My Rowdy Cowboy. (3B Ranch Series) Book 2

15

Donna turned back to Charity and an eleven year old boy standing close by.

"Robby, would you do me a big favor and go with Charity to her room and help her bring her suitcases down to the front door please?"

"Sure. Come on, Cherry. I'll help you look for Huggs again too." Robby gave Sally a dirty look and gently took Charity's hand and led the tearful little girl out of the room. Robby's soft voice assured his little friend, "Don't worry Cherry, when it turns up I'll hide it and give it to Miss Donna. She'll make sure you get it."

Donna looked first at Sally and then at Don and Sarah, Charity's foster parents.

"I think we all know why Charity can't find the toy." She looked directly at Sally and looked at her watch.

"Sally, you have one minute to get that unicorn and it had better be in good shape."

Sally drew herself up to deny that she had anything to do with the unicorn's disappearance. Donna put her hands up to forestall the denial.

"Look," she said to Don and Sarah this time. "This isn't the first time something like this has happened and," she held her hands up again as Sarah bristled.

"And it's always Sally that has wanted to see something one last time or something just happens to fall, or be accidently dropped or is somehow lost between here and there." She let that soak in as she really didn't think Don in particular recongnized the extent of Sally cruelty.

"We've usually been able to work things out but this is different and it needs to be the last time." She looked at Don and Sarah again.

"I understand that Sally is your only biological child and you want to make sure she doesn't think she is being pushed aside for the other children. But this time, it's gone too far." Both of the foster parents nodded then Don added,

"I didn't realize the problem was this severe. I know what it's like to feel less important." He looked at his wife, "Is she right Sarah? Has this happened before when a child leaves? I'm usually at work."

Sarah looked uncomfortable a moment. "Well, now that I think about it, I guess it has happened before... but the items usually turn up... at some point."

"At some point?" Her husband asked incredulously. "They usually turn up at some point?" He glared at his wife and daughter.

"And when these items turn up at some point what happens?" He looked at the case worker. "Are they returned to the kids they belong to?"

Donna answered, "There have been a few instances where they have been returned, though they are not always in the best of shape."

She looked at the sullen, angry Sally again. She was about to tell the child to get the unicorn when an excited voice announced from the rec room,

"I found him! Cherry, I found him, it's ok!" Another foster child ran up the stairs waving the rainbow colored unicorn. They heard an excited squeal as Charity got her beloved Huggs back in her arms.

All three adults looked at Sally, who at first had looked toward the voice, absolutely furious. She had taken steps toward the stair case when her father grabbed her arm, preventing her from going further. Sally glared at her mother, then seeing how all three adults were looking at her said,

"I... I... I was just... just going to make sure it was the right... right one. Cherry loves it so much..."

Seeing it wasn't going to work she gave up trying to pretend.

"Well I've never seen one like that before and I wanted it." She folded her arms and stomped her foot and gave dirty looks to the children carrying boxes and the suitcase down the stairs and to the door.