Wild Fire (11 page)

In spite of her mood, the steak, baked potato, and green salad tasted good. Everyone else must have thought so too, because there wasn't a scrap left on anyone's plate.

Dad wiped his mouth with a napkin and pushed away from the table. “Fantastic meal, Anne.”

He turned to Colin. “We'll wait until later to start the entertainment. Why don't you turn the horses out, then take a breather? I promised Ryan I'd help him polish his boots.”

When the men left, Anne started rinsing dishes. Kara followed her to the sink with an armload of plates, still wondering how to tell Dad about Greg.

“You are troubled.”

The cook's voice startled her, and she quickly set the dishes on the counter. “Is it that obvious?”

“Maybe not to all. I see the wookawkaw sitting on your shoulder.”

“The what?”

“The woodpecker picks and picks at the wounded tree. If someone does not chase it away, eventually the tree will die.”

Kara shook her head. “You can't chase this one away. Greg's headed for real trouble, and I don't know what to do.”

Anne nodded. “Greg is wounded. Like you, he bleeds, but in a different way.”

Kara leaned against the sink. “You mean over Mom?”

Instead of answering, Anne dried her hands and moved back toward the table. She pulled out two chairs and sat in one. Kara hesitated, then took the other. Anne didn't talk much, but what she did have to say was usually important. It wouldn't hurt to listen.

But the cook was silent. It looked like she was praying. When she finally spoke, Kara had to strain to hear.

“When wetyetmas, the goose, loses her mate, she calls and calls. She does not believe he is gone. She waits and waits for his return. When he does not come, she paces and cries. She pecks at other geese that dare to venture near. Finally, she accepts that she is alone and flies away to join the others on the pond.”

Kara had to bite her lip to keep from crying. “You mean like grief. My counselor talked about the stages. Disbelief, denial, anger, and acceptance. She said we have to go through it all before the pain gets better.”

Anne nodded. “You have listened well. But not everyone moves from one to the other at the same time. And sometimes people get stuck. If wetyetmas does not move on, if she ruffles her feathers and refuses to let the others near, she will soon starve and grow too weak to fly.”

Kara's eyes stung. After Mom died, Greg had helped Dad with the arrangements. He had gone to the celebration service and the cemetery, but she hadn't once seen him cry. Afterward he went away by himself for a week. He'd been sullen and angry ever since.

It was easy to see how Greg could be stuck. Dad still cried, but he was trying to move on. When she thought about it, so was Ryan. He hadn't said a word about Mom since Anne arrived.

Where did that put her?

Kara started to speak, then changed her mind. She didn't want to even think about that question, let alone ask Anne. Something told her she wouldn't like the answer.

Anne laid a gentle hand on her head, then moved back to the sink. “It will be dark soon. You will want to wash and change. I will finish in here.”

“Thanks, Anne.” She hesitated, then walked over and gave her a hug. “For everything.”

T
HE THERMOMETER IN THE
rec room read 90 degrees, and the square dance petered out after two rounds. The only ones who seemed to be having a good time were Colin and Laura
.

Laura Anderson. Tall and perky, with cropped blond hair and a peaches-and-cream complexion that had probably never seen the sun. She had latched onto Colin like a lasso on a bull, and Colin had a ring in his nose before he knew it
.

Dad walked by with a stack of almost empty popcorn bowls and interrupted Kara's thoughts. “What would you say to a couple of days in Lariat?”

She nearly dropped the bag of empty pop cans she was carrying to the kitchen. “What? You mean that?”

Dad laughed. “If I had known you'd be that eager, I'd have tried to arrange it sooner.” His smile faded. “Are you doing okay, Wakara? You've been working pretty hard. I know it's been a while since you've had a break.”

His voice sounded raspy, and he cleared his throat. “Uh, I've been wanting to tell you how much I appreciate all you do for us. With your mother gone, I couldn't . . . Well, I just couldn't get along without you, Sweetheart. You know that, don't you?”

Kara felt the tears sting her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face against his damp cotton shirt. His hug was strong and comforting. When his breath caught on a sob, she couldn't hold back.

Dad held her for a few minutes while they both cried, then he dropped a kiss on her hair and pushed her gently away. “Well, as your mom would say, I guess we needed that.”

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and grabbed a napkin from the box on the serving counter to blow her nose. Dad pulled a clean kerchief from his back pocket and did the same. They looked at each other and laughed.

“It's going to be a slow week. The guests will all be gone by noon tomorrow, and there are no more scheduled until Saturday morning. Colin and Anne can hold down the fort for awhile.”

He patted her cheek. “Get some sleep, Sugar Bear. We'll tell Ryan in the morning.”

Her first thought after he had gone was,
Thank you, God
. They were going home, and she hadn't even had to mention Greg. Now maybe Dad could find out for himself, and she wouldn't have to be involved.

Coward
.
Dad was hurting enough already. Now he had to find out his oldest son was in trouble. She thought about Greg's sullen attitude. He was barely civil to anyone, and more than once she'd smelled beer on his breath, but he'd never done anything really horrible. Maybe it wasn't as bad as Tia said
.

Between Colin and Greg, her mind was spinning. But the crying must have done her some good, because her head had barely hit the pillow before she was out.

The next morning they took off right after breakfast and landed in Lariat before the sun was high.

Kara had just unpacked her overnight bag when her bedroom door flew open, and Tia launched herself into the room. “All right! You brought your new outfit. The youth group
at church rented Rodeo City for Wednesday night. Free pop, and hamburgers or chicken sandwiches for a buck.”

Kara groaned. “Tia Sanchez, I love you to pieces, but I came home for a rest. Do you have the days planned too?”

“Of course. I knew you wouldn't have Lily, so I asked Mom and she said you could ride her mare.” Tia flopped down on the bed beside her. “Tomorrow we go shopping. Then I have a big surprise!”

Tia's enthusiasm was contagious. Kara felt relaxed and happy. “What's the big surprise?”

Tia sat up. “You know that B in History? Well, Mom said I could go to the Beauty Palace. Haircut, nails, the works. And when I heard you were coming I told her, ‘Only if Kara comes too,' and would you believe it? She said yes. No argument. Isn't that cool?”

“Uh, yeah, that's cool, but I don't know.”

“Don't know what? Come on, Kara, it's the ultimate deal. We get complete makeovers and Mom pays for the whole thing.”

Kara looked at her short, clean fingernails. “It does sound like fun, but isn't it kind of a waste? The nails won't last long with my job.”

“So what? At least you'll have them for Wednesday night.” Tia studied her own ragged cuticles. “Trevor Sanders was asking if you'd be there.”

“Trevor Sanders? Isn't he the guy who won the regional High School Rodeo finals?”

“Up close and personal. That is, unless you and Colin
 . . 
.
?”

Kara didn't like the gleam in Tia's eyes. She shook her head. “There is no me and Colin. We're just friends.” Well, they were if he hadn't crossed her off his list completely after last night.

“So how are you gonna get your hair cut?”

“Whoa! Who said anything about cutting my hair?”

“Oh, I don't know. I just thought you might want a change. Like a new look, you know? I'm going to get mine cropped. Jennifer Hall had hers done two weeks ago. It's awesome.”

“No way is anybody going to cut my hair!” Kara glanced into the mirror on her dresser, but instead of her own image, Laura Anderson's blond bob flashed into her mind.

Kara shivered. Did she dare cut off her hair? What would Dad say? Hadn't he always told her she could wear her hair and clothes any way she wanted? Within limits, sure. But getting a haircut was no big deal. Once again her mind flashed a picture of Laura. And Jennifer Hall had been prom queen two years in a row.

She took a deep breath. “Okay, you're on!”

Tia looked at her like she was on fire. “You mean, you'll do it?”

Kara nodded and held out her hand. “Lead me to the slaughter.”

Tia giggled. “Tomorrow morning. Nine o'clock. Be there.”

Tia's mom honked the horn at eight-thirty the next morning. Kara swallowed the last bite of toast, grabbed her backpack, and sprinted out the door.

A few minutes later she watched as Tia's dark brown hair fell around her, landing in heaps on the floor. When the stylist brought out the clippers, Kara cringed, but Tia just giggled, then grinned into the mirror. Her hair was shaped shorter in back, long enough on the sides to swish when she bent her head forward or moved it side to side.

“Wow. I'm gonna like this. I feel ten pounds lighter.” She hopped out of the chair. “Your turn. Come on, Kara, you're gonna love it.”

Kara suddenly felt dizzy. It wasn't too late; she could still back out
.
Her knees felt about as strong as Play-Doh, so she sat while
the stylist undid her braid and brushed out her long, black hair. It fell to her waist even when she pulled it over her shoulder
.

A whole new image. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She could picture the look on Colin's face when he smoothed the long, slender braid at the dance. “You look like an Indian princess,” he had said. She opened her eyes and saw the stylist frowning at her in the mirror.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Kara shook her head. The woman smiled. “Tell you what. We'll just put it up like this.” She twisted the hair into a swirling mass on top of Kara's head. She pinned it into place and pulled several long strands free, curling them into spirals against Kara's neck and cheeks.

Half a can of hair spray later, Kara took the hand mirror and studied the results. The mirror reflected a young woman—suave, sophisticated, and looking several years older than fifteen. She smiled. “Rodeo City, here I come.”

“It's awesome, Kara.” Tia flashed her bright red nails in the direction of the sidewalk. “Let's go to Henry's for lunch. My treat.”

“No way. I can pay for my own. Dad gave me a check for the work I've done this summer.” She suddenly felt adventuresome, free. And she was beginning to like the tendrils of hair brushing against her cheeks.

“Why don't we go to The Hut instead? Maybe we'll see some of the gang from school,” Kara said.

“All right. Maybe Trevor will be there.” Tia flashed her a sneaky grin.

Kara laughed. “Yeah, maybe he will. And maybe he'll go with the youth group to Rodeo City. And maybe Devon Andrews will tag along with you.”

Tia's mom picked them up in front of the beauty shop at three o'clock. They drove slowly past the fields and farms on the outskirts of Lariat. The road curved uphill into patches of evergreen trees, many of them blackened and bare from last year's fire
.

When they came to the curve where her mother's car had gone off the road, Kara forced herself to look away. She didn't need to spoil her good mood. Anyway, Mom wasn't down there in those woods. She was safe in heaven.

Mom had told her about that from the time she was old enough to listen. “If you believe that Jesus is God, that He died for your sins and rose again, then you don't have to be afraid to die.” And she did believe. She had accepted that gift a long time ago.

At the funeral Pastor Taylor had told them, “The Bible says we will grieve, but not like those who have no hope.” She could almost feel the pressure of his hand on her shoulder. “You have hope, Wakara, because your mom belonged to God. And when she died, she went instantly into His presence.”

But what about us? We're the ones who suffer because she's not here
.

They turned down the gravel drive and pulled up in front of the house. Kara waved a final thank you to Mrs. Sanchez and Tia, then went through the side door into the family room. Ryan had his face just inches away from the TV, watching John Wayne swagger down the main street of some dusty western town.