Earth and Sky

and could just make out Hugh. “What’s wrong?”

    Hugh bit his lip before answering. “Do you know a woman called Christy?”

    “I do,” Grant admitted, not immediately connecting the dots.

    “You’d better come to the house then,” Hugh said curtly before turning around. Almost immediately he retraced his steps back to Grant’s door. “And bring Hunter. He needs to be there for this too.”

    Grant didn’t get the chance to ask questions. Hugh had donned his hat again and was rounding the corner toward the stairs before Grant moved.

    “What’s wrong? Was that Hugh? What time is it?”

    Although Grant thought Hunter looked adorable sitting up among the ruffled sheets, scratching his chest and with his hair all over the place, he didn’t take the time to admire the view.

    “There’s something wrong with Christy.”

    Hunter woke up completely. “Are you sure?”

    “Hugh looked worried.” He threw Hunter’s shirt on the bed. “Get dressed. He told us to come to the house.”

    Less than ten minutes later, they were walking up the porch. Despite the fact it was about four a.m., all the downstairs lights were on, and Grant could see Izzie walking from the living room to the hallway in her dressing gown, her distended belly clearly showing her blessed state and her long dark hair in a braid over her shoulder. She opened the door as soon as they approached it.

    Grant could barely contain his nerves. If something had happened to Christy, then something might have happened to the kids as well. He hoped it was nothing serious. Then again, if she’d sent word across two states in the middle of the night, it wouldn’t be to tell him one of the kids had gotten a good report card.

    “Come in, guys. It’s freezing outside,” Izzie said as she opened the door.

    Grant hadn’t even noticed. All he saw was the concerned look on Izzie’s face.

    “She’s in the living room.”

    Grant walked around Izzie, leaving her and Hunter in the hallway. When he spotted Christy sitting on the couch with the three kids around her, he exhaled so loudly it made him realize he’d been holding his breath. Three pairs of scared eyes looked up at him, and he nodded, letting them flood over to him. He sank down to the floor and tried to fit them all into one embrace, pulling them closer.

    “It’s okay. You’re safe. You’re here now.” After a while he started noticing the scrutiny from the others, especially Hunter’s mother. “Let’s sit down on the couch,” Grant suggested to the kids. “We’ll be more comfortable.”

    The kids wouldn’t let go of him, but he managed to get all of them comfortable between him and Christy. He could tell the kids were exhausted, but they were struggling to stay awake. He pulled Lindy on his lap and let the two boys settle on either side of him. Clearly this was all they wanted, and within minutes they were sound asleep.

    “We should take them upstairs to sleep in a proper bed,” Hunter’s mother said. Her expression was stern, but Grant heard genuine concern in her voice.

    “Give them just a minute, ma’am,” Grant said. “Then we’ll carry them upstairs.”

    “Why don’t we get their beds ready, Mom?” Hugh suggested. “I’m sure Christy and Grant have a lot to talk about.”

    Hunter’s mother looked from Christy to Grant, to the kids, and then to Hunter. Her gaze lingered so long Grant could tell it made Hunter uncomfortable.

    “I’ll help carry them upstairs in a sec, Mom,” Hunter said, clearly trying to get her out of the room. “You go on to bed. We’ll talk about this in the morning.”

    Hugh put his arm around the small of Izzie’s back as the three of them left the room.

    There was silence until everyone was sure they were out of earshot. During the pause, Grant took his first good look at Christy. He could tell she’d been crying. A lot. And there were faint marks around her mouth and eyes that looked like faded bruises. “Did he hit you again?”

    She nodded silently, her gaze downcast.

    “In front of the kids?”

    She didn’t answer. Grant looked at Hunter, who threw him a concerned look.

    “They’re frightened, Chris, and from the look of them, they’ve been frightened for a long time.”

    Christy looked up. “I couldn’t leave until he’d gone back to work. As soon as he left, I started packing and I came here. You need to take care of them for me, Grant. At least for a while. Until I can get back on my feet.