Runaway (9 page)

Seventeen

Popeye suggests a trip into town for ice cream, and everybody but me races for the new van. I pull out my headache excuse, then have to convince Kat to go without me.

They’ve been gone about a half hour when the phone rings. It rings and rings since they don’t have voice mail or an answering machine like normal people. There’s a chance it could be Neil.

I dash out of my room and grab the upstairs phone. “Hello?”

“H-hello?” It’s a man, but it’s not Neil. “Uh . . . is Annie around? I need to talk to her about a meeting.”

Right.
Just like in the e-mail. This has got to be George. I picture him—tall, handsome, not bald.

“Excuse me? Would you please get Annie Coolidge for me,” he says, as if he has a right to talk to her, to do whatever he wants, no matter who gets hurt.

“Annie doesn’t live here anymore.” And with that, I hang up on him. Hard.

* * *

I have to wait until Friday before I hear from Neil. He got the money. He and DJ will be at the farm at five o’clock the next day. The rest is up to me.

I spend the whole day with Blackfire, grooming and riding, saying secret good-byes in my heart. Hank tries to talk to me a couple of times, but he gets the hint and keeps his distance.

At dusk I’m walking back to the house when Annie drives up. She honks, but I ignore it.

As soon as we’re all sitting down for dinner, Annie asks, “Did anyone take a phone call for me Wednesday night?”

I stare at my plate.

“What do you mean?” Kat asks.

“My boss, Dr. Ramsey, said he called the house and somebody told him I don’t live here any longer.”

I knew George was a doctor.

“Maybe he got a wrong number,” Hank suggests.

Nobody talks much the rest of the meal.

I’ve worked out every detail of my escape except for one, and I keep turning over this last problem in my head. Neil and DJ are coming straight to the farm. That’s good because all the Coolidges will be in Nice. The problem is, how am I going to get them to leave
me
on the farm alone? I could fake a headache, but somebody might insist on staying with me. Or they might cancel the celebration altogether.

“What time’s the parade tomorrow?” Kat asks.

“Not until four,” Popeye answers. “I need to go into town early, though. Promised to drop off some equipment at the firehouse.”

“We’ll have to go in two cars, then,” Annie says. “I need to see old Mrs. Elmer in the morning.” Then, as if she just remembered they no longer have two cars, she adds, “Maybe your mother could come by and pick you up.”

I’ve been tuning Annie out all night, but now I’m all ears.

“We could meet at the parade,” Popeye suggests. “Or the Made-Rite afterward, if we miss each other. We want to get to the park in time to get good seats for the fireworks.”

“Can I go with you to the station, Dad?” Hank asks.

“Sure,” he answers.

“Me too?” Wes asks.

“Works for me. I’ll call Mother and make sure she can swing by and get us.”

“I’ll go with you, Mom,” Kat volunteers. “It’ll be a pretty long day if I go with Dad.” She turns to me. “Will you come with us? Just us girls?”

I start to say, “No way!” but then it hits me. This is my way out. “Okay.”

And the last detail of the plan has just slipped into place.

* * *

I spend the rest of the night packing. It seems like a year since I unpacked these same bags.

Outside, there’s a loud
Pop! Pop! Pop!
I’ve never understood the fuss about fireworks. I used to hear the same sound some nights when I lived behind the Yards in the south side of Chicago.

With nearly everything packed, I sit on my bed and pull out my list-book. Then I start a new list:

Top 10 Things I Won’t Miss about Starlight Animal Rescue

1. Annie’s lies

2.

Ten minutes later, that’s all I have.

There’s a knock at my door. I shove my suitcases into the closet and go see who it is.

Kat’s standing there, her face pale and her mouth a straight line of worry. “Did Kitten come up here?”

I shake my head. “Why?”

“She got scared. Wes set off a firecracker, and Kitten took off running.”

“She’ll turn up, Kat.”

Kat nods. “Yeah. I guess.” But her forehead is as wrinkled as an old woman’s. She walks down the hall, calling, “Here, Kitten, Kitten.”

* * *

In the morning, July 4, I wake up with a sick feeling in my stomach. I try to convince myself I’m just excited about leaving, excited about seeing Neil and starting a new life in California.

Everybody except Kat is eating breakfast when I come downstairs. They shout, “Happy birthday!” to me and call me “birthday girl” an embarrassing number of times. Then they all go back to making plans for the big celebration.

“Mother said she’d come by for us—Hank, Wes, and me—about noon,” Popeye explains. “Then hopefully, we’ll see you at the parade. But if we miss you, we’ll meet at the Made-Rite at five.”

“Works for me,” Annie says. She gets up when I sit down. “Dakota, I’ll be back no later than two o’clock. Three at the latest. Tell Kat to be ready, okay?” She dumps her dishes in the sink and looks around for her purse.

“Where
is
Kat?” Now that I know she’s so sick, I worry every time she’s not where she’s supposed to be.

“Still looking for her kitten,” Hank answers.

Wes reaches down and pets his dog. “I didn’t do it on purpose.” He gets up from the table and goes outside. Rex follows him.

“Sure hope that kitten comes back soon,” Popeye says. “That cat means the world to her.”

I don’t want to sit with them any longer and pretend I don’t know what’s wrong with Kat. And I don’t want to talk to them about it either. “I’m not hungry.”

I find Kat in the barn, peering behind hay bales. “Kat?”

“Where would Kitten hide? Where would she want to make a new home?” She swipes at her eyes with the back of her hand, and I know she’s been crying.

“Come on,” I say. “There are some great places to hide in this barn.”

Together, we search every corner of the hayloft and every stall. We find 11 barn cats but no trace of Kitten.

We move to the pasture behind the barn and conduct a row-by-row search for the rest of the morning. We’re at the far end of the pasture when a horn honks.

Kat glances at her watch. “That’s probably Gram for Wes and Hank and Daddy.”

“And me.” I can’t look her in the eyes, so I gaze toward the honking car. “I decided to go with them.”

“Why?” Kat sounds so disappointed.

But I can’t stop now. “There are some people your dad wants me to meet. At the firehouse, I guess.”

“That’s nice,” she says.

“You keep looking, Kat. Tell your mom I went with your dad, okay?” I take off running toward the house. But when I’m sure Kat’s not watching, I circle back to the barn and duck in.

That’s where I stay until I hear the car drive off. And that’s where I stay for the next three hours, until Annie returns.

I keep out of sight until I hear Annie and Kat come out of the house, get in the van, and drive off, leaving me alone.

It was almost too easy.

When I’m sure they’re really gone, I venture out and take another look around the barn for Kitten. I don’t want Kat to come home and find her kitten still missing. The kid’s going through enough. I check the tack room and stalls again, but the cat’s nowhere.

Blackfire stamps the floor of his stall. He nickers, and I take him a handful of oats. He eats out of my open palm, and his muzzle is softer than silk.

“I’m sorry I’m leaving you, Blackfire. But you’re going to be fine. Hank will find you a great home. Whoever gets you will be the luckiest person in the world.”

Finished with the oats, Blackfire lifts his head to nuzzle my nose. He exhales his warm breath into my face. I love this horse. My throat burns with the tears I’m swallowing. I press my cheek against his and inhale, memorizing his horsey scent.

I want to remember everything we’ve done together. Even the rough times, like when he ran away with me clinging to his mane, not sure if I loved it or hated it. We’re so much alike. Fight or flight. That about sums up my life.

Something nags at me when I think about the phrase.
Fight or flight.

“Blackfire, that’s it! Why didn’t I think of this before? Kitten chose
fligh
t
!” She’s not in the barn. She’s not hiding. She was scared, and she ran. If anybody understands runaways, it’s me. Kitten didn’t run
to
anything. She ran
away
.

Eighteen

In two minutes, I’ve bridled Blackfire. Mounting him is a bigger problem. I manage to lead him close enough to the fence for me to climb up on him. He doesn’t move until I’m square on his back.

“Come on, boy.” I lean forward and grip with my thighs. In less than an hour, Neil will be here. I have to find Kitten and bring her back first.

We walk out of the barn. The wind kicks up, and I grab a lock of Blackfire’s mane. “Let’s find Kitten,” I murmur. Sensing he understands, I lay the reins across his neck, turning him west, toward the quarry.

As I squeeze in with my thighs, Blackfire breaks into a canter that turns to a gallop. I lean forward, almost on his neck. His mane whips me in the face, tickling my cheeks. I let him go, just like the day he ran away with me. Only this time we’re both running
to
something. We have to find Kitten. Kat deserves that much from me, at least.

Hooves pound the hard ground, and my heart beats in rhythm to the
thud thump
,
thud thump
. A woodpecker knocks somewhere above us. The eerie cry of a mourning dove lingers in the breeze. It’s music I can feel in my soul, like Popeye said the day I arrived and heard my first woodpecker. God’s knocking at the soul.

I don’t know if I’ve ever felt love before, but I feel it now. Blackfire’s love. And maybe something more. Much more.

We gallop across the road. I imagine Kitten running like this, scared, running away. This is how she’d run. I know it. Run like crazy, not looking back.

We’re close to the quarry. Wind presses against me from all sides, wraps me in its arms, like a giant hug. I wish I could hold on to it. The verse Kat told me was her favorite floats at the edges of my mind. Something about God loving us so much that He calls us His children. And again I wonder what that would be like—to be God’s child, part of a family, loved.

At the edge of the quarry, Blackfire stops. I slide off and drop his reins to the ground. “Stay,” I tell him. And I trust him not to leave me. Not to run away.

“Here, Kitten!” I step along the edge of the quarry, calling, but there’s no sign of her. So I pray. “God . . .” Only I stop. I’ve shot off a wish-prayer before in times like this. But it’s not enough. Not now. Things feel different.

I’m
different. “God, thank You for letting me live with this family, even for a short time. I’ll never forget them or the love I saw here. I know You love Kat. And You’ve gotta know how much she loves this kitten. Please, God. Please help me find it. And I’m sorry to be asking You like this again. But I know You care about this. Kat’s Your kid.”

I drop to my stomach and peer over the edge of the quarry. Behind me, Blackfire snorts. Thunder rumbles in the distance. “Kitten? Where are you?”

Then I see her. She’s curled up in the crook of a rock about a foot below. Tiny cries float up to me. “It’s okay, Kitten.”

I stretch as far as I can without falling into the quarry. My fingers dangle above the cat. But I can’t reach her. “Stand up, Kitten. Please?”
Please, God! For Kat? For me?

And then I feel something soft. Furry. Kitten’s standing. Her back arches, and I slide my hand under her belly and lift her up.

Hanging on to the cat, I scoot away from the ledge. When we’re safe, I pull Kitten to my chest and hug her the way Kat does. “Thank You.” Tears are streaming down my face. Kitten purrs. “I’m taking you home.”

Blackfire is right where I left him. I find a big rock to stand on so I can mount. Kitten curls in front of me as I take the reins. “Slow and easy, boy,” I whisper.

With one hand cradling Kitten and the other holding the reins, I can’t grab my security handful of mane. But I don’t need to. Blackfire understands. His walk is rocking-chair smooth as we make our way home.

Home
. But it’s not home. Not
my
home. And Neil could be there right now, ready to take me away.

We reach the road, and the roof of the farmhouse rises through the clouds in the distance. The rumbles of thunder grow louder.

A horn honks. Blackfire jerks to a stop. I struggle to keep from falling off. Kitten cries and tries to jump off.

When I regain my balance, I glare at the honking car.

It’s Neil. He’s in the passenger seat of a light blue convertible, the top down. DJ’s behind the wheel.

“Neil?” I ride closer. “You actually came.” This is what I’ve wanted since the day I left Chicago. Neil has come to take me away.

“What, you turned into a cowgirl?” Neil bursts into a laugh that scares Kitten. “How about trading that thing in for something with wheels?”

DJ turns down the radio, which seems loud and out of place. “We don’t have all day, man. Let’s get out of here.”

“Sure,” I answer. “I just need to take this cat back and leave a note for the Coolidges.”

“We don’t have time, Dakota,” Neil says, glancing at DJ.

“It won’t take long.” I can’t abandon Kitten. I don’t expect Neil to understand.

“Put it down. Don’t they always find their way home, like pigeons?” Neil laughs and makes DJ laugh too.

“I can’t, Neil. It’s a runaway.”

“So let it run. Doesn’t seem like it wants to go home anyway.” Neil’s voice has an edge to it, like he’s running out of patience fast.

“I’m taking it home,” I insist. “I have to get the horse back in the barn anyway.”

DJ shakes his head. “We don’t have time for this, man.”

Neil glances over his shoulder and down the road. He looks nervous, almost scared. “What’s with you, Dakota?”

“Nothing.” I force a smile. I’ve known Neil for a long time. He drove all this way to get me. He cares about me. “Nothing’s wrong with me. I just have to get my stuff is all. So I might as well take the cat and the horse back there.” I urge Blackfire to take a step.

“Forget that!” Neil shouts. “Get in.” He opens the front door and scoots over. “We can drive to the house, and you can run in and get your stuff, okay?”

Is it? Is it okay? I’ve only known the Coolidges a couple of weeks. Still, I can’t just take off. I don’t want to have Kat come home and find her kitten . . .
and
me . . . gone. And what am I supposed to do with Blackfire?

“Come on!” Neil snaps. “You don’t owe those people anything.”

But I do. I see that more clearly than I’ve ever seen anything. I do owe them.

Neil’s jaw tightens, and he swears. “Get in the car right now!”

“I can’t, Neil.” My stomach is squeezing together. I feel Blackfire tense beneath me.

Neil glances at DJ, and I think he’s trying to decide if he should tell me something. “Dakota, we have to get out of state fast.”

“Why?”

DJ slaps the steering wheel. “I’m out of here, man!”

“Dakota?” Neil’s voice is softer now, almost pleading.

Blackfire paws the ground. He wants to go home.
Home
.

My head starts shaking no before my mind tells it to. “No,” I whisper. When I say it, my stomach untwists.

Blackfire stops pawing. Kitten purrs. I hear a woodpecker somewhere, and it makes me smile. Then Blackfire whinnies soft and low. And it’s all like secret music, soul music, as if God’s striking up His orchestra to draw me to Him, into His family.

Neil slams the car door shut. “Suit yourself.” His voice is sharp, cruel even. “What happened to you, Dakota?”

It’s a fair question. Something
has
happened to me. “Love,” I answer simply.

“Great. Why didn’t you tell me you had a guy out here?” Neil sounds angry but not hurt.

I let out a little laugh. “I don’t, Neil.” And the thought hits me that it’s God’s love. I’m amazed at this thought.

Neil looks at me as if I’ve grown another head.

DJ revs the engine. “I’m not giving her money back.”

I’ve never been sorrier for anything than I am about taking that money. I’ll work and give back every cent. Still, Popeye’s right. There’s so much I can’t pay back. “Bye, Neil.”

They peel out, leaving us in a cloud of dirt and dust. Still Blackfire and Kitten are as calm as I’ve ever seen them.

And the crazy thing is, so am I. I’ve just sent away my best chance at running away. I’ve cut myself off from the only friend I’ve had for years. Yet I’m purring inside, just like Kat’s kitten. If I could nicker, I would. Blackfire and Kitten aren’t the only ones going home. So am I.

When I reach the driveway, I see the van parked on the lawn. Hank comes running up the drive. “Dakota!” He turns around and yells toward the house. “She’s back!”

Popeye and Annie come running from the house, with Wes behind them.

Hank’s grandmother and Kat are holding hands. Kat breaks away and races to me. “Dakota!” She’s crying, and I feel rotten for putting her through this.

I hold out her kitten. “Look who I found.”

“Kitten!” she cries. She reaches up and takes the cat from me, then buries her face in the fur. “How . . . ? Where did you find her?”

“Once I figured out that she ran away, it was pretty easy. She was at the quarry.”

Tears are covering her cheeks and dripping onto her kitten. “I thought you were both gone forever.”

Hank takes Blackfire’s reins. “Were you going to run away on Blackfire?”

“How’d you know I’d run away?”

Popeye glances behind him at Wes. “Soon as we got to the Made-Rite and you weren’t there, we figured out you’d told me you were riding with Annie, and Annie you were riding with me. Wes said we’d better come back here and stop you because you were planning to run away.”

I stare at Wes, amazed he’d want to stop me.

Wes smiles at me and shrugs. “So maybe I’m not as ready to get rid of you as I made out, okay?”

“Okay,” I answer.

“Dakota, why would you run away?” Popeye asks.

I look at him and at Annie, and I know I have to get it all out. “Running away is the only thing I know how to do,” I admit. But I can’t stop here. “I took money from your pet bowl.” I wait. And I wonder if they’ll yell at me, if they’ll tell me to go ahead and run away.

Annie grins at Popeye, then at me. “Oh, honey, we knew that.”

“You did?” I’m amazed. “You didn’t say anything.”

“We don’t care about the money,” Popeye says. “We figured you’d tell us why you took it when you were ready.”

“I sent it to Neil, my friend in Chicago, so he could drive here and get me. We were going to Los Angeles.”

“
Were
?
” Hank asks.

“He still is,” I answer. “I told him I’m not going. I sent him away.”

“Yes!” Popeye says.

“Way to go, Dakota!” Kat exclaims.

“But he took your money with him. I’ll pay it back,” I add quickly. “Every penny. And I know you might not even want me around now, but I’ll still pay you back. I promise.”

“Don’t be silly!” Annie says. “How could we not want you to stay in your own home?”

“Does anybody realize that she’s riding my wild horse? However did she manage that?” Popeye’s mother keeps her distance in her lacy dress and sequined hat.

“Isn’t it wonderful, George?” Annie exclaims.

“George?” I repeat. Something clicks. “Did you just call her George?”

“Georgette Amelia on my birth certificate,” she explains. “Annie is the only person I allow to call me George, so don’t get any ideas.”

“I knew George before I knew her charming son,” Annie explains, winking at her husband.

George
. “Then you’re the one who sent the e-mail? You’re the one who said you had to meet her? that you loved her and missed her?” How could I have been so stupid?

Annie bursts out laughing. “Dakota! Did you read my e-mail? Now it all makes sense. You thought George was a man!”

Sheepishly I nod.

“And that’s why you hung up on my boss?” Annie says, between chokes of laughter.

I nod again. “Sorry.”

“Hey!” Kat cries, shifting Kitten to one arm and digging into her pocket with her free hand. “Don’t forget it’s a happy birthday around here.” She hands me something wrapped in white tissue paper.

I unwrap it, trying to remember the last birthday gift I got.

It’s a tiny plaque of rough barn wood. Somebody’s burned into the wood:

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!

1 John 3:1

“Hank did the wood burning,” Kat says. “It’s from both of us.”

“And me,” Wes claims.

I look around me—at Kat and Hank, Wes, Annie and Popeye, and “George.” And I think I believe this verse. Because for the first time in my life, I’m getting it—love, family, the whole forgiveness thing. I don’t understand all of it. But there’ll be time. I’m not going anywhere.

“Look!” Wes shouts, pointing to the sky. “They’re starting.”

“Fireworks!” Kat squeals.

“George” pulls blankets from her trunk and sets them out so we can watch the Nice fireworks. Instead of putting Blackfire back in the barn, Hank lets me keep him out with us. Rex watches too, and Taco and Kitten.

This is how Ms. Bean and her fiancé find us when they drive up. We scoot together to make room for them and watch the fireworks burst in a sky that has cleared just for us. Together, we shout “ooh” and “aah” at the same time, like we’ve rehearsed it.