Paul smiled. "Not at all. In fact, our vet has wanted to retire for several years. He'd love to hear that."
"Excellent. I'll get his details and give him a visit then." He gestured for us to enter. "Come in and visit for a while."
We followed him through the house to the backyard, where Megan struggled with breaking up Bradley and Taylor.
"Hey!" Paul rushed forward and tore our sons apart. "You little monsters. What's this about?"
They proceeded to yell at once, as Megan stepped beside me.
Jackson hurried back to me. "Mom, their kids are all too young. Can we go back to the house?"
I frowned. "No. No one's there."
"Come on! I just turned twelve. When are you going to trust me?"
"When you're twenty."
He growled and marched off.
"Donny's been harping on about that, too," Megan muttered.
Wyatt leaned closer. "We have three. But your oldest… I was told he came from another marriage that ended tragically."
I folded my arms. I'd come to terms with Forrest's death years earlier, but there were moments when I missed him, and there were moments when the memories from that time still hurt.
The Richards boy was locked away, and wouldn't be due for bail for another seven years. Once a year, on the anniversary of Forrest's death, I received a letter from him. At first it only said, "I'm sorry," but as the years passed, he included more. I knew he regretted what he did, and each year that passed, I saw that regret deepen. Maybe he could be saved by Forrest's death one day, too.
But Nova never forgave him. She even visited him a few times, just to look him in the eyes and make sure he knew how well she was doing. She said she wanted to make him hurt like he hurt her.
I looked into Wyatt's eyes. "Yes, my first husband died. He was a good man, but he left me with so much. I know he'd be happy for me now, so I can't regret anything. Plus, I have this beautiful family."
We heard a car pull up, and he looked around. "That would be my wife. I'll be right back."
He dashed into the house.
I looked around at the children, and my gaze caught on the little boy now playing with Taylor. I stared at him, feeling an odd sense of familiarity. I grabbed Megan's arm. "Does that little boy look… familiar?"
Megan titled her head. "Ahh, I don't know."
Paul wrapped his arm around my waist. "Jackson went back to the house."
I glared at him. "Really? I told him no."
Paul cringed. "Oh. Sorry."
"Braydon?"
We all spun at the sound of a woman's voice. There, standing on the stairs, was Sarah. My jaw fell. "Sarah?"
She rushed over to me and paused a few feet in front of me. "You, ah, you look good." She flushed and dropped her gaze.
"Sarah?" I took a step closer. "Why did you go away for so long?"
She took a sharp breath as tears filled her eyes. "You don't hate me?"
Megan snorted. "Good heavens, she's still so dramatic."
She shot a fierce look at Megan. "And you're still obnoxious."
I laughed and threw my arms around Sarah. 'It's good to have you back."
She squeezed me and whispered, "It's good to be back. I'm so glad you forgave me. I was so afraid…"
I leaned back. "I never hated you."
She smiled and glanced over my shoulder at Paul. I looked back and saw him avert his eyes, shoving his hands in his pockets uncomfortably.
Sarah giggled. "Bray, no offense, but my husband is way hotter than yours."
Paul's gaze flashed up to us and we both laughed.
"I'm glad you think so," I said. "Well, it looks like we have some catching up to do."
Follow the Davis and Clark families in the Papina Novella Series soon to come…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born and raised in Australia, Katie’s early years of day dreaming in the “bush”, and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing.
After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughter and their dog.
She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing. She is currently at school studying English and Creative Writing.
Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports and be a good wife and mother. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.
Blog: http://kjhstories.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Katie-Hamsteads-Stories/247238178656484
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Katie-Hamstead/e/B008T8M8PA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Other Books by Katie Hamstead
Kiya Trilogy ―
Kiya: Hope of a Pharaoh
Kiya: Mother of a King
Kiya: Rise of a New Dynasty
Branded
Papina (Bearville County) Page 27