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He could see and feel how nervous she was, and as always, his heart took a direct hit whenever she smiled his way. The flight had taken two and a half hours, and the municipal airport was another forty minutes from their destination. Caleb checked his watch. They’d be with Theresa’s mother around ten thirty, and they planned to be on the flight home by 4:00 p.m. That would give the two women plenty of time to talk.
By the time they landed and he’d picked up the rental car, thirty minutes had passed. Finally, with her mother’s address in Theresa’s GPS, they were on their way. “Thanks for the coffee,” he said, taking a long swallow from the cup.
“You’re welcome.” Theresa held her own cup of coffee in her hands, though she hadn’t taken a single sip. “I’ve been meaning to ask… I remember you said your in-laws live in Spokane. Do you want to contact them while we’re in Washington? We could extend our time here if you’d like to visit.”
Caleb shook his head. “Not too long after the accident, Amy’s parents sold their home and moved to Chicago to be closer to their son and his family. We’ve lost touch.” Besides, even if they did still live in Spokane, they weren’t likely to be happy to see him. His in-laws had never blamed him for the accident, but he’d always be a reminder of their loss, as they were to him.
“It’s really beautiful through here,” Theresa murmured, gazing out the passenger side window at the rolling hills, rocky outcrops and the pines scattered across the landscape. “It’s so different than the lush, green coast.
“Yes, it’s impressive in a rugged, dramatic way,” he agreed. Theresa began to hum, and he couldn’t help smiling. He’d learned a lot about her over the past few months. She hummed when happy or excited about something. When upset, she bit her lower lip, and a crease formed between her eyebrows. He cherished knowing these small, intimate details about her.
Finally, they turned into the driveway of a small rambler with a neatly kept yard surrounded by the same scrubby pines they’d seen everywhere. The front door opened the moment he shut off the engine, and a petite woman with long, silver-streaked dark hair peered out at them. Her smile tentative, she stepped outside.
Theresa gasped and fumbled with her seat belt. “Dammit, I can’t get—”
“Here, let me,” he said. Her hands were shaking so badly, and all her attention was focused on her mother. No wonder she couldn’t release her seat belt. He undid it for her.
Theresa climbed out of the car slowly. She and her mother stared at each other without a word for several seconds. There could be no mistaking the two for anything but family. The resemblance was undeniable. Caleb walked around the rental car to join Theresa. “Hello,” he called out. “I’m guessing you must be Vanessa Allard?”
“Yes, yes. Come in,” Vanessa replied, gesturing them forward.
Caleb placed his hand at the small of Theresa’s back and guided her to the front door. Somehow, he sensed the physical contact would be a help to her. The tension between the two women charged the air between them, and he wracked his brain for a way to ease things. “Hi, I’m Caleb McGee,” he said. “I’m a friend of Theresa’s.” Here to offer moral support. As far as easing tension went, that was pretty weak.
“I see.” Vanessa gestured them through the door.
What she saw, he had no idea. He entered the house, which had obviously been updated recently. The furniture in the living room looked comfy, and newer. The walls held quite a bit of Native American artwork similar to what he’d seen in the books about the Nez Perce.
He studied the two women as the three of them entered an updated kitchen. Theresa and her mother were the same height. Vanessa’s skin tone was slightly darker than Theresa’s, but not by much, and they had the same luminous, soulful dark brown eyes. Vanessa led them to her kitchen, where a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies had been set on an old, round table of pine surrounded by six ladder-back chairs. The age of the table stood out against the modern appliances and custom cabinetry, and he suspected it must be a family heirloom.
“Would you like a cup of coffee or tea?” Vanessa asked, her gestures and the tightness around her eyes and mouth signaled the older woman’s nervousness. “Please. Have a seat.”
“A glass of water would be nice, thank you,” Theresa said as pulled out a chair and took a seat at the table.
Caleb sat beside her. “Water would be great, thanks. We drank coffee on the way here from the airport.”
Vanessa nodded and busied herself with filling two glasses with ice and water. She set the glasses before them on the table and poured herself a cup of coffee before joining them.
“Well,” she murmured. “It’s … I’m so glad to see you, Theresa. I—”
“Are you?” Theresa’s eyes widened. “Glad to see me, I mean?”
“Of course. You have no idea how difficult it has been all these years.” Vanessa swallowed a few times, and her eyes filled. “Do you think I left because I wanted to?”
“I don’t know. That’s what I’m hoping to find out.” Theresa twisted her hands together in her lap. “I’d really like to understand why you abandoned us without a word.”
“So, that’s what you think.” Vanessa drew back. “It’s a long story, my girl, so buckle up.”
“All right.” Theresa glowered at her mother.
Vanessa bit her lip for a second. “You need to understand … What do you know about your father’s childhood?” she asked.
“Nothing. He never spoke of his childhood or his family.” Theresa frowned.
“Not surprising. I’ll start from the beginning with my childhood first.” Vanessa nodded slowly as if thinking to herself. “My dad, James Allard, died fighting in the Vietnam War when I was just a baby. After that, my mother and I lived with my grandparents here on the reservation. I was nine years old when my mother died of leukemia, and I continued to live with my grandparents.
“Though I lost them at so young an age, I was raised in a loving family, Theresa. I want you to know that. My grandfather passed away when I was twelve, and then it was just me and my grandmother. Granny had a really bad stroke and went into a nursing home just before my sixteenth birthday. Even though I had family here, social services took me from my home, away from my people, and placed me in a group home in Spokane for kids who would age out of the system soon. That’s where I met Gregory Morris, your father.”
Vanessa shifted in her chair and shook her head. “He was so broken, so bitterly angry and in pain. In my girlish fantasies, I believed that if I loved him enough, I could heal him.” She grunted.
