The Long Ride Home by Marsha Hubler Page A

“And after we met you, I entered you, too. You mean she found me on that search engine?”
    “Yes,” Millie said. “Since you had entered my name, e-mail, and phone number as your contact, she called me. With my crazy schedule, she was trying for well over a week. When she finally did get through to me, she said she didn’t want to leave a message because she wanted to make sure this was all legit, and that Jacy wasn’t behind a big scam to track her down. Skye, when I told her how I met you in June, she almost went nuts. She said she lives every day with the torture of giving you up so long ago, and she’d give anything to see you.”
    “Where does she live? When can I meet her?”
    “Hold on now,” Millie said. “As much as she wants to see you, there are some conditions.”
    “Conditions?” Skye couldn’t believe what she had just heard. “What do you mean?”
    “Skye, I tried to explain to her how you found Jacy in Gatlinburg and how he’s turned his life around and how me and him have been in touch, but she’s still running scared. She still doesn’t want him to know where she is.”
    “But he’s a Christian now,” Skye said. “He wants to make things right.”
    “I told your mom that,” Millie said. “I even told her how he’s married again and he’s holding a steady job and all, but—well—she’s just not ready to accept it yet.”
    “So what do I have to do to talk with her? To meet her?”
    “Skye, she wants you to call her on her cell phone, but under no circumstances are you to give that number to your father. Do you understand?”
    “Sure, but—”
    “And one other thing,” Millie added. “When you do contact her, she wants you to call her ‘Rita.’ She’s not willing to tell us her new name or where she lives or anything like that yet. It’s unreal, but after all these years, she’s still pretty shook up over what happened between her and Jacy. It’s really too bad.”
    “When can I call her?” Skye asked, her whole body quivering.
    “She said the best time is after nine p.m. during any weekday. She didn’t tell me why, and I didn’t ask. She said I can call her anytime, too, so I plan to do that a lot. Maybe we can convince her that your father is a different man.”
    “Did she say anything about whether she’s married or has other kids or anything like that?”
    “Nope,” Millie said. “We talked for only a few minutes because she said she had an appointment or something. But she did say over and over again that she wants to talk to you. Do you have a paper to write down her number?”
    “Wait a sec.” Skye pivoted to a counter and grabbed a notepad and pencil. “Okay, go ahead.”
    “Now remember, Skye. Under no circumstances are you to give this number to your father. Rita made me promise within an inch of losing my hide that I wouldn’t tell Jacy she called me. I’m pretty sure she’ll do the same with you. She says she changes cell phone numbers almost as often as she changes clothes, and she threatened to do it again if she has any inkling that Jacy got a hold of this number.”
    Skye said goodbye to Millie and waved the paper in the air as she rushed toward Mrs. Chambers. “Mom, I can call my mother! Millie gave me her phone number!”
    “That’s wonderful, Skye.” While stirring a casserole bubbling in a large pan, Mrs. Chambers turned and smiled at Skye. “What are the conditions you were talking about?”
    In silence, Morgan placed napkins and silverware on her lap, wheeled past Skye and started working on four place settings.
    Skye moved out of Morgan’s way and rambled on. “My mother wants me to call her ‘Rita,’ so she knows it’s me calling her. No one else knows her by that name.Aunt Millie said I’m not to even think about giving this number to Dad, and I’m to call Rita after nine p.m. any weekday. I have to wait two whole days!”
    “That’s my girl,” Mrs. Chambers joked. “As patient as a new-born filly waiting for