care of.”
I pulled out my notes. “I wrote down the verbs, all the stuff a shepherd does for his flock. ‘Leads, renews, guides, prepares, honors, anoints.’” I had written several sentences for each, using characteristics of alpacas I had found on different Web sites.
“That’s pretty good,” Bryce said. I was waiting for some joke, but he said, “Don’t you wish Dad could be here to read that?”
“I always wish Dad could be here. Except . . .”
“What?”
“I don’t know. I wonder why God let him die. I don’t think we’ll ever figure it out, but I wonder if part of it has something to do with us becoming a family with Sam and Leigh.”
“God would kill Dad for that?”
“No, I don’t mean that. It’s like the verse that says whatever happens to a Christian, God can make something good out of it, even if it’s bad.”
“And what if Sam and Leigh never believe in Jesus?”
“Guess we have to rest like the alpacas, believe God knows what he’s doing, and have a little faith.”
Chapter 78
My back ached and my butt felt so numb I doubted I could ever stand. You could have hit me with the two-by-four and I never would have felt it. All I heard was the creaky house and the wind. I put my head back against the wall and closed my eyes.
When the Morrises’ cordless rang, I nearly threw the thing through the wall. I looked at my watch—11:45.
The Morrises didn’t have caller ID.
“Should we answer?” I said. “It could be Mr. Morris.”
“It could be Eddie and his people.”
“It could be Mom.”
“Just pick it up and don’t say anything,” Ashley said.
“Hello?” Lewis said upstairs. “Hello? Thank you for calling!”
I mashed the Speakerphone button and heard something like a rushing wind. “Sam?” I said.
Click.
Ashley shook her head. “Why did you do that?”
I couldn’t speak. Had I just given us away?
Chapter 79
The phone rang again, and I felt like throwing up. Bryce looked at me, and we didn’t have to say anything. We just let it ring. The answering machine picked up upstairs, and when the beep finally sounded, whoever it was hung up.
“What time is it?” I said.
Bryce hit the light on his watch. “Midnight. Couple minutes before.”
Suddenly my heart leaped. My medicine!
I have to take medicine for a seizure disorder. If I don’t, my brain gets messed up and I can pass out.
I pulled the capsules from my pocket. “I need water.”
“Bathroom’s down the hall.”
“I’m not going alone.”
I couldn’t see, but I’m sure Bryce rolled his eyes. “Come on,” he said.
We felt our way down the dark hallway and found the bathroom. I cupped my hand under the faucet, popped the pills into my mouth, and slurped until they went down.
After another half hour of seat-numbing sitting, we were antsy for the robbers. It was like waiting for Christmas, only you didn’t want it to come. I wanted to catch these thieves, but if any part of our plan went wrong . . .
Finally, Bryce said, “Let’s go upstairs and have a look.”
Chapter 80
I could tell Ashley was scared by the way she stayed really close, but I was just as scared. What if Eddie had parked at the gate and walked to the house? What if he and whoever was helping him were already inside or watching through the windows?
We had left the range light on in the kitchen, so we stopped when we got near the top of the steps and looked around. Everything was quiet. Ashley pushed me, but I stayed where I was.
“Come on, Bryce!” she whispered.
Something moved outside—past the patio door. Animal or human, I couldn’t tell, but something was out there. I motioned for Ashley to go back downstairs. We hurried, trying not to make noise on the steps.
Back in our hideout, I told Ashley what I had seen.
“They’re out there?” she said.
“It could have been Mr. Bear, which might be worse. I say we stay here until we hear them come in the house.”
“Wouldn’t they have pulled the
I pulled out my notes. “I wrote down the verbs, all the stuff a shepherd does for his flock. ‘Leads, renews, guides, prepares, honors, anoints.’” I had written several sentences for each, using characteristics of alpacas I had found on different Web sites.
“That’s pretty good,” Bryce said. I was waiting for some joke, but he said, “Don’t you wish Dad could be here to read that?”
“I always wish Dad could be here. Except . . .”
“What?”
“I don’t know. I wonder why God let him die. I don’t think we’ll ever figure it out, but I wonder if part of it has something to do with us becoming a family with Sam and Leigh.”
“God would kill Dad for that?”
“No, I don’t mean that. It’s like the verse that says whatever happens to a Christian, God can make something good out of it, even if it’s bad.”
“And what if Sam and Leigh never believe in Jesus?”
“Guess we have to rest like the alpacas, believe God knows what he’s doing, and have a little faith.”
Chapter 78
My back ached and my butt felt so numb I doubted I could ever stand. You could have hit me with the two-by-four and I never would have felt it. All I heard was the creaky house and the wind. I put my head back against the wall and closed my eyes.
When the Morrises’ cordless rang, I nearly threw the thing through the wall. I looked at my watch—11:45.
The Morrises didn’t have caller ID.
“Should we answer?” I said. “It could be Mr. Morris.”
“It could be Eddie and his people.”
“It could be Mom.”
“Just pick it up and don’t say anything,” Ashley said.
“Hello?” Lewis said upstairs. “Hello? Thank you for calling!”
I mashed the Speakerphone button and heard something like a rushing wind. “Sam?” I said.
Click.
Ashley shook her head. “Why did you do that?”
I couldn’t speak. Had I just given us away?
Chapter 79
The phone rang again, and I felt like throwing up. Bryce looked at me, and we didn’t have to say anything. We just let it ring. The answering machine picked up upstairs, and when the beep finally sounded, whoever it was hung up.
“What time is it?” I said.
Bryce hit the light on his watch. “Midnight. Couple minutes before.”
Suddenly my heart leaped. My medicine!
I have to take medicine for a seizure disorder. If I don’t, my brain gets messed up and I can pass out.
I pulled the capsules from my pocket. “I need water.”
“Bathroom’s down the hall.”
“I’m not going alone.”
I couldn’t see, but I’m sure Bryce rolled his eyes. “Come on,” he said.
We felt our way down the dark hallway and found the bathroom. I cupped my hand under the faucet, popped the pills into my mouth, and slurped until they went down.
After another half hour of seat-numbing sitting, we were antsy for the robbers. It was like waiting for Christmas, only you didn’t want it to come. I wanted to catch these thieves, but if any part of our plan went wrong . . .
Finally, Bryce said, “Let’s go upstairs and have a look.”
Chapter 80
I could tell Ashley was scared by the way she stayed really close, but I was just as scared. What if Eddie had parked at the gate and walked to the house? What if he and whoever was helping him were already inside or watching through the windows?
We had left the range light on in the kitchen, so we stopped when we got near the top of the steps and looked around. Everything was quiet. Ashley pushed me, but I stayed where I was.
“Come on, Bryce!” she whispered.
Something moved outside—past the patio door. Animal or human, I couldn’t tell, but something was out there. I motioned for Ashley to go back downstairs. We hurried, trying not to make noise on the steps.
Back in our hideout, I told Ashley what I had seen.
“They’re out there?” she said.
“It could have been Mr. Bear, which might be worse. I say we stay here until we hear them come in the house.”
“Wouldn’t they have pulled the
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