Part 4

Asher

When Maggie left, he got the box from his truck, placing it near the back, where he knew Marvin would first go through the inventory. He put the box down and almost walked over Marvin, who stood right behind him.

“I thought that was you,” Marvin said, and shook Asher’s hand.

“How are you, Marvin?”

“You on leave?” Marvin stuck his hands in his pockets, and leaned against the wall.

“Nah, I’m home for good. I did my duty, and now it’s time I did my duty on the ranch, too.”

Marvin nodded his head. “I’m sure your daddy’s mighty happy.”

“Tell me, Marvin, do you know the young woman that was in your store just now?” Marvin knew everyone in town, and more often than not, he also knew what they were up to.

“Nope, first time I’ve ever seen her. She was peering at the crib over there, looking like she was trying to work out just how badly she needed it.”

Asher wasn’t sure what it was, but something tugged at his heart. “I met her this morning. She was moving into the Lansing house.”

Marvin snorted. “She’s living in that dump? The girl must be hard up; that place is falling apart. She looks too young to be on her own with a baby.”

Asher headed back to the front of the store and stared at the crib. “Was it this one?” This one was slightly bigger than the other one, but it also looked to be in better shape.

“Yep, that’s the one,” Marvin said. “You gonna buy it for the little lady?”

“It needs some work, Marvin. No baby can sleep in this crib as is. How much of a discount are you going to give me?” Asher gave Marvin a look that said there better be a discount.

“Ah, shucks, Asher. Just take the damn crib. You donate so much to my store; I can’t charge you for this,” Marvin said.

Asher smiled, and nodded his head. “You just did a very good thing, Marvin.”

Marvin grunted something unintelligible. “TJ! Get out here, and help Asher carry this crib to his truck!”

A lanky boy emerged from the back, tall and gangly, smack in the middle of that awkward teen phase before they filled out. “Afternoon, Mr. Asher.”

“Thanks for the hand, TJ,” Asher said. They carried the crib outside, and loaded it onto his truck. Asher pulled some money from his wallet, and gave it to TJ. “Don’t tell the old man.”

TJ grinned, jamming the money into his pocket. “No problem, Mr. Asher. Have a good day.”

Asher nodded his head, and headed back to the ranch. He got the crib inside his garage, then got to work assessing what was to be done. It needed to be sanded and repainted. It would need a new mattress, too. Asher got to work, and two hours later, the crib was sanded down, smooth to the touch, and ready to be painted.

“Is there something you want to tell us?” Dylan asked, and Asher looked up. He took the safety goggles off, grabbing himself a bottle of water.

“No, and while you’re here, go call Eden for me. I need her help,” Asher said.

Dylan pulled his phone from his pocket, phoning their sister. He pulled out a folding chair, and made himself comfortable as Asher wiped the sawdust from every crevice with a dry paintbrush. Eden appeared ten minutes later, frowning as she looked at the crib.

“Is there a secret baby we don’t know about?” Dylan barked out a laugh, and stretched his legs out in front of him.

Asher took the mattress from the workbench behind him. “You need to fix this. Melody’s about six months old; she can sit on her own. This mattress isn’t thick enough, and it’s dirty.”

Eden’s eyes brightened as she took the mattress from him. “I think we still have some waterproof material left over from that time Momma made those dolls for the orphanage, and I know Blair has some foam sponge somewhere.”

“Yeah, that’ll work,” Asher said. “Can you have it ready before dinner?”

“Jeez, Asher. Who’s this for?”

Asher sighed and wiped his hands on his jeans. “There’s a woman who moved into the Lansing house this morning. I helped with her luggage. She has a baby, and today she was in Marvin’s store looking at this crib but didn’t buy it.”

“So you bought the crib for this woman you don’t know from Adam?” Eden’s eyebrows raised as she looked at Asher.

“So what if I did? That baby doesn’t have a crib…so, where do you think she’s sleeping tonight?”

Eden bit her lower lip, briefly looking down. “I still have some stuff I can pack up for you from when Brenda stayed here last year with her baby.”

Asher smiled as he opened the can of paint finish. “You’re the best, Edie.”

“What can I do to help?” Dylan asked as he stood up.

“You can go get some fans; they would help this paint to dry quicker.”

Asher and Dylan made quick work of the paint finish, putting on only one layer. It didn’t need any more. The crib looked almost brand new by the time they were done, and they placed the fans at different angles to help speed up the drying process. Asher wanted to take the crib over so Melody had someplace nice and safe to sleep.

He had no idea why he was doing all this for her, but he kept telling himself that it was for Melody, that she was just a baby, and deserved to have a crib to sleep in. It didn’t have anything to do with Maggie, or her pretty smile.

With Dylan’s help, he loaded the crib onto the back of his truck, and made sure it wouldn’t bump against the sides. Eden had made a whole new mattress, which fit perfectly, and brought down a box stuffed with bedding, a pillow, and one stuffed rabbit.

“Thanks, Dylan.”

“Now, just hold on. I’m coming with you. There’s no way you’re manhandling this crib alone after all our hard work, plus maybe, I want to see this woman for myself.”

Asher just shook his head, but he waited for Dylan to get in before he drove away from his house.