a handshake. “It’s nice to meet a normal teenager for a change,” he said, laughing.

Lacy didn’t smile. She felt far from normal.

Allen came in, hugged Lacy, and then put his arm around Brenda. “Are we still on for that walk to the pond? The snow is still holding out, but it’s terribly cold.”

“I’m up for it,” Brenda said.

“You coming, Mama?” Allen asked.

Alice was just putting the stuffed carcass of a turkey into the oven. “If you give me fifteen minutes to get ready.”

“Okay, rendezvous in fifteen in front of the barn,” Allen said and swept out the door.

Lacy shoved the last of her toast into her mouth and washed it down with juice.

“You’re going to want a heavier jacket than what you had on last night,” Brett said. “We have plenty of extras,” he added when he saw the stricken look on Brenda’s face. She relaxed.

As they were walking out the door, Lacy wondered if Doctor Doom Jr. would be accompanying them. To her horror, he was leaning against the barn. A jacket covered his tee shirt, but Lacy could still see the chains hanging from his neck. At least he can beat off the bears, she thought, grinning. Then suddenly, she froze…she hadn’t thought about bears. She wondered if there were bears in the woods of Iowa. She couldn’t remember from her lessons but thought there were. Ethan was jumping around Chase, trying to catch his attention, but Chase ignored him.

Allen was the last to arrive. He apologized and explained Charles had called just as he was walking out the door. He looked at Pammy. “He said he’s sorry, but he won’t be able to make it today. He has a patient in critical condition and doesn’t think she’s going to make it. He wants to be there when all the family arrives.”

Pammy nodded but couldn’t hide the disappointment on her face. She knew when she married him how important his patients were. She was proud of him for caring so much, but it didn’t stop her from missing him.

“Daddy’s not coming?” Ethan asked.

“I’m afraid not, sweetie.”

He didn’t seem upset by it, but he bounced back to annoy Chase some more.

“Can we go now?” Chase asked. “I’m tired of standing here.”

“Wait a minute, Chase. Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Chase sighed, shook his head. “We’re only going to the pond, Grandpa. It’s not that far.”

“Even so,” Brett said. He took out a list from his pocket and read aloud. “Snake bite kit?”

“Check,” Allen said, holding it up for proof.

“Bandages and ointments,” he read.

“Check,” Pammy said.

“Water?”

“Check, Grandpa,” Ethan said and turned to display a backpack that Lacy assumed was filled with water bottles.

“Topical creams?”

They all gawked, and then looked side-to-side at each other.

“Who’s supposed to get the topical creams?”

Alice frowned and rummaged through the first-aid kit. “We must be out.”

Brett shook his head. “We can’t go on the hike without a complete kit.”

“Aw, come on,” they all moaned. “It’s only to the pond.”

“Albert Hicks was attacked by a snake while going to his trash can. We don’t take any chances.”

“Nobody knows for sure it was a snake,” Bradley protested. “In fact, the entire town thinks it’s pretty farfetched.”

“Just the same,” Brett said, “something attacked him. He’s lucky to be alive.”

They all frowned. Lacy raised her hand. “I have topical ointment in my overnight bag.” She didn’t want to mention why she had it, but she ran up to her room to get it, taking the stairs by twos. She returned panting, holding the tube for inspection and adding it to the first-aid kit.

“Hooray for Lacy,” Ethan chirped. Chase rolled his eyes.

“Isn’t it a little cold for snakes, though?” Lacy asked.

They all shot her a sarcastic look. She winced, repeating Brett’s earlier comments, “We take no chances.”

He continued through the list. Thankfully, everything else was present.

“Off we go,” Brett said, leading the line. It reminded Lacy of grade school when all the kids took a turn at being the line leader whenever the class needed to go somewhere.

“I like him,” Lacy said, coming in line beside her mother.

Brenda nodded. “He’s funny.”

Lacy fell behind, allowing her mother to catch up to Allen. Chase sidled in beside her. “Getting winded yet?” he asked.

“I'm all right.”

“Nobody can keep up with Grandpa. He does okay for an old man.”

“Your grandfather is not an old man.”

Chase laughed. “Depends on what you consider old.”

“He seems young enough to me.”

“You go to school?” Chase asked.

“Of course I go to school. Don’t you?”

“Sometimes.”

“Judging from your grammar I’d say you skip a lot.”

He laughed. “You don’t like me too much, do ya?”

“Does it matter whether I like you?”

“I just figured since we’re going to be here for four days and all, it would be nice to have someone my own age to talk to. I mean, there’s Ethan…but he’s just a kid. He don't have anything important to say.”

She sighed. “Doesn’t.”

“Doesn’t what?”

“The word is doesn’t, not don’t. If we’re going to converse, you need to speak correctly.”

He held his hands out and shrugged. “I’ll try.”

She stopped walking and looked him square in the face. “Look, Chase. You come from a brilliant gene pool. I know you’ve had an upscale education. This slang talk is all a show, but it doesn’t impress me. Nor, for that matter, do I care if I talk to you or not, so either speak proper English or don’t speak to me at all.”

“Touchy.”

She heaved an exasperated sigh and walked on, leaving Chase laughing behind her.

They were just rounding a bend when the pond came into view. She had to admit it was beautiful. A family of geese stood on the surface of the thin ice. She was surprised. She’d thought it was too cold for them. Shouldn’t they have migrated to a warmer climate? The trees stood tall, although they were barren of leaves. A rope hung from one of the sturdier branches. Lacy visualized little Ethan, and perhaps even Chase, swinging from it in the warmth of summer. Large boulders jutted up through the surface—perfect for sunbathing, she mused.

“You were kind of rough on him, weren’t you? He was only trying to be friendly.”

She looked over, and a huge grin touched her face. “Jake! You came.”

“You needed me, and here I am. So, what’s happening?”

“I can’t believe this holiday. Thanksgiving, and I’m hundreds of miles from home. Not that it’s a bad thing. Home isn’t exactly a Bing Crosby Christmas.”

He laughed. “Bing Crosby? Are you even old enough to know who Bing Crosby was?”

“We have cable, you know. I watch him every Christmas. He’s on one of those channels that plays a bunch of really old stuff.” She sighed. “Aw, Christmas. I suppose that’s going to be weird, too.”

“Are you having a miserable time?”

She shook her head. “No, not miserable—it’s just weird. I don’t do well with change and all that.”

“Any random thoughts running through your head lately?”

She laughed. “So now you’re a psychiatrist?”

“Better.”

“How so?”

“Better because I know you from the inside.”

She puzzled this, and then Jake was gone, and her mother stood beside her.

“Is the sun getting to you?”

“Because I’m talking to myself?”

Brenda nodded.

“I do it all the time.”

“Is that healthy?”

She frowned. “I can think of worse things for my health.”

Brenda blushed. Despite the condition of her cheeks, already reddened by the cold temperature, her face turned crimson.

Lacy pursed her lips together. “I’m sorry, Mom. That wasn’t nice.”

“Are you upset that we came on this trip?”

She shook her head. “No. It’s just that….this is all so out of the box for us. This time last year you and I were stuffing a turkey that we knew Dad wouldn’t appreciate. He would have his nose stuck in a ballgame of some sort, and we would sit down to dinner—he would be drunk, and you and I toasting the holiday with iced tea.” She spread her arms. “Now we’re hundreds of miles from all that I know. I took a walk on Thanksgiving morning on a freezing-cold day and carried on a conversation with a wannabe gang member. Who, by the way, didn’t even use the proper gang slang.”

Brenda smiled, and despite her frustration, Lacy joined her. “I guess it does sound exciting, though.”

“Well, at least we don’t have to cook the meal.”

Lacy dropped her head. A silence fell between them, and then she said, “I like cooking the meal with you.”

Brenda sighed. “I know it’s different, honey, and I know our lives are topsy-turvy right now, but it will soon get better.”

Lacy looked sideways at Brenda. “Will it?”

They didn’t do much at the pond, just walked around mostly. There was the thinnest layer of ice on the surface, so thin in fact that Ethan’s rocks made a sputter and then a splash as they hit.