“Miranda Jefferson,” she said, giving Miranda a hug. “Mama said you were coming out this morning.”
Miranda smiled. “Hello, Ava. How have you been?”
“Busy, working too hard, always homesick.”
“Really? You miss Holly River?”
Ava chuckled. “Who would have thought, huh? But yeah, I do. The corporate world isn’t for me. In fact, I’m trying to get a position here in Holly River.”
So Ava had left and she wanted to come back. Miranda wouldn’t have been more surprised if she’d heard that a member of royalty wanted to become a peasant. “Where are you applying?” Miranda asked.
“At the Sawtooth Mountain Children’s’ Home,” Ava said. “They have an opening for a director, and I think I could do the job.” She indicated a pair of wicker chairs behind them and suggested they sit. “Mama’s having fun with Emily, so we can talk a few minutes.”
Remembering Ava’s ability to get along with almost anyone and gently persuade others to her way of thinking, Miranda was certain that Ava could do any job she set her mind to. “That’s great,” she said. “Your mother must be thrilled that you’re coming home.”
“She is. She’s already talking about letting me redecorate my old room, though I’ve told her often enough that I’ll be living at the children’s home. It’s what I want. I’m just here for a few days now to have interviews and the like. And, if I get the job, I won’t be starting until the fall.” Ava leaned close. “I’m so thankful you brought your little girl here today, Miranda. Mama needs some female companionship once in a while—other than those old hens at the church.”
Miranda smiled. “It must have been hard for Cora when you went off to Charlotte and left your two brothers behind.”
Ava nodded. “It wasn’t easy for her, the only woman among three males—especially considering that those three males couldn’t get along for as much as ten minutes at a time.” Patting Miranda’s hand, she added, “You probably remember that my daddy, Raymond, wasn’t the easiest man to please.”
Did she ever. Not wanting to bring up unpleasant memories, Miranda simply nodded and stared over the green lawn that spread to the barn and said, “I always loved this place. It’s so beautiful.”
“It is,” Ava agreed. “Daddy was always prideful about keeping the house in perfect condition, almost like it was a showplace and testament to his success.” She chuckled, looked around the shabby porch. “Obviously, Mama has different priorities.”
So it wasn’t just Miranda’s imagination. The old home had suffered from neglect recently.
“Since I got home, I’ve been after Mama to hire someone to make some needed repairs around here, but she doesn’t seem bothered.
“You know, it’s funny,” Ava continued. “Since we were speaking of Daddy and how hard he was to get along with, I suppose you noticed that the boys had a more difficult time with him than I did. He was always on Carter’s case about doing better on the football field, getting better grades. And Jace, well, that relationship seemed a nightmare from the beginning. And Jace never did anything to make it better.”
Miranda had noticed, but she didn’t respond to Ava’s statement. She didn’t know why Ava had brought up the subject or what Ava wanted her to say.
“I didn’t ask to be the favorite child,” Ava went on. “But Daddy didn’t even try to hide it. Life was tough for Carter and Jace, but I know I don’t have to tell you that.”
Ah. So Ava was aware that Miranda had suffered under Raymond’s disapproving watch.
Ava looked around the porch. “I guess that’s the reason this place never felt much like a real home until he passed on.”
She shook her head. “I can imagine how that sounds, like an ungrateful daughter speaking ill of the dead, but honestly, Miranda, this old house went from a war zone of sorts to a sanctuary in a matter of days after Daddy was buried. We all found a measure of peace with his passing. It’s just a fact.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, “Miranda finally mumbled. “Fathers are so important.”
Ava gave her a sympathetic nod. “I know you felt that way about your own daddy, Miranda. Mama and I always felt awful about the circumstances of Warren’s death.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Miranda said.
“No, but Daddy was mean. There’s no way to sugarcoat it. He loved Mama, I know that for sure, and he liked me, and he accepted Carter, so long as he excelled as a fullback...” She paused, looked at Miranda. “I guess you heard about what happened to him.”
“I did,” Miranda said. “I was sorry to hear about Carter’s losses and his divorce.”
“It was hard on everybody, even Daddy. He was always a kinder, gentler man when Lainey was expecting.”
“How about you, Ava? Do you have children?”
“Me? I never married. Just wasn’t in the cards for me. Had a couple of serious relationships, but something always happened to tear us apart—either my job or his.” She smiled. “But if I get this position at the Sawtooth Children’s Home, I’m hoping to have eighty kids under my watchful eye when I move back to Holly River.”
Miranda experienced a pang of sympathy for Ava. She obviously cared for children. She was willing to change her life to help them. But she’d never had one of her own. “I hope it goes well for you, Ava,” Miranda said.
“Thanks...”
“What’s going on around here? Whose car is...?”
The boisterous voice coming from the corner of the porch belonged to Jace Cahill. He stopped midstride, letting his sentence hang in the air, stared at his sister and her guest. “When did you get here?” he asked.
Not certain to whom he was speaking, Miranda kept silent. “Yesterday morning,” Ava said. “Don’t I even get a ‘welcome home, sister’?”
“Obviously, you’re welcome,” Jace said. He looked like a workingman in his T-shirt, grubby jeans and high-top leather boots. His light brown hair was pulled back and held with a bit of sisal twine. He removed a bandanna from his neck and wiped his tanned brow. “Just didn’t know you were coming.”
“I believe in the element of surprise,” Ava said. She glanced at Miranda. “You remember Miranda Jefferson?”
“Sure.” Jace gave her an icy stare. “Saw her the other day at the tree farm.”
“Hi again, Jace,” Miranda said.
He shot a glance at the house. “There’s a kid in the kitchen with Mama. Saw her through the window.” Looking back at Miranda he said, “She yours?”
“That’s my daughter, Emily,” Miranda said.
“She’s cute,” Jace said, almost as if the words were difficult to get out. “Whatever they’re baking smells good.”
Miranda wanted to ask him how Lawton was working out at the tree farm, but maybe now wasn’t such a good time, especially if Carter had had to persuade him to hire Law.
“Did you come for sandwiches?” Ava asked, standing up. “Mama made enough for all the workers. I’ll go in and get them.”
“I came for sandwiches, but I think I’ll stay for cookies.” When Ava headed into the house, Jace sat in the chair she left. The uncomfortable vibe Miranda had experienced since he came onto the porch was more pronounced now that Ava had gone. She resisted an urge to squirm under his intense gaze.
Jace leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees. “So, last week I see you on Snowy Mountain and today you’re here on Mama’s front porch.”
The condemnation in his voice prickled the hairs on Miranda’s arms. “Cora invited us for a visit, Jace,” she said.
“I’m sure she did. Mama’s like that, a true believer in Southern hospitality.”
Miranda sat straight, refusing to be cowed by Jace’s tone. “As opposed to someone who holds a grudge for more than a decade.”
Jace smiled, but it wasn’t a natural expression. “Has it been that long, M
iranda? You should know that as far as grudges go, I can hold them longer than a decade or two.”
She scowled. “I’m sure you can.”
He leaned back, a gesture of relaxation that Miranda didn’t believe for a second. “Your cousin Lawton is working up on Snowy today trimming trees. But I guess you knew that.”
“Yes, I knew.”
“You can still get my brother to do most anything you want, can’t you? Including making me hire the delinquent who stole my truck and carted about twenty pounds of methamphetamine around in his car a few years ago.”
The last thing Miranda wanted on this near-perfect day was to get into an argument with Jace, but she had to defend her cousin. “No one proved that Lawton stole your truck, Jace, and as far as the other is concerned, Law paid his debt. He’s not dealing in any drugs now.”
“Course not. Kinda hard to make contacts when you’re locked up. But I’ll bet he’s still got a few numbers.”
Miranda’s cheeks flushed with anger. “Look, Jace, you didn’t have to hire Lawton, and as far as I’m concerned you don’t even have to speak to him while he’s at the tree farm. You just have to pay him what he’s worth shearing your trees. You don’t have to be his best friend.”
“Well said, Miranda, but I don’t want to snipe with you. I just want you to recognize a solid truth.”
“And what’s that?”
“I’m not the only one who resents Lawton coming back here. Folks are starting to talk...”
“I couldn’t care less,” Miranda said. “Narrow-minded...”
“They’re talking about you, too,” Jace said. “Folks don’t much like that you’ve come back after so many years just so you can force this town to accept a criminal back into their midst.”
“For heaven’s sake, Jace, Lawton is a human being first. Can’t you and all the other people in this town cut him some slack?”
“Sure, I did. He’s working at Snowy right now. Doing an okay job, too. But you should know that the feelings for the Jefferson boys have only gotten worse over the years. And it isn’t such a big surprise that the crime statistics in this town have risen since those boys got back together. We’ve had a couple of significant burglaries since Law got back.”
Miranda stared straight ahead and took a deep breath. She didn’t want this argument to ruin her and Emily’s day. She was here to visit with Cora and give her daughter a happy memory of her time in Holly River. If Jace wanted to act like a jerk by jumping to ridiculous conclusions, fine, but she wasn’t going to sink to his level.
“But this isn’t just about Lawton, Miranda,” Jace said. “It’s mostly about Carter. You hurt him bad, and I’m one Cahill who isn’t so quick to forgive and forget.”
“I noticed.” She slanted him a narrow glance. “How noble of you to stick up for your brother, even when he doesn’t need it. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, he’s a grown man who can take care of himself.”
Jace almost smiled. “I know that. But he’s been through a lot, and I guess he’s settled into a kind of quiet life now that suits him. At least he seems content most of the time. I’d hate to see him upset and all mopey again. I’d really hate that.”
“Mopey?” Miranda could only stare at Jace. “How can you refer to your brother, after what he’s been through, as mopey?”
“I was referring to the way he moped around this house when you left him.”
Miranda’s hands were shaking so badly she clasped them tightly and shoved them between her knees. And then she looked down the drive and realized the exact person they were talking about had just driven in. Miranda’s anxiety over seeing Carter’s unexpected arrival was overshadowed by her relief at ending the discussion with Jace. “I guess we’ll find out how he is today,” she said. “Isn’t that his patrol car?”
Jace squinted into the sun. “Sure is. I’m going back inside. But just remember one thing, Miranda. I’m watching. Don’t hurt him again.”
He strode around the porch to the back of the house. Miranda’s blood was throbbing in her temples. How dare Jace? As if she would ever hurt Carter again. She didn’t mean to hurt him back then. In a way she’d been trying to save him—from alienating his father, from her own grief and growing animosity toward the Cahills. And she’d been trying to save herself and her mother. If Jace were truly such a family-first kind of guy that he wanted her to suddenly believe now, why couldn’t he see that?
The sweetness of her high school romance with Carter had turned sour, and there had been no way to get it back again. But now...sitting on this porch again, the promise of a long walk around this comfortable fresh-smelling farm this morning, she’d considered a few times that maybe some of the sweetness was still there. Why was Jace warning her? Was he afraid that whatever had existed between her and Carter just needed a bit of encouragement to blossom into something really wonderful again? Miranda felt a shiver in her spine. What if it could? But one thing was certain. That encouragement wasn’t going to come from Jace.
* * *
CARTER PULLED NEXT to the midsize automobile he’d seen parked at Mrs. Dillingham’s bed-and-breakfast. Miranda’s car. His breath caught in his lungs. He got out of his vehicle and strode slowly to the house.
“Hi, Carter,” Miranda said.
“Hello, Miranda.” He kept his voice low and calm so she wouldn’t see that her unexpected presence here had unsettled him. “What brings you out here?”
“I talked to your mother this morning, and she invited us out. I thought Emily would enjoy seeing the garden and the animals.” After a slight pause, she added, “It’s nice to see you. I thought you would be working.”
He glanced down at his uniform. “I am. Just on my way back from a minor traffic accident and thought I’d check on my mother.”
Miranda smiled. “The ladies have been in the kitchen since I got here, making cookies.”
“Who’s that? Mama and your daughter?”
“And Ava.”
“Ava’s here?”
“Yes. It was so good seeing her again. She looks great.”
Pieces of this puzzle began falling into place in Carter’s brain, including the phone call he’d just received from his mother. He stepped up onto the porch. “How long ago did you talk to Mama?”
“This morning some time. I’d say two or three hours ago. Why? Did she tell you we were out here?”
“No, she didn’t, and we talked very recently. She called me and asked, if I had a few minutes, if I would come out and get rid of a beehive by the back door.”
Miranda’s eyes widened. “I didn’t notice any bees...” She covered her mouth with her hand. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“If you’re thinking that the only pesky critter here isn’t a bee, then yes.”
Miranda took a step toward the porch railing and wrapped her hands around the smooth wood. “Don’t be upset with her, Carter. Your mama was the one Cahill who liked me, I mean really liked me.”
He gave her a crooked smile. “And I didn’t?”
“Yes, of course you did. But I think your mama always kind of hoped that...”
He stopped her midsentence. “Well, she was wrong, wasn’t she?”
Miranda’s expression withered. “She wasn’t the only one. For a long time I thought you and I would be together forever.”
“I suppose that’s true enough.” He positioned himself next to her at the porch railing and looked over the land surrounding the house. “How does the place look to you?” he asked. “Porch needs staining and the house could use a coat of paint.”
“Still, it looks wonderful.” She pointed to a copse of trees a few hundred yards from the house. “The apple orchard is lush and green. You’ll probably have a good crop this year.”
He nodded. “Yep. And then it’s an endless stream of apple pies, apple butter, apple cobble
r, you name it.” He stepped aside, putting a few more inches between them when it suddenly occurred to him that years ago, he and Miranda had stood like this often on his parents’ front porch, looking over the land, talking about their future. Then warm feelings had flooded his heart. Now he just wanted to keep the conversation impersonal.
A moment of silence passed between them until commotion coming from the side of the house caught their attention. Cora, Ava, Jace and Emily appeared beside them. Ava gave her brother a hug. “Guess who’s home?” she said.
“Looks like we all are,” Carter answered.
Emily held a tray of cookies. “Hi, Carter,” she said.
“Ah, hello,” he responded. His throat felt dry.
“We made cookies,” she said. “Would you like one?”
He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, not realizing until he’d done it that she might be hurt by his disinterest. “Not right now, kid,” he said.
“Oh, okay.” Emily sniffed, looked around for someone else to give a cookie to.”
“I’d like one, Emily,” Jace said. “In fact, I’m so glad Carter didn’t take one that I might take two.”
After Jace took his cookie, Emily showed her mother the tray. “How about you, Mom?”
“Oh, absolutely,” Miranda said. “I remember Miss Cora’s cookies, and no one can turn down her chocolate chip.”
“These are mostly Emily’s doing,” Cora said. “She put her own special love into each one.”
Miranda took a large bite. “Heavenly,” she said.
Carter looked away. He certainly hadn’t intended on coming to his mother’s today and ending up feeling like a heel. But the damage was done.
Jace praised his cookie to the sky. “Not only is this little lady cute as a chipmunk on a fence post, but she’s a master chef.”
Carter’s temple began throbbing. He knew what Jace thought of Miranda, and yet his brother was pouring on all his charm. Well, sorry. The kid was Donny Larson’s, through and through. Her eyes, her curly blond hair, that round face. Maybe Jace could ignore that, but Carter couldn’t.
After a few uncomfortable moments, Cora, Ava, Jace and Emily turned to go back to the kitchen. “I think that next batch is ready to come out of the oven,” Cora said. From the corner of his eye, Carter could see, and feel, the look she gave him. Condemnation and disappointment all wrapped up in one scathing glare.
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