For Keeps (Aggie's Inheritance)

  For Keeps

  Chautona Havig

  Copyright 2010 Chautona Havig

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

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  All Scripture references are from the NASB. NASB passages are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE (registered), Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

  For Carmen--

  I can’t imagine my life without memories of chocolate, cheesecake, the Olive Garden, and late night chats about fascinating things such as hammers, screwdrivers, and drills. Who knew we were such handywomen? Don’t answer that. This book’s for you. Your friendship is priceless to me. I already miss you more than I could ever say. That’s sayin’ something coming from a gal who can talk… a lot!

  For Mom Havig--

  You’ll never know how blessed I feel to have you in my life. Thank you for being everything that I could have hoped for in a mother-in-law. Not all women have such a treasure.

  Books by Chautona Havig

  The Rockland Chronicles

  Noble Pursuits

  Argosy Junction

  Thirty Days Hath…

  The Aggie Series

  Ready or Not

  For Keeps

  Here We Come

  The Annals of Wynnewood

  Shadows and Secrets

  Cloaked in Secrets

  Beneath the Cloak

  The Not-So-Fairy Tales

  Princess Paisley

  Everard (coming 2012)

  A Rude Awakening

  Chapter 1

  Monday, August 4th

  Lost in dreams of term papers, finals, and job applications, Aggie rolled over, sliding further under the sheets in a futile attempt to drown out childish shrieks outside. “Lord, I am so grateful I decided against elementary education. Can’t You prompt the mother of those kids to make them be quiet?” As the shrieks turned to wails, she groaned and added a pillow to her makeshift soundproofing. A new thought crossed her mind. “Lord, why are kids--”

  Understanding dawned. Just as Aggie jumped from her bed and flew to the window to see if she could determine the cause and culprits of the banshee-like chaos outside, she heard Tina’s no-nonsense voice. “All right, that’s enough. You’re making enough noise to wake the dead--or at least your aunt.”

  “A few seconds ago, those two were nearly synonymous,” Aggie muttered dryly. “Besides, the way your voice carries, I’m sure Murphy is feeling properly chastised right now, and she hasn’t done anything wrong. Yet.”

  The protests of the children, as Tina ordered them into the kitchen, told Aggie the woman might need backup. She hurried from her room and down the stairs, and was on the second floor before she looked at her knees peeking out of her summer nightgown. The last time she’d left her bedroom without getting dressed first, Luke had tried to avoid a snicker when she grabbed her keys to run to town for a gallon of milk. “Mibs,” he’d said while strolling from the room, “wouldn’t you rather put on something more appropriate for a trip to the store?”

  She turned on her heel and scrambled up stairs. Naughty children could revel in their naughtiness for just a couple of minutes while she threw on a skirt and t-shirt. So obsessed was she with getting downstairs, Aggie didn’t have time to glance in the mirror. It was a daily ritual. She woke up, brushed her teeth, got dressed, brushed her hair, frowned at her appearance, prayed that they’d be done with renovations soon, and then dreamed of the day she could take her faded, stained, holey clothes out to the fire pit she hoped to have and burn them.

  Pandemonium reigned in the kitchen. Vannie held Kenzie in a chokehold as she argued with Laird who restrained a kicking, screaming Cari. The other children all spoke at once, while Tina repeatedly cried, “Just calm down and tell me what’s going on!”

  “Stop!” Silence descended instantly. Scowling faces threw nasty looks at each other, but all arguing ceased.

  Tina raised an eyebrow. “Impressive.”

  “Just remember, ‘stop.’ It’ll save your sanity, I promise you.” Turning to the children, Aggie pointed at Cari. “Tell me what you did wrong.”

  “Kenzie--”

  “I didn’t ask what Kenzie did. I asked what Cari did. What did Cari do wrong?”

  “She--”

  Taking a deep breath while biting her tongue, Aggie led Cari to the corner. “Stand there. Not a word. You listen to how this works; I didn’t ask what she did. I asked what you did. You’ll get a turn in a minute.”

  A few mumbles began, but Aggie’s stern face soon squelched them. “Kenzie. What did you do wrong?”

  “Well, Cari--”

  “Kenzie…” Aggie leaned against the island, crossing her arms.

  “I wouldn’t let Cari play with me.”

  “That isn’t nice, but it isn’t against the rules. Anything else?” A pointed look from Laird told Aggie all she needed to know. “I’m waiting.”

  “I pushed her.”

  “Hard, too!” Lorna’s indignant tone nearly sent Aggie into a fit of giggles. “Cari just wanted to play.”

  “What did Lorna do?” Aggie’s sigh wasn’t lost on Vannie and Laird.

  The pixie-eyed girl sniffled. “I kicked her.”

  “Kenzie?” Aggie’s eyes flew to Kenzie’s legs to see if there was any evidence.

  “No, Vannie.” Lorna’s indignation had returned.

  “You kicked Vannie.” Trying to hide a smirk, Aggie rubbed her nose. “Ok, and why did you kick Vannie?”

  “’Cause she slapped Cari’s hands.”

  Aggie’s eyes closed for a moment as she processed this information. What was she going to do now? As if inspired by genius, an idea formed rapidly in her mind. “Laird, who did not do something wrong this morning?”

  “Ellie.”

  “Ellie,” Aggie began, “did you do anything wrong this morning?”

  “Probably. I wanted to do a lot of things that are wrong.”

  “Such as?”

  “Knock some heads together,” the child admitted. “Mommy would be so ashamed of us.”

  “Not you, Ellie,” Tavish argued. “You tried to be a peacemaker.”

  “Not in my heart.”

  Before a new argument erupted, Aggie shook her head. “Ok, ok. For the record, Ellie, temptation isn’t the sin. It’s not a sin to feel like doing something wrong, as long as you turn around and do the right thing instead and don’t dwell on the temptation.” She tugged at Ellie’s thick braid and sent her to pour herself a bowl of cereal.

  “Ok, did anyone else here manage to avoid doing anything wrong before…” Aggie peeked at the clock. “Seven twenty-five?”

  Laird shrugged. “Probably Vannie. She’s always doing the right thing-- even if it is obnoxiously bossy.”

  “Obnoxiously bossy isn’t the right thing. Ok, so for the rest of you, I want you to go upstairs, put on your pajamas, and brush your teeth. Go!”

  “But I’m hungwy!” Cari’s wail from the corner prompted a few echoes, but Aggie silenced them with another order to “stop.”

  “If you want to eat at all today, I’d suggest you obey without arguing.”

  Fifteen minutes later, the only sounds in the Stuart-Milliken abode were those of
Ellie rinsing her bowl and storing it in the dishwasher, and Ian giggling as Tina fed him his breakfast. Ellie danced upstairs for her sketchbook and pencil before racing outside. Aggie hardly noticed. Instead, she turned the page and finished her Proverb-du-jour, before closing the Bible. “’Avoid it, do not pass by it; Turn away from it and pass on, ’” she whispered. “Now, how do I get that through their heads?”

  ~*~*~*~

  Armed with a roll of metal screen-looking stuff, a tool belt, and bucket, Luke knocked and entered, glancing around to see where all of the children were hiding. As he saw Tina playing with Ian in the study, he raised his eyebrows and got a grin in response. “You should have seen it. She was--”

  She glanced at the stairs, and his eyes followed as Aggie’s familiar voice interrupted them. “Awake! awake! and let your song of praise arise…”

  “They aren’t up yet?”

  “They were. She woke up to a display of temper and ugliness that would give the GIL a run for her money.” Tina rolled her eyes, remembering. “Honestly, Luke, I don’t know how she does it. I’m going crazy, and there’s an end in sight for me.” She frowned and ducked her head. “I’m ashamed to admit it, but it’s true. How is she going to survive eighteen more years of this?”

  “One day at a time, I suppose. Don’t tell her--”

  “I don’t,” Tina assured him. “When we talk, I remind her that she can do all things through Christ. I assure her it’s going to get easier every day.”

  “But you don’t believe it.” A frown accompanied his words.

  “I’ve been here long enough to tell you it hasn’t gotten any easier for me, and I don’t bear the brunt of it like she does.”

  “Well, all I know is that if anyone can do it, Mibs can.”

  “Why do you call her that?” Tina had wanted to know since the first time she heard it.

  “You’ll have to ask her.”

  “I did. She said she didn’t have the foggiest.”

  Smiling, more to himself than at her, Luke took another step forward and said, “She should know. She just has to think about it.”

  Luke passed Aggie in the hall as a group of subdued children slowly filed from their bedrooms, sending curious glances at their aunt. He smiled his encouragement and climbed the stairs to her little third floor retreat. It took several trips to carry up all the stones, mortar, trowel, and other tools into the room. With most jobs, he worked quickly. Aggie had once confessed that his prep work time drove her crazy, but she’d confessed that how swiftly he finished after that prep was impressive.

  The fireplace wouldn’t be one of those swift projects. She was bound to come upstairs in an hour and expect to find it almost complete, but he wouldn’t have the stones planned out in that time. Tina’s fireplace “makeover” was a time-consuming and difficult project for him. He didn’t particularly like working with mortar. It wasn’t as bad as yard work, but…

  The house slowly filled with familiar sounds. The backdoor latched shut half a dozen times, the trash bag hit the dumpster with a satisfying clank of glass against metal, and then faint strains of Aggie’s hymn occasionally drifted through the window. “… would be my prayer, dear Lord, each day…” He smiled. Her choice of hymns never ceased to amaze and amuse him. “…hold my hand. I need Thee ev’ry hour. Through this pilgrim land, protect me by Thy saving pow’r!”

  Her emphasis on every and saving wasn’t lost on him, nor was the realization that her voice grew clearer and stronger with each passing second. She wouldn’t finish before she entered her room, which made him smile. He loved it when Aggie sang.

  Though her voice grew quieter when she entered the room, she ended the song naturally as she watched his progress. Luke waited several seconds before he said, “You know, Mibs, you set the tone of this house with your hymns. I think that’s why your children are so joyful most of the time.”

  “You missed our morning lack of joy, mister.”

  “Were you singing when whatever happened, happened?”

  “I was sleeping.”

  His slight smile broke into a huge grin. “I rest my case.”

  “What’s all that metal?” Aggie asked, deliberately trying to change the subject.

  “Lath. You have to use it to hold the mortar.”

  “You don’t sound thrilled.” This was a first. Luke usually seemed invigorated by their projects.

  “It’s not my strong point. I’m just concentrating. I didn’t mean to be short.”

  “You weren’t.” Aggie glanced around her. “This floor seems different than the other floors.”

  “It’s newer. This room was once part of the attic. I bet it was remodeled in the sixties or seventies.”

  “So, the other side of that wall…” Aggie pointed to the wall behind her bed, “is the attic?” Somehow, she’d missed that connection.

  “Yep. I think the infamous nail is right on the other side of it.”

  Luke nearly exploded with laughter at the treacherous look she gave the wall. “Well, if any nails poke me now, I should be good on the tetanus front.”

  She wandered into her bathroom and ran her fingers along the marble-topped cabinet. “I’m glad you talked me into this marble. It’s just so pretty.”

  “It wasn’t much more than the solid surface stuff, and it just seems to fit the room and the house better. I think you may have spent an extra hundred dollars at most.” She jumped at his voice in the doorway.

  “I even found a few green towels that match those leaves!”

  She pointed to a few towels that did match well, but even to his inexperienced decorating eye, looked well-loved. “So, those are the colors you’re going to buy?”

  “No, I just thought I’d use these.”

  His arms crossed across his chest. A familiar stubborn look etched itself into Luke’s features, while his eyebrows furrowed. She’d seen that look when she wanted to try to cut corners that he called “saving a dollar so you can spend five more to do it right later.” Aggie hated that look, because it usually meant that he was right, and of course, she was wrong.

  “What about window curtains?”

  Aggie gulped. “I thought maybe I’d skip them since I’m so high. It’s not like anyone could see in here…”

  “And that’s the look you want in here?”

  The temptation to lie was nearly overpowering. Oh, how she wanted to spew a line of drivel about simple lines and uncluttered walls and surfaces in the bathroom to have a nice clean look to it. If she confessed that she was trying to avoid any more expenditures, she’d be on her way to buy bathroom décor and accessories inside an hour. It was how things worked when Luke got that look on his face. Truth triumphed over self, and Aggie shook her head. She couldn’t bring herself to admit it aloud, but she had to be truthful.

  “So, what are you going to do about that?”

  “Change clothes?”

  “Atta girl, Mibs.”

  At her closet, she paused. “Luke, why do you call me Mibs?”

  “You know. You might not realize that you do, but you do.”

  “And you’re not going to tell me?” As she spoke, a pile of t-shirts tumbled into her arms. Luke’s forehead furrowed.

  “Nope. By the way, I was thinking we should expand that closet to take up that whole corner. Then, you’d have a nice nook there for a little couch--what are they called?”

  “I don’t know.” She frowned. “More closet space would probably be better for resale, wouldn’t it?”

  “Are you planning on moving?”

  “Not for a while, but--”

  “Don’t design your space how you think someone else wants it then. If you don’t want that much closet, I can just bump the one side a bit, or you can buy a dresser or two. Your current set up is just a logistical nightmare.”

  With fresh clothes in hand, she returned to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. As she pulled on a fresh and unstained t-shirt, Aggie called, “Just do what you think is best. I’ve
always drooled over those closets that could hold enough for a small boutique, but they are a bit of overkill.”

  She re-emerged looking a little bohemian in her many-tiered skirt and shaking out her hair as she removed her ponytail. “Well, let’s just hope that Tina has decided on colors and that I know what she’s talking about.”

  “Take her with you.”

  “I can’t concentrate with all the kids, and with you up here…”

  “You two go out. Since she’s been here, you’ve hardly had a few minutes just to enjoy ‘girl time.’ I’ll go cut down the grass in the back and measure off the grill area we discussed. This can wait. Maybe I’ll send Laird and Tavish up and see what they come up with.”

  “You’re going to let them put up rock?” The incredulity left an expression on her face that was priceless.

  “No, but they can play with the layout. Who knows, maybe it’ll be perfect or nearly so, and I can come in and start laying stone.”

  Once down the steps and in the second floor hallway, Luke’s words finally registered. “Did he really say ‘girl time?’”

  “I have four sisters. I know about girl time.”

  Her eyes rolled heavenward, and she was thankful he couldn’t see. “The way you sneak up on me like that is going to kill me someday. I should make a will and leave all the kids to you for scaring me like that.”

  “You should also overcome your habit of rolling your eyes at me when I do it.”

  Her head whipped around and she stopped, stunned at his words. “How did you--”

  “You always do that when you get sarcastic with someone. Vannie is starting to pick it up.” Before she could reply, he added, “And mentally beating yourself up about it isn’t going to fix anything.”

  “It’s scary how well you know me. Scary.”

  Libby says: I’ve been waiting for you!