Determined that she and Holly should share the new entries, Lily closed the journal and didn’t read on.

Chapter Eight

Mack used his planning period on Thursday morning to look up NPD, and was amazed to find that the symptoms fit Adam so well. He and his brother were twins, so it stood to reason that they would be drawn to the same type of woman. But if Adam really had NPD, then why hadn’t Mack developed that condition, also?

Lunchtime was right after his planning period, and a 4-H meeting had been scheduled for noon that day. He had to hustle to get over to the library at the middle school for the meeting. Today, they would be discussing the upcoming junior livestock exhibition, and the kids would be taking the forms home to fill out concerning what animals they would show that spring.

He was surprised to see Braden enter the room with Isaac Torres, who’d won first place the year before with his Angus steer. Isaac came from a fairly affluent family, one with a pretty nice-size spread out west of town. However, he was an overweight kid, kind of shy, and didn’t have many friends, despite his family’s wealth.

“Hey, Mack,” Braden said, and then his face turned scarlet red. “I mean, Mr. Cooper.”

“It’s all right.” Mack grinned. “The kids in 4-H and FFA usually just call me Mr. Mack. Are you interested in 4-H?”

“Maybe,” Braden replied. “Isaac said I could come to the meeting with him and see what it’s all about.”

“Well, then, thank you, Isaac, for inviting a new person to the club,” Mack said.

Isaac ducked his head and blushed right along with Braden. “He said that he likes your goats. I thought he might like 4-H. Maybe next year he can show a goat.”

“That would be great,” Mack said as several more members brought their lunch into the library and took a seat. “Looks like we’re all here. This is an informal meeting today. We’re here mainly to talk about the spring livestock show here in Comfort and to make sure you have the forms to fill out. They’re right here on the desk. You need a separate one for each category you plan to enter. Say hey to Braden Anderson while you’re at it. He’s just moved here from Austin, and he might be joining 4-H.”

Everyone turned to look at Braden. Some nodded. Some said hello. Since he was sitting with Isaac, one of the geeks in the middle school, no one said much to him. At the end of the period, Isaac hurried to the bathroom, and Braden stopped by the desk where Mack was still sitting.

“Isaac is my new friend. Why do the other kids treat him like something is wrong with him? He’s super smart and he’s really fun to talk to,” Braden whispered.

“Yes, he is, and he’s a hard worker, too,” Mack told him. “He really takes time to train his show animals, and that’s why he does so well. I’m glad he’s your new friend.”

“But why do the kids treat him like they do?” Braden pressed for an answer.

“Number one.” Mack held up a finger. “He’s smart, and that makes them feel inferior.” Another finger went up. “Two, he’s a little overweight and kind of shy, so they put him down to make themselves feel all important.” A third finger popped up. “And three, they’re jealous.”

“Well, that’s just mean.” Braden slung his backpack over his shoulders. “I don’t care what they think. Me and him have fun together, and he’s my friend.”

“I’m glad you feel that way,” Mack said. “Someday maybe the other kids will come around and see what you do. You better get on to class now before you’re tardy.”

“Thanks, Mack, and I’m going to talk to Mama about joining 4-H. Next year maybe I can get a goat and show it, like Isaac says.” Braden threw the brown bag that he’d brought his lunch in that day into the trash, and waved as he left the room.

“How about that?” Mack said as he picked up what was left of the forms and headed out of the building. The halls were quiet, but in a few minutes the bell would ring, and all that would change. He paused at the door for a moment. Several times his life had changed drastically in the few seconds that a bell could have rung. Things in his world had been as quiet as the hallways—then Lily and the kids moved into the house, and bingo, everything had done a turnaround.

When he pushed the doors open to go outside, he noticed Braden and Isaac over in a corner. Both of them waved at him. That alone was geeky—students ignored teachers for the most part, and they sure didn’t smile and wave.

He crossed the parking lot, got behind the wheel, and headed out of town toward the high school. He remembered asking his father pretty much the same questions that Braden had asked him that day. Only Mack’s were about why the kids at school treated Adam like a celebrity. Mack made better grades and worked harder. Orville Cooper had been as honest with him as Mack had been with Braden.

Mack wished he’d taken better advantage of time with his father. Orville had Alzheimer’s, and there were many days when he didn’t even know Mack, and others when he thought his sons were still teenagers.

He parked in his spot at the high school, got out of the vehicle, and hunched his wide shoulders against the bitter-cold January wind. When he finally made it to his room, he realized he had a few minutes left before the bell rang for his next class, so he took the time to call his mother.

“Hello.” She was out of breath when she answered on the fourth ring. “Sorry it took so long. Your dad and I just got back from our walk. The doctors say it’s good for him to get his exercise every day, but boy oh boy, is it ever cold today.”

“How is he?” Mack asked.

“No better but no worse. Today is a good day. He knows me and talked about you and your goats. How are you doing with a family in the house with you?” Nora asked.

“It’s going great so far. Mama, did you ever realize that Adam has a personality problem?” he asked.

“Of course I did, honey,” she answered.

“Put it on speaker so I can hear,” Orville yelled.

“We’ll talk about Adam later,” Nora whispered. “Okay, it’s on speaker, and you have me and your dad here.”

“I’ve only got a few minutes,” Mack said. “Just thought I’d call and check on y’all. When are you going to come to Comfort and help me weed out my goatherd, Dad?”