forget their children. What's your name?" Megan sat cross-legged on the oak coffee table, poured the soft drink into the glass, and handed it to the distraught child.
"Katherine Elizabeth Tanner. My dad calls me Katie. Or Katydid, when he's teasing me."
"You see? That proves it. Fathers don't give their daughters nicknames if they don't care about them."
Hers hadn't, anyway. She'd always been Megan Colleen, no matter what tone of voice her father had used. "Where do you live?"
"Baton Rouge. I live with my mom, but I need to find my dad." She looked up with pleading storm-gray eyes. Do you know where he is?"
Baton Rouge! That was more than four hundred miles away. "Where's your mom? Did she come with you?"
Katie shook her head. "I took a bus. I told Mom I was going camping with a friend's family. It'll take her a few days to figure out what happened."
Oh, good Lord. She was harboring a runaway. "Look, Katie. You need to call your mother and let her know where you are. I have your father's phone number around here somewhere. As soon as you let your mother know you're safe, we'll call your dad."
"No! I can't let her know where I am until I find my father. She'll make me go back home without seeing him. And I doubt she's home, anyway." She grabbed Megan's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Please. Will you take me to him?"
"Katie, I can't..."
"Fine. I'll find him myself." Katie flung Megan's hand aside, jumped up from the couch, and ran for the door. Megan caught her before she could get it open.
"Wait. You can't go wandering around by yourself. You could get kidnapped."
Katie snorted. "Who would want me? I'm just in everybody's way."
Megan's heart wrenched at the casual way Katie dismissed her own worth. She knew exactly how the child felt. "Honey, that's not true. I'm sure your parents love you. There has to be some reason you haven't heard from your dad."
Platitudes, but what else could she offer? "Look, you go sit back down and I'll find that number. We'll call your father and he can come get you. We'll let him work things out with your mother."
Katie's young face lit up with a brilliant smile. She threw her arms around Megan's neck and hugged her. "Thank you!" Then she skipped off to sit back on the couch, leaving Megan staring after her.
Jean's door opened just as Nancy reappeared in the living room, Chanel No. 5 preceding her in a cloud of overpowering scent. Katie wrinkled her nose and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Who's that?"
Nancy held her freshly polished nails in front of her. "Who's the kid? And what did you do to her to make her squeal like that?"
Katie drew herself up to her full five-foot height. "I don't squeal."
"Really?" Nancy made a production out of blowing on her nails. "Could've fooled me."
Megan stepped in between them. "Stop it. This is Katie, and she's looking for her dad--our landlord. Katie, this is Nancy, and that's Jean." She waved toward the bedroom doorway.
Nancy and Katie sized each other up, then Nancy grinned and said, "You need a bath, kiddo. The shower is all yours."
Katie rolled her eyes and turned back to Megan. "Could you find Dad's phone number? Please?"
Megan went to the roll-top desk in the corner and rifled through the drawers, looking for Logan's number. "Hang on. I know it's in here somewhere."
Katie walked over to the window and looked outside, then turned to Megan. "Do you have his new address?"
Megan found the elusive piece of paper and turned around, waving it in the air. "Found it. And the address is a post office box in Morris Springs."
Katie's face lit up. "Morris Springs! That's where my Grandpa lives." A crease formed between her brows as they scrunched together. "But why would my dad be there? He hates it."
Megan reached out and took Katie's hand. She hated to be the one to break the bad news. "Your grandfather's had a stroke, and your father and Carol are taking care of the farm." At Katie's stricken look, she rushed to add, "He's doing
"Katherine Elizabeth Tanner. My dad calls me Katie. Or Katydid, when he's teasing me."
"You see? That proves it. Fathers don't give their daughters nicknames if they don't care about them."
Hers hadn't, anyway. She'd always been Megan Colleen, no matter what tone of voice her father had used. "Where do you live?"
"Baton Rouge. I live with my mom, but I need to find my dad." She looked up with pleading storm-gray eyes. Do you know where he is?"
Baton Rouge! That was more than four hundred miles away. "Where's your mom? Did she come with you?"
Katie shook her head. "I took a bus. I told Mom I was going camping with a friend's family. It'll take her a few days to figure out what happened."
Oh, good Lord. She was harboring a runaway. "Look, Katie. You need to call your mother and let her know where you are. I have your father's phone number around here somewhere. As soon as you let your mother know you're safe, we'll call your dad."
"No! I can't let her know where I am until I find my father. She'll make me go back home without seeing him. And I doubt she's home, anyway." She grabbed Megan's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Please. Will you take me to him?"
"Katie, I can't..."
"Fine. I'll find him myself." Katie flung Megan's hand aside, jumped up from the couch, and ran for the door. Megan caught her before she could get it open.
"Wait. You can't go wandering around by yourself. You could get kidnapped."
Katie snorted. "Who would want me? I'm just in everybody's way."
Megan's heart wrenched at the casual way Katie dismissed her own worth. She knew exactly how the child felt. "Honey, that's not true. I'm sure your parents love you. There has to be some reason you haven't heard from your dad."
Platitudes, but what else could she offer? "Look, you go sit back down and I'll find that number. We'll call your father and he can come get you. We'll let him work things out with your mother."
Katie's young face lit up with a brilliant smile. She threw her arms around Megan's neck and hugged her. "Thank you!" Then she skipped off to sit back on the couch, leaving Megan staring after her.
Jean's door opened just as Nancy reappeared in the living room, Chanel No. 5 preceding her in a cloud of overpowering scent. Katie wrinkled her nose and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Who's that?"
Nancy held her freshly polished nails in front of her. "Who's the kid? And what did you do to her to make her squeal like that?"
Katie drew herself up to her full five-foot height. "I don't squeal."
"Really?" Nancy made a production out of blowing on her nails. "Could've fooled me."
Megan stepped in between them. "Stop it. This is Katie, and she's looking for her dad--our landlord. Katie, this is Nancy, and that's Jean." She waved toward the bedroom doorway.
Nancy and Katie sized each other up, then Nancy grinned and said, "You need a bath, kiddo. The shower is all yours."
Katie rolled her eyes and turned back to Megan. "Could you find Dad's phone number? Please?"
Megan went to the roll-top desk in the corner and rifled through the drawers, looking for Logan's number. "Hang on. I know it's in here somewhere."
Katie walked over to the window and looked outside, then turned to Megan. "Do you have his new address?"
Megan found the elusive piece of paper and turned around, waving it in the air. "Found it. And the address is a post office box in Morris Springs."
Katie's face lit up. "Morris Springs! That's where my Grandpa lives." A crease formed between her brows as they scrunched together. "But why would my dad be there? He hates it."
Megan reached out and took Katie's hand. She hated to be the one to break the bad news. "Your grandfather's had a stroke, and your father and Carol are taking care of the farm." At Katie's stricken look, she rushed to add, "He's doing
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