Cimarron Refuge Read online

  “How about a hayride to the stream at the back edge of my ranch where we would have a barbecue set up?”

  “What if it rains?”

  “It hasn’t in over a month but you’re right. The second we plan something outdoors without a backup plan, it would rain. We could have the party in the barn if it does.”

  “Speaking of no rain, what if the governor bans outdoor grilling like he’s thinking of doing?”

  Peter raised both eyebrows. “You are thorough. I hadn’t thought about that. Then we’ll just have a picnic, no grilling involved. How’s two weeks from today sound to you?”

  “Great!”

  “What’s great, Mom?” Sean sauntered up to them.

  “We were planning a party.”

  Her son scowled. “Why?”

  “Peter wants to start a foundation to provide a foster home here on his ranch.”

  “That sounds neat, Mr. Stone.” Chad joined them. “I know a guy at school that lives in one, but he isn’t too happy right now.”

  Peter’s gaze fastened onto Chad. “Who?”

  “Rob Somers.”

  “The pitcher for the baseball team?” Sean’s scowl dissolved into a puzzled expression. “He’s so popular.”

  Chad glanced toward her son. “I shouldn’t have said anything,” he mumbled, swinging his attention to Mr. Stone. “Forget what I said. I’d better get back inside. My lamb has been nursing a lot.”

  “Mine isn’t. I came out here to tell you that.”

  “I’ll be in there in a minute. The vet warned me this might happen. I’ll have to rig something up to make sure it gets what it needs.”

  As the boys left, Sean asked Chad where Rob lived. Chad didn’t answer him right away, and Laura prepared herself for her son to lash out at Chad for ignoring his question. But Sean didn’t. He waited patiently until the other teen answered him with the address.

  “Rob’s pretty open about his situation, but I try not to say too much about it with him.” Chad opened the gate to the pen.

  Sean stepped inside first. “Why not?”

  “Just because.”

  As Laura leaned against the wooden slats, Sean knelt next to his lamb, stroking it. “I’d never thought that of Rob. He’s always so upbeat at school. I have him in one of my classes.”

  “That’s Rob. He doesn’t let things get him down.” Chad led the sheep over to Sean’s lamb and helped her son try to coax the small lamb to nurse.

  The pensive expression on her son’s face piqued Laura’s curiosity. Was Sean comparing his situation to Rob’s? Her son thought his life was bad right now. Getting him involved with kids with even greater needs might be what would help him come to terms with his father’s death. And she had Peter to thank for that.

  Chapter Five

  LAURA GLANCED UP from her computer while composing an email to Cara about the next day’s barbecue and the prediction of rain in the forecast.

  I hope the rain keeps away until tomorrow night and that people are excited about Peter’s project. It means so much to him.

  In her heart she sensed the party would be a success. For a long moment she let a tranquil feeling encase her before she focused again on her email to her friend.

  The best part about the party is Sean is excited and helping with the plans. Yesterday he asked Peter if he could drive the wagon and Peter said yes. My son floated around the rest of the day. I’ve had to take Sean out to the ranch every day after work to check on “his lamb.” Thankfully it is thriving. I don’t know what I would have done if Peter hadn’t managed to help it eat. I think at that moment Sean’s opinion of Peter began to change, especially when he let my son stay with him in the barn all night to make sure the lamb lived.

  I’d better go. It’s late and tomorrow will be a long day. I hope this specialist can figure out what’s wrong with your husband. You would think after all the tests Mason has gone through they would have an idea what’s going on. You and your family are in my thoughts as always.

  Love,

  Laura.

  She stared at the computer screen for a moment and then sent the email.

  I hope the doctors can come up with what’s going on with Mason. He’s in so much pain and Cara is worried.

  * * *

  AS SEAN DROVE the wagon toward the stream, he sat tall and straight on the bench. Alexa and her friend Mindy were next to him. Content, Laura sighed, scanning the faces of the others in the back on top of the mound of loose hay. When a piece stuck her in her left shoulder, she shifted closer to Peter to try to get more comfortable. He looked at her, his features shadowed by his Stetson. But she saw the smile that reached deep into his eyes, riveted totally on her. His regard made her feel special as if he were only interested in her. That was Peter’s way—to concentrate on the person he was talking to as though there was no one else in the world. She shouldn’t read more into it, or should she? No wonder people responded to him.

  The past few weeks of working on the party had thrown them together a lot. She found herself telling him about her life in St. Louis. She’d even come close to sharing the disastrous past year with him, dealing with the growing verbal abuse—the time Stephen went too far. No! Getting that close would throw their relationship to a whole new level she wasn’t ready for.

  “I’m glad we didn’t have to go to Plan B.” Peter peered up at the cloudless sky. “Although I feel guilty for not wanting it to rain.”

  Laura chuckled. “Me, too.” She tossed back her head and let the warm rays of the sun bathe her face. “I even emailed my friend in St. Louis about not wanting it to rain. You think that’s what did it?”

  He shrugged. “Do you miss not living in St. Louis?”

  “I miss Cara. She was my next-door neighbor and we’re close. It’s tough not being around while her husband is so sick. The doctors can’t figure out what’s wrong, but he’s been in and out of the hospital over the past few weeks in a great deal of pain. We keep in touch by email and phone. Not the same thing, though.”

  “No. Face-to-face is so much better. Even teens are really getting into communicating via blogging and text messaging. The upside is that it may help their writing skills some.”

  “But not their verbal skills?”

  “Right. And some of those internet sites where teens post about their day, their thoughts, are prime places for people who prey on kids.”

  Laura leaned close, not wanting Sean to hear. “So far I haven’t found anything that Sean has posted, but I’m sure going to keep an eye on him and Alexa.”

  “I wish more parents would do that. Did you read in the paper where they caught that thirty-year-old man stalking that teenage girl? He found her through her blog. She gave away too much personal information. It wasn’t hard for him to track her down.”

  She pulled back. The scent of hay, earth and Peter overwhelmed her, making her acutely aware of the man beside her. “I know. I’ve had a chat with all my kids. Thankfully Joshua and Matthew are too busy trying to find a way to build the fastest go-cart to be interested in the internet. But I find Alexa is using it more and more.”

  “Parents have so much to worry about today.”

  “We’re here.” Sean pulled on the reins to stop the horses.

  Chairs and tables had been set up earlier that morning under the large maple and oak trees that offered some shade. The stream ran through the glade ten feet away from their party site, and the sound of water flowing over rocks was soothing. Several grills were off to the side with large ice chests nearby, packed with chicken and beef kebabs for the adults and hamburgers for the kids.

  Perfect, Laura thought as she relished the seventy-degree temperature with a light breeze from the south.

  Sean twisted around on the bench. “I’ll go back and get the others.”

  The twins, along with Sadie’s son, hopped down first and charged toward the creek. Alexa and Mindy followed.

  “Want me to go with you?” Andrew Knight, Sadie’s husband, help
ed a pregnant Sadie down.

  “Nope, I’ve got it.”

  Laura looked at Peter, wondering if he would overrule her son and insist an adult go with him. Peter remained quiet as he climbed down then offered his hand up to her. She mouthed, You okay with that?

  He nodded.

  When she grasped him to steady herself, a jolt streaked up her arm as though she had handled a live wire. Her heart beat a little faster. Lately when she touched him, her body reacted. She couldn’t seem to control it. She clambered over the side and quickly put some space between them before she began to hyperventilate in his presence—and everyone else’s.

  “I asked Aunt Sarah if she wanted to join us. She laughed and told me her days of riding in the back of a wagon were definitely over. She values a padded seat.”

  “My foster mom Alice said about the same thing, although I’m to give her a report on what we decide to do.”

  Laura watched the kids fan out to explore the area. Her twins and Sadie’s son had already found a tree to climb. “The higher they can go the better they like it.”

  “No more attempts to jump from the roof?” Peter lifted the lid on one ice chest and withdrew several sodas.

  “No, but you know that big elm tree in Aunt Sarah’s backyard? They asked her if they could build a fort in it and she said yes.”

  Peter handed her a can. “What’s wrong with that?”

  “Hello. Broken body parts.”

  He chuckled. “I don’t think you can stop them.” He gestured toward the sweet gum a few feet from the creek, the three boys several branches up into it.

  “I know,” she said with a sigh.

  In the distance she saw the wagon returning with the rest of the party. Jacob Hartman sat next to Sean up front. Bosco hung over the side with Noah’s hand on the dog as if that would stop him from jumping to the ground. Bosco and her twins were a lot alike. Forces to be reckoned with.

  “Are we eating first or discussing your plans?” Sadie came up to them with her husband.

  “Leave it to my wife to be the first one to ask about the food.” Andrew cradled his arm around Sadie.

  She smiled up into his face. “I’m eating for two.”

  “I’ve heard that a few times these past few months.”

  Laura looked at the pair, their gazes trained on each other, and for a fleeting moment missed that closeness with a man. Then she remembered her husband’s secretive life and didn’t think she could ever let down her guard enough to fall in love again.

  “Look on the bright side. You only have four more months to listen to that.” Out of the corner of her eye Laura noticed Sean bringing the wagon to a stop.

  Sadie groaned. “Don’t remind me how long I have. Four long months, mostly during the heat of an Oklahoma summer. The middle of August can’t get here fast enough.”

  “I’m making an executive decision. Let’s eat first, then talk.” Peter turned to greet the others who arrived.

  Noah assisted his date down from the wagon while Sean, Jacob and Bosco jumped down. Slade Donaldson started to offer his hand up to his wife, but Tory leaped to the ground before his arm was halfway up. She walked around to the two horses, patted them, then helped Sean unhook the harness.

  “I’m glad you could make it,” Peter said as Noah and his date approached, a beautiful, slender woman in her late twenties with long blond hair. “Is everything okay?”

  “Sure. I just had to swing by the restaurant before picking up Anne.” Noah brought his date forward. “This is Anne Laskey. When she heard about what we were planning to do, she wanted in.”

  Anne shook everyone’s hands in the circle. “My daddy is always looking for a good cause to support.”

  Even Laura, a new resident of Cimarron City, knew who Anne’s daddy was. He was the president of the largest bank and in the news quite a bit. Very involved in the town. Maybe Peter’s idea had a good chance of working. She hoped so because the more she thought about what Peter wanted to accomplish the more she wanted to be part of it.

  * * *

  WHEN LAURA PULLED OUT a paper and pen, Peter smiled. “You are efficient. I’d heard rumors at school that you were.”

  “You have?” She set the pad in her lap.

  “Oh, yes. All the counselors rave about how you run the office.”

  “I figure someone has to write down what we talk about today.”

  “Like I said, efficient. What are you going to do this summer?” Since Laura’s job was only for ten months, she’d be off for all of June and July. Although they didn’t see each other a lot during the school day, he enjoyed knowing she was in the building.

  “I have four kids to keep me busy. Money will be tight, but I can use the time to help Aunt Sarah fix the duplexes up. She’s been wanting to do it, but then she got sick.”

  “If this project gets going, I could use your help. Would you like to be part of it?”

  “Yes. If you hadn’t asked for my help, I was going to volunteer it.”

  The pen rolled off and fell to the ground. Peter bent to retrieve it at the same time Laura did. They bumped shoulders and barely missed hitting their heads. She pulled away while his fingers clasped around the ballpoint. When he gave it to her, the flushed tint to her cheeks reflected his own reaction. He felt as though he had never dated before and was just learning the rules and making a fumbling mess of it. And when he really thought about it, he couldn’t believe he felt that way because this was not even a date! Laura would be the first to make that clear. He’d considered himself gun-shy when it came to having a relationship with someone again, but Laura had him beat by a mile.

  “Thanks,” she murmured and held on to the pen.

  Before beginning the discussion, Peter waited until the other adults sat down in the folding chairs he’d put in a circle. Off to the side, Joshua, Matthew and Sadie’s son began scaling another tree while Alexa and Mindy walked along the creek. Sean joined them in the circle. The sounds of nature serenaded the group as they settled in.

  “Thank you all for coming today. I want to make a difference to some needy kids and I’d like to talk about building a foster home on my ranch. I have plenty of room. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to begin?” Peter scanned his friends’ faces.

  “That’s ambitious. I’m not sure how to go about doing it.”

  Tory’s words hung in the air for a few seconds before Noah said, “However you do it, it will require money, a lot of it.”

  Other than Noah, Peter didn’t know very many wealthy people. “So do we start a nonprofit organization then begin raising that money?”

  Anne lifted her hand as though she were in class and wanted to be called on. “I know Daddy’s bank deals with nonprofit groups. I can ask him to help.”

  “That’s great.” Peter shifted in his chair, not sure how to respond to Noah’s latest, gorgeous date, much like all the rest he saw for a short time. His friend made it a point to go out with women who would never really interest him in the long run. He was determined to remain single, and after Peter’s disastrous marriage, he wondered if maybe Noah was right. However, he’d taken the opposite approach and just didn’t date much at all. “Let’s say we get the organization set up. What kind of fund-raiser can we have to bring in funds?”

  Laura tapped the pen against the pad. “Why not a dinner auction? I organized one for the school foundation in St. Louis. We made nearly fifty thousand.”

  Jacob whistled. “That’s a good start. Although the cost of building one house will be at least four times that amount. How’s a dinner auction work?”

  “We get people and businesses to contribute, then for the smaller items we have a silent auction and for the bigger ones we have a live auction where an auctioneer presents each item and the audience bids on it. It can get very competitive and bring in more money.” Laura wrote on her paper. “Sort of like Noah and Peter at the FFA auction last month.”

  “We’re always competitive, since high school.” Noah ch
uckled. “This fund-raiser can be a great promotion for a business, too.”

  “With you being a member of the chamber of commerce, Noah, I’m going to count on you to help us in that area.” If this is supposed to happen, then it will all work out, Peter thought when he contemplated everything that would have to be done before the foundation could be poured for the house.

  Noah nodded. “That I can do and more.”

  “You’ll need to get the media involved. You’ll need a lot of publicity to get people to contribute to the auction as well as come.” Sadie lumbered to her feet and stretched.

  “Anyone have connections with the television station, newspaper, radio?” Excitement began to bubble in the pit of Peter’s stomach. This could work.

  “I do.”

  Again Noah spoke up and Peter wasn’t surprised. His friend knew how to network, which would come in handy. “I run ads on both the radio and television stations. And the editor in chief of the newspaper is a friend.”

  Sean cocked his head to the side, his forehead creased. “Why aren’t there enough foster homes for kids?”

  Peter clasped the arms of his folding chair. “That’s a good question. In a perfect world there would be plenty of places for children who need a good home.”

  Sean scowled. “But this isn’t a perfect world.” Anger touched his voice.

  “No, it isn’t. Noah, Jacob and I grew up in foster care. We know firsthand some of its problems. A lot of the people who take in children mean well, but there are some who don’t. There are some who think it’s a business and treat the kids as a commodity. I want a place that is safe and where the children come first while they wait to be adopted or go back home.”

  Sean stared at him for a moment, then blinked and averted his gaze, but not before Peter had seen his earlier anger dissolving and changing. Hope flared in him. The boy was floundering and wrestling with something he wasn’t ready to share with others. He knew the signs because he had been there. It had taken Paul to open the dam on Peter’s emotions. Could he do the same for Sean?