Carolina Moon

held out the water, gauging Tory’s silence. “I guess I’ve been focusing my blame on what happened back then on the wrong person.”
    Tory took the water, soothed her throat. “The person to blame is the one who killed her.”
    “We don’t know who that is. It’s more of a comfort to put blame on a face and a name. You can pick up that phone, call the police, and bring charges. Chief Russ’ll go after him.”
    “I just want him gone. I don’t expect you to understand.”
    “People never do. But surprise.” Considering Tory, Faith eased a hip onto the desk. “My papa rarely raised a hand to me. I think I got a swat on the butt from time to time, and shame the devil, less often than I deserved it. But he sure knew how to shout, and how to strike terror in a young girl’s heart.”
    Oh God, she missed him. It catapulted into her. The longing for her father.
    “Not because I thought he’d take a strap to me,” she said quietly now. “But because he let me know every time I let him down. I was afraid to let him down. That’s not the same thing as this, I know it. But I’m asking myself, if he’d been a different kind of father, a different kind of man, and I spent my life being afraid, what would I do?”
    “You’d call the police and have him thrown in jail.”
    “Damn right. But that doesn’t mean I don’t understand why you aren’t. When Papa was cheating with that woman, I never told my mother. For a while I actually believed she didn’t know, but I didn’t tell her. I thought maybe it would all go away. I was wrong, but thinking it gave me some peace of mind.”
    Steadier, Tory set the bottle of water on the desk. “Why are you being nice to me?”
    “I have no idea. Never did like you much, but that was mostly because Hope did and I was contrary. Right now you’re sleeping with my brother, and it occurs to me that he means more to me than I realized. It makes sense to get to know you so I can see how I feel about all that.”
    “So you’re being nice to me because I’m having sex with Cade.”
    The dry way it was phrased tickled Faith’s humor. “In a roundabout way. And I’ll tell you this because it’ll piss you off. I feel sorry for you.”
    “You’re right.” Tory got to her feet, grateful the trembling had stopped. “It pisses me off.”
    “Figured. You don’t like sympathy. But the fact is, no one should be afraid of her own father. And no man has the right, blood kin or not, to leave bruises and scars on a child. Now, I’d better go see what kind of trouble that puppy’s gotten herself into out there.”
    “Puppy?” Tory’s eyes went wide. “What puppy?”
    “My puppy. Haven’t named her yet.” Faith strolled out, and let out a hoot of laughter. “Isn’t that the cutest thing? She’s just a little darling.”
    The little darling had found the tissue paper and was currently waging a war on it. Casualties were many and scattered like snow over the floor. She’d managed to find a roll of ribbon as well, and most of that was wound around her chubby torso.
    “Oh, for God’s sake.”
    “Don’t take on so. Can’t be more than five dollars’ worth of supplies. I’ll pay for them. There’s my baby.”
    The pup barked joyfully, tripped over a tail of ribbon, and sprawled adoringly at Faith’s feet. “I swear, I never thought a little bit of a thing like this could make me laugh so much. Look at you, Mama’s baby doll, all wrapped up like Christmas.”
    She lifted the puppy high and made cooing noises.
    “You’re acting like an idiot.”
    “I know. But isn’t she sweet? She just loves me to death, too. Mama’s got to clean up this mess now before the mean lady scolds my baby.”
    Already on her hands and knees, Tory looked up. “You set that shop wrecker down in here again, I’ll bite your ankle.”
    “I’ve been teaching her to sit. She’s smart as a new hat. Just watch.” Despite the threat, Faith set the pup down, kept one hand on its rump. “Sit. Be a good girl now. Sit for Mama.”
    The puppy leaped forward, slapped its tongue against Tory’s face, then chased its own tail.
    “Some new hat.”
    “Isn’t she precious?”
    “Downright adorable. But she doesn’t belong in here.” Gathering up the bulk of the ruined supplies, Tory rose. “Go take her for a walk or whatever.”
    “We were going to buy a nice pretty set of bowls for her food and water.”
    “Not my bowls. You are not buying handcrafted pottery bowls designed by