the success of the boys’ home.
A few minutes later there was a rap at the front door and Indie opened to find a tall, gangly man with a shock of brown hair standing in the doorway.
“Hi,” he said with a warm smile. “I’m Kirk, Jenna’s husband. One of the drivers just dropped her home and she asked me to pass by.”
“Yes, of course.” Indie stepped aside. “Won’t you come in?”
“Thanks.” He brushed his palms against the seat of his very worn jeans. “Jenna said I should come over and pick up some bags. Do you know where they are?”
“I did see a couple of bags in the bedroom, in the corner by the window.” She waved her hand toward the room. “Go on in. I’m sure those are the bags you're looking for.”
He gave her a polite, almost apologetic nod, then headed for the bedroom. “Yep,” he called out, “it’s them all right. Jenna’s forever tagging her bags with these little pink strips of cloth.” He came out of the room with the bags tucked under his arms. “Ever since we heard it’s a girl you would think pink is the only color in the world.”
Indie gave him a sympathetic smile and went to hold the front door open. “She’s just excited, that’s all. As I’m sure you are, too.”
His bashful smile and the blush creeping up his neck told Indie she was right. He gave her another quick nod and then he was through the door, lugging the bags toward an ancient-looking pickup truck. He threw them in the back then jumped into the cab. The engine turned over immediately, sounding like a very healthy, well-tuned machine, nothing like what the outside looked like. He gave her a wave. “If you need anything, just send one of the drivers to fetch me. I’m not even a quarter mile away.”
“Will do.” She waved until he disappeared down the dirt track.
Alone again, Indie headed back inside where she washed the lunch dishes then she sat down at the desk and began to go through the notes Jenna had left for her. Orders to be placed for school and home supplies, a staff meeting to be planned for the teachers two days from now, a progress report to do, one that Jenna hadn’t even had the time to touch. Boredom would definitely not arise as one of her problems. Not at this place. There was just too much to do. Never one to procrastinate, Indie grabbed a notepad and began to write her plan of action.
She was absorbed in her second task, pulling the notes together for the progress report, when she heard a knock at the door. She looked up. How many hours had she been at it? She glanced over at the desk clock. Three-thirty in the afternoon already. Where had the past couple of hours gone? It seemed like less than half an hour since she'd sat down at the desk.
She got up and stretched then strode to the door. It was probably Kirk coming back for more of Jenna’s stuff. She didn’t mind. Although he seemed shy she might just strike up a conversation with him, maybe ask him a few things about the region.
She pulled the door open, a welcoming smile already on her face. But it wasn’t Kirk who filled her doorway. It was Stone.
“Hey,” he said, smiling down at her. “Overwhelmed yet?”
Indie laughed. “Not yet.” Her heart feeling light with the pleasant surprise of his visit, she stepped back to let him in.
“Brave girl,” he said as he ducked his head to step through the doorway. Then he turned to her. “But don’t worry. You do have a second in command. A vice principal of sorts. Anita is her name. A competent woman. In fact, before Jenna came on board she held the fort for a good two months.”
“That’s good to know. I was wondering why Jenna departed so suddenly, like she was leaving me to sink or swim.” Indie waved a hand, directing Stone over to the couch. “Good to know I have somebody here who knows the ropes.”
“Of course.” He sank into the chair and stretched his long legs out in front of him. “You need time to get your feet wet. Anita will pick up the slack while you’re in learning mode. In fact,” he crossed his ankles then rested an arm on the back of the chair, “you have a top class crew. All this ship needs is a good captain to keep her pointed in the right direction.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” she said, and she meant it. “I already have some ideas I’d like to implement in the home and even in the school.” Warming to her subject, she sat in the armchair across from Stone and leaned forward. “What do you think about adding vocational subjects to the curriculum for the older boys? I remember in school I used to love tinkering with old cars. What if we offered introductory courses in auto mechanics, building construction and agriculture? The way I see it, it could only complement the academic curriculum. It certainly wouldn’t hurt.” She tilted her head. “What do you think?”
He shrugged. “I’m not an educator but from my layman’s perspective I don’t see why not. Why don’t you lay out your proposal and I’ll have someone from the ministry of education have a look at it? It might be worth getting the opinion of an expert.”
“Consider it done,” she said, relieved that he was taking her suggestion seriously. “It will be in your hands before this week is out.”
“Sounds good to me. Anything that will prepare the boys for high school and for life, I’ll support one hundred percent.”
That made her pause and shake her head. “You’re so dedicated to those boys. It’s such a pleasure to find a wealthy man who cares enough to give to others.”
That made him frown, but he looked more thoughtful than angry. “You find that strange? Most of my business associates have charities that they support wholeheartedly. Some of them give away millions every year.”
Now it was Indie’s turn to frown. “Really?”
Stone nodded. “Really.” He pulled in his legs then sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “You know, rich people tend to get a bad rap but you’d be surprised at how many of them actually do a lot for the disadvantaged. The majority, I should guess.”