Forever My Hero Read online

  “Albert! Albert! Can you hear me?” he asked as he tried to shake his younger brother awake.

  Albert moaned, then slowly opened his eyes.

  “It’s you!” he said.

  Junior nodded.

  “Did you do it?” Albert asked.

  Junior nodded.

  Albert moaned and covered his face.

  Junior sighed. “You ’bout ruined your feet. I need to get you to the doctor.”

  Albert swallowed back tears. “I can’t walk on them anymore.”

  “I’ll carry you,” Junior said.

  “How will I explain this?” he asked.

  Junior shrugged. “Tell them you fell in the lake and took your shoes off to dump out the water. Tell them you were spooked by a black bear and took off running.”

  Albert was still choking back tears as he nodded. “Yeah, that would work. Okay. That’s my story. And you were way out on the lake fishing and didn’t see any of it. You found my shoes, saw my footprints heading for home, and found me here.”

  Junior patted his brother’s head. “Yeah, that’s how it went down,” he said. “Now let’s get you up. I need you to get on my back. I can carry you piggyback easier than I can tote you any other way.”

  “You’ll have to help me get up,” Albert warned.

  So Junior lifted him to an upright position. As he did, they caught sight of their faces in the mirror.

  They were still big, redheaded men with green eyes and broad shoulders. But they didn’t look so much alike anymore. Albert’s face was twisted in pain, and Junior looked like he’d aged ten years. When you made deals with the devil, it showed on your face.

  “Okay now,” Junior said as he turned around. “Put your arms around my neck, and wrap your legs around my waist.”

  “I’m gonna be too heavy,” Albert said.

  “Naw, you’ll never be too heavy, Albert. You’ll always be my little brother. Now hang on tight. We’ve got to get downstairs before we can go anywhere.”

  Just like they’d done since they were children, Junior shouldered the load of his brother’s body and made it down the stairs, then outside to the truck. He got Albert into the seat and took off out of the driveway faster than he’d run from the old man’s ghost, heading straight to the hospital in Blessings. Albert saw his cell phone in the console of the truck and put it in his pocket. He was wishing for a bottle of water when he fell asleep.

  Their arrival caused quite a ruckus in the ER, but Albert was so relieved by the doctor’s decision to put him to sleep to repair the damage that he happily passed out on cue, leaving Junior to call their daddy.

  * * *

  It was the acknowledgment of pain that brought part of Elliot back to consciousness. He wasn’t awake enough to open his eyes, but he did roll over onto his back, which sent a shock wave of pain rocketing through his body. He passed out again, oblivious to the sun beaming down on his face.

  After the sun had done all the damage it could do, it sank below the horizon and the night animals came out. An owl swooped across Elliot’s body, snatching up a snake in the nearby grass, and flew away with it still dangling from its talons.

  Around midnight, a lone coyote out on the hunt caught the scent of blood and went to investigate. But when it got there, the scent of man was stronger. Hesitant, it slipped closer, and then something crashed nearby, and the coyote took off running through the woods.

  A possum sauntered past Elliot’s body, sniffing around him without interest before moving away. Later on, a raccoon did the same, staying far enough away from the human scent to feel safe.

  Later, a young buck that had been spooked by hunting dogs ran through the trees just beyond where Elliot was lying.

  Twice in the night Elliot surfaced, but each time the pain of his wound and his deteriorating condition quickly pulled him back under.

  Then night passed, and the sun rose on the new day.

  * * *

  Alice Conroy woke up in a cold sweat with the echo of Marty’s screams still in her head.

  Nightmares! Would they be with her for the rest of her life? God, she hoped not. But she still had secrets from the day her husband died and never intended to share them.

  To this day, no one knew her side of what happened—that Marty was in their house, high on the same meth he was making in the old shed down by the barn. She’d known it since daylight. He kept muttering about starting over and needing to wipe the slate clean. He kept saying he was going to set everything on fire and walk away from that life. He kept promising and promising he would fix things. But she’d ignored him because he always talked crazy when he was high and had gone outside to the garden she was working, getting it ready to plant in a couple of months when it warmed up. And that’s why she was in the garden when her house exploded behind her, knocking her facedown into the freshly tilled earth.

  She sat up in bed and covered her face. When she did, the whole nightmare came back in detail.

  Burning debris was still drifting down around where Alice was lying. Thrown several feet forward, she was facedown in the garden, unaware it was their house that had exploded until she heard Marty screaming. She rolled over, saw the blaze and the smoke, and in seconds was up and running toward the house, shrieking for help.

  But it was too late for Marty. She watched him stumble out the back door, on fire from head to toe. He swayed forward, then fell backward just as the roof of the porch collapsed on top of him.

  She needed her cell phone, but it was in the car parked under the blazing carport. And the car was on fire.

  They still had a landline.

  But it was inside a burning house.

  The only saving grace about the whole day was that her children were at school.

  She turned around and ran the three miles to her mother-in-law’s house, screaming all the way.

  Thank God for alarm clocks, Alice thought as she threw back the covers and headed to the bathroom. She made a face at herself in the mirror as she washed away the last of the bad dream. She needed no reminder of how much she had to be grateful for now. Waking up in Hope House every day, and knowing she and her family were living here rent-free for as long as they needed, was nothing short of a miracle.

  The last five months since Marty’s death were behind them, and there were no tears left to cry for his absence in their lives. She had grieved his loss three years ago when he started making and selling meth, and kept the relief of his death to herself.

  Today was Monday, and the beginning of the second week of September. She had a job to go to, for which she was grateful, and school for the kids. It was time to wake them up. She turned the heat up a bit after she came out of her bathroom and crossed the hall to her son’s door.

  Charlie had just turned thirteen and was now in seventh grade. Not only was he a head taller than she was, but the last year of their life had turned him into a man far too young.

  Her seven-year-old daughter, Patricia, who went by Pitty-Pat, was still young enough that she would forget the hell her daddy had put them through before he died—but Charlie never would.

  Alice knocked on Charlie’s door.

  “I’m up, Mama,” Charlie said, and came out into the hall smiling. “It’s gonna be a good day,” he said, and hurried to the bathroom.

  “Thank you for him, Lord,” Alice murmured, then went next door to wake her baby. Pitty-Pat always slept with her head under the covers, so Alice had to unwrap her first. “Good morning, Pitty-Pat. Time to get up.”

  “Not now,” she whined.

  Alice pulled the covers back. “Yes, now. Charlie is in the bathroom, so you can come to my room and use mine.”

  Pitty-Pat rolled over, yawning. Magic words. Mama’s bathroom was so shiny and beautiful.

  “Brush my teeth in there, too?” she asked.

  “Yes, bu
t bring your toothbrush this time. You may not use mine.”

  Pitty-Pat swung her legs off the side of the bed and got up. “Mama, I’m too big to be Pitty-Pat now. I am just Patty, okay?”

  Alice blinked. It actually hurt to hear her daughter say this, although raising children to be independent and think for themselves was what Alice’s parenting style was all about.

  “Of course it’s okay…Patty.”

  The little girl nodded. “Gettin’ my toothbrush now.”

  “I’m going to start breakfast. Don’t dawdle getting dressed, or Charlie will eat all of your eggs and toast.”

  “No! Don’t let him!” Patty cried, and ran to get her toothbrush.

  Alice grinned. It worked every time.

  * * *

  Lovey Cooper was already at Granny’s Country Kitchen feeding the early risers in town. Mercy Pittman, the police chief’s wife, was in the kitchen at Granny’s, baking biscuits by the dozens.

  Mercy’s sister, Hope, who was a nurse at Blessings Hospital, was going off duty after a long night spent in the ER. Hope thought of her husband and brother-in-law out on the farm, already up and feeding cattle by daybreak. She was so tired, the thought of getting home and then making a big farmhouse breakfast before she got to go to bed was overwhelming.

  But there were always Mercy’s awesome biscuits, so she stopped by Granny’s long enough to say hello and take a dozen sausage biscuits home. She thought to herself, as she headed for the farm, that she might have just enough energy left to scramble some eggs for the guys to go with them before she crawled into bed.

  * * *

  Fred Bloomer, who owned the hardware store where Alice Conroy worked, was shaving before going downstairs to breakfast. His wife wasn’t much of a cook, but she did do breakfasts, adhering to the belief that one needed a solid meal to begin each day.

  Larry Bemis, the night dispatcher at the police department, was clocking out to go home, while Avery Ames, the day dispatcher, was already on the job.

  Chapter 2

  Local lawyer Peanut Butterman was sitting at the kitchen table watching his bride, Ruby, make breakfast. He’d had a smile on his face ever since she’d said “I do,” and was still considering himself the luckiest man in Blessings.

  Ruby took the last stack of pancakes from the skillet and turned off the burner before carrying the food to the table.

  “That smells so good,” Peanut said, and slid a hand across the small of her back.

  “But not as good as you and that aftershave,” Ruby said before sitting down.

  Peanut sighed. “You bless me in so many ways,” he said. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

  Ruby smiled to herself, thinking about how it felt to make love with him. “Not in the last five minutes, and for the record, I love you more. Pass the butter.”

  Peanut laughed and slid it toward her.

  After finally getting Peanut off to work, Ruby began going through the list of things she needed to do today. Her beauty shop, the Curl Up and Dye, was closed on Mondays. But she always had more than enough to do.

  There was laundry for home and laundry for her shop, a list of groceries to buy, and clothes to pick up at the cleaners.

  She paused as she passed a mirror to check her hair and makeup. She was still happy with her hair being this shade of black and intended to keep it for a while longer. It had grown much longer during the past three months, but instead of cutting it to chin length as she normally wore it, she was letting it grow. Right now, it brushed the tops of her shoulders, and the bangs she was wearing were just above her eyebrows. It was the most daring look she’d ever worn, but she was a woman who dared, so it fit.

  * * *

  While Blessings was readying for the new day, Danner Amos was still asleep, lost in the never-ending nightmare of his past, and it always started in the same place.

  He turned away from the sink as Holly came hurrying into the kitchen. “I thought you and Blake were already gone,” he said.

  “My car won’t start, and Blake is going to be late for school.”

  “Take mine,” Dan said. “I’ll call the garage to pick yours up, then take a cab to the office.”

  “You’re the best,” Holly said, and blew him a kiss.

  Dan followed her to the front door and then stood in the doorway waving as Holly buckled their seven-year-old son into the back seat, then jumped into the car.

  Dan’s heart was beginning to pound. He knew what came next and was trying so hard to wake up, but the dream would never turn him loose until he rode it all the way to the end.

  The early-morning sunlight reflected on the hood of his Lexus as he watched her check her makeup in the rearview mirror. He smiled. She always looked good to him. Then he saw her reach toward the ignition. Blake was waving at him from the back seat.

  He stepped out of the doorway and into the sunlight, his hand lifted to wave back, when the world exploded before his eyes.

  Pieces of the Lexus went airborne. All of the windows in the front of their home shattered. Something hit the side of his face as the car burst into flames.

  He screamed.

  And then he was sitting up in bed, awake and shaking. He touched the scar on the right side of his face and felt tears.

  Nothing ever changed.

  He threw back the covers and got out of bed. After a quick shower, he dressed for the day and went to the kitchen. Discovering he was out of milk ended the idea of another bowl of cereal at home, so he opted to go to Granny’s for breakfast.

  The food there reminded him of home, from the chicken and dumplings on the Sunday menu to the biscuits and sausage gravy on their breakfast menu.

  He did not regret taking on the manager duties for Aidan Payne’s rental properties and was seriously considering buying him out. Right now, he was still learning the routine and building a relationship with the renters. He sent Aidan a monthly statement of repairs, including names of the people moving in and out, and the running total of received income, along with paying himself. There was no pressure, no worries, and as low-key a life as he wanted.

  He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, Levi’s, and boots as he left the house. He jammed his old cowboy hat on his head before he got in the truck and headed uptown. It was a little after 8:00 a.m., and he was thinking about the biscuits and gravy as he drove. He braked at a stop sign, waved at the woman walking her dog, then accelerated through the intersection.

  The parking lot at Granny’s was more than half-full as he parked and got out. He met one of his renters exiting the café, carrying a to-go order and a cup of coffee.

  “Good morning, Frank. How’s your wife feeling?”

  “Morning, Dan. She’s better. Pneumonia is almost cleared up. Doctor will release her to go back to work soon, but I’m still babying her a bit.” He held up the to-go order to make the point.

  “Give her my best,” Dan said.

  Frank grinned. “I sure will,” he said, and got in his car as Dan went inside.

  Lovey was at the register. She still hadn’t gotten used to seeing a cowboy in Blessings, but it was beginning to grow on her. The man was seriously good-looking, even with that scar.

  “Morning, Dan. Are you joining anyone?”

  “No, just me today,” he said, and took off his hat.

  She picked up a menu and led him toward a small booth.

  “Your waitress will be with you shortly,” Lovey said. “Enjoy!”

  “Yes, ma’am. Thank you,” Dan said, and laid his hat on the seat beside him. But before he could open the menu, Shelly Mayberry, the newest waitress, was at his table with a pot of coffee and a glass of water.

  “You take it black, right?” Shelly asked.

  Dan looked up in surprise. “Yes, thank you.”

  “Welcome,” she said as she filled the cup. “Do
you need to study the menu a little longer, or do you know what you want?”

  “I know what I want. Biscuits and sausage gravy, with a couple of scrambled eggs on the side.”

  “Coming up,” Shelly said, and left to turn in the order.

  Dan spooned an ice chip into the coffee to cool it enough to drink, then added one more for good measure. He was still waiting for his food when Lon Pittman came in. Dan could tell by the look on the police chief’s face that something was wrong. He watched, curious as to who he was looking for, then saw the chief make eye contact with him and head his way.

  “Morning, Dan. Sorry to disturb you, but I’m doing a welfare check on your neighbor, Elliot Graham. He isn’t answering his phone, some of his landscaping has been damaged, and his car is missing. I was wondering if you remember when you saw him last?”

  Dan frowned. “I saw him early yesterday morning, and I actually witnessed the shrubs going down. Elliot did it. He took one out the first time he tried to back out of his drive, then took the other one out when he tried it again. But he made a joke about it as he drove away. I haven’t seen him since.”

  “Was he going toward Main?” Lon asked.

  “Uh…no, toward the park.”

  “Okay, sorry about interrupting you. If you happen to see him, give me a call.”

  “Sure thing,” Dan said.

  Shelly brought his breakfast as the chief left the café, and he forgot all about the moment as he settled in to eat. The food was hot and seasoned perfectly. He ate with gusto, downing two cups of coffee with it, and was waiting for the waitress to bring his bill when his phone signaled an incoming call. He glanced at the caller ID and frowned. It was one of the renters.

  “Hello. This is Dan.”

  “Dan, this is Margie Wilson over on Lee Street. My shower won’t drain.”

  “Okay, Margie, I’m just leaving Granny’s. I’ll run by the house and pick up some tools and be right over.”

  “I’m already late for work, so bring your passkey and come on in.”

  “Will do,” Dan said. “Sorry for the inconvenience. If I can’t fix it easily, I’ll get a plumber over there today.”