Carol Steward - Finding Her Home

She felt her eyes flutter closed, pushing the tears down her cheeks. “After two weeks of my grandfather at my house, being alone will feel like a vacation, even if I’m cleaning.” Tori closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t complain. I’m just not used to having extended houseguests.”

Tori opened the hatch of her SUV and pulled out a stack of empty boxes. Steve got the other stack and followed her into the house.

“Is everything okay at work?”

“The principal suggests I take a few weeks of family leave. How can I even consider taking time off in September?”

“I’m sure they could manage.”

She looked at him suspiciously. He seemed awfully agreeable to the idea. “Better than I can, probably. I’m not accustomed to anything but a win-win situation, and this one has none. Abuela and Abuelo obviously can’t take care of each other anymore, but they insist on coming home. Run-down as it is, it’s been their home for over fifty years, and they refused to leave ‘until God moves them to the castle in the sky,’ as Abuelo always says.”

“Sounds just like your grandfather.” Steve laughed and Tori pushed her emotions aside. Now wasn’t the time to let down her guard. Especially with someone she hardly knew.

“Yes, it does.” She didn’t want to feel comforted by his sympathy, his soothing voice or his good looks. She looked nervously around, trying to find some distraction from her weakness for cowboys wearing the mythical white hats. “It was nice of you to stop by, Steve, but I need to take care of some things before everyone is closed for the holiday,” she said absently as she rubbed her forehead.

“You’re doing great, Tori.” He took her by the shoulders and smiled. “Don’t worry. It’ll work out. You have all day to make your calls.” He looked around. “And you don’t need to look for a contractor. I’d be happy to do any building renovations you may need done.”

“How…?”

“It stands to reason that if Mrs. Sandoval is coming home in a wheelchair that you’d need a few changes to be made. When are they looking at releasing her?”

She hesitated, unsettled by his nearness. “She’s making such good progress they keep moving the date up. I don’t see how we can be ready now that I know what state the house is in.” She knew what teachers’ hours involved, not to mention that she wanted to be sure the work was done right, by a professional. “I appreciate the offer, Steve, but I couldn’t take you away from your kids and job. And I refuse to take your time on a holiday weekend.”

“Maybe we could work out a compromise. I’ll see what needs to be done, and you let us take you away from here Sunday afternoon. Aunt Elaine and Uncle Bill are having their annual Labor Day picnic.” His plea was gentle, open for discussion and terribly tempting.

Tori wanted to keep her visit to Segundo as quiet as possible. “I haven’t been to the ranch since Brody and I were in high school. I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

“It’s nothing too frightening, just the picnic and the annual hayride to end the summer.” Steve paused, “Think about it. I pick up the kids around three. Why don’t we stop by and mow the grass so you can at least water the trees tonight? You can let me know if we have a deal then.”

Tori followed him outside and glanced at the yard. “I’m not sure if I’ll be done with my appointments by three.”

“If you just leave the garage unlocked, we can get started.”

“But I don’t even know if the mower is working.”

He backed away with a laugh. “I’ll see you later. I came out to see if the school bells are working, so I’d better get back.”

Tori unlocked the garage then locked the house and slipped into the car to run her errands, surprisingly anxious to see Steve again. She returned long before two o’clock with a few groceries and a very short referral list from the health care coordinator of handy-men who had experience with handicap renovations. At the top of the list was none other than Steven Remington. She had called several of the others on the list from her cell phone, but all were busy until the end of the month. While she liked Steve, she wasn’t sure it was a good idea to hire him to do the work. He had a job and children, and who knew how much time the building would take?

Tori carried her supplies into the house and removed several containers of green growing things from the refrigerator, replacing them with her own meals for the weekend. By the time Steve and his kids arrived, she’d made room for the box of ice pops in the freezer and met them outside when she carried the trash bag to the garage.

His kids jumped out of the truck and waited for their dad.

“Kyle, Kelsey, this is Miss Sandoval.”

“Just Tori, if that’s okay with you. I’ll think I’m back at school. How are you kids today?”

Two meek voices murmured, “Fine.”

“Hasn’t school started yet?”

Kelsey shook her head, but Kyle spoke. “Not until next Tuesday. This is our last weekend of summer vacation.”

“Do you have fun plans?” Tori asked.

“We’re going on a hayride, and ride horses and maybe even swimming.” Kelsey blurted out, “Dad says maybe you could come with us. Will you?”

Tori smiled. She was flattered that his daughter didn’t feel threatened by sharing her dad’s attention. “I’d like that, but I do have a lot of work to do here.”

“Bummer.” Kyle looked up to his dad and frowned.

Seeing that the kids’ disappointment matched Steve’s surprised her. She presumed that Steve had told his kids that he had offered their help during their last weekend of the summer vacation. “I’ll see how much I get done. How about that?”

Their faces brightened.

“Sounds fair enough.” Steve clapped his hands once. “Let’s find that lawn mower and get to work.”

Tori led the way to the backyard and the kids took off when they found the rickety old swing set that her grandfather had built from discarded supplies from the mine.

The kids stood examining the structure, tugging on it before climbing aboard. “Dad, I’m going to get your tools from the truck, okay?”

“Sounds good, Kyle. It’s unlocked.” Kyle disappeared with Kelsey close behind.

“I appreciate your help, Steve, but I don’t want you to…”

Steve paused before going into the garage. “I’m not going to take anything away from my family,” he whispered. “It’s important that they learn to help others, and I make sure they are appropriately rewarded for doing so.”

Her willpower faltered. Then Steve’s mouth twitched and she caved in. “If you’re sure.”

His immediate smile told her that there wasn’t much Steve Remington wasn’t sure about—even the humbling experience of raising children by himself. “I am. Did you have any luck arranging for home health care?”

She felt the insecurity creeping back. In the city, care for the aging was a hot commodity, but here it had always been a family responsibility. That meant her. “They’re overbooked and short-staffed. They can’t offer much more than once-a-week service. I’m going to have to find someone who isn’t part of the home-health system to come and help.”

“Did they have names of qualified people?” While they talked, she and Steve unburied the mower.

“A few. I recognized a few names from school, so I’ll start there, I guess. They also gave me a list of men who could do the renovations.”

Steve moved a cast-iron birdbath. “You won’t need that list. I’d be insulted if you don’t let me do the work for you.” Tori set aside a box of old clay pots, along with the special memories they held, choosing to overlook Steve’s comment for the moment. It was almost tradition for households to include several generations in the valley. And surprisingly, that crossed all cultures and social classes. Even the Remingtons, with all of their money, kept family on the ranch. She looked at Steve with an unusual jealousy. While he’d left the circle of his own parents, he’d still come back to family for solace. Her family broke every cultural boundary for the times.