Second Chance Hero (20 page)

He saw Joy race up to tug on Verity's skirt, her trademark “can I please” expression in evidence. He pushed away from the tree, deciding to drift closer to the pair to see what was going on.

“But Mama, please,” he heard Joy plead, “I want to see the bunny.”

Verity shook her head. “I told you, pumpkin, I'm too busy to go with you right now. And besides, the bunny is probably long gone.”

“You don't know. He might still be there.”

“What's this about a bunny?” Nate inquired once he was close enough to join in.

Joy whirled around at the sound of his voice, a hopeful expression on her face. “Mr. Cooper, will you take me to see the bunny?”

Before he could answer, Verity spoke up. “Joy, I've already told you, you need to stay close to me.”

Nate saw the mutinous expression form on Joy's face, and spoke up quickly. “I don't mind going for a walk with her. I've been meaning to take Beans out for a bit of exploring anyway.”

Verity looked from him to her daughter. “I don't know. Joy, maybe you should just stay here and keep me company while Mr. Cooper walks Beans.”

“But what about the bunny?”

“Let her go.” Nate tried to cajole a smile from Verity with one of his own. “I promise to keep a close watch on her. And we'll definitely stay away from the edge of the pond.”

She held out for a moment longer, and then finally gave in with a loud huff of breath. “Oh, very well. I suppose it'll be all right. But Joy, see that you mind Mr. Cooper. No running off on your own.”

“Yes, ma'am. Come on, Beans, let's go find the bunny.”

Nate matched his steps to those of the little girl and dog at his side. He was so proud of Verity for overcoming her fears and letting Joy out of her sight in this setting. He knew it had been a big step for her. And it felt very good to know that it was putting her trust in him that had allowed her to loosen the reins.

“So tell me about this bunny,” he said to Joy.

“Molly told me they saw a bunny last time they were out here.”

“Is that right?” So this wasn't a recent sighting. No wonder Verity had expressed doubt that it would be nearby.

Joy nodded. “Molly said she got close enough to almost pet it before it hopped away.” The wistful gleam in her eyes was sweet to see.

He needed to temper her expectations, but there was no point in dashing her hopes completely. “We'll certainly keep a look out. But bunnies are
very
shy. There's so many people here right now that I really don't think a bunny will come out of hiding today.”

“But he might,” she insisted stubbornly.

“I suppose.” He couldn't bring himself to express any stronger doubt. “But I tell you what. If we don't see a bunny today, we'll come back another day with just me and you and your mother and see if we have better luck.”

“Okay. But let's try to find him today.”

Nate nodded in solemn agreement. They were reaching the section of meadow that wrapped around the pond and formed a pocket out of sight of the picnic area. He'd intended to turn back when they got to this point, knowing Verity would want to be able to keep Joy in sight. But he heard a ruckus coming from around the point and he could tell it was some of the kids from their party.

And they sounded as if they were in trouble.

When he rounded the corner, sure enough, three kids were standing at the edge of the pond. Well, two of them were, anyway. The third was actually in the pond and seemed to be in some kind of trouble. Nate didn't recognize any of them from the choir—they must be some of the family members.

“What's going on here?” he called out.

All three started and turned to face him.

“It's Davey,” one of the boys said as he waved toward the kid in the water. “He's got his foot caught on something and we can't get him out.”

The boy, Davey, stood in waist-deep water right beside a tree trunk that had fallen over the pond.

“It's starting to hurt something awful,” Davey added.

Nate could tell the boy was trying not to cry but was right on the verge. His foot was probably caught on some kind of rope or net that was down in the silt or lodged in the underwater part of the tree trunk.

He glanced down at the little girl whose hand he held and realized he had a problem. Verity wouldn't want him taking Joy that close to the water's edge, especially if he was going to have to focus his attention on someone else. He could take her back first, but he wasn't sure how badly hurt Davey's leg might be.

He quickly took off his jacket and spread it on the ground. “Joy, I need to go over there and help Davey. I want you to sit right here on this coat and not get up until I return. Do you understand?” Hopefully the jacket would serve as an anchor for her.

“Yes, sir. But then can we go look for the bunny some more?”

“I promise.”

As soon as he reached the waterline, he turned to see how Joy was doing. She still sat where he'd left her, hugging her knees. She waved when she saw him looking and he waved back, then turned to the two boys who were unencumbered.

“What's your name?” he asked the largest of the pair.

“JJ.”

“JJ, you see that little girl sitting over there?”

JJ nodded.

“I want you to keep an eye on her for me. Let me know if she tries to go anywhere.”

The boy nodded, but Nate wasn't satisfied. He didn't completely trust Joy not to forget her promise if she saw some critter that she wanted to get close to.

He held JJ's gaze a moment longer. “It's very important that you watch her. Understand?”

The boy nodded again. Then Nate turned to the other boy. “And you are?”

“Irvin.”

“Irvin, I want you to go back to the picnic area and very calmly ask Mrs. Leggett to come down here. Tell her not to worry, but that Mr. Cooper needs her help with something. Do you understand?”

The boy nodded, but before he could take off, Nate grabbed his arm. “Remember, be sure to tell her not to worry.” He wanted her here because of her medical experience if something should be wrong with the boy's foot. But he didn't want her jumping to the conclusion that something had happened to Joy.

When the boy nodded this time, Nate let him go. Deciding he'd covered all contingencies as best he could, Nate gingerly waded into the pond beside the trapped Davey. Then he very carefully felt under the water around the boy's foot. Sure enough, he found Davey's foot was tangled in a knotted length of rope that had wrapped itself around a limb under the water.

“I've found the problem, but it's going to take me a few minutes to get you free. Just hold on.”

Nate tried loosening the rope, but it was too slippery to get a grip firm enough to work the knots.

Davey shifted position and let out a yell.

“Easy now. There are some jagged bits of wood down there.” There was a real danger the boy could do himself serious injury if he wasn't careful. “Here, lean on me if you need to.” Nate held out his arm, elbow bent, and the boy latched on. He let him balance like that for a minute and then helped him transfer most of his weight to the body of the tree.

That done, Nate reached for his pocketknife. Careful to position the knife in such a way as to not harm the boy, he went to work sawing on the rope. It was thick so it took several minutes, but at last it was done. As soon as the rope separated, Nate lifted the boy bodily, intending to carry him out of the pond.

“What's going on out here?”

Nate turned to see Verity striding toward them.

“You're just in time. Davey here had a little accident.”

“So I see.” Then she looked around. “Where's Joy?”

Nate's gaze flew to the spot where he'd left the little girl and his heart thudded in his chest.

Joy was no longer sitting on his coat.

Chapter Twenty

N
ate looked around the area frantically but there was no sign of the child. He glanced toward JJ but the boy had hung his head and wouldn't meet his gaze. Obviously JJ had fallen down on the job.

He quickly set Davey down on the bank then turned back to Verity, remorse for what he had let happen, for what it would do to the woman he loved, nearly suffocating him. “She was just here. She couldn't have gone far.”

He saw the blood drain from her face, saw the fear in her eyes. “What do you mean, you don't know? You promised me you would watch her.”

Her words hit him like a knife to his chest. “I turned away to help Davey and when I looked back, she was gone. But I'm going to find her.”

She glanced at the water with fear-filled eyes and he made a sharp movement.

“No! She didn't go near the pond—I would have seen her. She must have wandered into the woods, but she wouldn't have gotten far.”

“I'm going with you to look for her.”

“No. You need to stay here and check on Davey. Besides, if she slips past me in the woods and comes back here, you need to be waiting for her.”

He turned to JJ. He knew the boy was feeling miserable for his lapse of attention. The kid needed a chance to redeem himself. “JJ, I need you to do something for me.”

The boy looked up, finally meeting his gaze, guilt radiating from him.

“Go on back to the group and tell them what happened with Davey and with Joy. And then borrow that very loud whistle from Mr. Draper and bring it back here to Mrs. Leggett.”

He turned to Verity. “If Joy does come out of the woods without me, blow that whistle and I'll know to stop my search and come back.”

She nodded.

Without another word, he strode quickly into the woods. He called for Joy as he went, listening closely each time for a response. The longer it went without a response, the deeper the dread lodged in his chest. If something had happened to that precious little girl, he would never forgive himself.

Twenty minutes later he finally spotted her, curled up on the ground with her eyes closed. Was she breathing? He rushed over and dropped down beside her. The sweetest sight he ever saw was the sight of her eyelids fluttering open.

“Oh, hello, Mr. Cooper. You founded me.” She lifted her arms up to him.

He pulled her into his lap, and struggled to get his voice under control. “Hello, Joy. Are you okay?”

“Uh-huh. But the bunny ran away.”

He offered up silent prayers of thanksgiving that she was unharmed. Then he gave her a bear hug. “Everyone has been very worried about you. Especially your mother.”

Joy wrapped her arms around his neck. “Is Mama mad at me?”

It was much more likely that it was him Verity was angry with, and he couldn't blame her. “Right now she just wants to know that you're all right.”

When they finally cleared the trees, Verity was there, pacing. Her face was white and drawn and she was rubbing her arms. Several of the other women were there with her, keeping her company.

As soon as she saw the two of them step from the woods, she raced over and took Joy from his arms.

“She's okay,” he said quickly.

“No thanks to you.” Anger and betrayal blazed from her eyes.

“I'm sorry.” It was inadequate, but what else could he say?

“I trusted you, trusted your word that you wouldn't let her out of your sight.”

Her voice was low and controlled, but it thrummed with emotion, all of it sharp, all of it aimed at him.

“Please don't be angry, Mama.” Joy wrapped her arms around her mother's neck. “He tolded me to stay on his coat but I saw a bunny.”

Verity stroked her daughter's hair and he saw how her fingers trembled. “I'm not angry with you, pumpkin.”

But the eyes-blazing look she shot his way let him know
he
wasn't so lucky.

It was going to be a very long carriage ride back to town.

Chapter Twenty-One

T
he children took their places in line inside the church, fidgeting nervously as they waited for the signal to take the stage. Their performance would take place in just a few short minutes—all of their hours of practice and preparation coming down to this.

Verity went down the line, talking to each child in turn, doing what she could to ease their nervous fears, letting them know how very proud she was of each and every one of them. All the time the back of her neck tingled uncomfortably with the knowledge that Nate was behind her at the piano, watching her.

The children were to perform on the church steps and they were lined up down the center aisle, waiting for their cue to file out. The church doors and windows were all thrown wide open so that the music from the piano could clearly be heard by performers and audience alike. Which meant for the first two songs on the program, Nate would be inside the church, heard but not seen.

Which was all right by Verity. She still hadn't been able to forgive him for not keeping a better watch over Joy yesterday. When she thought about her baby, alone in the woods for nearly half an hour, it just tied her stomach in knots. So many things could have happened—snakes, falls, even her finding her way back to the water's edge.

Even if Nate had been focused on helping Davey, he should have set one of the other children who was present to watch her.

No, the man was not to be trusted. He might have the best intentions in the world—trying to help his sister all those years ago, helping Davey yesterday—but his judgment was far from sound. If she'd needed a sign that he was not the kind of man she should try to build a life with, she'd gotten it loud and clear yesterday. And just in the nick of time.

Hazel finally stepped inside, signaling it was time. Verity pulled her focus back to the children and the program they were about to perform.

She led the group out the open doors and into the sunlight. They looked so cheery and hopeful in their bright green smocks. The children lined up in two rows, just as they had practiced, without any missteps.

Hazel stayed inside the church and positioned herself where she could see both Verity and Nate. She would relay any signals that needed to pass from one to the other.

Verity tried to maintain her composure as she turned to face the audience. By now, most of the town knew what had happened yesterday, and how she had reacted to it. Hazel had tried to talk to her, to tell her Nate deserved another chance. But Verity had simply walked away from her. She was done with giving him chances.

She could have forgiven him, maybe, if what he had done had endangered her. But not her baby—that she could not forgive.

Pulling her thoughts away from her anger one more time, she gave the children a broad smile and then turned to the audience.

“Welcome, everyone, to the very first performance of Turnabout's new children's choir. They've all been working very hard these past few weeks, and once you've heard their performance, I think you'll agree that it hasn't been in vain. And now, without further ado, I present to you the Turnabout Children's Choir.”

There was a small smattering of applause as Verity turned back to face the children. She raised her hands, then nodded to Hazel. The music started almost immediately.

Using the hand signals the children were now accustomed to, Verity counted the beats and the four youngest children stepped down one stair right on cue and started the song. They were a bit wobbly at first, but they gathered confidence as they went and by the end of their assigned verse they were singing with vigor. All the children chimed in on the chorus and then it was time for the next four to step down and sing their verse.

At the end of the number, the audience erupted in applause and Verity was happy to see the wide smiles on the faces of her choir. Once the applause died down, she signaled that they were to resume their positions, and they did so with only minor scrambling. Again she held up a hand to bring them to attention, then signaled Hazel. This time, when it was time to sing, the group sang out all together. There were two children who had their timing slightly off, but they caught up quickly and on the whole, that number was a success, as well.

The third song was the one Nate had taught her, the one that would be sung a cappella. The original plan had been for Nate to come on out here and help her direct it. But after waiting a few minutes, Verity realized he was not going to make an appearance.

She had a slight pang over that since he had worked as hard as she on this program and deserved some recognition for his efforts. But part of her was relieved as well that she would not have to face him in front of her neighbors.

Smiling at the children, she gave them the count. This time, when the younger group stepped forward to sing the first verse, she sang softly with them, helping them to carry the tune without the piano for help.

When the final note had been sung, the applause was louder than before and lasted longer. Verity had the whole group step down and take a bow.

And then it was done.

Most of the children raced off to join their parents, and several folks came up to offer Verity congratulations on how well the program had come off. Again she felt that slight pang of conscience that Nate was not present to get his share of the praise.

At one point, Joy tugged on Verity's skirt. “Why didn't Mr. Cooper come out to be with us on the last song like we practiced?”

“I don't know, pumpkin. Perhaps he was feeling a little shy. But you all still did a wonderful job.”

“Is he going to walk with us through the festival? He told me yesterday at the picnic that he would and that Beans could come, too.”

“Oh, pumpkin, I don't think so.”

Joy gave her a solemn look. “Are you still mad at him because I got losted?”

“That's between Mr. Cooper and me.” Despite her feelings, she didn't want to taint Joy's feelings toward Nate. She knew his fondness for her daughter was genuine.

She quickly changed the subject. “Why don't we go see what we can find at the festival? I hear they have a talking parrot that you can see.”

That was sufficient to distract her daughter, and away they went. Verity did her best to see that Joy had a good time. They watched the other schoolchildren perform the play. They cheered for the contestants in the three-legged race and wheelbarrow race. They did indeed get to see the talking parrot, which Joy considered interesting but not very cuddly.

But Verity was just going through the motions. She wasn't able to lose herself in the spirit of the event. Twice she caught herself looking for Nate, without success, among the crowd, and she despised herself for it.

More than anything else, she felt a deep sense of loss and betrayal. And she wasn't sure which hurt the most.

Zella, who had returned to town on Friday, was back at the piano on Sunday. Verity looked for Nate and saw him sitting near the back of the church. Next to Belva.

* * *

Nate strode down the sidewalk toward the clinic, Beans at his heels. He'd done a lot of thinking, and a lot of praying, since the incident at the picnic four days ago. And he'd reached one significant conclusion. He couldn't—wouldn't—let things go on the way they were.

It was time he moved on.

He climbed the front porch steps to the Pratt home and rapped on the door. It was the doctor's wife who answered his knock. To his relief, the look she gave him held more sympathy than animosity.

“Hello, Mr. Cooper. Are you here to see Verity?”

He removed his hat. “Yes, ma'am. If you don't mind, please let her know that I don't plan to take up much of her time.”

“She and Joy are out back, working in the garden.” The doctor's wife pointed to her left. “Just follow the house around that way and you'll see it.” She gave him a look that was almost conspiratorial. “If you need time alone with my niece, just tell Joy I said she could bring Beans inside to feed him some scraps I have.”

“Yes, ma'am, thank you.” It seems he had at least one ally in this household.

Nate followed Mrs. Pratt's directions and found the garden easily enough. Verity was on her knees with her back to him, pulling weeds. Joy was nearby, rather inexpertly weaving a daisy chain. As soon as Beans spotted them he gave a yip of recognition and raced forward. Joy scrambled to her feet and met him halfway.

Verity was slower to react, though he thought he detected a certain stiffening of her back. When she stood and turned to face him, there was a guarded expression on her face.

“Hello, Mr. Cooper,” Joy said. “I looked for you at the festival but couldn't find you.”

“I'm sorry I missed all the fun, but I wasn't feeling up to it.” Before the little girl could press further, he delivered Mrs. Pratt's message. “Your aunt Betty told me she has some food you can feed Beans if you want to take him to the kitchen.”

“Yes, sir. Come on, Beans.”

And with that, child and dog were off.

Verity watched her daughter go, ignoring him, until he heard the back door spring closed. Then she turned to him. “What are you doing here?”

Not exactly a warm welcome. “I came to let you know I'm going out of town for a while.”

There was a flicker of something in her expression, but he couldn't tell if it was relief, surprise or curiosity. It certainly couldn't be regret.

When she didn't say anything, he continued. “I was wondering if you would allow Joy to take care of Beans for me while I'm away.”

“I don't know—”

“Look, I know you're angry with me. And I probably deserve it.”

“Probably—”

He held a hand up. “I'm not here to debate that point with you. But just because you no longer trust me is no reason to punish Joy and Beans. I'd like to know that someone who cares for the animal as much as I do, someone like Joy, will be looking out for him.”

“How long will you be gone?”

He slid his fingers along the brim of his hat. “I'm not sure. Perhaps a month or more.”

“That's quite a lot of time to be gone from your business.”

Did she seem so disapproving because of the commitment she'd have to make with Beans, or was there another reason?

She hadn't asked for an explanation, at least not outright, but he decided to give her one, anyway. “I'm going to help Belva to get settled into her new place and to deal with some staffing issues. I'm not sure how long that will take, but I've committed to not leave her until I'm satisfied everything is running smoothly.” The news about Belva's inheritance and her moving to her newly acquired estate had broke yesterday, so he wasn't betraying any confidences.

“I see.” She tilted her head, studying him almost analytically. “But you
are
coming back?”

He saw no indication of whether she was hoping for a yes or no answer from him. “I am.” That was part of the thinking he'd done these past few days. He'd come very close to telling Belva he'd take her up on her offer after all.

But in the end he'd decided he wasn't going to run away. Not from Verity. And not from his past. “But don't worry, I will make very sure that our paths don't cross any more than they must. You have no need to fear you will receive any unwanted attentions from me. You've made it clear you want me out of your and Joy's lives and I plan to honor that wish.”

It hurt that she felt this way, but he couldn't let it define his life, who he was. He'd dealt with loss before. This was just a different kind of loss.

He felt his jaw tighten and he deliberately relaxed it. “I just have one last thing I want to say. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, some of them really big mistakes. Those mistakes have been costly, to me and to those around me. I regret what happened Friday, and the pain it cost you, more deeply than you will ever know.”

He put his hat back on. “Tell Joy goodbye for me. I'll come by to retrieve Beans when I return.” With that he turned and walked away.

* * *

Verity watched him depart and tried to sort out the emotions she was feeling, without much success.

Deciding she needed a walk to clear her mind, she went inside to clean up. When she told Joy about Nate leaving Beans in her care, her daughter wasn't as excited as she'd thought she would be.

“But Beans will be sad that Mr. Cooper is gone,” her daughter said. “And I will be, too.”

“He won't be gone forever. He's coming back whenever his business is finished.”

“But you said he would be gone for
weeks
. That's a long time. Me and Beans are going to miss him.”

“I'm afraid it can't be helped.” And with that unhelpful answer, she headed to her room before her daughter could press further.

As Verity changed clothes, she remembered what Mr. Barr had said, something along the lines of children giving their heart only to those who are deserving.

Verity had intended to take a nice long walk, but somehow she found herself standing in the doorway to Hazel's shop.

Hazel looked up and gave her a broad, welcoming smile. “Hi there, come on in. Have you heard the news about Belva? It's all anyone is talking about.”

Verity joined her at the counter and nodded. “I have. I'm happy for her.”

“You should have seen Eunice this morning at the mercantile. The poor woman couldn't decide if she was more happy for her niece or irritated that Belva had kept the whole thing secret from her. I, for one, have a new respect for Belva. Anyone who can keep a secret from a busybody like Eunice, while living under the same roof with her no less, is one clever, resourceful person.”

Verity was able to smile at that. “It seems she was able to keep it a secret from everyone, not just Eunice.”

“Except perhaps Mr. Cooper.”

“Mr. Cooper?” Funny how she couldn't seem to get away from him.