Page 18 of Hide My Heart
I know, because I usually start growing one at the end of summer, and by Christmastime, I have a face full of fuzz.
Amber and the mountain man are in front of a cabin surrounded by pine trees. I squint at the picture. It doesn’t look like California. There’s a postbox in the background. If I can get the number. Too bad there’s no name or date on the photo.
Something about the man jogs a nerve. Where have I seen this man before? Had he passed through Divine? Amber said he lived up north, close to Canada. Could he have taken her there?
Shit, shit. I need more clues. I turn her backpack upside down. Coin, candy wrappers, and bits of papers pile on the bed. There are bus ticket stubs, bus schedules, coupons and receipts. I find a card, an appointment reminder for a women’s clinic in Spokane with the address and telephone number. The date is a year ago. Behind it is an envelope. I pull out an official-looking document. Beck’s birth certificate.
Beck Nathan Riley. Mother: Amber McKay. Father: [blank space]. Born September 25in Berkeley, California.
She named him after me?Should I be pleased or upset? At least she didn’t put Hunter’s name on it. But then, I need Hunter’s surname. How am I ever going to find a Hunter holed up near the Canadian border without a surname?
“Nate, what are you doing in there?” Mom’s footsteps clomp down the hall. “Get dressed.”
“Dressed?” I shove all the papers back into the pack and drop it in the closet. “I’m already dressed.”
“Not dressed like a lumberjack.” She appears at the door and shakes her head at my flannel shirt and jeans. “Suit, tie, slacks, and shave. We’re going to church after supper.”
“Church? Us?”
My jaw crashes to the floor. We never go to church. Not when my father died. Not even when Beau, my brother, died.
“Yes, us.” My mom kisses and cuddles Beck who is draped over her shoulder, wiggling and squirming. “I want the entire town to know that I have a grandson. I’m going to get dressed, so be ready when I get back.”
She turns toward her room.
“No, Mom, no. It’s too embarrassing.” I chase her down the hall. “Everyone’s going to be asking me about Sharon and how I met her and teasing me about how I knocked her up. Pastor McKay’s going to pray for me and tell me to marry her.”
“Maybe you should. Why isn’t she here?”
“She had to catch a plane. I took her to Spokane this morning.”
“You didn’t bring her by?”
“Sorry. I didn’t have time. Beck and I just got back. The roads were icy.”
“How long will she be gone?” Mom sets Beck on her bed and pulls a dress out of her closet. “Hopefully a long time, so I can get to know this little guy.”
“Yes, a very long time. She’s going to war or something. You know, the Middle East.”
“I thought they’re bringing troops home.”
“Not Sharon. She’s special ops or something super-secret. Which is why you can’t say anything. Even her name. It’ll put her in danger.”
“You kept her a secret from me for so long. How old is Beck?”
I’m casting in my mind. Did Amber tell me? I’m not sure. There was a date on the birth certificate. Why can’t I remember it?
Fortunately, my mother doesn’t seem interested in an answer right away. She’s too busy thinking of all the people she can impress or piss off.
She parades in front of the mirror holding a purple dress to her frame. “I hope I still fit in this one. I can’t wait for everyone to meet Beck. They thought the Riley’s line ended with you, Nate. Ha, ha. Well, I say, ‘bite me.’”
She picks up the baby and kisses him with a loud smack. “Bite me, huh, you say? Oochie, goochie, goo, bite me.”
The baby talk is sickening. Even worse. I need to be looking for Amber and feed clues to the police. They told me they would let me know as soon as they find her, and there wasn’t a thing I could do but wait. And pray. Not that anyone in our family ever prays. Rileys don’t rely on God. Never have. Never will.
ELEVEN
Amber
