“Hey, Uncle Kevin!” she called out, using the honorary title that had been easier for her to grasp than the concept of being second cousins.
“Hey, squirt. What’re you reading?”
“It’s about this girl who went all the way across the country in a covered wagon. Can you imagine getting over the Rockies way back then? It must have been awesome.”
“Scary, more likely.”
“That, too,” she agreed, nodding solemnly. “How come you’re here. Are you looking for Daddy?”
“Yep. Any idea where he is?”
“Probably sneaking around behind Sara Lynn,” she said, sounding way wiser than any ten-year-old ought to be. “I figure they’ll be together another month, tops.”
“I see,” he said carefully, trying not to let his disgust show. Abby shouldn’t be this aware of her stepmother’s sordid behavior.
She regarded him worriedly. “Uncle Kevin, can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“How come Daddy can’t stay married?”
“You ask the big ones, don’t you, squirt?” He settled into the rocker beside her and gave the question some thought. Finally he shook his head. Answers that didn’t involve labeling her father an irresponsible oaf eluded him. “I wish I could tell you, but I don’t know. Sometimes things between grown-ups just don’t work out.”
“That’s what Mom said, too. What I want to know is why they don’t work out. Is it because Daddy changes jobs so much and never has any money? Mom told Aunt Emma he hasn’t paid child support for me in the last six months.”
Kevin bit back an angry retort. This was the first he’d heard that Bobby Ray wasn’t making his payments. For a time he’d made them for his cousin, but Bobby Ray had claimed that was demeaning, that it showed a total lack of faith.
“Might as well cut off my balls and be done with it,” he’d shouted during one of their more heated exchanges.
Kevin had actually seen his point. He’d relented and started sending all of the money directly to Bobby Ray. Obviously that had been a mistake.
Abby peered at him. “You’re not mad at him, are you? Mom said not to tell you, that you had enough on your mind with all the rest of them without her bugging you, too. Besides, we do okay. Since she got that promotion, she’s making real good money now at the bank.”
Kevin forced a smile. “I know she is, but that’s not the point. Your dad has a responsibility to pay his share. I’ll talk to him.”
Her lower lip quivered. “You won’t yell, will you? Please, Uncle Kevin. I hate it when you and Daddy yell.”
“Now, squirt, you know perfectly well that yelling is just something your dad and I do. Anything short of shouting doesn’t register. It’s the way we communicate.” He glanced at his watch. It wasn’t even three o’clock.
“What are you doing here all by yourself at this time of day anyway?”
“It was a short day at school, so I always come here ’cause Mom’s still at work. Daddy was supposed to be here, but I guess he forgot. And Sara Lynn’s never here in the afternoon. That’s when she sneaks around with her friends.”
Kevin saw red. He was going to kill Bobby Ray. He really was. And maybe Sara Lynn, while he was at it. Abby was safe enough here alone, but being forgotten by her father was lousy. He tried to keep his fury out of his voice. He even managed to force another smile. “How about coming home with me till your mom gets off? Aunt Delia’d love to see you. We’ll call your mom and let her know where you are.”
Abby hesitated. “What if Daddy gets back and I’m not here? He’ll worry.”
Kevin doubted that, but he wasn’t about to say it. “We’ll leave him a note.”
“Okay,” she said eagerly. “I’ll get my schoolbooks. They’re in the kitchen.” She regarded him slyly. “Can we put the top down on your car?”
“You bet.”
“All right! And turn the radio on real loud?”
“Is there any other way?”
Suddenly Abby threw her arms around his waist and buried her face against his chest. “You’re the best, Uncle Kevin,” she said, her voice muffled.
“No, you are,” he retorted, lifting her into the air as he had from the time she was a baby. And why that damn fool of a cousin of his couldn’t see what a treasure the child was, was beyond him. He put her back on her feet. “Now, scoot, and get your things.”
Aunt Delia welcomed Abby with delight, even as she shot a questioning look at Kevin. He touched a finger to his lips and mouthed, “Later.”
For a brief instant, her eyes glittered dangerously as she added up two and two and came to the obvious conclusion that once again Bobby Ray had let his little girl down. But the smile she managed for Abby was warm, and she led her off to the kitchen, already whispering conspiratorially to her. Kevin watched them go and sighed. He figured Molly would spoil both their dinners with sugar cookies, but Abby needed attention more than she needed a balanced diet at the moment.
Satisfied that his niece was in the best possible hands, he went into his office and called Bobby Ray’s ex-wife. “Hey, Marianne, it’s Kevin.”
“Uh-oh, what’s Bobby Ray done now?”
Her response was automatic, based on too many years of experience with her ex-husband’s behavior. “You tell me,” Kevin suggested.
“The list goes on and on,” she said with an air of resignation. “That’s nothing new.”
“I hear he’s behind with child support again.”
“How’d you hear that? Not from Bobby Ray, I’ll bet.”
“No, I ran into Abby earlier. She was out at Bobby Ray’s all by herself.”
“By herself?” she said, clearly horrified. “Dammit, he knows her school schedule. Where was he?”
“No idea, but I brought her on home with me,” he told her. “That’s
