Grateful

"Good girl," Kane said as he looked up at Emma who was smiling.

"I'd love to have a dog like this someday," he told her as he played with dog.

They made small talk until the Montgomerys came out. When they did, Kane tried not to laugh when he saw them, but he couldn't help at least smiling as they sported his XL-size clothes.

It was still too dark inside to see much, even with the portable lanterns on, but he could now tell for sure Nelson was a very pretty young woman. He wasn't sure how old she was, but it was obvious she was an attractive woman who might be in her early 30s.

Once everyone was standing there, Mr. Taylor said, "The water main broke."

Kane raised his eyebrows but didn't reply.

"I worked for the city for 42 years, and we all knew what could happen if it ever did. It runs parallel to the road at the bottom of the hill. When it gave way, the water rose a good five feet in an hour. I don't know that for a fact, but I'd bet my retirement check on it, because that's the only way we could get that much water that fast."

"That explains a lot," Kane said. "Any idea on how much higher it might go?"

"By now, someone's gotten to it and shut it off the flow, so the only threat from here on is more rain. I'd expect the water level to slowly start dropping off around here soon in spite of the rain, but as they say, only time will tell."

"Regardless, you're all welcome to stay here for as long as necessary," he told them.

"We don't want to be a burden to you," Mrs. Taylor said.

"You're not. And there's nowhere else you can go until the water recedes and even then, your home is going to have to be rebuilt, so it looks like you're stuck with me for the foreseeable future."

"We have insurance," Mr. Taylor told him. "Home and flood. But it'll take months or maybe even a year or two."

He looked at his wife then said, "Years. Something we don't have too many of left. But we do have each other and a son who lives in Georgia. He'll be glad to take us in until we can sort this out."

Both he and Nelson saw them holding hands and smiling at one another even in the face of so much adversity.

To lighten the mood, Kane looked at the family wearing his clothes and said, "My, my. Aren't we a sight?"

Cassie was wearing one of his green tee-shirts like a nightie, and Joey had on a sweat shirt that covered him to his ankles while the sleeves dragged the floor. Nelson, however, looked...at home...in one of his dress shirts and a pair of sweat pants she'd hiked and cinched up well above her waist.

"The water is still warm," she told the Taylors. "And the clothes are clean and dry if a little too big."

Once the married couple was back and also warm and dry, Kane asked, "What can I get everyone? I can make instant coffee, and I've got plenty of food and bottled water."

"I'd love to help," Nelson said, smiling at Kane, her hair wet, a beautiful smile on now fully on display.

"Well, okay. I'll show you were everything's at then we can take orders and start cooking."

An hour later, no one was full, but everyone had had something warm and nutritious to eat. When they were done, Kane got the scraps together to feed Cocoa Puff who gobbled up everything in front of her then hit the water bowl he'd set on the floor knowing she'd be thirsty in spite of spending hours outside with nothing but water all around.

"We have to feed the kitty," Cassie said. "Can we keep him, Mom?"

"Honey, I don't know. First, we don't know if it's a boy or a girl, and it may belong to someone."

"But if it doesn't, can we keep him? Or her? Please???"

"Mr. Archer rescued her, so it's kind of up to him, don't you think?" her mom suggested.

"I guess," her daughter sadly replied as she played with cat that was now dry and fluffy.

"Let's see what we can find for a kitty cat to eat, shall we?" Kane said to Cassie.

Kane had always loved chicken livers and gizzards and had bought a pack that would go to waste within another day. Cassie stood next to him as he cut up a couple of livers into tiny pieces.

"You wanna feed her?" he asked.

Cassie's face lit up as she took the saucer and sat it on the floor.

"Come on kitty!" she called as she shooed Cocoa Puff away.

"Here girl," Kane said to the dog holding out a gizzard.

The dog took a quick sniff then inhaled the small piece of meat as the cat began eating in peace.

Kane moved closer to Nelson then said very quietly, "You're more than welcome to keep the cat. If you'd like."

She was watching Cassie who was clearly enjoying feeding it.

"Oh, I don't know. It's hard enough with the dog, you know? Being a single mom with two kids and a full-time job doesn't leave much time for pets. But we've had Cocoa Puff since..."

She got very quiet then said, "Since my husband was alive."

"Oh. I...I'm sorry. I wasn't aware..."

Nelson looked up at him then said, "It's okay. I wasn't looking for sympathy or anything. I guess it was more just a statement of fact."

At a loss for words, Kane didn't say anything as they both kept watching the kitty eat.

"It seems to be an indoor cat," he finally said. "Or else it's so hungry it's tolerating being inside."

"Oh! We need to put down some newspaper or something for it to do it's business in before it finds a corner to make a mess in!" Nelson said.

"Good catch," Kane told her. "I know just the thing."

He went to the door, pulled down a sand bag then brought it inside. He had a plastic pan under the sink to hold cleaning supplies which he emptied out.

"I hear they prefer dirt from outside if you don't have kitty litter for them," he said as he dumped the contents of the bag into it.

He took it over near the cat then set it against the wall. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the cat walked over, sniffed, then jumped in and did what cats do.

"How about that?" Kane said.

"You're a regular cat whisper," Nelson told him.

He smiled then said, "I don't have much in the way of furniture I'm afraid. I'm kind of new here, and let's just say decorating a house isn't exactly my forte."

"It's more than fine," Mrs. Taylor said. "Anywhere that's out of the rain is wonderful."

"I have the bed you all saw, and a recliner. I can also rustle up some towels and maybe a couple of blankets to lay on the hardwood floors."

"Let the children have the bed," Wilbur said immediately.

"You can't sleep on the floor," Emma told him just as quickly.

"No, my kids can sleep anywhere. You two take the bed," Nelson said.

She turned to Kane then said, "If that's okay with you."

"Of course. And it makes perfect sense," Kane replied.

"I'm not sleeping with Cassie!" Joey called out from nowhere causing the first laughter of the evening.

"How about you and me hang out in one room, and your mom and sister in another?" Kane suggested.

"That would be so awesome!" Joey said as he looked at his mother for her okay.

"Don't you want to relax in your recliner?" Nelson asked.

"Me? Nah, I can't sleep in that old thing anyway," he replied, telling a harmless white lie. "But you're more than welcome to it."

"No. I wouldn't feel right sleeping in it if my children are on the floor. No, I'll stay with Cassie like you said."

"Mom? Can Fluffy stay with us in our room?" Cassie asked.

"Fluffy? You're already giving the cat a name?"

"It works for a boy or a girl until we know, right?" her daughter offered.

"Yes. I suppose it does."

"So...can we call him—or her—Fluffy?"

Kane shrugged his shoulders when Nelson looked his way.

"Okay. Sure. I guess that's fine. But if we find out...Fluffy...has an owner, we have to give him—or her—back. Deal?"

"Yes! Deal!" Cassie said as she picked the cat up, and to everyone's surprise, it curled right up in her arms.

"Ohh! Fluffy is so sweet, Momma! Look!"

"I can't argue with you there, honey," her mom said.

Kane looked at her then said, "You wanna see what we can find to lay on?"

"Oh, sure. Definitely," Nelson replied.

"Well, follow me, and we'll rummage through the closet. I know the pickins' will be slim, but we'll make this work."

It didn't take long at all to scrounge through the mostly-empty closet and dresser.

"Are these your uniforms?" Nelson asked as she held up the lantern when they got to the closet.

"Oh. Um...yes. I just retired a couple of months ago. July 1st to be exact."

"These are Marine uniforms, right?" she said as she ran her hand along the red stripes with a star in the middle on the green uniform.

"Yes. Yes, they are," he replied quietly.

"So you really are a hero," Nelson said quietly with no hint of flattery.

"No, not me," he replied. "But I did serve with heroes."

"Modest. I like that," she said with a smile. "My late husband was modest."

They divvied up what they had making sure the kids had what they needed then chose their rooms.

"It's still a little early to go to bed," Kane said when everyone was back together in the living room. "I think I've got a deck of cards somewhere."

"Go fish!" Joey called out.

"That is so juvenile!" Cassie told him.

"Is not!" Joey said defensively.

"Okay. You two stop," their mom said politely but firmly. "We're guests here. Grateful guests, remember?"

Kane was beginning to wonder if that word kept popping up for a reason before saying, "Let me go see if I can find them first."

Playing cards was a staple of military life everywhere no matter how much technology was available, and there wasn't a card game Kane Archer couldn't play.

"Okay, Joey wants to play 'Go Fish'. Cassie? What would you like to play?" Kane asked.

"Old Maid?" she said with raised eyebrows.

"Okay. Which one first?"

Before the children could answer, he said, "Mom?"

"Oh. Um, well, I guess we can 'go fishing' first then play 'Old Maid'."

"That was easy," Kane said with a smile.

"We haven't done this in...forever," Emma Taylor said as Kane shuffled the cards.

"Nope. Not since our grandkids were little," her husband replied.

They had all of the lanterns around them so it was reasonably light as they played and laughed.

"Who wants a snack?" Kane asked out of the blue about twenty minutes later before realizing it wasn't his place to offer.

"Oops! My mistake. That's up to your mom," he said as he once again looked at Nelson whose long, dark hair had dried and looked soft and silky in the light of the electric lanterns.

"It's fine," she said. "Again, it's so wonderful to just be here and be al..."

Kane understood and gave her an understanding, sympathetic look.

"Okay, kids. Come on. Let's go rustle up some junk food, shall we?"

Not one to eat junk food, Kane wasn't really sure what they'd find and like, but it turned out that beef jerky and Triscuits were a big hit. A bottle of water per person and everyone was very happy. And no one was happier than Cocoa Puff who got chunks of beef jerky from everyone in the room.

"This is the most fun ever!" Cassie said as they played and snacked as though nothing had happened.

"Someone must not get out much," Kane said with a smile.

"This really is very nice," Nelson said as she smiled at him.

"We're enjoying it, too," Wilbur told them.

No one had any idea what time it was until Joey yawned. Kane checked his watch and said, "Wow. It's 2200 already."

He got some funny looks then laughed.

"Sorry. I believe that would be 10pm to most people."

"Mr. Archer is a retired Marine," Nelson informed everyone.

"Seriously?" Joey said, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Yes. I saw his uniforms in the closet," his mother told him.

"Can I see?" Joey asked.

"Honey, no. Not now," Nelson told him.

"We're grateful for your service, Kane," Wilbur said followed by a 'yes' from Emma and a 'thank you for your service' from Nelson.

"Were you in a war?" Joey asked excitedly.

"Joseph Montgomery!" his mother said in that tone which means 'careful'.

"It's okay," Kane said quietly. "And yes I was."

"Cool! Did you kill people?"

"Joseph Paul Montgomery!" his mom said, her tone expressing embarrassment. "I am so sorry, Kane."

"He's young and it's okay," Kane assured her.

He looked at Joey then said, "I like to think I helped keep US Marines alive and folks back home free and safe."

That wasn't the answer the young boy wanted, but it seemed to satisfy him, at least temporarily.

"Do have a other guns besides the pistol?" he asked causing his mom no small amount of discomfort.

"Okay. It's time for bed for anyone under ten years of age," she said drawing an 'ahhh!' from Cassie and a 'do we have to?' from Joey.

"Come on. Let's go."

Kane had one extra toothbrush somewhere from a dental exam and offered it to Nelson.

"Under normal circumstances, I'd never, ever let my kids use the same toothbrush, but this isn't exactly a normal circumstance," she said.

Nelson handed it to Cassie knowing Joey wouldn't care. She also knew she'd use it, too, as the thought of going several days without brushing her teeth was worse than the thought of sharing one with her kids.

She took Cassie to 'her' room while Joey brushed and asked her daughter if she'd be okay.

"I'm not scared," she told her mom.

"That's my brave girl," Nelson told her.

Cassie laid down on an old blanket and pulled a sheet over her then laid her head on a folded towel.

"Will you be able to sleep?" her mom asked.

"Uh-huh. This is fine," Cassie told her.

Nelson gave her a hug and a kiss then said, "I'm so proud of you. Your daddy would be, too."

"Thanks, Mom," she said with a smile. "I'll be fine, okay? Go take care of Joey."

She was only eight but so grown up for her age. The death of her father two years ago had been so hard for her and changed her so much. She was always a sweet girl, but she was now so much quieter and just seeing her laugh earlier under these circumstances warmed her heart.

"Okay. Goodnight, honey. Sleep tight," her mom said.

"Don't let the bedbugs bite," Cassie called back.

Joey was already 'in bed' having laid down on pretty much the same thing as his sister.

"You okay, buddy?" she asked.

The six-year old boy nodded and said, "Uh-huh. This is just like camping only inside."

Nelson managed not to laugh at what was an oxymoron—camping inside. Instead she hugged him, too, and gave him a kiss.

"Night, sport," she told him.

"Night, Momma," he said back.

She checked on them fifteen minutes later, and they were both sound asleep.

"I think we should probably turn in, too," Wilbur said around 10:30. This has been a very long day for us."

"Can I get you anything?" Kane asked as they stood up.

"You've done more than enough, Kane," Emma assured him. "We'll be fine. And again, we are so grateful for everything."

"Grateful. Yes," he said quietly before realizing he was muttering.

He shook his head slightly as if to wake himself up then said, "Okay. I'll boil some water for us in the morning for coffee and we'll take it from there."

The Taylors didn't reply. They stood there listening for something.

"Hear that?" Wilbur asked.

"No. What is it?" Kane replied.

"The rain. It stopped."

Everyone stood silently and listened.

"Oh, my goodness. It has stopped," Nelson said as a huge smile broke out on her face.

"I want to check the water level," Kane said as he headed toward the door.

"What's it look like?" Wilbur asked.

"Well, it's very dark, but I can see the water level is below the window's at Nelson's house, so you were right, Mr. Taylor."

"That's wonderful," Emma said. "We might be able to get out your hair in another day or so."

Kane looked at her then said, "Don't worry about that, okay? You stay as long as you need to."

She smiled as she took her husband's hand then said, "We're very fortunate you moved into our neighborhood."

"Yes. Very fortunate," Nelson said immediately with a smile that supported her words.

"I'm just glad everyone's okay," he told them before the Taylors thanked him yet again then excused themselves for the night.

Nelson watched them walk away hand in hand then said, "They are so sweet. And obviously still in love."

"I was noticing that," Kane said.

"May I ask if you've ever been married, Kane?"

"Oh, no. I was never in a position to settle down. I was gone nearly half the time I was on active duty."

He laughed quietly then said, "I guess maybe I was married, just not to a woman but to the Marine Corps."

Nelson laughed, too, then told him, "You're a very good man, Kane Archer. And whenever you are ready, the woman you marry will be a very lucky lady."

Kane smiled then thanked her before saying, "I just hope I can find someone willing to put up with the likes of me."

The way Nelson smiled at him surprised him almost as much as her words.

"You won't have any trouble, Kane. I don't know you well at all, but I do know you well enough to know there's a heart of gold inside you."

She smiled again then said, "No matter how hard you try and hide it."

"So my attempt at being a civilized human being is working?" he asked trying to be as serious as he could.

Nelson laughed quietly then said, "You might fool some people, but not me."

Kane pretended to be even more serious then said, "I would have never taken you for gullible, Nelson. A little naive maybe but not gullible."

"Ha! Listen to you!" she said. "I'll have you know I'm a very good judge of people."

He thought about keeping their little charade going by saying something about that not being true if she thought he was a nice guy, but he just smiled at her.

"I'm exhausted but I don't think I can go to sleep," Nelson told him after breaking eye contact.

"I hear you. I'm rarely in bed before midnight, and I'm pretty wound up, too."

"Can you play pinochle?" she asked with a smile.

"Can I play pinochle," he replied with a snort. "Is the Pope Catholic? Does the big bear..."

He stopped before finishing the old saying, but he laughed loudly when Nelson said, "Shit in the woods?"

As he laughed, Nelson added, "The big bear goes anywhere he damn well pleases."

He laughed again then said, "You're all night, Ms. Montgomery."

"Well, you're not so bad yourself, Mr. Archer," she replied with that same smile.

"Shall we?" he asked as he nodded toward the living room then held out his elbow.

Nelson looked at it then at him then slipped her arm through it.

"Just don't think I'm gonna take it easy on you because you were a Marine."

"Were?" he said with great incredulity. "Once a Marine, always a Marine."

"Oh. Well...excuse me!" she said playfully as they both laughed while walking arm in arm.

Kane Archer was a very good pinochle player, but when midnight rolled around and he hadn't won once, he asked her a question.

"Okay, where did you learn to play like this?"

"My mom and dad played nearly every week with friends. My dad taught me how to play when I was maybe Cassie's age, and my husband and I actually met playing pinochle at a mutual friend's house."

"Okay, I don't feel quite as bad then."

"You're actually very good," she told him.

"Just not...good enough," he said with a smile.

They played one more game and as they were playing Kane said, "If it's none of my business, please tell me, but may I ask how you lost your husband?"

"Yes, you may," Nelson said with a straight face before smiling.

"Oh, okay. I see how you are," Kane replied.

"I just thought you'd appreciate that kind of humor. Kind of like me knowing where the big bear does his business."

"That did impress me," Kane admitted.

"As far as my husband goes...his name was Nathan, by the way, but everyone called him Nate. Anyway, he was one of about 500 people who die each year from bacterial meningitis. He'd been sick for a few days then started complaining about a headache that got so bad I took him to the emergency room. They ran some tests and put him on a powerful course of antibiotics immediately but he never recovered."