Look Always Forward (Bellingwood Book 11) (20 page)

She looked at her phone and back at Gina. The girl would probably want to talk with her mother, but first Polly wanted to find out what was happening with Bean. She went into her bedroom and closed the door, then called the number in her phone.

"Darla Landry," the woman said.

"Hi, Darla, this is Polly Giller. I'm calling to check up on your son."

"He'll live, that little brat," Mrs. Landry said. "They're going to keep him overnight for observation. He's pretty banged up and there's evidence of a concussion. At least he didn't break anything this time."

"This time?" Polly asked.

Darla sighed. "He is always into something. I keep thinking that someday I will be able to afford a large enough place that he can play outside without jumping off roofs or doing crazy things, but if I stop and think about it, that would just give him more room to find potential danger spots. He's broken his arm twice and a leg once. The number of split lips and gashes on his knees and elbows has gone beyond what I can count. Other than putting him in a padded room, I don't know what else to do."

"He's a boy, I guess," Polly said. "Have you thought about what you're doing tonight?"

"I suspect I will come home. The Sheriff has already been here to tell me about Abby. The hospital will watch Bean and Gina has no place else to go."

Polly looked toward her kitchen. "If you want to stay with your son, Gina could spend tonight here at Sycamore House with Rebecca. Maybe I'll invite Kayla to stay and they can have one last sleepover before school starts."

"I wouldn't want to do that to you. You've done enough already. No, if Bean is going to hurt himself, maybe it's time that he learn that I can't be there for him."

"Are you sure? He's just a kid," Polly protested. "If you want to come home tonight, I understand that, but if you're doing it because you don't want to put me out, you won't. I have plenty of room. I have a built in babysitter with Rebecca, and Gina is having fun with the dogs and cats. There is plenty to do and she'll be perfectly safe."

"I'm not worried about her with you. Everybody in town knows who you are," the woman said with a chuckle. "Are you certain?"

"Absolutely. I'd love to have her."

"I probably need to speak with her about Abby. It will crush her."

"Mrs. Landers," Polly said. "I hate to tell you this, but Gina was in the truck when I found Abby. She knows all about it."

"She didn't see anything, did she?"

"Oh, no, no, no. Not at all. She stayed in the truck with Rebecca and Kayla. Mrs. Merritt came to get them before the Sheriff and his team arrived. But she knew what happened. She cried a lot with Rebecca. I think the girls were probably good for her. Right now she's in the kitchen making up some concoction with another friend, Jean Gardner from down the street."

"I know Jean. She's a good woman. What's she doing there?"

"You would be surprised at the number of people who are in and out of my house on a daily basis," Polly said. Then she remembered, "Speaking of being in and out of the house, there was a lot of blood in your bathroom. We've brought the towels here and they're soaking in salt water, but it looks like there was a murder in that room."

"Ugh," Darla said. "If he wasn't going to be such a mess for a few days, I'd make the brat clean it himself, but I guess I'll have to deal with that."

"Well, no," Polly interrupted. "Not if you'll allow me to take my cleaning team over from Sycamore Inn. Please don't say no. They will have it cleaned up in a jiffy and then when you get home you can focus on your kids and going back to work."

"Work. I hadn't even gotten there yet. What am I going to do with those kids until school starts?" She coughed and said, "No, that's not your problem. I'll find someone. When I think of what happened to poor Abby, this is minor."

Polly spoke quietly. "I can help you, you know. There are only a few more days. Gina is having a good time here and she can come play with Kayla and Rebecca. If Bean needs to be quiet, we have video games and movies. Andrew Donovan is here every day and he can help entertain your son."

"You do have quite a large group of people around, don't you?"

"Yes I do," Polly said. "And it is very simple to add two more into the mix. Please think about it before you say no."

"I don't know how I could possibly say no to that. I don't have any other options right now. I'm taking tomorrow off and maybe Wednesday, but then I need to get back to work."

"Let me help, then."

"I don't know how to thank you," Darla Landry said. "I haven't even met you yet and I'm in your debt."

"No you aren't. It's why I'm here."

"I've heard that about you, too," Darla said. "The reason you're here is because you find dead bodies. I can't believe you found someone who was close to me, but I guess I'm glad it was you."

"Did Aaron ask you about Abby's father?"

"Yes, I have his information and gave it to the Sheriff. He was going to contact him this afternoon. The whole thing is so sad."

"It really is. She was too young."

"Thinking about it makes me want to hug my kids. Even if I want to beat the tar out of my stupid son."

Polly smiled. "Would you like to talk to Gina?"

"Yes, thank you. And thank you for taking care of her."

"I'll let you tell her that she's staying here. We'll go over and pick up clothes for tonight and tomorrow and make sure everything is turned off and locked up."

"Thank you so much."

Polly went out and beckoned to Gina, then parked her on the sofa with the telephone. Darla had not said no to the bathroom cleanup and had obviously forgotten about it. That just made it easier to make sure it was taken care of. Jeff had reached out to their cleaning team and they would meet Polly at the trailer whenever she could get there. This was why she loved knowing so many people. There was always someone to help.

CHAPTER TWENTY

After everyone but the kids had left that afternoon, Polly was ready to drop. She took Gina home to pick up whatever she needed in order to spend the night and to meet Barb and Cindy Evering. After introducing them to Gina, they brought in their buckets, brushes and cleaning materials and went to work.

"You're going into third grade this year?" she asked Gina.

The little girl rushed to her dresser and took out a pair of lime shorts and a brightly colored shirt. "These are my first day of school clothes. Mom bought them last week. Aren't they cool?"

Polly smiled. "They're great. That color looks terrific on you."

"That's what Mom said." Gina pulled open her drawers and pointed. "Mom organizes all of my clothes into sets for me. She says I have to learn how to match things up but she..." Gina stood up taller and spoke in a higher pitched voice, mimicking her mother. "Despairs of ever having a daughter with a sense of style."

"It will come," Polly said. "It will come. I promise. And maybe you will develop your own sense of style along the way. Who knows, maybe you'll become a fashion designer when you get older."

Gina rolled her eyes. "I'd rather be a cowboy. I want to learn how to rope cows and ride horses."

"Rope cows? Whatever gave you that idea?"

"That's what my daddy does," Gina said. "He lives out in Wyoming. He doesn't live with us anymore." She slumped. "I heard him tell Mom that he loved us kids, but he couldn't live with us anymore. Mom's sad because of that."

"I'm sorry," Polly said.

"We never see him. Sometimes he'll send a letter or call us, but he doesn't remember birthdays or Christmas. Mom says that's okay. She loves us enough for a hundred daddies."

"I'll bet that's right," Polly said. Her heart broke for this little family. No wonder Bean was all over the place. He was just trying to grab as much attention as he could and had no good way to focus his energy.

Gina plopped herself down in front of the closet and was pulling things out.

"What are you looking for?" Polly asked.

"There should be a pair of cowboy boots in here. Daddy bought them for me a long time ago. Do you think they'll still fit?"

"I doubt it," Polly said with a chuckle. "You've probably grown since then. Does your mom know you want to ride horses?"

"She says they're too expensive right now, but when I get older and get a job, I can save money for a horse. I read stories about them and I have pictures." She dropped her head and said shyly, "We drove by your house and took pictures of your horses. They're big."

"Do you know what they're called?"

"Everybody knows that," Gina said. "They're Percherons. The whole town knows about your horses. It's cool when you take them out for Halloween. They're spooky all dressed up. We always go to the parades when you ride them. And I saw you last winter with the sleigh one time."

"Maybe when you get up tomorrow morning, Kayla and Rebecca will take you down to the barn to meet them. Would you like that?"

Gina sat back and stared at Polly with her mouth open. Finally she spoke. "Do you mean it?"

"Of course," Polly replied. "They love visitors. Do you know which one you like the best?"

The little girl nodded. "I like the one that you always ride. His name is Demi? Is that right?"

"That's absolutely right. You do know a lot about my horses. Demi is pretty laid back. He lets the barn cats sleep on him at night and the donkeys try to get into his stall all the time."

"That's funny," Gina said. She leaned against the closet door frame. "I can't believe I get to see them face to face."

"How about I talk to Eliseo. He's in charge down there and maybe he'll let you sit on Demi's back. What do you think about that?"

Polly thought the child would swoon. Having these horses was better than the Beatles coming to town for a child this age. She had to figure a way for the horses to spend more time with kids.

"Polly?" Barb Evering was standing in the bedroom door.

"Are you finished?"

Barb nodded. "It wasn't as bad as you thought. We just needed to scrub a few things clean and it's back to normal."

"You can't believe how a little blood could be very bad for me," Polly said, laughing. She stood up and walked over to the door. "Thank you so much for doing this. Mrs. Landers doesn't need to bring her son home and then have to clean up a mess like that."

"We're glad to help."

"How are things at the Inn with Grey?" Polly asked. She heard a slight chuckle from the bathroom as Cindy was packing up the supplies.

"He's different," Barb said. "But he's a very nice man. He's always asking us if we'd like him to help, but we've got a schedule. If something breaks or needs fixing, though, he's right on it and he's got a new plan for keeping inventory of supplies." She dropped her voice to speak in a whisper. "He said he wants to get us one of those electronic tablet things so we can do inventory on that and order supplies faster. And so we can keep in touch with him during the day. But he's right down the way. It's only a few steps more to go and talk to him. I don't understand why filling out the sheet is any different than clicking a box on some electronic gizmo."

Polly nodded. "Do the guests like him?"

"I guess," Barb said with a shrug. "I don't see them very much. They're always out of the rooms by the time we get started. He likes chatting it up with them when they come and go. If he isn't talking to them in the lobby, he's outside working and talking to them. He's awfully busy. And he talks funny. You know, like in olden times. All proper and polite."

"He is polite," Polly said. "I like that about him."

"I guess. Well, we'll be out of your hair. Thanks for the extra work. Any time you need us, we're available."

"Thank you, Barb. I appreciate your help." Polly walked them to the front door and then called out, "Do you have everything you need, Gina?"

Gina came into the living room with a backpack stuffed to the brim. "I think so," she said breathlessly. "I don't want to forget anything. How long am I staying at your house?"

"Hopefully your brother will come home tomorrow." Polly flipped the living room light off and took the key that Gina handed to her. "You want me to lock the door?"

"Bean always does because I get scared that I'll forget."

"Okay. I can do that." Polly pulled the door shut and locked the deadbolt, then tugged on the door. "Here, you tug on it, too. That way both of us will be sure that it's locked."

When they were finished, Gina ran for the truck and stopped beside the passenger door. "Do you have a husband?"

"Yes I do," Polly said. "His name is Henry." She opened the door and waited for Gina to climb in. "Why do you ask?"

"Will he be mad that you invited me over?"

"Nope. Not at all. He's a pretty good guy."

Gina let out a sigh of relief. "My daddy didn't like guests. He was always tired when he came home and said that his house was his castle and nobody was going to bother him. We had to be quiet when he was sleeping and he always took a nap right after he walked in the door. Usually in front of the TV so we had to play quietly in Bean's room."

"You'll soon find out that nobody is very quiet at my house," Polly said. "If Henry needs privacy, he just goes into the bedroom and shuts the door."

As they drove up to Sycamore House, Gina caught a glimpse of the horses and sighed a huge sigh. "I can't wait to see them in the morning. They're so pretty."

"Do you want to drive down and meet them right now?"

Polly watched Gina's face in the rear view mirror. The girl lit up, then grew serious and said, "No, I can wait. You'd better take me back to the house."

"Why do you say that?" Polly asked.

"Mom says that I expect too much and she's always talking about how people are just nice because they have to, not because they want to. Tomorrow is okay."

"Honey," Polly said. "I offered to take you to the barn because I enjoy seeing my horses, too. I'll be busy in the morning and I'd like to introduce you to Eliseo and Jason. Jason is Andrew's older brother."

"Are you sure it's not too much trouble?"

Polly turned the corner and drove into the parking lot so they could walk to the barn. "It's no trouble at all. Come on. You can play with the other kids later." She opened the back door and waited while Gina unbuckled her belt and hopped down to the ground. "Come on. It will be fine."

She opened the gates for Gina and then walked into the barn. "Anyone here?" she called out. When there was no answer from humans or equines, she said, "Well, everybody must be outside. How many horses did you see out there?"

"Two," Gina said quietly.

"And donkeys?"

The girl nodded and Polly took her through Demi's stall to the pasture. He was standing at the back fence with Daisy and she called his name. "Demi!"

The horse looked up at her voice, threw his head in the air and nickered, then trotted across to see her. Daisy looked up to see what the commotion was and raced to catch up to him.

"Demi and Daisy, this is Gina," Polly said. "She wants to be a cowgirl someday. What do you think?"

Gina backed up at the approach of the immense horses. Polly turned and put her hand out. "It's okay. They are big, but Demi is as friendly as they come. Remember, I told you that he lets the cats sleep on him at night."

"He's bigger than I thought," Gina said, looking up at the horses with immense eyes.

Polly put her hand on Demi and he dipped his head closer to Gina. "Go ahead and rub there just above his nose. He loves that and it is very soft." There was no other spot on the horse that Gina could reach from the ground unless it were his legs or his belly.

Demi pushed at Polly's hand with his head. "I don't have anything for you, ya beggar," she said.

Not to be outdone, Daisy crowded in, looking for attention. Polly pushed her back. "You're going to scare the girl. Be polite."

Before she knew it, Tom and Huck were on the other side of Gina, pushing at her hand. The girl giggled. "What do they want?"

"They probably think you have treats. That's how we usually introduce strangers to them."

"They're not as big," Gina said.

"No they're not. And they're fun. When you come down tomorrow, maybe Eliseo or Jason will put a saddle on one and you can ride. If you fall off one of them, it isn't as far to the ground."

Daisy snorted and turned to run for the far side of the pasture. She got halfway there, stopped and turned as if to ask Demi why he wasn't following her.

"Go on," Polly said. "Keep her company. We'll be back tomorrow." She patted his shoulder and ran her hand down it, caressing him. She still couldn't get over the fact that these beautiful horses lived with her. He took off and soon the donkeys followed.

"I didn't upset them, did I?" Gina asked.

"Oh no," Polly said. "I suspect the other two are working in the pasture on the other side of the creek and these guys are  wondering why they're stuck in the same old place."

They walked back to the truck and Polly drove to the garage. She took Gina's backpack and carried it upstairs. "Anybody here?" she called out. The two dogs came crashing into Henry's office to greet them and Polly stopped and knelt down to accept their affection so they didn't barrel Gina over onto the floor.

Andrew strode into the office and said, "I'm bored. They're being girls again."

"But they
are
girls," Gina said, knitting her brows in confusion.

He nodded toward the other room. "They're in Rebecca's room and talking about clothes for school. It's all stupid."

Polly handed Gina her backpack and said, "Go ahead. You'll have fun."

"Why did you have to bring another girl into the house," Andrew asked with a whine. "It's not fair."

Polly grinned at him. "How long have they been in Rebecca's room?"

"They just went in there."

"And what were you doing before that?"

"I beat them in a game."

"A racing game?"