Well, she had to admit, he had often glanced her way, but she suspected it had been because he’d been amused by her—the awkward girl so different from her older sister, whom everyone had worshipped.
“Well, I’d better get back to work,” he announced. He gave Thomas a salute, flashed Laura a smile, and strode around the side of the house.
Laura watched after him, confused. Thomas noticed.
“His patrol car is parked back there.” He gestured to the gravel drive behind the house.
She was now thoroughly confused.
“He works swing shift,” Thomas informed. “He came by for a sandwich.” He gave a rueful grin. “As many people that eat here these days, I ought to consider installing a drive-through and becoming a short-order cook.”
Chapter Two
Laura stood silently in the room she had shared with her sister during their early years. She turned in a slow circle, taking in the familiar space. Nothing had changed. The walls remained a muted, sky blue, the white ceiling had darkened years before her family had ever moved in, and the carpet was threadbare. She wondered if her brother intended to give the room an overhaul. She doubted it had been changed since the nineteen-twenties.
She remembered imploring her parents to allow her to give the room an update when she’d lived her, but they had refused to let her, asserting that changing the old farmhouse would be a crime.
They’d held firm to the traditions of their farming community, which had made it all the more difficult for Laura to understand her parents making the move to Arizona. But then, her mother had always suffered from allergies and had cited health issues as the reason for the move.
Now, her parents lived in a tidy two-bedroom home that sat squarely in a residential neighborhood. Her mother seemed to be thriving living in town, and even seemed to delight in the excessive Arizona temperatures. She could understand their desire to live in a warmer climate, since she herself practically luxuriated in the Georgia climate even when summer temperatures soared.
Even now, the memory of that Georgia sun made her glance longingly at the window, which currently framed the grey, cloudy November sky. Welcome to the Pacific Northwest.
Laura dropped onto one of the two twin beds—hers—and blindly grasped at the edge of the antique bedspread as she sunk into the mattress. Her brother suddenly stuck his head into the room.
“Dinner’s ready,” he announced, and then seemed to register that the mattress was barely supporting her slender form. “Probably time to replace that old mattress,” he remarked with a smile, as he glanced around the room. “Just can’t seem to change the décor.” He gave a bright smile. “This is my sisters’ old room, after all.”
“Speaking of sisters, what’s the story with Candace?” She shook her head. “When Mom told me she and Dan had broken up… And then I received her e-mail…”
“I know” he said, nodding with understanding. “Their split came as a shock to all of us. Dan walks around as if his world has come to an end.”
“It has!” she said shrilly, her heart going out to her brother-in-law. Laura remembered Dan as a wonderful, decent Christian man who had doted on Candace. From what their parents said, he still did—or had. “What is Candace thinking?” she wondered aloud.
He gave a shrug. “I don’t know. She isn’t talking and neither is Dan.”
“Well, Dan has to be devastated. And the kids…”
“Having a hard time,” he conceded, and then checked his watch. “They’ll be here any time,” he told her.
“Kenny and Krissy are coming tonight?” Laura asked, surprised her young nephew and niece were stopping by this evening. Didn’t they have school tomorrow?
“Yep. We’re babysitting,” he informed with a grin and a quick arching of his brows. “I’ve been doing a lot of babysitting for our sister’s children lately.”
“Why?” Laura asked, and then shook her head as if to clear it. “You’re telling me you watch the kids often?”
He nodded. “She drops them by here most every night.” He gave a sigh. “I don’t mind, really. They’re good kids. Besides, Macy and Dalton help out a lot.”
“I’m confused,” Laura admitted. “What is Candace doing every evening? And why isn’t Dan watching the kids when she can’t?”
“I have no clue what Candace does with her evenings, although I know exactly what Dan is doing when he can’t watch his children. He works.”
“I thought he works a day shift.”
“He does, but he picks up every overtime shift he can.”
“Why?”
He shrugged again. “I have no idea. Like I said, neither Dan nor our sister is talking. All I know is, I’ve become the kids’ primary care provider and I’m not even sure how it happened.”
“Huh.”
“Yeah, huh,” he said ruefully. “You’ll be interested to know that I’ve even learned how to fix girl hair.”
“I…” She shook her head. “You have me confused.”
“When the kids end up sleeping over, I’ve had to fix Krissy’s hair a time or two. Gotten good at it, really.”
“Wow,” Laura said, and then struggled to rise from the lumpy bed. Finally, successfully standing, she watched her brother questioningly. “Are Mom and Dad coming home for Thanksgiving?”
“Unfortunately, they won’t be joining us.”
Laura’s face grew pensive. “I wish they were coming.”
“I know. Me too. Mom would know what to do about this situation with Candace. As it stands now, I’m convinced she and Dan are on a steady course toward divorce.”
“So they’re not considering a reconciliation?”
“Like I said, I don’t know anything for sure, other than, they pass one another on the road, more often than not. I don’t think they spend any time together as a family, nor are they speaking.”
“Did you try to talk to Dan?”
“I did, but he remains tight-lipped. ‘Course, he’s always been a man of few words. Getting him to open up is like trying to pry the lid off a jar of pickles. And speaking of pickles, dinner is done.”
“We’re having pickles for dinner?” Laura asked with a playful grin.
“Watch it, or we just might,” he teased.
Laura followed her brother down the stairs and into the country kitchen. “Need any help?” she asked.
When he shook his head, she dropped wearily onto the bench seat of the old picnic table the family had used for years. With her finger, she traced several of the initials and pictures she and her siblings had engraved into the tabletop. Her parents had been furious each time they found additional graffiti on the family’s dinner table. Looking back, she couldn’t blame them.
Laura turned to the back door when she heard it close with a bang. Macy, Thomas’ fiancée, stepped into the kitchen.
“Laura!” she cried, “it’s so great to see you again.”
“You too, Macy,” Laura said, meaning it. She had always liked Macy, who was three years older. The freckle-faced brunette was a down-to-earth girl who dearly loved Thomas. Laura knew he couldn’t do better as far as a future wife.
“How’s Linette?” Laura asked of Macy’s younger sister, who had been a good friend to Laura during their school years.
“Doing great. She’s married, living in Portland, and has three little kids.”
Laura gasped. “Wow, three?”
“Two boys and a girl.”
“So she’s living in Portland? I didn’t think she’d ever leave the country.”
“Surprised us, too,” Macy admitted.
Thomas left the stove briefly and gave his fiancée a quick kiss on the lips. “And now you’re the country girl,” he said, smiling affectionately.
“Hard to believe, isn’t it?”
Laura chuckled. She remembered Macy had talked often about moving off her parents’ twenty-acre farm and residing in the city.
“How do you like Georgia?” Macy asked.
“
Love it. I’m already missing that blue, blue sky.”
“Is it cold there this time of year?”
“It can get chilly, but we see quite a bit more sunshine than you do here.”
“Well, that’s not saying much,” Macy laughed ruefully. “Our last summer didn’t arrive until after mid-July, and held on until about mid-August when the rains came again. I do get tired of the grey skies,” she acknowledged.
“But this is some of the most beautiful country in the world,” Thomas observed. “I’ve traveled quite a bit and I always want to come home. As much as I enjoy basking in some tropical sunshine, I just can’t see leaving the beauty of our own—”
“Uncle Thomas!”
His words trailed off when he heard his nephew calling him from the front of the house. “In the kitchen, Kenny!” he called back. Soon, the children burst into the kitchen. “Where’s your mom?” Thomas asked, frowning. “Why didn’t she come in?”
Krissy gave a shrug. “She dropped us off.”
“Well, obviously,” he said, smiling at his niece, but Laura noted the slight narrowing of his eyes. “She didn’t want to come in and say ‘hi’ to...” He let the words hang in the air.
“She said she couldn’t,” Krissy told him, but her attention was focused on her aunt.
“Mom was running late,” Kenny volunteered.
Laura rose from the table. “Hey, you two,” she said, spreading her arms. “How about a hug for your Aunt Laura?”
A wide grin creased the little girl’s face and she stepped into her embrace. “I can’t believe you’re actually here,” she said.
“Yeah. Did you just get here?” Kenny asked.
Laura took a step toward him and tugged him into her arms. “You’re not too big to hug, young man.”
The eleven-year-old grinned sheepishly, but allowed her to hold him.
“Hey, thanks for the gift certificate for my birthday,” he said, as he stepped away. “That was awesome.”
“And thank you for mine too,” Krissy said. “I bought two dolls with it.”
Kenny made a face. “Waste of money…”
“And what did you do with yours?” Laura asked him.
“I put it in the bank,” he informed, sounding very grown up.
“Good for you,” she praised him. “Now sit down you two. We’ll all visit while your uncle fixes us dinner.” She made a face and whispered, “I just hope he doesn’t poison us.”
“Uncle Thomas is a good cook,” Krissy said in his defense.
“So I hear. Krissy, when he was your age, he couldn’t manage to make a sandwich. Did you know that?”
“I’m not surprised,” Kenny said, and Thomas shot him a mock-angry look. “Mom said the same thing. She said he was pathetic, which is why she’s making me learn to cook and sort laundry.”
“Hey, I can sort laundry too!” Thomas bellowed with mock-offense. “But now that I know you know how, I’m turning the job over to you.”
“No thanks,” Kenny save with a dismissive wave. “I’d rather play video games.”
Thomas pinned him with a look. “Did you finish your homework?” He sounded like the middle-school teacher he was.
Kenny made a face. “Yeah, even the stuff you assigned us.”
“Good,” Thomas said crisply, and turned to Krissy. The eight-year-old quickly averted her eyes. “Krissy,” he prompted in a firm tone.
“Math is hard,” she moaned. “I’m not smart like Kenny.”
“Hey,” Laura cried, “you’re both smart. You both write wonderful e-mails to me. If you weren’t smart, you wouldn’t be able to write so expressively to your ol’ aunt.”
Krissy grinned. “I’m going to be a writer like you, Aunt Laura.”
Laura pulled her into a hug. “That’s terrific. I know you can do it.” She nudged Kenny. “How ‘bout you? What do you want to be when you grow up?”
“I’m going to be a cop, like my dad,” he said proudly.
“You’re not going to be a teacher like me?” Thomas said, his voice incredulous. His sparkling eyes belied his surprise at his nephew’s announcement.
The little boy shook his head briskly. “Sorry, Uncle Thomas. But I want to be just like my dad.”
Thomas pretended to grumble, as he turned back to the stove and picked up a wooden spoon. He waved it mock-threateningly at his nephew, and then began stirring the pot. Finally, he took the large pot off the stovetop. “Chili,” he announced proudly. “Just like Mom used to make.”
Laura, Macy, and even the children couldn’t help the grimaces that marred their faces. Their grandmother was a notoriously bad cook. Thomas laughed. “Okay, well, not so much like Mom used to make. My chili actually tastes pretty good.”
“It’s true,” Kenny said, nodding his head. “Uncle Thomas makes really good chili.”
“Okay, you’re back in my good graces,” Thomas told the boy. “Will you grab the bowls?”
Kenny hurriedly retrieved them from a cabinet and set the table, while Krissy jumped up from the bench where she’d been sitting and pulled spoons out of a drawer.
Soon, the group was enjoying the chili, and reminiscing about old times. The kids sat back, listening, and smiling at the adults’ recounting of their adventures and misadventures. On several occasions, as Thomas spoke, Laura covered Kenny’s ears, lest he get any ideas about following in his uncle’s footsteps. Laura remembered Thomas had been a notorious prankster.
When they’d finished eating, and the dishes cleared and washed, the group retired to the living room.
“May I play video games upstairs for an hour before bedtime?” Kenny asked his uncle.
Thomas nodded, and directed his attention to Krissy. “It’s time to get busy with homework. Do you need some help?”
“I do,” she groaned. “I’m having trouble with long division.”
“Well, you’re in luck,” he announced. “That’s my specialty.”
After excusing himself and promising his fiancée and sister he would return shortly, Thomas led Krissy back into the kitchen to work on homework at the table. Laura found herself alone with Macy.
“It really is good to see you again, Laura,” she said. “It’s been too long.”
Laura nodded. “It has been a long time.”
“Thomas really misses you, and so does Candace. She talks about you all the time.”
Laura was taken aback. “Candace … talks about … me?”
“All the time. She often says how much Krissy is like you, and how glad she is that she seems to have your talent for writing. She’s even remarked a time or two that she’s glad she has your sweet nature and tender heart.”
Laura was stunned. It was difficult to fathom that Candace viewed any of Laura’s traits in her daughter with pride. In the past, she had laughed at her attempts at writing. Once, she had even found her diary and read it aloud to a group of visiting girls. That particular incident still stung. She still heard the girls’ laughter, and biting sarcasm as each had taken a turn reading passages of that very personal journal.
To this day, she wondered if any of those girls had told Dalton about her heartfelt longing for his attention and affection. She reddened at the prospect, but forced the thoughts away. “I guess I’m surprised Candace said such nice things about me,” she admitted.
Macy reached for Laura’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Candace is having a hard time,” she said softly. “She’s changed, Laura. I wish there was something I could do for her.”
“Do you have any idea what happened between her and Dan?”
Macy sighed. “I believe their problems started after her miscarriage, but I could be wrong.”
Laura gasped. “Candace … was pregnant?”
Macy appeared stricken. “I’m so sorry. I thought you knew. Candace didn’t tell you?”
Laura collapsed against the too-soft cushions of the well-worn couch. She shook her head.
“Laura, forgive me. Candace probably wanted to tell y
ou herself. I shouldn’t have assumed you knew and blurted it out like that.”
She only nodded in reply, but her heart was breaking. Both for her sister’s loss, but also for the sad reality that Candace hadn’t bothered to tell her about something so important. If Candace hoped to rebuild a relationship with her, keeping her out of the loop about a traumatic, life-changing event seemed to suggest otherwise.
Laura noticed Macy looked sick with worry. “It’s all right, Macy. I’m sure you’re right. She probably intended to tell me in person.”
Chapter Three
Later that evening, after the children had gone to bed, Laura and Thomas sat together in the living room. Macy had gone home, and Laura was relaxing, while Thomas had a pile of papers splayed out in his lap, grading them.
“Wouldn’t that be easier at a table,” Laura observed.
He looked up and grinned. “This works fine. And, I’m almost…” He briskly wrote something on a paper with a red pen. “Done.”
He hurriedly straightened the sheets into a neat pile and put them aside. When he scrubbed a hand over his eyes, Laura knew he was exhausted.
“Are you all right?” she asked. “You seem tired.”
He forced a smile. “I’m all right. Just have a lot on my mind, I guess.”
“You’re worried about Candace.” It was a statement, not a question.
He nodded. “Macy told me she told you about Candace’s miscarriage. She feels awful. She figured you already knew.”
“Why would Candace tell me?” she said sarcastically. “I’m only her sister.”
“I know she meant to tell you. She told me she wanted to tell you in person. She mentioned ‘needing’ to talk to you.”
“Did she say why?”
He pinned her with weary eyes. “She said something about ‘atoning’ for her sins.” He sighed. “Our sister is in a bad way, Laura, and for the life of me, I don’t know what to do for her. Dan is at a breaking point himself, wondering what happened between them.”
“How long have they been separated?”
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