By His Hand: Truly Yours Digital Edition (4 page)

“I’m too tired to unpack.” Victoria flopped on top of the bed. She stared at the stucco, flower-looking pattern on the ceiling. Exhaustion claimed every inch of her being. The very thought of putting her clothes and accessories away seemed incomprehensible.

She willed herself to sit up on the bed.
I don’t have to do everything today. Talk to Sondra, yes, but unpacking can wait until tomorrow
. She opened her suitcase to freshen up her makeup and brush her hair before going to the kitchen. Her license fell onto the bed. “I can’t believe it.”

Picking it up, she remembered Ms. Ginny had found it underneath the microwave when she was cleaning. She had given it to Victoria just before she left for her new job. Upset about losing the woman who’d been working for the Thankful family since before Kenny’s birth, Victoria simply pitched it in the suitcase and hugged the dear, older woman one last time.

“If I don’t get my head on straight, I’ll never be able to take care of myself.” She peered in the mirror above her new dresser. Curly wisps had escaped her ponytail. Most of her makeup had worn off from the long drive. She looked like she was about sixteen. Grabbing her hairbrush, she pulled the elastic band out of her hair and brushed out her curls. She covered her freckles with powder, again. “That’s a little better.”

Straightening her shoulders, she lifted her chin and stared at her reflection. “You can do this.” The knot tightened in her belly as she opened the bedroom door and walked down the hall. She had a lot to talk about, and she had no idea how her sister-in-law would react. “Sondra?”

“In here,” Sondra called from Victoria’s left.

“Hey.” Victoria felt shy as she joined her sister-in-law at the massive wooden table in the kitchen/dining area. True to her word, Sondra had cookies and iced tea waiting for her.

“I went ahead and laid the kids down for a nap. I wanted us to have a chance to talk.”

“Okay.” Victoria’s heart sank. She wanted so much to play with Matt, yet she knew they needed to have this time.

Sondra pointed to the plate. “Have one. Is chocolate chip your favorite just like your brother?”

“Yeah. Grams used to make them for us.” She took a small bite and gasped. “Sondra, these taste just like Gram’s.”

Sondra smiled. “I know. They’re her recipe. She taught me how to make them for Kenny while we were dating.” She looked Victoria in the eye. “I loved your brother very much.”

Victoria gawked at the woman sitting across the table from her. Tears welled in Victoria’s eyes. Why had she waited so long to come here? She knew why. Fear. Fear of her daddy disowning her just as he had Kenny. Fear of not being able to make it on her own.

And what did all that fear get me?
The last weeks of Kenny’s life—missed. The first two years of Matt’s life—missed. A real relationship with her sister-in-law—missed.
Forgive me, Lord. I should have trusted in You. Bless my relationship with Sondra and Matt now
.

Victoria wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry I missed all this time with you.”

Sondra touched the top of Victoria’s hand. “It’s all right. We can start now. I’m glad you’re here.” She leaned back in her chair. “Seeing you brings a wave of sweet memories to my mind. I still miss Kenny at times.”

“What about Dylan?”

“I love Dylan completely. Kenny was a part of my life. He still is in the form of his son. My life and heart are committed to Dylan, but I still remember and love your brother.” Sondra stopped. “Kenny would approve of Dylan.”

Victoria nodded. “I believe you’re right. He seems to be a wonderful man.”

Sondra smiled. “Okay, now that that’s cleared, how long are you going to visit? Victoria, we want you to stay as long as you can …” She touched the top of Victoria’s hand. “But I don’t want to make things hard on you. If your dad wants you home, don’t worry about hurting my feelings. I understand …”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

Sondra’s eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t?”

Victoria shook her head and tried to conjure the courage to tell Sondra the truth.
Just spit it out
. “Sondra … well … it appears I can stay as long as you’ll have me, or at least until I can get a job and an apartment.”

“What?”

Victoria twisted her napkin between her fingers. The stunned expression on Sondra’s face did not make telling the truth any easier. Victoria had lived her entire existence in an abundance of wealth. Admitting her state of destitution proved far more difficult than she had imagined.
Get on with it
. “It seems my daddy hasn’t always managed his affairs in completely legal ways.”

Victoria’s tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. She took a long drink of tea. She couldn’t taste it; she only felt the cool liquid flow down the back of her throat. No matter how many gulps she took, she still felt parched.

“Just tell me. You’ll feel better once it’s out.”

Victoria set the glass on the table. “You’re right.” She swallowed. “It seems Daddy embezzled a good deal of money from his company. He claims to be innocent, yet he and Mom flew to who knows where to get away from the law.”

She closed her eyes. She couldn’t look at Sondra. “Everything belongs to the government until Daddy goes to court. What I have with me is all I own in the world.” Her bottom lip quivered. “I have to make it alone. I don’t have any money. Now I’ve hit a man’s special car. I pray my insurance will take care of it.”

Victoria felt Sondra’s arms wrap around her. “I want you to stay with us for as long as you need. I don’t want you to even think of going anywhere else. You are welcome here.”

Fresh tears streamed down Victoria’s face. The day had been entirely too emotional. The long drive only aided her exhaustion and feelings of helplessness. Victoria hugged her sister-in-law in return. “Thank you, Sondra. I wish I had come years ago. I wish I could turn back time.”

“The past has passed. We have today and all of the tomorrows the Lord gives us.”

“That’s true …”

A man cleared his throat behind her. Victoria wiped her eyes with a napkin as Sondra looked around her and said,

“Hi, Chris. Back so soon?”

Knowing her face was a blotchy mess, Victoria prayed he would leave quickly so she wouldn’t have to acknowledge him.

Metal jingled in his pocket. “Dylan called. Seems Jeff needed some help on the ranch right away. He asked me to go and get Victoria’s other suitcases for him.”

Victoria closed her eyes and exhaled. She would have to turn around and talk to him. He would see the red blotches she knew covered her eyes like a raccoon. He’d see the freckles that splattered her face. If her guess was right, he’d also see mascara streaming down her cheeks.
Why did I have to start crying?

Knowing etiquette demanded she thank the person who had just made a special trip to bring her luggage, she turned and stood slowly to face Chris. Looking up at the towering figure, she nodded and said, “Thank you, Chris. I’ll show you where to put them.”

He followed her to the bedroom. She stood in the door as he placed both suitcases on the floor. Her heart beat faster when their gazes locked through the mirror above the dresser. He didn’t turn to face her but continued to stare in the mirror.

“Did I scare you?” His voice was barely audible.

“What?”

“Earlier today. Did I scare you?”

“No.” She frowned. “Why would you think that?”

“I’m big and I can come across as gruff, and I can see you’ve been …”

“Crying.” Victoria finished his sentence. “No. That has nothing to do with you.” Embarrassment washed over her, but she couldn’t take her gaze from his. Something about the overgrown, grease-covered man drew her. She wanted to tell him all that had happened. Wanted to hear him say that everything would be okay.

She peered out the window.
What is wrong with me?
She didn’t know this man, not the first thing about him. For all she knew, he was a horrible criminal.
No, Sondra wouldn’t have let him bring me to her house if that were true
.

She glanced back at the mirror. He still stood looking at her. She lifted her chin and pushed away from the door. “Well, thank you, Chris.”

He moved closer until he loomed more than a foot over her. “You’re welcome.”

Her chest tightened, and Victoria felt she’d soon be gasping for air. She lifted her shoulders and took long, slow breaths, willing herself not to come undone in front of this stranger. “Be sure to let me know how much I’ll owe you for the damages.”

“Oh, I will.”

Victoria stepped away from the intensity of his gaze. He walked down the hall, nodded toward Sondra, and then went out the door. Victoria grabbed her chest, watching as he took long strides toward his truck. She had no idea what had just happened, but she felt fairly confident that whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

A hint of sunlight streamed through Victoria’s window. Glancing at the alarm clock beside her bed, she gasped at the early hour. She slipped out from under her covers and slinked into her robe and slippers. Stretching her arms above her head, Victoria yawned and then rubbed sleep from her eyes. She stumbled to the window just in time to see the sun finish its ascent into the expansive heavens.
Oh Lord, Your handiwork is amazing
.

Deep green pastures extended as far as she could see. The sky lifted bright and full above her. It reminded her of the enclosure and privacy she felt as a small girl when she would make a fort with extra blankets from her closet; and yet, the sky was not in any way private. It was vast and clear and awesome.

The bedroom door creaked open. Sondra stuck her head inside and smiled. “You’re up. Great! I came to see if you wanted to gather eggs with me.”

Victoria smiled and tried to imagine what gathering eggs could possibly be like. Would she have to touch the chickens? Victoria had always heard they were quite disgusting creatures, but then most animals were a bit on the yucky side. “Sure, but what does a gal wear to gather eggs?”

Sondra giggled quietly. “On a warm day like today, a gal wears a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.” She wrinkled her nose. “Course, the chickens just might be offended if you don’t match.”

Feigning hurt, Victoria rested her hands on her hips. “Are you making fun of me?”

“Yes. Now hurry before the kids wake up, and I’ll show you around the ranch.”

Victoria grinned and shut the door. She unzipped her suitcase and rummaged for a pair of casual shorts. “Note to self,” she murmured as she tossed one article after the other onto the bed, “I must unpack first thing after breakfast.” She picked up a silk shirt and wrinkled her nose. “And find some ranch-appropriate items.” Sighing, she decided on a pair of jean shorts and a designer button-down shirt.
At least I have some old tennis shoes
. After scooping them up from the closet floor, she put them on, tied her shoelaces, and hopped off the bed.

The thought of being around live, squawking chickens made her stomach churn, but she had determined to make the best of it. In truth, part of her was excited about learning the life of a country girl. Walking to the window, she glanced once more at the chunk of nature that lay all around her. She spotted the pigsty and its enormous inhabitants and snarled.
It’s a small part of me, that’s for sure
.

Victoria walked out of her bedroom and down the hall. Too tempted to just pass by, she peeked into Matt’s room. Her precious nephew lay in his toddler bed holding a small, flannel-squared blanket close to his face.
Kenny had a favorite shirt that color
. She touched the corner of her mouth.
I wonder …

Tiptoeing closer to Matt, she noted how his small blanket had been hand-stitched and not store bought. Softly brushing his cheek, she whispered, “I’ll have to ask your mommy.” She sighed at how peaceful he appeared. Quietly closing the door, Victoria tiptoed down the hall and out the front door.

A warm breeze whipped her hair, escorting with it the strong odor of cattle grazing nearby. Victoria frowned and covered her nose.

“The smell actually starts to grow on you.” Sondra came from behind her.

“You scared the life out of me.” Victoria placed her hand on her chest to calm her now fast beating heart.

“Sorry.” Sondra handed Victoria an empty basket and then hefted her own higher onto her forearm. “I hated the smell out here at first. Believe it or not, now I actually look forward to it when I’m coming home from town or wherever.”

Victoria wrinkled her nose. “Really?”

Sondra nodded. “Yeah. It’s a funny thing what living in the country will do for you after a while.”

Victoria didn’t respond, and Sondra turned and headed toward what Victoria assumed was a chicken coop. In actuality, it looked like a rather fun, oversized playhouse. Sporting a door and latticed windows in the front, the entire building was painted white and trimmed in country blue. Sondra walked around the back and pointed to the wire-fenced “yard” for the chickens. A small ramp connected the ground and the opening of the building. Several chickens squawked around the yard.

“We have a lot of chickens.” Sondra said. “I love to take the baby chicks to Lawton Group Home to let children hold them.”

“That’s wonderful.” Victoria tried to count the chickens but soon had to give up due to their scurrying around. Walking back around the building, Sondra opened the door and went inside. Victoria braced herself for an attack of white-feathered beasts. To her surprise, nothing happened.

“Come on in. There’s plenty of room,” Sondra called.

“Actually, I have a question about Matt.” Victoria grasped her basket. There was no way she intended to go inside that little building with all those creatures. Visions of chickens pecking her feet and pulling at her shoelaces filled her mind.
Can chickens fly?
Victoria shuddered as she imagined them flying around her and plucking at her hair.

Sondra opened the door wide. “What are you waiting for?” She motioned for Victoria to join her. “So what’s your question?”

“Well, I noticed …” Victoria stopped when she saw several squares sitting three by three against the wall. Fencing seemed to separate the chickens from the humans. Slowly, Victoria stepped inside. She watched as her sister-in-law unlatched and opened a section behind one of the squares.