Annie's Rainbow - Fern Michaels [146]
“Bye,” he shouted in return.
Kris climbed into the car, tears streaming down her cheeks. If nothing else, she had at least waited until her back was turned before she allowed the tears to flow. She looked out of the car window, expecting to see Logan outlined in the open doorway. The door was shut. She couldn’t even wave good-bye.
“Relax, Mom, thirty days will go by just like this,” Macala said, snapping her fingers.
“Thirty whole days without that damn book,” Mike, her twin, said happily.
“I like the book. It’s how things get done. Everyone needs structure in their life,” sixteen-year-old Tyler said, slouching down in the corner of the car.
“That’s a crock, and you know it,” Mike said. “That stupid book stinks. You’re just a suck-up. Get over it. The book is history.”
“Hear! Hear!” his twin said.
Kris continued to cry.
Chaplain Tom Zepack stared at the road in front of him, wondering what lay in store for the Kelly family once they returned to the States. With God’s help they would all survive and lead happy productive lives. He was almost sure of it.
“This is it! It looks . . . shabby, Mom. Do we really have to live here?”
Kristine took a deep breath. “It does look shabby, Cala, but you have to remember that no one has lived here for over twenty-two years. This dreary, rainy day isn’t helping either. By this time next year your dad and I will have it all fixed up. Paint works wonders.” It was hard to believe this strangled-sounding voice was coming from her own mouth.
“I don’t think a bucket of paint is going to do it, Ma,” Mike said. “Did that banker guy get someone to clean it up? Is there any furniture? Did our stuff get here? Are we going to be sleeping on beds that are full of dust? Jeez, why can’t we stay in town. This place is in the middle of nowhere. Do we have a telephone?”
“Of course there’s a telephone. Mr. Dunwoodie said everything was hooked up and turned on. It’s going to be okay. We’re always jittery when we move to a new place. It was a beautiful estate when I was little. It can be that way again.”
“Ma, that was back in the Dark Ages. Look at it! Forget the way it looked back then. Are you seeing what we’re seeing? Half the shutters are gone. The porch is sagging. Jeez, I bet it isn’t safe; and take a gander at those steps—they’re lopsided, too. It will cost a fortune to fix this baby up. Do you and Dad have a fortune?”
Did they? She had no clue. Logan had handled their finances from the day they got married.
“I think it’s safe to say we have enough to get by. Repairs won’t be done all at one time. We’ll work on it. Now come on, let’s exit this brand-new station wagon and open our front door. We’re home. My old home, our home now. All those other places we lived were just buildings where your dad and I paid rent. This is home, like it or not.”
“Add my name to the list of people who don’t like it,” Cala snapped. “God, I will never bring anyone here. That’s assuming I meet some farmer who is interested in me, which is so laughable it’s beyond belief.”
“I second that,” Mike said as he hefted his bags from the backseat to dump them on the ground.
“Did Dad know what this dump looked like when he decided to ship us here?” Tyler demanded.
Kristine dropped her overnight bag on the ground. “Listen to me. I’m only going to say this one more time. This is our new home. No, Tyler, your father hasn’t seen this house in fifteen years. Time takes its toll on everything and everyone. We have no other options. The farm your father grew up on is probably in worse shape than this one. Instead of fighting me every step of the way, help me. The four of us can make a beginning. I know that if your father was standing here, none of you would have opened your mouth. Why are you taking this out on me? I’m trying to do the best I can.”
“What page is that on in your book?” Cala snarled.
“Page sixty-two, and watch your mouth, young lady. End of discussion. Now move your asses and get in the house.”
“Wow!” young Tyler said as he walked around the spacious rooms. “Was I ever here,