by Kat Brookes
The woman, who looked to be slightly younger than the man assisting her, reached up to fuss with her short auburn curls as she looked anxiously toward the house. Then she slid her purse onto her arm, shoving the strap up over her shoulder, never missing a step as she hurried toward the house. The man kept pace beside her, looking every bit as anxious as she did.
He leaned in to say something to her and the woman nodded, slipping her arm through his as if for support.
Behind Autumn, Blue inquired with more persistence, “Was it thunder?”
She shook her head, her stomach twisting in a knot. Not thunder, but it could end up becoming an emotional thunderstorm. From the urgency in which the motor home had pulled in, and the anxious looks on the couples’ faces, she had to assume Tucker had finally made that call to his parents.
No sooner had that thought crossed her mind than the barn door flew open and Tucker came striding out, his urgent, lengthy strides quickly eating up the distance between himself and his parents.
“No, sweetie,” Autumn answered as she let the ruffled curtains fall back into place. Turning from the window, she crossed the room and hurried to buckle Blue’s shiny black patent leather shoes. Thankfully, they were both dressed and ready for that morning’s church service. It appeared her niece was about to make a very important first impression. “I believe we’re about to have some very special company.”
“Who is it?” Blue said, scooting off the foot of the bed where she’d been perched.
“I think I’ll let your daddy introduce you.” It was only right. With one last glance in the mirror to make certain she looked properly presentable to be meeting Tucker’s parents, Autumn held out her hand to her niece. “Ready?”
Blue nodded. “Ready.”
They made their way out of the guest room and down the hall just as the front door swung open and Tucker’s momma stepped inside.
The older woman gasped. Her trembling hand flew to her mouth as she stood staring at her only grandchild, tears shimmering in her eyes.
Tucker’s daddy stood a step behind her, his green eyes—eyes the same shade as Tucker’s—widening and then welling up with unshed tears as he looked down upon his newfound granddaughter.
Tucker squeezed past their immobile forms and moved to stand beside Autumn and Blue. “Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet your granddaughter, Blue Belle Wade.” Then he knelt beside his daughter, saying in a voice filled with emotion, “Sweetheart, this is your grandma and grandpa Wade.”
“The ones that have chickens?” Blue asked as she stood looking up at them.
Tucker chuckled, his gaze shifting to his parents. “We took a ride by your place to see your chickens.”
“I got to put eggs in a basket,” she told them excitedly and then held up a tiny hand with all five fingers extended. “Five of them. But one broke, so only four got to come home with us.”
“She’s precious,” his momma sighed, clearly smitten already.
“And smart as a whip,” his daddy boasted.
“She’s a fast learner,” Tucker agreed.
“She’s got my smile,” Mr. Wade added with a wide grin that displayed that infamous Wade dimple.
Tucker’s momma moved to kneel in front of her granddaughter, tears in her eyes. “Hello, Blue.”
“Why are you sad?” she asked worriedly as she looked up at her grandma.
“Oh, I’m not, honey,” the older woman answered with a tender smile. “Not sad at all.”
“But you’re crying,” Autumn’s niece pointed out.
She laughed softly. “I suppose I am at that. But these are happy tears,” she explained. “Very, very happy tears, because I finally get to meet my precious granddaughter. Do you think your grandma Wade might have a hug from you?”
Blue looked to Autumn.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” she told her niece with a reassuring smile. “Give your grandma a great big squeeze.”
Tucker’s momma held out her arms, and Blue stepped into them, wrapping her tiny arms around her grandma. More tears slid down the older woman’s cheeks as the two embraced for the first time ever. “My sweet, sweet baby,” she said.
“But I’m not a baby,” Blue said somewhat defensively.
Tucker’s momma loosened her hold and leaned back to look at Blue. “Of course, you’re not. You’re a big girl. One I am so very happy to finally have a chance to meet. You look so pretty all dressed up in your Sunday best.”
“Thank you,” Blue said almost shyly.
“If you have a spare hug to give,” Tucker’s daddy said, kneeling next to his wife and Blue, “your grandpa wouldn’t mind having one, too.”
This time Blue didn’t look to Autumn. Instead, she released her hold on Tucker’s momma to hug her grandpa.”
When the embrace ended, Tucker’s daddy stood, helping his wife to her feet. Then he cleared his throat and looked away.
“Dad?” Tucker said worriedly. “Everything okay?”
“Never been better. Just got a speck of something in my eye,” he muttered as he swiped a hand over the tear-dampened lashes Autumn had glimpsed before the man had turned away.
Autumn felt her own tears building as she looked on. The older couple’s joy was palpable. There was no denying their welcoming acceptance of Blue as their grandchild, despite the lengthy delay in their finding out about her. Precious years Summer had taken away from them they could never get back. Autumn had to wonder if they would harbor resentment toward her for the actions her sister had taken since Summer was no longer able to be held accountable for what she’d done.
“Mom, Dad,” Tucker said, drawing everyone’s attention as he motioned toward Autumn, “I’d like for you to meet Blue’s aunt. Miss Myers is Summer’s twin sister.”
Was, Autumn thought sadly, but now wasn’t the time or place to point that out. She greeted his parents with a warm smile. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Wade.”
“Emma, please,” his momma insisted. Then she cast a chastising glance her son’s direction, muttering, “And finally is right. You’ve known about my grandbaby for twelve days and last night was the first time you saw fit to call us?”
“Now, honey,” his daddy said soothingly, not that Tucker’s momma sounded angry with her son as much as hurt. “Tucker explained his reasons for not calling us right away. Our son’s heart was in the right place, even if we would have preferred to hear about our granddaughter the second her existence was made known to him.” He turned to Autumn, and then, taking a step forward, surprised her completely by giving her a big, warm, welcoming bear hug. “God bless you, Miss Myers,” he said, his voice choked with emotion.
As soon as he released her, Emma Wade gathered Autumn into what could only be described as a motherly hug, not that she’d ever been on the receiving end of one of those from her own mother. “Our family will forever be grateful to you for what you’ve done for our son. For all of us,” she said, looking to Blue.
She hadn’t done anything yet, Autumn wanted to tell them. No decision had been made with regard to Blue. She’d brought her niece there because it was the right thing to do. Not only to follow through with Summer’s last request, but because Blue deserved to know that part of her family. But she wasn’t anywhere near mentally prepared to turn her niece over to someone else’s care.
“Do you have any kitties?” Blue asked, looking up at her grandparents.
Tucker’s momma released Autumn and smiled adoringly down at her granddaughter. “Lots of them as a matter of fact. They like to stay near the barn, chasing field mice.”
“Where the horses are?” her niece asked uneasily.
Tucker’s parents exchanged glances at Blue’s wide-eyed response to her grandma’s reply.
“Blue’s a little wary of horses,” he explained as gently as he could, seeing as how a full explanation
wasn’t possible with Blue standing right there.
“Do your kitties have a house like the chickens get to sleep in?” her niece went on, thankfully far too distracted by thoughts of kittens to let memories of her momma’s accident invade the special moment.
Emma Wade’s smile widened. “I suppose they do, if you count the barn. That’s where they spend most of their time.”
“Do you make cookies?”
“I have three boys,” his momma answered. “Making cookies comes with being their mother.”
Blue’s face lit up. “What kind of cookies?”
“All kinds,” her niece’s newly discovered grandmother answered. “Chocolate chip, iced sugar cookies, kiss cookies and oatmeal raisin to name a few. Do you like cookies?”
Autumn watched her niece’s head bob up and down quite enthusiastically. “I like peanut butter cookies,” she told her grandma.
“Then we’ll just have to see about making you some.”
“Maybe you can help Grandma Wade make a batch after we get home from church,” Blue’s grandpa suggested and then looked to Autumn. “That is, if it’s okay with your aunt.”
“You’re going to church?” Tucker said in surprise.
His momma looked his way. “When have you known your father and I not to attend Sunday services? We would’ve gone to one we found in Jackson, but after your call last night all we could think about was getting home to see our grandbaby. We packed up our campsite last evening and started for home before daybreak this morning.” Her attention shifted back to Blue and her expression softened even more. “I have every intention of sitting in church today with my family and thanking the good Lord for blessing us with this beautiful little girl. Even if my clothes do look a little travel weary, I’m sure the good Lord will forgive me.”
“If we don’t get a move on, there won’t be any forgiveness needed,” Tucker’s daddy said with a grin.
Tucker nodded, his gaze shifting to Autumn. His expression grew serious. “You and Blue ready?”
She wasn’t certain whether he was referring to their being ready for that morning’s church services or for the addition of more family to Blue’s life, but she knew there was no turning back either way. If Blue were to end up living in Bent Creek, she wanted to get to know the people her niece would be surrounded by, the church she would build her faith in, the town she would become a part of. That didn’t make any of this any easier. Each step toward a new life for Blue made Autumn feel the impending loss of her own happiness even greater. Dear Lord, continue to give me the strength to do the right thing.
With a slow nod, she said, “I’ll just go grab our coats.” Then Autumn set off back down the hall to the guest room she’d been sharing with Blue, thankful for a few moments alone to collect her emotions and prepare for the changes that were yet to come in her and Blue’s lives.
* * *
Tucker watched as his parents whisked Blue away from the restaurant they had gone to eat lunch at after church, the three of them piling into his parents’ RV to go back to their house and help her grandma bake cookies. His brothers were already on their way there and would, no doubt, hang around until the baking was done. They never missed out on a freshly made batch of his mother’s cookies.
Beside him, Autumn stood watching as well, almost longingly as she tucked her coat tighter about herself.
“We could go with them,” he suggested, not wanting her to feel ill at ease by Blue’s going off without her. “I know it’s gotten colder.” A front had moved in while they were attending services, causing the temperatures to drop. Billowy gray clouds filled the afternoon sky, effectively blocking the sun’s warming rays.
“I don’t mind a little cold,” she said, turning to face him.
“If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure,” she said with another glance in the direction Blue had gone with his parents.
“Maybe about braving the weather,” he said, “but I’m not so certain you’re comfortable with your decision to allow Blue to go home with my family.”
She looked up at him, managing a smile. “I wouldn’t have agreed if I was at all uncomfortable. It’s just hard seeing my niece ride away without me, but Blue needs to spend some time with her grandparents and her uncles without my intrusion. Besides, I’m looking forward to seeing more of Bent Creek with you. Thank you again for offering to give me a tour.”
“First of all,” he said, “you are not an intrusion. And secondly, I should be thanking you, not the other way around. Or, at the very least, apologizing.”
Confusion filled those thickly-lashed silver-blue eyes of hers. “Apologizing for what?”
His mind went blank as he took in her pretty upturned face. The sunlight made the blue of her eyes look more like liquid crystals, while the brisk fall air added a touch of color to her cheeks.
“Tucker?”
Her sweet voice had him shaking off the unexpected reverie and focusing on what she’d asked him. “I’m sorry about my parents’ surprise visit this morning,” he answered. “If I had known they were coming, I would have given you a heads-up to prepare for...well, their excitement.”
“They were that,” she said, laughing softly.
“No kidding,” he added, his own laughter joining hers. “I thought a herd of elephants was stampeding their way up the drive when I was in the barn this morning.”
“Your daughter thought it was a train,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a motorhome move at that rate of speed before. At least, not down a dirt-and-gravel road.” Her smile changed suddenly, giving way to a fretful frown.
“Autumn?”
She looked up with a worried expression. “Tucker, please tell me your daddy doesn’t normally drive as fast as he did this morning.”
“He wasn’t going as fast as you might have thought he was,” he told her, wanting to set her mind at ease. “Even a slight increase in speed in an RV as it’s traveling over an uneven road like the one coming up to the house is bound to make the vehicle’s approach appear more reckless than it actually is. I promise you, Blue is in good hands with my family.”
Her pretty features eased with his reassurance.
“Truth is, my parents thought they might never have grandchildren.”
“They have three sons,” she said. “Why would they think that?”
“Because I had no inclination to marry, for reasons they didn’t know at the time. Garrett was head over heels for a girl he dated all through high school, but she got sick their junior year and ended up dying the following year of leukemia. He’s never dated anyone seriously since then.”
“That’s so heartbreaking.”
He nodded. “I don’t think Garrett ever really got over losing her.”
“And Jackson?”
“He was a real ladies’ man until several years ago when the nearly two-thousand-pound bull he was riding threw him to the ground and then trampled him, crushing his hip and his leg in the process,” he said with a frown. “He hasn’t dated since.”
“That’s why he limps,” she said in understanding.
“Yes. There was a time the doctors didn’t know if he would ever be able to walk on that leg again.”
“Your poor brothers.”
“Enough about my brothers,” he said. “Let’s get on with that walk I promised you.”
They started down the sidewalk, Autumn’s curious gaze taking in the town around her as they went. She noted that, like the town she had grown up in, all but a few of the storefronts were occupied. A sign that Bent Creek was thriving economically.
In the center of town, a monument surrounded by neatly trimmed shrubs stretched up toward the sky. “Eighteen twenty-eight,” Autumn said, reading the raised date that ran down the stone pillar.
“The year Bent Creek was first founded,” Tucker explained. “The to
wn is small with our population here being just under five thousand, but we’ve got a lot of the modern conveniences you’d find in a bigger town. A feed store, a leather and boot store, a full-service auto parts store, a local rodeo, not to mention the best fishing around.”
Humor lit her eyes. “I see. All the things a nearly five-year-old girl would wanna have in her life.”
His smile sagged. How had he not given more thought to what he was saying when trying to sell Autumn on all the positive things his town offered? Of course, a young girl didn’t care about a boot store or how reasonably priced an oil change was.
Autumn reached out, placing a gentle hand on his arm. “Tucker, I’m only teasing. Looking around, I can see Bent Creek has a lot to offer Blue. A library, a local art gallery and even a YMCA. Do they have a pool?”
He nodded. “They do.”
“That’s good to know. Blue loves to swim.”
Tucker made a quick mental note of that. “Does she like donuts?”
“She does. All things sweet, in fact,” she said and then added reflectively, “Just like her momma used to.”
He remembered that about his wife and wondered if having a sweet tooth could be genetic. “Well, we’ve got a donut shop at the far end of town that serves up some of the best coffee in the county.” He paused and then muttered with a knowing frown, “Not that Blue would care one iota about the quality of their coffee.” Was he ever going to get this parenting thing right?
“Probably not,” Autumn agreed with an empathetic smile, making him wonder if he’d spoken that last thought aloud. “But I’ll bet they serve hot chocolate there, as well,” she continued, confirming that his fear of failure as a parent wasn’t what she’d been referring to.
He nodded. “They do.”
“Good hot chocolate?” she asked almost longingly, making Tucker wonder if Autumn Myers had a sweet tooth herself.
Truth was Tucker found himself wondering a lot of things about his daughter’s aunt. Like her favorite color, where she’d liked to travel to if given the chance and if she missed living in Texas. He already knew she was loving and giving, and possessed a strength of character that ran deeper than most. She had overcome an emotionally painful upbringing, yet still strove hard to focus on the positive things in her life. He couldn’t help but admire Autumn for that. It was something he wished he were better at doing.