The Darkest Hour (KGI #1)(39)

Nathan scowled and stood up. “Now wait just a minute, Mom. You can’t compare this kid to Rachel. She’s just using you and Dad.”

Marlene’s lips tightened. “I want all three of you out looking for her. Don’t you dare come back without her. I’ll go find your dad and we’ll take the truck. You call me the minute you find her, you hear?”

Joe sighed and rolled his eyes.

“That’s enough disrespect out of you, young man,” she snapped.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said meekly.

They all wore disgruntled looks, but they shoved off the couch and headed out the front door.

Nathan climbed into his Dodge truck and gave his brothers a look of resigned sympathy out his window as they climbed into their vehicles. When Mom got off on one of her tangents, there was no escaping. She’d turn Stewart County upside down looking for this Rusty girl.

He backed out of the drive and headed west. He’d take the county roads that paralleled the lake, and he’d leave Dover to his brothers.

He drove a little faster than was necessary, but impatience flared in him. He was much more interested in hearing that Ethan and Rachel had gotten home, and he was eager to see Garrett and get a report. He couldn’t very well do that when he was off on some fool’s errand for his misguided mother.

That wasn’t entirely fair, he supposed, but his irritation didn’t allow for more charitable thoughts. She had the softest heart of anyone he knew. Too soft. And once she decided something, nothing and no one was going to change it.

For half an hour he took winding paths off of 232 and then doubled back as he continued farther south along the lake. He’d just crossed Leatherwood Creek when he rounded the bend and saw a lone figure walking down the side of the highway. Rusty.

He slowed and rolled down the passenger window as he came up on her. She glanced warily over at him when he pulled up alongside her, and then she stiffened when she recognized him.

“Any particular reason you’re walking by yourself down the highway when my mother is about to lose her mind worrying over you?” he snapped.

She stared straight ahead and kept walking, her shoulders stiff and her jaw set.

“She doesn’t care about me,” Rusty muttered.

“Oh, really. I suppose that’s why she took you in, fed you, clothed you, gave you a place to stay and is generally making the rest of us insane demanding that we accept you, not say a damn word to you and all get out looking for you right now when we’d rather be focused on Rachel’s homecoming.”

She came to an abrupt stop, her lips curling into a snarl. “Rachel. I’m so sick of hearing about Rachel. Rachel is so wonderful. ‘The daughter of my heart.’ Everyone loves Rachel. Marlene has no need of me now that her real daughter is back.”

Despite his irritation, Nathan softened as he stared at the girl. She was hurting, and she was doing everything in her power not to let him see how much she was hurting.

“Get in,” he said.

She shook her head.

“Come on. We’ll go for a drive. If you don’t want to go home yet, we’ll just drive.”

She hesitated, and her lips trembled. He reached over and opened the door, shoving it outward. She gave a deep sigh and climbed into the passenger seat.

“Seat belt,” he said patiently.

She scowled but slapped the seat belt around her and clicked it into place.

He drove on down the highway, so she would know he wasn’t taking her home right away.

“Now, suppose you tell me why you’d think something so wonderful as Rachel coming home to us would change the way my mom feels about you?”

“I’m nobody,” she said sullenly. “Just someone your mom felt sorry for. She was feeling sad because of Rachel, and I guess she thought I could fill in.”

“And she told you this?”

Rusty hesitated. “Um no.”

“Maybe you overheard it.”

Again she shook her head, scowling as she got where he was heading with this.

“Or maybe my mom’s done something to make you think she’s not very sincere and she enjoys jerking around teenage girls who are in trouble.”

“You know she hasn’t,” Rusty muttered.

“Hmm, okay, well I’m out of guesses. Maybe you ought to just tell me. Guys can be slow.”

She was silent for a long time as she studied her hands in her lap. “I just thought . . . I assumed that since Rachel was coming back that she wouldn’t want me anymore.”

Nathan reached over and took her hand, ignoring her flinch of surprise. “I understand why you might have felt that way. But one thing you need to understand is my mother’s limitless capacity for caring. She taught school for years, and she can still tell you the names of every student who ever came through her classroom.”

He gave a light chuckle. “For that matter, try being her youngest child with five older brothers. If anyone ought to feel left out and overlooked, you’d think it would be me. But somehow she manages to make every one of us feel special, like we’re the only person in the world who matters to her. Don’t get me wrong. She’s not a pushover, and when she sets her mind to something, she’s like an alligator with fresh meat.”

Her lips trembled, and she pulled her hand away from his. “I’m not used to anyone giving a damn.”