Queen (13 page)

And so the trips began. The days turned into weeks and the weeks moved toward autumn, and Queen forgot about her plans to go to Arizona and "find herself." There was too much to do every day for her to worry about herself. As time passed, Cody's laughter could once again be heard throughout the house and from the woods as he and his sons continued to gather firewood for the coming winter.

Queen learned not to jump whenever he came too close and often managed to return his smile when they'd pass in the hallway. But things between them were the best when they shared laughter at something the boys had said or done. Yes, those were the best of times. The worst were yet to come.

Cody dug through the pile of clothing on his bed and then lifted it into his arms and carried it downstairs.

"Hurry up, guys," he yelled. "I want to get to Snow Gap before noon."

"What are you doing?" Queen asked as she walked into the living room and stared at the stack of clothing he had just dumped on the couch.

"Getting rid of some old clothes," he muttered. He walked back to the stairs and yelled again, "Come on, I'm leaving you guys here if you don't hurry up!"

When he turned around he saw Queen sifting through the clothes he'd pulled from his closet, laying a garment or two aside as she searched.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Why are you giving these away? They're still like new." She held up a couple of sweaters and a heavy suede coat lined with sheepskin.

"Because I've gained weight since I mustered out," he said. "My flying weight was about twenty pounds less than what I am now."

Queen squinted her eyes, trying to imagine less meat on his immense frame, and shook her head. "Then you were too thin," she said.

"The fact remains that I can't wear those clothes."

"If you don't mind my asking… may I have them? I don't mind wearing
hand-me-downs. They were all Johnny ever brought us," she said, and then felt
compelled to add, "I wouldn't want all of them, of course. But I could wear
these sweaters… I know it." She held one up in front of her and stretched out
the arms in measurement against her own. "See? Only a little bit too long. I
could push them—"

"You can have anything of mine you want, lady," he said quietly, trying not to imagine her body inside his clothes. Or her breasts pushing against the soft cable knit, restructuring its lines into those of womanly shape and form.

He was shocked to think that she would willingly wear something that had once belonged to someone else. Once they were a year old, Claire wouldn't even wear her own clothes, let alone someone else's. And then he had a flashback of the first time he'd seen Queen lying beneath his pickup truck—the old, faded jeans and the boots with the soles worn nearly through. He realized that he knew little to nothing about her life before she came to live with them. In fact, he couldn't remember if he'd ever heard her mention any "Johnny" before.

Queen smiled with delight and turned to dig through the pile on the couch. Cody watched her excitement as she slid her arms into the coat sleeves and then turned back and forth in front of the living room window, using the faint reflection as a mirror.

"It's not bad. Not bad at all," she said. "With layers of winter clothes beneath it, it should be just about right. What do you think?"

"I think you're one hell of a woman, Queen Houston. That's what I think. And I also think you better get a move on if you're coming with us."

She didn't hear the break in his voice, and it was just as well. Shows of emotion always bothered her. Instead she grinned, almost dancing as she ran from the room with the sweaters over her arm and the coat still on her back.

Shame for what he took for granted overwhelmed him. Cody dropped onto a chair and sat with his elbows on bent knees, staring wordlessly at the floor and trying to imagine Queen as a child, wearing other people's cast-off clothing. The image made the backs of his eyes burn, and it was with relief that he finally heard the footsteps of his sons on the stairs.

"It's about time," he said. "Donny, carry that stuff to the car for me, will you? Will, get your jacket. J.J., tie your shoe."

"Wait for me!" Queen shouted as she came running down the stairs.

Cody looked up. There was a smile on her face, lighting the green in her eyes to that of fresh-mown grass. Her hair was loose and bouncing as her long legs took the stairs two at a time. She was wearing a nearly new pair of jeans, the burgundy sweater she'd just inherited, and the same old boots.

Wait for you? Lady, I think I've been waiting for you all of my life.

But the thought was never voiced, and it was just as well. Queen wasn't ready to hear it, and Cody wasn't ready to say it. Not yet.

"Cool! Queenie's going with us!" J.J. yelled. "Sit by me, sit by me."

"No dice, men," Cody said. "She's sitting by me. Now move."

Queen's heart did a little hip-hop of its own. It was almost… just almost… like being part of a family. She grabbed her purse and headed out into the clear, crisp day. She had a mission. Today, when they reached Snow Gap, there was something she needed to do. She'd put it off long enough, and delay was only making her nervous. The balance of her five thousand dollars was going into her very first, very own bank account.

"Got everything?" Cody asked once just before he backed out of the yard, and then he noticed that Queen was the first to look as she quickly checked and rechecked the contents of her purse.

"I'm ready," she said, settling back onto the seat. She shoved the sleeves of her sweater up to elbow length, pushed back a curl that fell across her nose, and grinned in spite of her determination to remain calm and cool.

Cody couldn't help wondering about her excitement, and he had a single moment of fear, thinking that today might be the day she announced she was leaving. Just for a moment he thought of making an excuse and turning around so he could go back to the house and lock her inside, never letting her out of their lives. But he couldn't, and he didn't. Instead he stared straight ahead as he drove, ignoring the knot in his belly.

The boys soon became immersed in hand-held computer games, and Cody tried to think of a way to start a conversation with Queen without turning it into a fight; yet that's just what he felt like doing. He was scared half out of his mind at the thought of losing her.

"So… what are your plans for the day?" he finally asked.

Queen looked startled, and then she clutched her purse a little tighter
against her lap and fiddled with the catch. "Oh… things," she said, and then
pointed out a window. "Look! Geese! They're going south for the winter. Johnny
always said that—"

"Queen… who's Johnny?"

Her mouth dropped, and her eyes widened. For a moment she was too surprised to answer. "Why, he was my father," she finally said. "Haven't I ever mentioned him?"

Cody's sigh of relief was hidden behind a slight grin of embarrassment. "Not his name. Why did you call him Johnny, anyway? Why not Dad?"

Queen's answer came without taking time to think. "Because he was never much of a father, I guess," she said. "But he was always Johnny, if you know what I mean."

Cody didn't, not really. But the more he learned about this woman, the more intriguing she became. And they drove all the way to Snow Gap before he realized that he still didn't know what had put that gleam in her eyes.

Cody stood on the street corner across from the bank and tried to look occupied. It was not an easy task, because his entire attention was focused on the fact that nearly half an hour earlier Queen had disappeared into that same bank and had yet to emerge.

He kept telling himself that she must be waiting on a long teller line to cash the paycheck he'd given her. He kept telling himself she hadn't slipped out the back door and was somewhere in Snow Gap, waiting for a bus to take her away. If he said it often enough, he might start to believe it. But he still wasn't convinced.

A black-and-white police car pulled into the parking space in front of the store where Cody was standing. A uniformed officer got out, adjusted his hat and his holster, and then started toward Cody as if on a mission.

"Just the man I've been wanting to see," the officer said as he walked up to Cody and extended his hand. "I thought it was about time we met face to face." Cody eyed him with surprise and confusion.

"Sorry," the officer said, and laughed at Cody's blank look. "I guess I've got the edge. Your picture came in over the fax after we filed that missing persons on you. I'm Abel Miller, sheriff of Snow Gap."

A wry grin slid across Cody's face. "So… Sheriff Miller, we finally meet." He accepted the other man's handshake. "Queen and the boys talk about you often. I can't thank you enough for what you did for my family."

"Like I said before, it wasn't so much what I did as what your sister stopped from happening."

"She's not my sister."

Cody's denial was so vehement and so sudden that it surprised even him.

Sheriff Miller frowned. "Now I was given to believe—"

"No, no," Cody interrupted. "Wait, before I accidentally get myself in more trouble. That's not exactly what I meant to say. What I mean is… we're not really related at all, at least not by blood. Only by consequence." That was as fair an assessment of their relationship as he could give and still look himself in the face.

Abel Miller grinned and shoved his hat on the back of his head as he propped himself against the storefront with one hand. "Oh, yeah, I already knew that. I guess I didn't make myself clear, either." And then he grinned. "You've been standing here for nearly half an hour, staring at the bank across the street. What are you doing? Casing the joint?"

Sheriff Miller's laughter was loud and hearty, and Cody felt himself flush,
although he was able to laugh at the joke at his expense. "No," he replied. "I'm
just waiting for Queen. She had to… uh, she had some business to—"

"No big deal," Sheriff Miller said. "I was just kidding. Shoot. This is Saturday. They may actually be busy today. Snow Gap is small, but we do a fairly good tourist trade, and we're not too far from some good ski trails." He sighed and pushed his hat back down in its proper place. "But that'll be later… when it snows. That's when it gets hectic. It's the outsiders that usually cause the most trouble around here."

Cody started to comment, but his attention was caught by the sight of Queen emerging from the bank, her hand nestled in the crook of another man's arm while she stopped and looked up and down the street.

"Your sist… I mean, Queen… makes friends fast, doesn't she?" Abel Miller asked.

"Obviously."

There was nothing else Cody could say. But the feeling that took hold in the pit of his stomach and began worming its way up his belly toward his chest was as unexpected and as unwelcome as the man coming across the street with Queen.

I'm jealous!

Cody didn't have time to analyze the realization before they reached him and Sheriff Miller.

"Sheriff Miller," Queen said, greeting the officer nervously. She still had visions of being hauled off to jail for lying, although the time had long since passed when that might have mattered.