Room for Hope by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Author:Kim Vogel Sawyer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2016-02-16T05:00:00+00:00

Jesse

“Charley! Cassie! You get back here!”

They kept running, heading straight for the middle of town. Stifling a growl, Jesse took off after them. If Charley’d been alone, Jesse wouldn’t have had a chance, but Cassie slowed him down. Jesse pounded up to them and scooped Cassie into his arms. The little girl shrieked.

Charley whirled around. A look of fury pinched his face, and he charged at Jesse. Charley pounded on Jesse’s ribs with his fists while Cassie bucked worse than a bronco, still screeching like a banshee.

Jesse tossed the little girl over one shoulder and grabbed Charley by his jacket collar. “Here now, that’s enough. Behave yourselves.”

The fight left the boy as quickly as it had risen. He aimed his pleading face upward. “Let us go, Mr. Caudel, please? Can’t you let us go?”

With her brother calm, Cassie must have figured it was time to stop fighting, because she went limp. Jesse set her on the ground next to Charley, then crouched in front of the red-faced pair. He held their wrists, though, just in case they took a mind to tear off again. His boots weren’t made for running over the rough ground. The soles of his feet throbbed.

He gave their skinny wrists a yank. “What in blue blazes do you two think you’re doing, stowing away in my truck and then running off like that? You oughta be ashamed of yourselves.”

Cassie leaned toward Charley and rested her cheek against his shoulder. His lower lip trembling, Charley glared at Jesse. “There wasn’t any other way for us to get to Beloit. Except to hop a train like the hobos. And Cassie’s too little for that. So we had to get in your truck.”

Jesse couldn’t imagine scrunching into the small slice of space behind his seat and staying quiet for the entire drive. Charley must have been mighty desperate to plan such a stunt. “But why?”

Charley jerked his face away from Jesse and pressed his chin on the top of Cassie’s head. Jesse waited, but the boy didn’t answer.

Jesse released Cassie and tugged Charley several feet away. Cassie made as if to follow, but he pointed at her. “Stay put.” Blue eyes wide, she froze in place. Jesse planted his palms on his knees and looked eye to eye at Charley. “You’d best start talking, boy, because I’m running out of patience, and when my patience taps out, I just might turn you over my knee.” An idle threat—Jesse would never raise his hand to this miserable child—but he hoped the risk might motivate Charley to talk.

The boy took several shuddering breaths as if gathering courage. He blurted, “I was going back to my old house. I was going to run Daddy’s store. I know Daddy said I’m supposed to stay with Aunt Neva, but I don’t want to. She doesn’t like me.”

There were lots of things Jesse could say. The house and store belonged to someone else now. Charley was far too young to run a business. But he focused on the boy’s last statement.

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