playroom turned into a bigger challenge. It already contained a narrow bed, a chest and a bureau. Vicki moved the bed over against the wall, thinking that she could probably cover it with pillows and a spread, and turn it into a daybed. Krys slowed down a little, having to decide where each and every toy should go.
Vicki didn’t rush her. They weren’t going anywhere soon, and the child might as well enjoy whatever control she could over a life that had changed so drastically.
It amazed Vicki anew the number of toys Krys had, even though she herself had packed them. She and Hal had tried never to overindulge their daughter, but during the past year that had gone out the window. So often one of Hal’s colleagues would stop by bearing a gift. It was well-meant, but now Krys had way too many toys.
But she had refused to part with a single one, and Vicki hadn’t had the heart to disagree with her. Krys had lost too much, the move was a huge change, and if she needed every one of those toys for comfort, then they came along.
By noon, when Lena returned, they were only halfway through the unpacking, and Vicki suspected that Krys was dawdling a little. Getting tired or getting overwhelmed? She couldn’t really tell, and the child didn’t have the self-awareness yet to define why she was slowing down.
“Lunchtime,” Lena called up from the foot of the stairs.
Krys seemed glad of the break and hurried down. Vicki took a little longer, freshening a bit in the bathroom and wishing she had a window into her daughter’s head. Even teaching kindergarten, she sometimes found youngsters this age to be inscrutable mysteries. You could tell when something was wrong, but you couldn’t always find out what the problem was.
Krys wanted her leftover hamburger, and seemed to enjoy it even after a trip through the microwave. Lena and Vicki ate ham on rye.
“Dan called this morning. He got a half day, too, and should be over soon. I guess I need to figure out what I want moved where.”
“Lena...”
Her aunt shook her head. “No. Don’t say it. I made most of the decisions already, once you agreed to come. Vicki, believe me, I wouldn’t have kept pestering you to come here if I thought it was going to be inconvenient.”
“But—”
“Hush. We’re both going to do some adapting. It’s not a major crisis.”
Vicki wasn’t entirely certain about that, but decided to let it go unless a crisis blew up on its own.
When Dan arrived, Vicki and Krystal were pretty much relegated to the front porch swing. Lena wanted to label items that needed to be moved according to where she wanted them, and Dan accompanied her, taking notes to determine how much help he’d need.
“I could hire some people,” Vicki said at one point.
Dan merely gave her a wry look. “Don’t offend me.”
How was she supposed to take that? All she knew was that a big handsome man was moving in on her life. Her attraction to him made her feel a bit uneasy, and she quickly squashed it. Krystal yawned and curled up on the swing with her head in her mother’s lap. That effectively put Vicki out of the action.
It was a perfect day, however. A gentle breeze blew, and the temperature was somewhere in the midseventies. For a Texan it felt like spring, but this was summer in Wyoming. With her hand resting on Krystal’s shoulder, Vicki pushed the swing gently and decided to accept her exile from all the doings inside.
It was Lena’s house, and it would be handled Lena’s way.
* * *
It was nearly four when Dan emerged and went around the corner to the garage. He returned a few minutes later with two folding lawn chairs and set them on the porch. Lena appeared a little while later with a pitcher of lemonade and glasses full of ice on a tray. Krystal barely stirred. Evidently she was worn-out, whether from all the activity earlier, from the trip or from the changes, Vicki couldn’t guess. She let her daughter sleep on.
“Okay,” said Lena. “That’s half the battle done.”
“Which half?” asked Vicki.
“Everything’s labeled that I want gone. Some for basement storage, but a lot for the garage.” She grinned. “I’m going to have a big garage sale. Gawd, I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”
Dan laughed quietly. “You should have told me.”
“I dither sometimes. Like I said, this place feels like the Winston Family Museum. Anyway, Vicki, I want you to go through. If you see any furniture I’ve labeled that you like, then let me know. I want the house to please you, too.”
Vicki opened her mouth, then snapped it closed.
Dan flashed her an attractive grin. “Don’t argue with Lena. There’s no winning.”
“I’m beginning to realize that.”
He glanced out toward the street. “We need to turn in that rental truck and get your car off the tow trolley.”
“There’s supposed to be someplace here in town,” Vicki said.
“On the west side. I can show you.”
At that moment, Krystal sat up. The instant she saw Dan, her face lit up.
Vicki felt her heart sink. This could turn out to be bad. Another cop. Damn, why couldn’t she escape cops?
“Go deal with it,” Lena said. “Krystal can help me with a few things after she finishes her lemonade.”
Krystal beamed.
* * *
While Vicki went inside the rental place to turn in the vehicle, Dan unhooked her car and rolled it off the trolley. It took him only a minute to reconnect her lights properly, then he leaned against the side of the truck to wait for her.
He had the distinct impression he was pushing himself into territory where he wasn’t wanted. Why, he didn’t know. It was something in Vicki’s demeanor. Not that it really mattered. He wasn’t going to stop helping Lena, and even if Vicki didn’t want him around, he felt a duty to Krystal. That girl’s daddy had been a cop, and he felt obligated to at least keep an eye on her and step up where he could.
If Vicki would allow him to.
He folded his arms and crossed his legs at the ankles, letting the afternoon sun bathe him with warmth. He knew a little about grieving. He’d lost his wife to cancer five years ago, and he still sometimes missed her so much he wondered if he could stand it. That might be what he was sensing in Vicki.
It had been only a little more than a year for her. A year was an infinity in terms of pain, but short in terms of recovering. The woman was probably a walking raw nerve ending.
He still wondered at her decision to come here. Oh, he’d been listening to Lena suggest it for months now, and knew it was what his neighbor had hoped for, but what about Vicki? She had left behind her support network, her friends, her home. And so had Krystal. Why? He’d never felt the least desire to leave Conard City after Callie’s death.
