That Wilder Boy Read online

  Carrie closed her eyes and whispered a prayer. “I’m so sorry I’ve upset them, God, but they’re wrong. What I’m doing for Rocky is the right thing to do. Please help them see that, and let them somehow find their way to You.”

  Fourteen

  A sense of relief washed over Rocky as he drove away from the Steinwood mansion. Who would have guessed that spending time in that house—that beautiful, flashy, made-of-dreams house—would leave him feeling so cold? Now, remembering how he had fantasized about the house as a child, he felt foolish. He turned his vehicle toward his own humble home, realizing the people living in the Steinwood mansion were no happier than the ones who had lived in his old neighborhood. In fact, they might even be less happy.

  Mrs. Steinwood had sat silent through the entire dinner, picking at the delicious foods on her plate rather than eating. In her silk pantsuit and tastefully chosen jewelry she was stunningly attired, but she had reminded him of a decorated skeleton—there seemed to be no life inside the shell of her body.

  And then there was Mr. Steinwood. He clearly didn’t trust Rocky. While Rocky understood that, he suspected Steinwood didn’t trust anybody. He lived in fear of someone taking away the things he owned. Instead of finding pleasure in his wealth, the wealth had made him bitter, jealous, and suspicious. Rocky shook his head. He sure didn’t ever want to be like that. Maybe being wealthy wasn’t such a great thing after all.

  Eileen had told him having his needs met was enough. At the time he’d wondered if she could possibly be right. Now he understood what she meant. Having too much changed a person, and from what he’d just seen of the Steinwoods it didn’t change someone for the better.

  He paused at a traffic light, a sudden thought striking him. What of Carrie? Would her sudden acquisition of the trust fund change her, too? Lord, don’t let it spoil her, he prayed inwardly. Don’t let it make her bitter and distrustful, the way it has Steinwood. . . .

  He turned onto the final stretch that would lead him home. If he were going to have his needs met with his own business, he’d better get things going. He’d made some preliminary inquiries already, but he hadn’t done anything official to make the business happen. Monday he’d see if he could take the afternoon off. That would free him to go to the licensing bureau and start paperwork. He’d also visit his sister-in-law Marin at Brooks Advertising, find out what she could do for him, then stop by the college and pick up an application.

  There was much to do, and Rocky was eager to get it going.

  ❧

  “I’d love to work with you on this, Rocky.” Marin’s enthusiastic tone made Rocky even more excited about his new business venture. “You know Philip and I will do anything we can to help you get this started.”

  “Thanks.” He hadn’t expected anything less from Marin, but he wanted to be sure he wasn’t putting her in an awkward position. “I know Jefferson Landscaping is already one of your clients. It’s okay to take care of my business, too, since we’re both landscapers?”

  She smiled, her eyes crinkling slightly. “Not to worry. We design the advertising campaign; we don’t personally endorse our clients, so there’s no breach of confidence here.” She leaned back in her chair and winked. “Since you’re family, though, it might be tempting to endorse you.”

  Rocky laughed. “Don’t get yourself in trouble.” Cupping his chin, he posed a hesitant question. “If I get this going. . .do you think. . .John might be interested in working with me?”

  Marin’s eyebrows shot upward. “John?”

  Rocky nodded. “Yes. He’s helped Eileen with several garden plots at Elmwood Towers and seems to enjoy working in the soil.”

  “And you’d really consider hiring him?”

  Rocky understood the surprise in Marin’s voice. “I know how I used to be about people who are different, but as I’ve gotten to know John. . .” He shrugged. “I like him. He’s a neat guy.”

  She smiled. “I think so, too.” She paused for a moment, nibbling her lower lip. “I would have no problem with him working with you, but he really likes his job at the veterinary clinic.” Marin’s tone sounded thoughtful. “I suppose, once you have things started, we could ask him if he’d like to change jobs. And if not John, perhaps another of Philip’s clients?”

  Rocky nodded. “Sure. That’d be fine. I’ll mention it to Philip.” He stood up. “Thanks, Marin. When I get everything going I’ll be back, and we can talk about how I’ll pay for your services.”

  Marin rose, too, and walked him out of the office. “Let’s worry about that later. You’re family—I have special rates for family.”

  Rocky gave Marin a quick hug then headed back to his car. College applications for admission and financial assistance waited on the passenger side of the seat. He fingered the papers as he drove to the licensing bureau. He felt a little overwhelmed by all the paperwork—the lady in the financial aid office had said things must be filled out accurately in order to be processed. What if he made mistakes? Maybe he’d ask Philip to help him with that. After all, Philip had already gone through college.

  Rocky felt a pang of regret. His little brother was miles ahead of him when it came to establishing his future—he had a college degree, owned his own business, which offered help to people with handicaps, and was married. Rocky, the older brother, was only getting started. Was is too late, like Mac Steinwood had said? Then he shook his head. No, it was never too late to do the right thing. Determination straightened his spine. He’d see this through.

  He parked in front of the licensing bureau then headed inside. A middle-aged receptionist greeted him. “Hello,” he responded. “I’d like to find out what I need to do to get a new business started in town.”

  She flashed a smile. “Certainly! You’ve got to get city approval, fill out tax documents, and file an application with the business bureau.” She turned toward a file and began removing forms, making a stack on the corner of the counter. “What kind of business are you planning to start?”

  Rocky leaned his elbows on the counter. “Landscaping.”

  “Landscaping, hm?” The woman paused, releasing a light chuckle. “There seems to be a lot of that going around lately.”

  Foreboding made the hair on Rocky’s neck prickle. “Oh yeah?”

  “Yes. Someone was in here a few days ago talking about starting a new landscaping business.”

  Rocky stood up straight. “Who was it?”

  The woman shrugged. “I’m not at liberty to say. She just mentioned the paperwork was for a landscaping venture.”

  She? Rocky’s heart pounded. A sick feeling struck his stomach.

  The receptionist took one more form from the drawer, added it to the stack then placed everything in a large manila envelope bearing the business bureau’s mailing address. “You can send everything back in this same envelope,” she said.

  “Thank you.” Rocky pursed his lips for a moment. “You’re sure this other person was interested in a landscaping business?”

  “Oh yes, I’m sure.” With another bright smile she said, “Now don’t let that bother you. Competition is good for businesses.” She handed him the envelope. “Good luck with yours.”

  “Thank you.” He stepped out of the office into the afternoon sunshine. He stood for a moment outside the door, tapping his leg with the envelope, his thoughts racing. Could it have been Carrie getting information about a landscaping business? Rocky had heard of Mac Steinwood undercutting others to get the best profit. If he had his own landscaping company, he wouldn’t need to rely on someone else to landscape the grounds of the businesses and houses he built. Maybe, now that Steinwood knew Rocky’s plans, he had convinced Carrie to get a family landscaping business going first. After all, Carrie had her business administration degree, so she had the training, not to mention the financial means, to get a business started.

  But surely Carrie wouldn’t. . . He shook his head. No, Carrie wouldn’t do that to him. She knew how much this business meant to him. B
ut, his thoughts countered, she’d grown up with Mac Steinwood. He was the only father she’d had for most of her life. Her loyalty to Steinwood would certainly be deeper than any loyalty to Rocky.

  He slapped his leg with the envelope and charged to his car. He didn’t want to think ill of Carrie. He’d go see her, talk to her, and let her laugh and tell him how silly he was for even thinking such a thing. It would be okay, he told himself as he drove once more to the Steinwood mansion. Everything would be okay.

  ❧

  Carrie turned the corner, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Rocky’s car parked along the curb. Getting to see him twice in three days after their lengthy separation was almost too good to be true. She pulled into the driveway but didn’t open the gates—instead she popped the car into park, bounced out leaving the door hanging open and crossed to meet him as he stepped onto the asphalt road.

  “Hi!” She felt lighter just seeing him. It had been a stressful day of labs and exams, and time with Rocky seemed the perfect antidote to stress. “What are you doing here?”

  He didn’t smile in return. “I came to see you.”

  She rested her weight on one foot and tipped her head, offering a smirk. “Well, from the look on your face your day hasn’t been much better than mine. How long have you been waiting?”

  He glanced at his watch. “Since around four.”

  “Four!” She couldn’t believe he’d been sitting out there for more than two hours. “Why didn’t you just call?”

  His shoulders lifted in a shrug. She waited for him to make a teasing remark about her being worth the wait. When none came, trepidation struck. “It must be important then. Do you want to go inside?”

  Rocky shook his head, his gaze flitting toward the closed gates. “No. Not really. Can—can we just sit in my car and talk?”

  “Sure.” She backed toward her own vehicle. “Let me shut off my engine. I’ll be back.” She trotted to her car, her heart pounding. Something was wrong. Dreadfully wrong. She prayed for God’s strength as she twisted the key in the ignition, closed her door, then joined Rocky.

  He had to shift aside an envelope as she slid in. She recognized the address on the label—the business bureau. She hoped he hadn’t gotten bad news about using the land he’d purchased to start a landscaping business.

  Forcing a cheerful tone, she asked, “So what’s up?”

  Rocky rested his elbow on the steering wheel, his finger across his lips. He stared out the window for a few seconds before turning to face her. “I just wondered if you might know something about another landscape business starting up in town.”

  Carrie processed her best response to his question. If she told him what she was up to, it would spoil the surprise. Also, based on his mood, he might outright reject her assistance. She didn’t want to face either prospect. Yet she couldn’t lie to him. So she asked carefully, “Do you mean one other than the one you’re planning to start?”

  “That’s right.”

  She could reply honestly to that. “No, I don’t. Why do you ask?”

  Rocky drew in a big breath. He tapped the envelope on the seat between them. “I went in today to get information about how to apply to start a new business, and I was told a woman was in a few days ago, asking about the same type of business. It. . .worried me, I guess.”

  “Afraid of a little healthy competition?” she teased, praying he wouldn’t out-and-out ask if she were the woman.

  “Not at all,” Rocky replied, his expression serious. “Competition is fine. I just want to be sure I stand a chance of making the business work. After all, Petersburg isn’t exactly a metropolis. It can certainly support two landscaping businesses with all the new construction going on here and in surrounding communities, but three? It would be pretty foolhardy to think that many would stand a chance of succeeding.”

  Carrie gave a slow nod. “You might be right.”

  He twisted his face into a scowl. “With Jefferson Landscaping already well established, I’m taking a risk, coming in new. I sure hope there isn’t another one.” He gave her a sharp look. “You’re sure you don’t know of a third one?”

  Carrie laughed. “Rocky!” She hoped she sounded convincing. “I told you I don’t know about a third one.” She needed to get this conversation turned. Although she had intended to wait until he started college to tell him about a computer program she’d found, she decided this might be a good way to get him focused on something else.

  “But I do know something that might be of use to you.”

  “Oh yeah?” He didn’t sound terribly interested, but at least he asked. “What’s that?”

  “A landscaping program for the computer.” She shifted in the seat, angling herself toward him. “It’s amazing. You can put in the geographic location of the area being landscaped, and the computer makes suggestions for types of plants that grow well in that area. It even breaks it down between leafy versus flowering plants, and shade-lovers versus sun-lovers, and everything in between. Then, if you put in the dimensions of the garden area—four feet by ten feet, for instance—it offers some blueprints of plots you can follow.”

  Rocky gave her a funny look. “I don’t know how to use the computer, Carrie.”

  He certainly was a gloomy Gus today! She patted his knee. “You’ll learn. It really isn’t that hard. And this program—”

  “I like planning it myself.”

  She frowned at his argumentative tone. “Well, you still could do the planning if you wanted to and just use the program to determine what kinds of plants to use.”

  He looked at her for several long seconds, his expression unreadable. Finally he said, “I suppose you’re right.” His gaze drifted out the window again.

  She huffed in annoyance. “Rocky, couldn’t you at least be a little enthusiastic? I mean, here you are, preparing to open your very own business, and this program could be a great help. Why not at least consider using it?”

  He turned to face her, his brows pulled down into a worried look. “How do you know about this program, Carrie? Why were you even looking for programs related to landscaping?”

  His apprehensive tone bothered her. She flipped her hands outward in a gesture of inquiry. “Didn’t you ask me to pray for your business and to help? I look at different programs for one of my classes. I found this one, and I thought of you.”

  He nodded, his gaze never wavering from hers. “Oh. Well. . .thanks. But. . .as I said before, I don’t know how to use computers.”

  She shook her head. He had no idea how easy it would be to use these computer programs. She gave his knee another encouraging pat and said, “It’s okay, Rocky. I know how.”

  Now she was sure he looked worried. And shamed. She reached to touch his arm, but he twisted to face forward, reaching for the ignition. “Thanks, Carrie. I’ll—I’ll look into that program, okay? I’ll bet you’ve got studying to do, right? I won’t keep you from it.” He glanced briefly in her direction, his eyes tired. “Will you be at Bible study Wednesday?”

  For some reason she fought tears. “Yes. Shall we sit together?”

  “That would be fine.” His voice sounded tight, controlled.

  She put her hand on the door handle, ready to leave, then spun toward him. “Rocky?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I—” But then she clamped her jaw shut. If she told him now about filing the application and setting up a scholarship, she would be ruining a wonderful surprise. She didn’t want to do that. Although he was worried now, he’d understand everything later. She shook her head. “Nothing. Never mind. I’ll see you Wednesday.”

  She stepped out of the vehicle, leaned forward to wave good-bye then closed the door. Watching him drive away, she felt a little twinge of anxiety. But she pushed it aside. When Rocky learned the truth, he’d be too excited to care about her evasiveness. A smile grew on her face—besides that, she’d have another way to distract him by Wednesday. She’d know by then whether the house she bid on would be
hers.

  Hopping back in her car, she punched in the code for the gates, started the engine, and headed for the garage. She couldn’t wait to tell Myrna about her new soon-to-be home.

  Fifteen

  Rocky slammed through his front door, giving it a kick with his heel to bang it closed. He threw himself onto the couch, his head back and eyes closed, hurt pressing so hard he feared his heart might stop beating.

  He didn’t like to think of it, but Carrie had lied to him. He’d been around enough liars in his lifetime to recognize untruths when they were spoken. She hadn’t been able to meet his eyes, her laugh had been too high-pitched to be real, and her tone too cheery. It all pointed to one thing—she wasn’t being honest.

  She was hiding something, and since all the issue-skirting pertained to the information about another landscaping business, he knew it had to do with that. She was in up to her eyeballs. But why shouldn’t she be? She had the know-how to start a business, she had the finances to get it going, she had the connections through her stepfather—everything for success was already in her hand. Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, the old saying went. And now she was waving it, ready to use it to her advantage.

  The wealthy just get wealthier, he thought, a bitter taste on his tongue, while the rest of us get shoved aside. It burned like a fire in his gut to have Carrie be the one to do the shoving, but he really couldn’t blame her. She had witnessed her stepfather shoving people aside for years—it must be second nature to her by now.

  His nose stung, a sure sign he wanted to cry. But what would that help? His father had told him tears were a waste of energy, and for once Pop had been right—tears accomplished nothing. Focus on something else, he told himself. Supper. Get something to eat. Fill up the emptiness in his belly.

  Bolting to his feet, he stomped to the kitchen and flung the refrigerator door open. Not much in there—he needed to go grocery shopping. He whacked the door shut and started swinging cupboard doors open and closed. With a huff he considered his choices for supper—cold cereal or canned ravioli. Yuk on both counts.