Seeds of Summer (24 page)

N
ATALIE WOKE TO THE RINGING OF HER CELL PHONE.
S
HE REACHED TO
answer it, the full moon lighting the room through her curtained window.

“Natalie, is that you?” A girl's unsteady voice called out in the darkness.

“Chelsey?” Natalie's heart pounded. Why was her sister calling her at two in the morning?

“Nat, can you come get me?” Her teeth chattered.

“Where are you?” She hated to ask, fearing the worst. Was she in the hospital? At the police station?
Was the girl drunk?

“I need help, Nat. I've been so stupid. I should have listened to you.” Chelsey sobbed, barely audible.

“Calm down, honey. Tell me where you are.”

“I'm sorry, Nat.” The girl sniffed…and then the line went dead.

Natalie sat up and clicked on the lamp beside her bed. With shaking fingers, she punched in the first number that came to mind, only pausing for a second before she pushed send. Maybe it was wrong to turn to Jared now, but she needed him.

“Answer the phone,” she whispered impatiently.

Jared picked up on the fifth ring, and it took a moment for him
to respond to her greeting. “Is everything okay? What time is it?” His words came out groggy.

“I'm sorry for calling so late, but it's Chelsey.” Her voice wavered, and she feared she might break down in tears—something she'd been doing a lot lately. “I need your help, Jared. She's in trouble.”

“Okay, slow down, Nat. Start from the beginning.”

“Too much has happened to start from the beginning. We had a huge argument this week. She and Libby moved out. Will you help me find her?”

“Of course, I'll help. You know I will.”

Reassured that she'd done the right thing, she explained the situation as she dressed. “I need to call Willard to see if he'll stay with Dillon, but after that I'm on my way. I'll pick you up in twenty minutes.”

“W
HERE DO YOU THINK
C
HELSEY MIGHT BE
?” J
ARED CLIMBED INTO
Natalie's truck when she arrived, careful to put aside the awkward exchange they'd had earlier that day.

“I don't know.” Natalie's voice trembled. “She was about to tell me when we lost the connection. All I know is that she had a date with Lucas tonight. He was taking her to the dance.”

“Okay, let's try the side streets and alleys off Main Street.” He paused before clicking his seatbelt. “Want me to drive?”

Ignoring his concern, she backed out to the street and ran over the curb, jostling them inside the cab. “You should have heard her on the phone,” Natalie said. “She sounded so scared.”

“Chelsey's going to be okay. She called you. That's a good indication she's all right.” The news that Libby and Chelsey had moved into town surprised him, but he supposed that was what Natalie had wanted to talk to him about today in his office. That she'd taken off in a tizzy before they'd had a chance to discuss it aggravated him to no end. “Did you try contacting Libby?”

Natalie nodded in the dim light of the dashboard. “She didn't have a clue where Chelsey was. I never should have let her stay with Libby. I should have stopped her from leaving.”

“You had an argument?”

“I accused Libby of stealing money from the ranch.”

With the truck windows rolled down, Jared drummed his fingers on the outside of the door. “Are you certain she did?”

“I caught her sticking money in her pocket.”

“Sometimes the truth isn't what it seems.”

Natalie pursed her lips and swerved around a corner. “And sometimes the truth is as plain as daylight. Like today, for example.”

Jared saw the fight coming and knew it had nothing to do with Libby.

“What you do and who you go out with is your own business,” she went on. “Judging by your lunch date this afternoon, I assume you want space to see other people. And that's fine. Just don't drag me along like a calf you intend to brand. I thought you were better than that.”

Jared had seen this jealous spark in his office and had refused to feed the unwarranted fire. And he refused to feed it now. “You don't know what you're talking about. Clarice is a friend from church. We had lunch to discuss some mission work she's interested in.”

“But she'd make a fine pastor's wife, wouldn't she? Much better than me. Isn't that what you're thinking? What your dad advised?”

He offered up a silent prayer for wisdom and then drew his mind back to their current task, asking for protection over the young teen who needed their help. “Why don't we concentrate on finding your sister? Once that's done, we'll have plenty of time to discuss the traits of a pastor's wife. I assure you, it's not a subject I take lightly—nor should you.”

Natalie responded with silence, and together they kept their eyes peeled for any movement on the streets. As they passed an alley, a piece of metal clattered to the ground. Jared's heart hammered inside
his chest. Then a tabby cat emerged from behind an aluminum trashcan.

“Maybe we should try some other places,” Jared suggested after ten minutes of searching. “Where do teens hang out these days when they want to party?”

Natalie sent him a tormented frown. “Or when they want to be alone?”

Jared hadn't wanted to state the obvious assumption they both feared. “What about the river bridge or the park?”

“We could drive all night and never find her. Maybe we should split up in separate vehicles.”

Jared hated to leave Natalie alone, but the suggestion made sense.
Lord, help us find Chelsey. Give us a clue where she might be.
As they turned onto the street back to his house, he noticed a parked truck that had a bumper sticker of a cowboy on a horse roping a steer. It stirred a memory of another bumper sticker he'd seen on Lucas's car the day the boy had dropped Chelsey off at the church.

“Try the rodeo grounds,” Jared blurted out. “I have a feeling that's where we'll find your sister.”

“I don't know…that seems too obvious.” Natalie slowed the truck in hesitation. “They patrol there regularly, especially on weekends.”

He shrugged away her uncertainty. “I might be wrong, but I've learned to trust my instincts. They brought me to you, didn't they?”

“And that's supposed to comfort me?” She frowned, but headed for the edge of town. Minutes later, they pulled onto the arena grounds. Jared shined his flashlight across the bleachers and concession stands until they'd searched the entire area.

“Maybe it's time to call the sheriff.” Natalie's distress tugged on Jared's heart. She started to pull onto the road, and then a reflection caught Jared's attention from inside one of the livestock chutes.

“Wait, I see something over there.” He pointed in the direction of the movement.

Natalie circled back, her tires spinning gravel as she shined the truck lights into the arena. Sure enough, there inside a metal chute, Chelsey sat huddled in a tight ball with her head bunched up against her knees.

Jamming the truck into park, Natalie bounded from the driver's seat. Jared followed, fearing what they might find when they caught up to the girl.

N
ATALIE RUSHED TO
C
HELSEY'S SIDE, HER PULSE RACING WITH FEAR AND
adrenaline. The young teen cowered in the darkness. “Chelsey, thank God we found you.”

Her sister lifted her head from her knees, her eyes puffy and red. “You came,” she said, her voice hoarse.

“Of course we did. Are you okay? What happened?” She braced her sister's chin and tilted her face to examine the bloody scratch marks. “Did Lucas do this to you?”

Chelsey's bottom lip jutted out as tears streamed down her face. Her sister peered up at Jared who stood behind them.

“Answer me, Chels. Did Lucas do this?”

The girl gave a slight nod.

“Oh Chels. Why'd you let it go this far?” Reading her sister's embarrassment, Natalie moved closer.

“I thought he loved me,” Chelsey whispered back. “After the dance, he brought me here…so we could be together. Only I couldn't go through with it. That's when he got all crazy.”

Natalie took the girl in her arms. “Oh honey. Did he hit you? Is that how you got those marks on your face?”

Chelsey touched her swollen cheek. “He shoved me, and I hit my head against the dashboard.”

When Natalie heard this, she wanted to find Lucas and rope him to a fencepost. “Then what happened?”

“He yelled at me. Called me a tease, and told me to find my own way home. Made me get out of his car.”

Natalie sent Jared an imploring look, and as though reading her mind, he pulled out his phone and walked to the truck. Natalie suspected he would call the sheriff, and that they would want to talk to Chelsey to see if she would press charges.

Once Jared left, Natalie gazed deep into her sister's eyes. “Did he hurt you? In an intimate way?”

Chelsey clutched her waist and shook her head, her face rigid.

Natalie sighed and whispered her thanks to God that her sister had not been violated. Her heart soared that she could celebrate such a thing, knowing God was with her family and had not abandoned them.

“I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, Nat. You were right all along. Lucas was only interested in one thing. He didn't care about me.” She closed her eyes. “I think you were right about Libby too. I feel

so stupid.”

“The important thing is that we found you, and that you're okay.” Natalie rose from the ground and helped Chelsey to stand. “I should have handled the situation with Libby differently. I thought I was protecting you, but to be honest I was jealous of your love for her. I behaved like a tyrant, running both of you off.”

Chelsey rested her head on Natalie's shoulder. “I'm the one who should apologize. I should never have left home. It was horrible living with Libby.”

“She didn't harm you?”

“No, it's just…”

“She's more concerned about Libby than anyone else?”

Her sister nodded. “Mom's not the best listener. And it's not that she doesn't care…”

Natalie hugged the teen to her side. “I know Libby loves you, Chels. I'm just not sure she knows what it means to be a mom. And as weird as it sounds, sometimes I feel more like a mom to you than a sister.” She smiled and squeezed the girl's shoulder.

“Can I come back to live with you and Dillon?”

Natalie scrunched her nose. “Are you kidding? We never wanted you to leave in the first place.” With elbows linked, they returned to the truck where Jared handed them a water bottle and a tissue.

“I don't want to go back to Libby's apartment,” Chelsey said. “Not after everything that's happened.”

“Okay, but we should at least call and let her know you're all right.” Natalie wet the tissue and pressed it to her sister's cheek. “We love you, Chels. Dillon and I have been praying for you this week—for all of us.” At this admission, she felt Jared's stare and wondered what he would think of her shifting views.

She didn't have a chance to find out, as a sheriff's car pulled onto the rodeo grounds and parked next to Natalie's truck. For the next hour, the three of them went through detailed questioning.

“Are you sure you don't want to press charges?” Jared asked Natalie when they were finished.

Natalie noticed the shiver that passed through her sister's body. “I'll do whatever you want, Chelsey.”

The girl hugged her arms around her waist. “No charges. I just want this to be over. I want Lucas out of my life.”

T
HE EARLY DAWN GLOWED PINK AND GOLD ON THE EASTERN HORIZON
as Natalie combed Chelsey's hair with her fingers, her sister's head resting on her lap in the truck. Jared had insisted on driving them back to the ranch, and Natalie had willingly agreed, too worn out to protest or apologize for her earlier outburst. Despite their differences,
the man seated across from her had been nothing short of a gentleman all night long, a defender and support to her and her family. She owed him a debt of thanks—and she intended to offer it as soon as her mind had enough rest to think straight.

When they arrived at the house, Dillon and Willard were waiting on the porch.

“You're not going to believe what we found.” The boy's excitement bubbled over as he raced toward the truck.

“Why aren't you in bed?” Natalie asked Dillon as she woke Chelsey and slid from the passenger seat. She helped her sister from the truck, then wrapped her arms around each of them as they strolled to the house, Jared following behind.

“Willard and I found some more money. But that's not all…we figured out where Dad hid the clues.”

Natalie's tired mind raced to catch up. “What are you talking about?”

“Dad left us clues…we figured out where he hid the money.”

“Really?” She glanced at Willard when they reached the porch, unsure whether to believe her brother who seemed to be on some kind of sugar high.

“The boy figured it out.” Willard opened the front door for them and smiled. “I see you found Chelsey. I assume everything's all right?”

Once inside the house, Dillon wrapped his skinny arms around Chelsey in a bear hug. “We've been worried about you. Are you home for good?”

Chelsey tousled his hair. “Would that be okay with you?”

He grinned and nodded. “You're not going to believe where we found the money. You either, Nat.”

They gathered around the kitchen table, and Dillon could hardly contain himself. Jared found a fresh pot of coffee on the counter and poured a cup for Natalie and him.

“Okay, Dillon, tell us your story,” Natalie said after she'd consumed some of the steaming liquid, its rich, bold flavor waking her senses.

“After you left, I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, so Willard and I played a game of checkers,” he said. “Then I got out one of our old puzzles—the one with the running horses, remember?” He dashed to the living room to get it, then set the box on the table as though for evidence.

Natalie remembered the puzzle well. It was one of her favorites.

“Well, we opened it up and there was a yellow envelope tucked inside with two thousand dollars. I couldn't believe it.” Dillon giggled.

“Go
ahead, son, tell them what happened next,” Willard prodded.

“That's when I remembered the poem Dad gave me.” He pulled a paper from his back pocket and read it to everyone. “Horses and puzzles. Treasures you never outgrow. Wild Horses Running.” He looked up and grinned. “It's a clue. Do you get it?”

Jared's eyes shifted from Dillon to Natalie. “Your dad hid his money and wrote a poem?”

Her brother blew out an exasperated breath. “Several poems. Willard and I tried to remember all of them—and there's probably more we don't know about.”

“He gave me one about a cook's cupboard,” Chelsey said.

“And Willard's mentioned a pair of boots,” Dillon went on. “That's when we realized that all of Dad's poems were about a specific subject—not a person, but an item or thing.”

Chelsey's face beamed with understanding. “Do you suppose Dad hid money in the kitchen cabinets?”

“I bet he did,” Dillon said. “And Nat, didn't you tell us you'd found one in Dad's room about Shakespeare?”

“Libby.” Natalie's eyes widened as she voiced the woman's name. “I found Libby with a book of poetry in Dad's office. She'd found money inside it.”

“The day you accused her of stealing from us,” Chelsey said.

Natalie nodded, hating to bring the sore subject up again. “I thought it odd at the time. Do you think she knew about the poems? But how could she have known?”

“I wouldn't put it past her,” Willard stated gruffly. “The important thing is that we've figured out the key to your father's system. All we have to do now is decipher his poems to find the clues to the hidden money.”

“Willard, do you remember the words to your poem?” Natalie asked, unable to recall exactly.

“It weren't very good, but you know me, I don't forget things easily. ‘Boots made for walking. Tony Lama leather grain. Well made, well deserved.'”

Natalie gasped and looked at Jared. “Dad's boots. I gave them away.”

Jared's eyes widened as he caught on to her meaning. “I delivered those clothes to the thrift shop over a month ago.”

“No, you don't understand,” she went on. “I gave all of them away…but one.” Natalie thought of the fancy pair of boots her dad never wore. The pair she'd kept for herself. She bolted for the stairway and bounded up the steps to her room. With everyone following behind, Natalie retrieved the elephant hide boots from her closet.
Could the money be inside?

She stuck her fist into one of the boot shafts and blindly groped with her fingers but came up empty. Realizing her greed, she handed the other boot to Willard. “It was your poem. You do the honors.”

Willard studied the pair of Tony Lama's and smiled. “This is a nice pair of boots. You have good taste.”

“Just look inside already.” She laughed.

Willard dug his hand deep within, and made a big to-do, rolling and squinting his eyes. Then with a big wide grin, he pulled out a yellow envelope. “Bingo.”