Ace's Wild by Sarah McCarty Page A

hard-pressed to eat a quarter of it. Looking at the thinness of his arms and the bones poking out his shoulders against his shirt, she figured he would probably eat that plate and more if his stomach would hold it. Terrance had the appearance of boy long starved for many things.
    A part of her wished she could stay in Simple and fix everything, but she couldn’t. She knew that. It wasn’t practical. Neither the laws nor the community would back her. No, she had to keep her focus. Her future was in California. In California she was going to own her own business, own her own life and she was going to make a difference. But she could get things started for Terrance. It might delay her departure a little bit... She glanced at his bruised eye. He was her student. She owed him that. Forcing a smile, she said brightly, “My goodness, Terrance. That’s a man’s appetite you have there!”
    “It’s good.” Luisa smiled at Terrance. “He has a good appetite. He will eat that steak all gone and then dessert.”
    “You’re going to have dessert, too?” Where was he going to put it all?
    Terrance nodded enthusiastically. “Apple pie,” he said as though they were talking about the best of nirvana which, to a boy without a mother to bake for him, she supposed apple pie might qualify.
    “I make a good apple pie,” Luisa said proudly.
    “That she does,” Petunia agreed. “I’ve had it a time or two myself.”
    She couldn’t help but run her hands over her hips. She had to stop going to Maddie’s bakery and coming here to Luisa’s restaurant, but the truth was if left to her own devices, eating was minimal because she didn’t like to cook, and her efforts were marginally edible at best, but she loved to eat, and part of her salary as a teacher was two free meals a day at any of the town’s three restaurants. So basically, she paid for coffee in the morning because she didn’t care for breakfast, and then ate well the rest of the day.
    Terrance took another bite of potato, chewed, swallowed and then frowned. “Mr. Parker says I’m going to be staying with you tonight.”
    “That’s right.”
    A little of the fear left his face. “And then I’ll go home tomorrow?”
    Her smile came more naturally. If Ace was going to put the pressure on her, she’d throw some back on him.
    “Mr. Parker said your father had to work on some... Had some things to deal with...some business to handle before...” Oh, gosh, she wasn’t good at lying.
    The expression on Terrance’s face said he knew what she was trying to say, but she forced herself through to the finish because, well, because he was a little boy, and the truth that his father was a wastrel wasn’t something a woman threw in a little boy’s face. Not if she could leave him some illusions.
    Clearing her throat, she started over. “Your father has some things to work on before you can go home, but tonight you’re going to stay with me at my house and then tomorrow we found this special place where you’ll stay. It’s sort of like a hotel for children.”
    His eyes lit up. “I’ve never stayed at a hotel. Pa says they’re real fancy.”
    “Well, this hotel might not be that fancy but...”
    “Does it have a bed?”
    She blinked. The question took her aback. “A very nice bed with clean sheets and a blanket and a soft pillow.”
    Luisa blinked rapidly and patted his back. “And a nice quilt.”
    Petunia looked at her. She didn’t know if they had quilts.
    “I’m going to give you one that belonged to my son. A welcome present.”
    Luisa’s son had died in his teens.
    “It is a good quilt. Many happy memories inside, many happy dreams.”
    “A quilt with happy dreams?” Terrance asked skeptically.
    Luisa tilted her head back and looked down her nose sternly. It was a very effective look. “You doubt my word?”
    “No.” He cut into his steak before asking, “Where’s your son now?”
    “He died.”
    With the innocence of youth, Terrance