Carnal Innocence

sweet disposition, that boy, and I do believe he has your eyes.”
    She paused when Junior took two big gulps of tea. She took the cup from him and passed him the sandwich. He ate mechanically, his eyes glazed with fatigue and worry. Josie slipped an arm around him, knowing there were few things more comforting than human contact.
    “It’s going to be all right, Junior. I promise. Everything’s going to be just fine. You wait and see.”
    His eyes filled, spilled over, running rivulets through the sweat and grime on his face. But he kept eating. “I thought I fell out of love with her when I walked into the kitchen and found her with Billy T. Seemed like my heart just closed off toward her. It don’t feel like that now.”
    Moved by his grief, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “It’ll work out, honey. You trust Josie.”
    He struggled to compose himself. “I don’t want my son to grow up without a mother.”
    “He won’t have to.” Josie’s eyes darkened as shewiped Junior’s tears with the paper napkin. “You believe that, Junior, and it’ll all be fine.”
    They searched until it was too dark for the ’copters to fly or the men to see. When Tucker arrived home, he was greeted by a weary Buster, who had tried, and failed, to avoid the puppy throughout the day.
    “I’ll take him off your hands.” Tucker gave Buster an absent pat before scooping up Useless. The pup wiggled and licked and barked as Tucker carried him into the house. “If you’ve been like this all day, I’m surprised you didn’t give my old hound a stroke.”
    He headed for the kitchen, dreaming of a beer, a cold shower, and Caroline. He found Della slicing roast beef and Cousin Lulu playing solitaire.
    “What do you think you’re doing, bringing that dog into my kitchen?”
    “Giving Buster a break.” Tucker set the dog down and he immediately scooted under Lulu’s chair. “Have you heard from Caroline?”
    “She called not ten minutes ago. She was going to stay with Happy until Singleton or Bobby Lee got home.” Della arranged another slice of roast beef on the platter. Because she could see how tired Tucker was, she didn’t slap at his hand when he stole it. “She’s coming by here to pick up this fleabag.”
    Tucker grunted over a mouthful of beef, and pulled a beer out of the fridge.
    “I’ll have one of those,” Lulu said without looking up. “Cards’re thirsty work.”
    Tucker popped the lid on a second bottle, then scanned the hand she’d dealt. “You can’t put a black three on a black five. You need a red four between.”
    “I’ll put it there when I get one.” Lulu tipped back the beer, studying him over it. “You look like something that’s been dragged through the swamp.”
    “I guess I have been.”
    “That youngest Fuller girl still missing?” Lulu cheated a red ten out of her pile and played it. “Della’sbeen half the day over at Happy’s. I’m reduced to solitaire.”
    “I got a duty—” Della began, but Lulu waved her off.
    “Nobody’s criticizing. I’d’ve gone myself, but nobody thought to ask me.”
    “I told you I was going.” Della thwacked the knife down on the cutting board.
    “Not the same as being asked.” Lulu did some more creative cheating. “People come and go so much around here, it makes my blood tired. Josie in and out all hours of the day and night. Tucker here gone for a day at a stretch. Dwayne wasn’t back five minutes before he takes a bottle of Wild Turkey and goes out again.”
    Della started to defend her brood, then frowned. “When did Dwayne get back?”
    “Half hour ago. Looked as muddy and worn-out as Tucker. Went out the same way.”
    “He take his car?”
    “Don’t see how he could.” Lulu reached in her pocket and drew out a set of keys. “He took the bottle, so I took these.”
    Della nodded in approval. “Where do you think you’re going?” she asked Tucker as he tried to edge out of the room.
    “I need a shower.”
    “You’ve lived with that sweat all day, you can live with it awhile longer. Go on down and see if Dwayne’s at the pond.”
    “Shit, Della, I’ve already walked a hundred miles today.”
    “Then you can walk one more. I’m not having him fall in and drown. You bring him up here, where he can get cleaned up and eat. They’ll want him out there tomorrow just like they’ll want you.”
    Grumbling, Tucker sat down his half-finished beer and started out the back door. “I hope to Christ he hasn’t had