Standing in his shadow, with him towering above her so that he was all she could see of the world, she believed him. It seemed as if anything was possible.
Then he tipped his hat, like a Western legend and moved away. While he unbuckled Tasha’s bridle, Lauren tried to gather up the scattered pieces of her heart, not sure what she was feeling about this man, when the sound of tires on the gravel driveway caught her attention. A beige sedan was pulling up to the far side of the garage, to one of the outbuildings.
“Looks like you get to test out my theory.” Caleb gestured toward that beige car. “That’s one of your sisters now.”
Chapter Five
Her sister. Lauren looked at the slender blond woman climbing out of the car, a woman who had the same shade of blond hair, the same blue eyes and face shape. Her sister. Lauren’s heart stalled. As she stumbled forward, somehow her wobbly knees worked and she got through the gate Caleb was opening for her.
“C’mon.” His baritone was a comforting rumble against her ear. “I’ll introduce you to Aubrey.”
Aubrey. Her mind groped through a sudden haze. Why was Caleb’s nod of encouragement all she noticed? “Aubrey’s one of the twins?”
“That’s right.”
The woman—her sister—was hurrying her way. She’d left her car door open and it was dinging away; she must have left the keys in the ignition.
“You’re Lauren. You have to be. Right?”
Suddenly there was no distance between them and Aubrey had thrown her arms around her in a warm, welcoming embrace. Welcoming. There was no question, no judgment, nothing but honest acceptance. Lauren stepped back, swiping her eyes, her vision blurred. Her mother’s prediction and her own fears vanished, just like that.
“I can’t believe this.” Aubrey held tight to Lauren’s hand. “You’re really here. After all this time. I never thought—” She took a gulp and there were tears in her eyes. “Welcome back to us. Do you remember me at all?”
There was an image, just beyond her reach, taking form and shape in the black places of her memory. A flash of sunlight reflecting off the side passenger door. The blur of the big round faces of the sunflowers hanging heavily, ripe with seeds. The flicker of the white picket fence that divided the backyard from the alley. She remembered the sound of her own cries. A flash of children’s faces in the backyard before they’d been gone to her. “It’s all a blur. I wish I could remember more.”
“I have never forgotten you. I can’t believe this. I saw Gran yesterday at the bookstore and she didn’t say a word. Not a single word. When did you get in?”
“Yesterday evening.”
“She was keeping this secret! It’s a good thing I decided to come out bright and early and get some work done in my studio—I do ceramics—but like I want to do that now? I don’t think so.” Aubrey was tugging her in the direction of the kitchen door, all joy. “We are going to go surprise Gran right now. I want her to know her plan to surprise us with you has failed. Caleb, are you coming?”
Lauren realized he’d retreated, leaving her with her sister. Her sister. Aubrey held her so tight, there was no way she could escape even if she wanted to. After all this time on her own, spending holidays alone, she had a sister. Sisters. There it was, hope rising up through the dark void of her memories. She held on to Aubrey’s hand a little more tightly.
Across the driveway, Caleb lifted his hand to his hat brim. “I’ve got to get to work. You two have fun catching up. Lauren, I’ll see you later.”
His gaze met hers and it was as reassuring as a touch. As if he was saying to her, “See, I told you it would be all right.” And he’d been right. She should have had more faith in him.
She let Aubrey tug her up the porch steps and still she couldn’t look away completely from the man. Caleb was watching them, watching her, his face shadowed beneath his Stetson, his expression inscrutable.
The hinges of the screen door rasped and squeaked, and she tumbled into the living room behind Aubrey. Lauren lost sight of him then. But she didn’t lose the sense of peace and support he’d given to her.
A few hours later, Lauren leaned toward the front seats of Aubrey’s car and squinted through the glare on the windshield. There it was, the family’s bookstore. Her brother and younger stepsister worked there; they were probably watching for Aubrey’s sedan through the long, windowed storefront. Aubrey had made the call from Gran’s kitchen phone to announce they were all coming. So more introductions were ahead. The weight of the past punched at her temples like a professional boxer’s gloves.
“I was so stunned I almost locked my keys in the car. Me!” Aubrey was saying into her cell as she pulled into a parking spot. Mature maples offered shade and relief from the blazing midday sun. “We’re here, so I’ll see you in a few.”
“Lauren, dear,” Gran said from the front passenger seat. “Don’t you worry about this. I hadn’t wanted to spring everyone on you all at once, but I guess the cat’s out of the bag.”
“I guess so, Gran. Don’t worry. I was going to meet them tonight anyway. This just gives me more time with everyone.” She was starting to feel optimistic. It was a new feeling and she liked it.
Lauren unbuckled her seat belt and noticed that Gran seemed to be having a little trouble with her’s. Lauren leaned forward to reach between the front seats and over the console. “Do you need some help with that?”
“No, dear. It’s just that these buckles are all so different.” The older woman’s voice rang sweet and true.
Lauren watched the worry dig into Aubrey’s face and realized there was more going on here—and perhaps more to her grandmother’s invitation. Gran’s words came to mind again. I wanted to meet you while I can remember. Even if she was all right now, time took a toll on everyone. Lauren remembered the fragile feel of her grandmother’s arm in her own when they’d hugged in greeting last night.
I’m so glad I came, Lauren thought. Her own purposes, her own hopes for coming no longer mattered so much. This kind, gentle woman did.
So she hurried out of the car to open her grandmother’s door and offered a hand to help her out of the car.
“Why thank you, Lauren.” Mary sounded surprised, but pleased. “What do you think of our place?”
Lauren considered it while she closed both car doors. The front of the store stretched across a wide expanse of tall windows that invited the eye right in. She saw colorful displays of sun catchers and wind chimes, of books set around a display, the flash of crystal and the curve of an armchair. The Corner Bookstore was written in tasteful black script across the double glazed front doors. The store was embedded in a larger complex of storefronts. This was where her dad used to work? “It’s wonderful.”
“My Franklin’s parents started the store right before the first World War, and I kept it open when Franklin went off to fight in the Second World War. He made it through Normandy and every battle after and came home to me. Our son was set to take over when we retired, but we lost him in Vietnam. That’s when it went to John and your mother. Then Dorrie came along and she worked so hard. She’s like a daughter to me. Now, they’ve passed it on to their children. A real family tradition.” Mary lit up with pride. “There’s Spence now, dear. Brace yourself, he’s wound pretty tight.”
Lauren caught the hint of a tall, austere looking man on the other side of the windows, striding swiftly toward the glass doors.
Aubrey closed her car door and over the top of the roof, she sent a huge look of apology. “We’re so sorry for him.”
“What do you mean?” Lauren asked, but there was no time for Aubrey’s answer.
The door swung open to reveal a tall, wide-shouldered man with perfectly groomed brown hair and piercing blue eyes. His scowl would do a villain justice. This was her brother? Her hopes began to sink. He tossed h
er a dismissive glance, his upper lip might have lifted up in the corner in a sneer, but she could have imagined it, before he turned his back on her and commandeered their grandmother.
He clearly didn’t like her.
“Gran. You shouldn’t be surprising us like this.” Spence escorted Mary up onto the sidewalk with care. “You should have called me to help if you were having a problem with Linda’s daughter.”
So, the past wasn’t left behind completely. This reaction was what she’d feared when she’d agreed to Mary’s invitation to visit. Her mother—there was no accounting for all that she’d put everyone through, Lauren could see that now, for Linda had needed money to help her chase her empty dreams.
Gran seemed distressed. “Spence, you have it all wrong. I hired a private investigator to find Lauren. I thought—”
“You what?” Spence looked outraged.
Lauren pressed her hand to her heart. His anger didn’t hurt. She wouldn’t let it. That man was her older brother. He looked nothing like the teenager from the family photograph on the cottage’s wall. He was harsh and unforgiving and expected the worst of her. What if the others shared his opinion? That old familiar loneliness wrapped around her like a cold wind and she shivered.
“Hey, it’s just Spence.” Aubrey came close, bringing with her a kindness that made that loneliness less chilly. “He’s like that. He was hurt pretty bad when Mom left. He took her abandonment so hard. I don’t think he’s ever really recovered.”
“Neither have I.” Lauren saw herself in Spence. She wasn’t big and harsh and intimidating, but she was on that path. After a while, loneliness and distrust became a habit; over the years, that habit became harder to break.
“I need to warn you, before we go in,” Aubrey was saying in that gentle, quiet way of hers. “We don’t talk about Mom, especially not in front of Spence or Dad. In fact, we don’t much talk about her at all, anymore. She didn’t want to be a part of our lives and we can’t go back and make her want to. She put Dad through a lot, afterward. Maybe you didn’t know that.”
“No. Mom said terrible things about everyone. I grew up hearing it so often, I guess I halfway b-believed it.”
“You were two when she took you. You had no say in it. It wasn’t your fault.”
“Somehow it feels that way.”
Aubrey’s hand tightened. “It must have been hard being all alone. At least we all had each other.”
It had been hard and it was the understanding of it that connected them.
“C’mon,” Aubrey said. “Come meet everyone.”
They hadn’t taken three steps onto the sidewalk when a loud squealing sound tore through the parking lot from behind them. Lauren turned to see Aubrey’s identical image rushing toward her, although this twin was wearing a bright yellow apron smeared with streaks of pink and green, her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her arms were stretched wide.
“Prepare yourself for Ava,” Aubrey warned, but it was too late.
Lauren found herself in a tight hug that would have cut off her air supply had it been any tighter.
“This is so totally awesome!” Ava wouldn’t let go. “It’s our little baby sister all grown up!”
While she heard Aubrey’s laugh and Ava’s happy squeal, what she most noticed was how hard Ava held on to her, how happy Aubrey sounded, the overwhelming rush of emotion that jammed in her throat. She was wanted. They were all talking at once, Lauren couldn’t listen to all of them, her mind was spinning. The ache in her throat swelled until she couldn’t swallow. It was amazing any air got through at all. Gran was standing in the shelter of the doorway, beaming with happiness.
“This is so super-duper,” Ava chattered happily. “I saw the car pull in and I couldn’t believe my eyes. Even if Aubrey hadn’t called, I would have totally known you on sight, Lauren.”
“I’m Rebecca, by the way,” the youngest girl said when Lauren turned back to the group. Rebecca had that college look to her, the one that Lauren knew so well. “Why am I the last to know these things?”
“You’re always out of the loop,” Aubrey admonished her gently. “If you’d answer your cell phone—”
“Or your e-mail,” Ava added.
“Or checked a single message.” A middle-aged, motherly looking woman approached, squeezing past Spence who glowered in front of the store. “You don’t know a thing about me, Lauren, but I am so glad to finally meet you. My Rebecca and you are almost the same age.”
“This is Dorrie.” Aubrey leaned in to explain. “Our stepmom.”
Stepmom. Dorrie didn’t look like any stepmother Lauren had ever seen before. She radiated maternal caring. She took it upon herself to smooth the flyaway hair from Lauren’s blurry eyes. She couldn’t tell if she was grateful or wistful that this woman had replaced Mom in the family. She seemed like everything a good mother should be. Everything Lauren had once needed.
“Do you know what I’m going to do?” Dorrie asked as the group hug broke apart. “I’m gonna make my special potato salad for your welcome-home dinner tonight.”
“Ooh, and your homemade rolls!” Ava pleaded.
Dorrie laughed. “Yes, dearie, I’ll make your favorite rolls. This is a celebration. Our Lauren is back with us.”
Not a single word could squeeze past the burning knot in her throat. Overwhelmed, she just stood there in the middle of her family like a robot in sleep mode. But her heart was like a too-full dam and the walls couldn’t hold it all. Inside, every wall she’d ever built against the loneliness of her childhood crumbled. The feeling of family—of being wanted—swept every defense away.
“Ooh, I’ll make dessert!” Ava spoke loud enough to be heard, because everyone was talking at once. “Something chocolate. Lauren, do you like chocolate?”
She managed to nod but still couldn’t speak. She had a family. For the first time in her life.
Lauren had been on his mind all day, but when Caleb saw Spence marching across the driveway in his direction, he figured he knew the reason why. He gave the new gate latch a final twist of the screwdriver.
Malia stuck her head over his shoulder to get a good look at her next challenge.
“You leave it be, you hear me?” he told her with a wink and gathered up his tool bag. He met Spence halfway, dreading every step.
Spence didn’t look happy. “You knew about her and you didn’t tell me.”
“I figured it was Mary’s place to tell you.”
“How long have we been friends?”
“Since we were kids in school—”
“That’s a long time. Secrets. That’s not what I’d expect of a longtime friend.” It was hurt that echoed in the lower tones of Spence’s voice, although he held himself as if angry.
Caleb was sorry for that, too. “It wasn’t my place to get involved.”
“I see. Well, if it’s not your place, then whose is it? Do you know what I saw today?”
“I don’t know. What’s got you all worked up?” He dumped his tool bag into the back of his truck.
“Seeing her with Gran. Acting as if she cared for her, taking her by the hand to help her out of the car, but ten to one she’s no different than Linda.”
“Did you notice Lauren at all? She’s nice.”
“So are a lot of people. Everyone’s got a little nice in them. It’s the flip side of that, that’s the problem.” Spence looked truly troubled. “What about Gran? Have you noticed how scattered she is?”
“Not really.”
“Well, look closer. She’s forgetting things and hiring private detectives to find long-lost relatives. She’s inviting perfect strangers into her home. She’s fragile. I’m worried about her welfare.”
Caleb looked at his friend and saw the past, when he was the one wi
th unplaced anger and frustration, fists clenched and jaw clamped so tightly his teeth ached. It was a helpless feeling watching your loved ones face the last part of their lives. He’d been there. “You’re worried about Mary. I am, too.”
“You don’t look like it to me. She’s wealthy. She and Grandpop worked hard all their lives and she doesn’t deserve to be fleeced by some—”
Caleb knew Spence well enough to guess what was behind his seemingly hard stance. Spence wasn’t harsh, not down deep. He’d served on the board of many community organizations, trying to make a difference. He cared. That was the bottom line. But when it came to family wounds, little else could cut deeper or leave such a lasting effect.
Caleb did his best to see that now. “You did meet Lauren, right? You said you did, but you’re not acting like it.”
“Oh, sure. Why shouldn’t she come across as nice?”
“If you bothered to get to know her at all, then you’d figure, like I do, that her niceness is more than skin-deep.”
“How exactly do you know that? You saw her for a few minutes before Gran got here? It takes more than a few minutes—”
This is where it could get complicated, but Caleb bit the bullet. “The truth is, I offered to teach her to ride. She came out and met me for an early morning horse ride. We kept to the pasture, but she seemed so interested in the horses. Maybe she’s a country girl at heart.”
“Don’t be fooled. Linda raised her. Why wouldn’t she be just like her? If she’s true to form, she’ll get close to Gran, close enough to get her hands on enough goods to pawn or get Gran sympathetic enough to write her a fat check and she’ll be gone. Never to be heard of again, if we’re lucky.” Spence looked away, staring hard at the house, his jaw tight.
Worrying about family could do that to a man. You took care of what was yours. End of story. That’s just the way it was. Caleb knew that was all Spence was trying to do, because that’s how he lived his life, too. He’d come home to Montana and left his fiancée behind to take care of the grandparents who’d raised him, so he knew a thing or two about what his buddy was going through. “All I’m saying is get to know Lauren first, before you make all these judgments. Judgments are like blinders. You see all right looking straight ahead, but it’s the whole picture you gotta take careful note of.”
Sweet Home Montana (The McKaslin Clan) Page 6