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“That’s wonderful news, honey. Are you enjoying your classes then?” Thad told her that he was having trouble with his math, but his Aunt Sunny was helping him with it. “I’m very happy that you guys have all your aunts and uncles, but don’t bother them too much. They all have jobs to do, too. Remember that.”
“I do. And I told Aunt Sunny that if she was busy, she could tell me that. She said that if she had a problem with me coming to her for help, then she needs to be knocked on her butt. Only she didn’t say butt. She’s really funny when she tries not to cruse around us. Her face gets all purple. She went to anger management school for a while, she told us. I think she’s so funny.”
Maddy glanced at Gibb when she heard that Sunny had gone to anger classes. He explained the story behind her having to go. Apparently, someone thought that she was too caustic when telling them that they’d done something wrong. As it turned out, Sunny had been right and the other person wrong. But that she finished the class as she had really enjoyed it.
“She’s all right now. I think she has been all along.” Nodding, she fried another egg for Belle when she asked. Gibb finished up with their lunches and sat down to continue the story. “She’s been working on some projects for the president. And when she’s finished with those, she said she’s going to retire. I don’t think she will. She’s not only good at her job, but she enjoys it too. What is it you did for a living?”
The question caught her off guard a little, and she had to think. After telling him that she really didn’t have a talent but had been working in a factory, he smiled at her. It was enough to melt through her heart, and she turned her back. Christ, the man was just too handsome and sweet at times.
“There aren’t any factory jobs around here. However, if you want to work, I’m sure that we can find you something that you might enjoy. But as I told you last night, there isn’t any reason for you to have to work.” She told him that she wanted to do something or she’d be bored. “I understand that very well. Have you been to the Cross Shoppe? Granny mostly ran it. We all put our things in it. We’ve been looking for someone to run it for us. If you think that is something that you might enjoy, I can take you there to have a look around. Also, while we’re in town, we need to look at a car for you.”
“I used to have a car. But I don’t know what happened to it. We also had a nice home that we rented, that I don’t know what happened to that either.” She thought of some of the things that had been left behind when Dave had come after them. “I’m sure that whatever was there has been trashed by now. It’s been a while.”
“I can have one of the women look into that for you if you remember the address. I don’t know how much luck they’ll have, but it’s worth a shot.” She told him that she’d give it to him later. “All right. You guys ready to head out? Mom is taking you in today. I have some work to do with the gardens.”
She was sort of nervous about driving into town. Just from her working around here for the last month, she knew that the congestion on the streets was horrific and there were too many people around. But she had told Gibb that she’d do it, and she was determined to make it work.
As soon as the kids were buckled into the back seat of his car, she started it up. So far, so good. Just as she was ready to pull down out of the driveway, Gibb came out of his building toward them. He was holding his cell phone to his ear, and she wondered what had happened now.
“It’s the police station. They want to talk to you.” She took the phone from him, and he told her to get in on the other side, and he’d take them into town now. As she braced herself for whatever they wanted, Gibb was telling the kids that he had their lists of lunch treats as well as the projects list.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Mrs. Cross, but Mr. Farley has been asking to see you. Demanding, really, but I told him that I’d give you a call. I don’t know what he might want; he’s going to be transferred to a federal prison in the morning, and he wants to see you before he goes. If you don’t want to come in, I can surely understand that.” The man laughed a little. “I promise you that you’ll be as safe as you are at your home there with Gibb. Or any of the Cross men. There is a guard on him all the time now, and he’ll be behind bars, too. That is if you decide to come in.”
She nearly told the man that she never wanted to see the man again. That she had had enough of him over the last eight years of having to keep on the run with three kids. Then she thought of something else. He was the one behind bars, not her. If she saw him, then she could walk away freely. He never would be again.
“Do I need to give you a time to come in?” He said that if she could make it around noonish, that would help them out a bit. “I can do that. I have to do some things in town, and I can work my schedule around to meet up then. I’ll have Gibb with me if that’s all right.”
“Yes, ma’am, that’s fine and dandy. I know that I’d feel better if he was with you. But like I said, he’s going to be behind bars and won’t be able to get to you.” He laughed again. “I don’t think that Mr. Farley will be all that happy that you’ll be bringing in that husband of yours, but I wouldn’t care if I was you. He’s going away, and after today, it won’t matter a hill of beans what he wants anymore.”
“All right. I’ll see you then.” She turned and looked at the kids as Gibb was driving them to the school. “I’m going to go and tell off your uncle today. Anything you want me to say to him while I’m there?”
“Tell him that we all want to thank him.” She asked Thad what he meant by that. “Without him being a mean person, we’d never have met Dad here. You’d not be smiling all the time, and we’d still be living in that tiny house. You tell him that we all thank him for making our lives what it was on account of us being happier than—” He looked at his sisters.
“A bug in a run in front of a fire. Why can’t you remember that one?” Belle looked at her. “We hear things like that all the time from the uncles. They said that they got it from their upbringing. I write them down, so I know who told me. Thad says he’ll remember. Like that is working.” They were laughing as they pulled up in front of the school. “See you guys later. Mom, just spend the money. It’ll be all right.”
When the two of them were alone in the car, she turned to look at Gibb. It surprised her every time she looked at him that he belonged to her. That’s what he told her, too. That he belonged to her. When he asked if he had egg on his face, she shook her head and decided that it was high time she had a talk with him.
“I was never married to Burney Archer, the kids’ dad. Dave introduced us, and I didn’t want to go out with him a second time. Then one night, he came into my apartment and raped me. Telling me the entire time that he was the one who would decide who I’d see or not. Now that he’s back in prison, I sleep better, but he is due to get out soon. I didn’t tell the kids that. They think that he’s in for life.” Gibb asked her if he had been the one who had beaten her up previously. “Yes. He and my brother. I did put his name on their birth certificates. On the off chance that I’d get some support from him. But it never came after the first couple of months. I think that Dave had something to do with that, too.”
“More than likely.” She watched the streets as they drove out of Gatlinburg. The snow was just starting to come down when he pulled into a car dealership parking lot outside of town. “I’m only going to suggest this to you, but I want you to be extra careful when you’re out. Alone or with the kids. Burney was released just yesterday. I asked Jamie about it, and she found it just now for me. Also, I want you to consider working for the shop. You don’t have to, but it would be wonderful if we had family working there. Also, you’d have free reign of it. Do what you want and order what you need. Mark said that he’d talk to you about pay. And we have to pay you because we need to show that as a loss. The store does great. Very well, as a matter of fact. You won’t be bored. I promise you that.”
After he got out of the car, he came around to her side and opened the door for her. No one, not in all her life, had anyone done that for her. When he put his hand out to help her out, she nearly kissed his hand, wanting to thank him for being such a wonderful person to her. It hit her then that she had fallen in love with the man.
Maddy didn’t know how that had happened. She’d only been around him for a couple of weeks. But as it was right now, she didn’t think that she could ever remember a time when she needed someone in her life as much as she did this man. As they looked at cars for her, all she could focus on was that she was in love for the first time in her life. And she couldn’t have been happier with who she was in love with either.
“Are you all right?” She smiled up at Gibb. “You have a look on your face that I’ve never seen before. Should I be worried?”
“No. It’s a look that I’ve never had before either.” He smiled bigger at her. “I’ve fallen in love with you, Gibb Cross. I don’t know how or even when, but I’ve never loved nor will I ever love someone as much as I do you right now.”
He picked her up. After swinging her around, laughter all around her, he put her on the ground and kissed her. It wasn’t a needy kiss, nor one that he’d given her before, like a peck on her nose or mouth, but one of being in love with her, too.
“I do love you, Maddy. I have since the first time I saw you.” He laughed hard like he’d only just discovered that he could. “I love Maddy Cross,” he shouted. And she’d never been happier.
Chapter 4
Dave didn’t care for the way that he was being treated. First of all, he was sick of bologna sandwiches. The chips were all right. Sometimes, he’d have sour cream and onion, but there were the BBQ ones that he dearly loved. It was the meat and the bread that was making him pissed off. No mayo or mustard on the sandwich, just in those hard-to-open little packets. Instead of being easy to open, he usually wore about half of it down his front when opening them. Also, the fact that he could only have bottled water—no pops or beers—made eating them all the more boring.
“Hey. You there. What’s a man gotta do to get better food around here?” The guard, as usual, didn’t speak. “I’m talking to you, you bastard. The least you can do is acknowledge me. My taxes pay your wages. I know that for a fact.”
