GRACE TRIED TO school her expression as she studied her sister. It had been almost a year since they’d crossed paths, but the changes in Faith were startling. Dark circles ringed her hazel eyes, tawny hair tangled around her wan face and her drool-stained, stretched T-shirt hung haphazardly over baggy shorts. What on earth had happened? Fatigue seemed to have washed the life out of her and Grace couldn’t ignore the warning bells ringing in her head.
“Faith?”
Annoyance flashed in Faith’s eyes at Grace’s soft tone, a look Grace recognized from her sister’s rebellious days, and she silently cringed.
“Don’t mind me. I don’t have the energy to dress up after mothering a six-month- and four-year-old all day.”
“I didn’t mean…” She could never get it right with Faith. “I just… You look beat.”
Faith sent her a really? look.
Okay. Time to try another angle. “What are you doing here?”
“I don’t mean to impose on you while you’re in town, but Lyle has been beyond difficult lately, knocking down every idea I’ve come up with to solve our financial problems. I took off to find some space.” Faith shot her a knowing look. “Apparently you had the same idea.”
Grace closed the door behind her. “This has always been our go-to place.”
Faith bounced her daughter. “If I’d known you were staying here, I’d have gone to Mama’s.”
“No, stay,” Grace rushed to assure her. “Please.” Hearing sniffles, she looked down at her nephew, clinging to his mother’s leg for dear life. She knelt down. “Hey, John. What’s with the tears?”
John tightened his grip on Faith’s leg.
“Separation anxiety,” Faith informed her. “This phase of child-rearing is wearing me out.” She shifted Lacey again, bouncing up and down to get her daughter to calm down. Seemed both her children were on the same wavelength.
Grace rose. “What can I do?”
Faith nodded over her shoulder. “John’s favorite truck is on the couch.”
Grace tossed her purse on the sagging chair and fetched the toy. Once again on John’s level, she held it out to him. “Here you go, buddy. Want to play cars?”
John sniffled, looked up at Faith, then eased his death grip. After a few tentative steps, he walked to Grace. Once the truck had his full attention, Grace rose, questions on the tip of her tongue.
“Let me get Lacey a bottle,” Faith said. “Then we can talk.”
“That’ll give me a few minutes to change.”
Grace disappeared into one of the two bedrooms and quickly shucked her work clothes for a hot pink T-shirt, denim shorts and pink sneakers, then quickly joined her sister in the kitchen.
Faith was preparing a bottle as Grace walked in and she handed Lacey to her while she finished the job. Inhaling the scent of powder and just plain baby, Grace tried to settle down her fussy niece.
“When Mama told me you were coming home, I should have known you’d escape here,” Faith said loudly over Lacey’s crying. “As soon as I stepped foot inside the cabin earlier today, I knew someone had aired out the place. Figured it was you after nosing around. Nice outfits, by the way.”
“Thank you?”
Faith chuckled. “My first instinct was to leave, but I didn’t want to go home to Lyle or explain to Mama that we aren’t seeing eye to eye. Again.”
“How long has this been going on?”
After testing the formula to make sure it was the correct temperature, Faith rubbed the nipple over Lacey’s lips until the baby opened up and started drinking. Silence reigned. “Let’s sit so I can keep an eye on John.”
Heading back into the living room, Faith collected Lacey from Grace and took a seat in an armchair to feed her daughter, while Grace sat on the nearby couch, tucking one leg under the other.
“Uncle Roy didn’t tell me you were staying here.”
Grace grimaced. “Probably on purpose.” Obviously their uncle thought the way to get the sisters speaking to each other again was to stick them in the same cabin. Talk about tough love.
“I can call him. See about moving over to his place.”
“He rented his cabin.”
Faith did a double take. “This is news. Since when?”
“A day ago.”
“That doesn’t sound like Uncle Roy.”
“It might have something to do with a woman he met on his trip.”
“A woman?”
“Long story, but when I thought someone was breaking into his cabin last night, I discovered a new tenant. When I called to confirm, Uncle Roy mentioned that he’d extended the trip.” She grinned. “I heard a female voice in the background so I had to ask.”
“Wow. I don’t know whether to be pleased or confused. Since when did he start dating?”
Grace shrugged. “Beats me.”
“I wonder if Mama knows.”
“Are you kidding? If she did, we’d have gotten an earful by now.” Grace picked at a thread in the couch fabric. “Besides, this is Golden. He probably wants to keep any potential romance private for now.”
“I can sympathize. Privacy is hard-earned in Golden.” Faith shifted in the chair. “I hate to admit this to you, but you’re going to hear about it anyway.” She took a deep breath, then blew it out in a hearty gust. “My bad decisions have finally come back to bite me. Big-time.”
Shocked that Faith would admit her failings to her, Grace said, “You know I’d help you if you’d let me.”
“Right.” Sarcasm twisted her tone. “Like always. Grace to the rescue.”
Grace opened her mouth to defend herself, then pursed her lips together, before saying, “Look, I don’t want to fight. Since we’re both staying here, can we agree on some kind of truce?”
More than anything Grace wanted to end the impasse they’d been perpetuating since they were teens. With Daddy long gone, Mama needing help and Grace once again dropping everything to save the day—as they’d see it—her siblings would resent her for it.
Faith’s tone was begrudging when she said, “I suppose we can handle a truce.”
She’d been expecting an uphill battle. Faith’s words came as a surprise. “I know things haven’t been—”
“Pleasant?”
“—in a long time. I hate that we can’t sit in the same room and carry on a conversation.”
“Don’t put that on me.”
Dejection swamped Grace. “Are you ever going to let it go about Daddy?”
Faith could fix it right here, right now, by working with Grace instead of fighting her, but Grace worried old habits died hard.
“We were kids, Faith. Stuff happened. You have to know I never meant to get Daddy in trouble.”
“Yeah, but he did and it changed everything.”
“So I’m guilty forever?” Grace brushed her hair behind her ear. “Mama still expects Daddy to come waltzing through the door like nothing happened. You still hold a grudge for my part in that, and all the other things we fought about when we were kids. And Nathan…where is he by the way?”
“I have no clue.”
“Great.”
An uncomfortable silence blanketed the room. John filled it with his sunny chatter about cars and trucks while Lacey dozed off as her belly filled. Maybe it was time to leave the past where it belonged, in the past, and make strides toward becoming closer.
“We’re family,” Grace continued. “I know I’ll mostly be working while I’m here, but I’d really like to catch up.”
A strange look flitted over Faith’s face. She opened her mouth and Grace waited on pins and needles to find out what was going on in her sister’s mind when John carried his truck over to Grace. Frustration mounted as the moment passed and whatever Faith was going to say slipped away.
“Don’t mind him,” Faith said instead. “He’s obsessed with anything on wheels, sleeping with his favorite truck and demanding to watch programs on television about heavy machinery.”
Lacey had fallen asleep, snuggled against her mother. A rush of love for her niece consumed Grace. Reaching over, she ran a finger over the baby’s soft skin. Lacey shifted and Faith rose to carry her to the crib she’d set up in the second bedroom. Grace was on the floor with John when she returned, racing his little cars around.
“Dirt,” John said, holding up his truck.
“Code word for take me outside,” Faith said. “Not now, John. Your sister is sleeping.”
Not sure how Faith would react to Grace’s suggestion, she said, “I can take him outside if it’s okay with you. You look like you could use a breather.”
Relief softened Faith’s features. “Are you sure? My sister, the big-time attorney, actually asking to play with a four-year-old?”
She tried not to let the sarcasm in her sister’s voice pinch her heart, but it did. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to do this.”
“Sure. But watch him closely. He takes off like a flash.”
Grace rose, held out her hand and took John’s smaller one in hers. “I may not be a runner, but I promise to keep an eye on him.”
As Grace passed by Faith to get to the door, she stopped. “What were you going to say before John interrupted us?”
Tears clouded her sister’s eyes. Instead of answering, she glanced away.
Grace touched her arm. “This is a safe place.”
Faith blinked, straightened her shoulders and met Grace’s gaze. “I’m a mother now. Time to own up to all the choices I’ve made.”
“You don’t have to do it alone.”
“This is hard.” She barked out a sharp laugh. “You always tried to look out for me, but I thought I knew better. Look how well that’s worked out for me.”
If Grace wanted to push for changes, now was her chance. “Faith, we’re going to be in close quarters for a while. If there’s something you want to say, just say it.”
Faith ran a hand through her hair, her voice shaky when she said, “Give me a little time to sort it all out, okay, sis?”
“All the time you need.”
With those words, Grace took John out to the path that led to the dirt lane, then headed toward the lake. She should be thankful that her sister wanted to talk, something they hadn’t done in ages. Maybe living together was a blessing in disguise. As she listened to John’s ongoing chatter, she hoped so.
* * *
GOOD GRIEF, WHAT was Faith feeding her son? And where could she buy whatever it was? The four-year-old had enough energy for a full platoon of men, with no signs of letting up soon.
They’d walked to the lake, then circled around to the play area. The sun was half-mast in the sky, which meant they’d be ready for dinner soon. Her stomach growled at the reminder.
“Okay, buddy. What do you say we head home?”
“No. I want to play truck.”
“We have been.”
He stomped his little foot, squeezed his face tight. “More.”
Grace laughed. She couldn’t help it. John was the spitting image of his mother when she was a child. “Good luck with that,” she muttered under her breath, remembering how hard it was to corral Faith when her mind was made up. Seemed like karma was having a belly laugh about now.
“How about we get something to eat and come back later.”
“No. Want to play.”
“After dinner.”
His brown eyes flashed. “No.”
John had no sooner said the word than he streaked right past her. She turned in panic, ready to give chase, when she saw him dash right into a pair of long legs. Which belonged to her new employee.
“Slow down there, champ.”
Her heart took a dizzy twirl when Deke waylaid her nephew. He smiled at the boy, revealing those dimples, which in turn made her chest squeeze tight. The sun caught the hidden highlights in his dark brown hair, and that woodsy scent of his tickled her nose. When his gaze met hers, well, she was nothing short of a goner.
This could be a problem.
“Hey,” he said in greeting, his voice scratchy like he hadn’t used it in hours. It definitely rubbed her the right way.
“Hi.”
Their gaze held for a long moment before she felt John wrap his arm around her leg.
A glimmer of something—what, she couldn’t say—crossed Deke’s eyes before he covered his reaction. “I didn’t know you have a son.”
“Nephew. His name is John.”
Grace reached down to take John’s hand in hers. “This is Mr. Matthews.”
John looked up at her with a frown. “Maffews?”
Deke chuckled. “How about Mr. Deke.”
“Oh, I don’t—”
“Deke,” John shouted and took off. It was then she noticed the trailer full of canoes hitched to Deke’s Jeep.
“That’s Mr. Deke,” Grace called as she hurried after him.
“I don’t mind losing the ‘Mr.’,” Deke said as they followed the little boy.
“He should be learning manners,” Grace argued.
“I think that’s the least of your worries.”
John stopped by the trailer, pointing up. “Boat,” he proclaimed, tugging on Deke’s jeans when they joined her nephew.
“That’s right.”
“Go for ride?”
“Not yet,” Deke said. “I have to get them in the water first.”
“And then we have to check with your mom,” Grace added.
John wrinkled his freckled nose, but at least he didn’t argue. Grateful for small miracles, Grace held back a smile and turned her attention to Deke. “What are you doing with the canoes?”
“Your uncle asked me to haul them to the lake.”
Uncle Roy had called him? Without telling her?
“I figured I’d get ahead of the weekend rush by putting them in the water.”
Unbidden, she heard herself ask, “Need some help?”
His brow rose. “I got the impression you were strictly office-bound.”
Which had been the case until Mr. Tall, Dark and Outdoorsy walked into her place of business. Then all bets were off. “I’ve been known to wander into the great outdoors from time to time.”
He eyed her, top of her head to her feet and back. A devastatingly handsome smile spread over his lips. She wanted to brush her hand over her hair to make sure she wasn’t a mess, but she didn’t want to seem obvious.
“I wouldn’t refuse an extra pair of hands.”
Oh, boy.
John jumped up and down. “I help.”
Deke chuckled and tousled the boy’s white-blond hair. “You bet, champ.” He glanced at Grace. “Undo the straps?”
While Deke lowered the small gate at the back of the trailer, Grace unhooked the lines holding the canoes in place. Deke grabbed hold of one and slid it out. “Catch the end?”
“Sure.” She hurried over, grabbing her end and hefting the weight of the canoe once it was in midair. Deke began walking backward to the ramp while Grace balanced her end, John skipping alongside them.
Her uncle had built a large enclosure abutting the water’s edge to keep the canoes in one place during the season. This way they didn’t float away, there was easy access when a trip was scheduled and they could lock them up when not in use. When they reached the ramp, Deke eased his end into the chilly water, guiding the boat into the enclosure. Grace bent down, sidestepping the ensuing splash as she let go.
“Now we go,” John said.
“How about we empty the trailer first?” Deke suggested.
With a shrug, the youngster followed them back and forth, telling Deke all about his trucks until the last canoe was in the enclosure.
“That was easy,” Grace said, hands on hips as she surveyed their work.
“Not so quick, sport. We have to transfer the paddles and then we’re finished for the night.”
“Fine, guide.”
A smile hovered over his lips at her retort.
“Champ. Sport. I thought we were going for a nickname theme.”
“Then add smart aleck to the list.” He nodded over his shoulder to the Jeep.
They all trooped back to gather up the paddles, even letting John drag one behind him to keep him involved.
“I’ve got the lock in the Jeep.” Deke jogged back to the vehicle, then returned with the metal lock. By this time, Grace and John had all the paddles in place.
“We make a good team,” Deke remarked.
Grace blinked at him. Team? Odd. She felt like she’d always gone about her life alone.
“That surprises you?” Deke crouched down to secure the lock.
She wiped the startled expression from her face. “I’m used to working solo.”
“That’s no fun.”
“You’re a team player?” she asked, curious about the man who’d walked into her life just when she’d needed him.
“With three brothers you learn to work together or else it gets ugly.”
She vaguely remembered those days. Before her father had gotten into trouble, when her family actually had fun together.
“Uncle Roy and I work together now. Or I should say, we did, until I moved to Atlanta. Faith chose another path, and Nathan?” She shrugged. “He may be my brother, but I have yet to figure him out. I thought he was interested in working with Mama. Guess I was wrong.”
Deke yanked the lock to make sure it was solid. “So she called you?”
“As usual.”
“Looks like you have the office well in hand.”
“I’ve been running the business since I was sixteen.”
He stood, the sun silhouetting his broad shoulders and lean build. Definitely not a stranger to hard work.
“Alone?”
Little ripples gently lapped the water’s edge. John had found a muddy patch to run his truck in, talking to himself as he played. Grace breathed in the clean mountain air before answering.
“At first. Uncle Roy pitched in, but he has his own business to take care of. After time, my mother came around the office more and eventually I was able to get away to school.”
“Let me guess. You hadn’t planned on coming back to Golden.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Only when you get that look of panic in your eyes.”
“Astute.” She glanced away, not sure if she should be flattered or unnerved that he’d read her so easily. “I try not to let anyone notice, especially Mama. She doesn’t understand why I don’t practice law here in town, where I know everyone.”
“Sometimes you have to get away. Make your mark.”
They strolled over to John, who was making engine noises. “Why do I get the feeling you speak from experience?”
“A part of growing up, I guess.”
Which her siblings had yet to do. Faith may be a mother, but she still acted like a sulky teen, fighting with her husband when they should be making their family work. And Nathan? Mama might call him a free spirit, but she thought he was just immature. It wasn’t her job to fix their problems or make them grow up, no matter how much her mother might expect otherwise.
“C’mon, John. Let’s go see Mommy.”
They started down the path leading back to the cabins, the silence between them comfortable. With Deke she didn’t need to make conversation, which she found relaxing. The pungent scent of rich earth grounded her as she stepped over twigs and clumps of dirt. The rev of a motorboat echoed from the lake. Shadows were just beginning to form as the sun sank lower in the sky.
As they crossed the tree line and the cabins came into view, Grace spied an oversize, gleaming red pickup parked next to her sedan.
“Oh, no,” she muttered, taking John’s hand again.
“Trouble?”
“Faith’s husband. She’s staying with me because she needed some time away.”
She noticed the tension in Deke before he spoke. “So he shouldn’t be here?”
“I don’t know.” Her nerves skirted to the edge. “Faith and I aren’t close so she’s never really confided in me, but I got the feeling things weren’t good.”
Just then, John noticed the truck. “Daddy,” he exclaimed, pulling on Grace’s hand as he tried to run ahead.
“Slow down, John.”
Her nephew was having none of it. Once they reached the path to the screened porch, he broke loose. From inside, Grace could hear loud voices. “John,” she called, her voice sharp with worry.
Deke placed his hand on her arm to stop her. With three long strides, he scooped up a fidgeting John and said in a low voice, “How about we surprise your dad?”
John looked at him. “Surprise!”
“Sure. Let’s make it a game.”
“I like games.”
“Why don’t you and Aunt Grace go across the way to my cabin. I’ll go in and tell your dad you have a surprise for him.” Deke placed a finger over his lips. “But you have to be quiet for this to work.”
John wiggled in Deke’s arms, running to Grace once his feet hit the ground. “C’mon, Aunt Grace,” he said, grabbing her hand.
“Are you sure?” she asked Deke as John tugged her arm.
He nodded, his expression grave. “Don’t worry.”
Not worry? By the looks of it, Deke had morphed into cop mode. She’d worked enough cases with police involved to recognize the way his body sprang into action, the way his intent gaze took in their surroundings. How could she not be concerned about her sister? At Deke’s strident nod, she hurried John across the lane, leading the boy to the side of Deke’s cabin. They’d just turned the corner when she heard a screen door slam, followed by angry voices. Once she had John safely in the backyard, a souped-up engine roared to life followed by the crunch of the dirt road beneath tires as Lyle drove away.
As the rumble faded she heard Deke call, “It’s okay, Grace.” His voice strong and confident. Squaring her shoulders, ready to meet trouble head-on, she lifted John to her hip and ran back to the cabin. Deke was in conversation with a shaken Faith.
“Are you okay?” Grace asked as soon as she was close to her sister.
Shadows hounded Faith’s pretty hazel eyes. She ran a trembling hand through her tangled hair. John reached out for her and she grabbed hold of her son and squeezed tight.
“Where Daddy?” John asked, glancing around.
“He had to go to work, buddy,” Faith told him.
“Work.” John grinned as his little chest puffed. “We work.”
Faith sent Grace a questioning glance.
“We put the canoes in the water.”
“I’m hungry,” John said, resting his head on Faith’s shoulder.
“Right.” Faith’s voice was reedy when she said, “I don’t have anything ready.”
Grace stepped forward. “I bought a package of hot dogs. How about we cook them over the firepit.”
“Fire, fire,” John chanted.
“I’ll put together the dogs and rolls, open a can of beans,” Grace offered.
“I volunteer to gather the wood and get a good blaze going,” Deke said.
Grace felt relief roll through her, grateful for his quick thinking and the immediate sense of safety he provided in a tense situation.
“Thank you,” Faith whispered as a baby’s wail sounded inside the cabin.
“Another hungry belly,” Grace said, keeping a smile on her face when all she wanted to do was hug her sister. She clapped her hands. “Okay, everyone off to work. We’ll meet at the firepit in ten minutes.”
“Fire, fire,” John chanted again.
As Deke headed in the direction of the in-ground pit to round up some kindling, Grace made her way back into the cabin. Not knowing what to expect, she stopped to view the living room, but nothing seemed out of place. While Faith took care of the baby, Grace went to the kitchen, gathering the makings for an impromptu hot dog dinner. She’d just opened a can of beans and emptied them into a pot when Faith joined her, bouncing Lacey on her hip.
“Are you really okay?” Grace asked as she turned the stove dial.
Faith averted her gaze. “Fine.”
Grace stirred the beans. “What happened?”
Faith leaned against the counter, defeat making her look older than her twenty-five years. “Ongoing disagreement. Lyle wants to spend his paycheck on toys for his truck when I need to make sure I have food, formula and clothing for the kids.”
“How long has this been going on?”
A harsh chuckle escaped Faith. “When has it not been going on?”
The beans and sauce came to a boil and Grace lowered the heat. “I wish you’d said something.”
“Right. Like I’m going to tell Miss Perfect that I made a bad decision. You never liked Lyle anyway.”
Grace knew Faith was upset, but her description, delivered in a mean-spirited tone, stung.
“It doesn’t matter what I think about him. You’re my sister and I care about you. And the children.”
Faith crossed to the refrigerator to grab a premade formula bottle. “Which I’ve always given you a hard time about.” She removed the top and placed it in the microwave.
“I never meant to control you,” Grace said as she removed a few franks from the package to set on a plate. “I just worried.”
The microwave beeped. Faith removed the bottle, tested it and gave it to Lacey. “I guess you get to say, ‘I told you so.’”
“Is that what you think of me?”
Faith finally met her gaze, tears bright in her eyes. “I don’t know what to think anymore,” she whispered.
“Oh, Faith.” Grace turned off the burner and enveloped her sister in a long-overdue hug, making sure not to squeeze the baby between them. Faith’s shoulders shook as she sobbed, but Grace held on with every ounce of strength in her. Once the storm had passed, Faith stepped back, wiping her tearstained face.
“Wow,” she said with a bitter-sounding laugh. “Some kind of mom I turned out to be.”
Grace ran a finger over Lacey’s downy hair. “You’re a mom who cares about her children. That goes a long way in my book.”
John chose that moment to come bursting into the kitchen. “Mommy! Hot dog, hot dog!”
“Give me a few minutes, buddy, then we’ll go outside.”
“Minutes, minutes,” he repeated as he marched with military precision back into the living room.
Grace shook her head. “What’s with all the chanting?”
Faith laughed with genuine humor. “He’s four. What can I say?”
“Right. Well…” Reaching for a tray, Grace said, “We’ll have dinner ready soon.”
“Um, Grace?”
“Yes?”
“I appreciate your help, but I think we’ll pass. I’m not in the mood for company so I’ll fix John his dinner and you can join your friend. We’ll eat in here.”
“My friend?”
“I’m assuming that guy is your friend. Please don’t tell me he’s a stranger.”
“No. I hired him to work at Put Your Feet Up.”
“Thank goodness. You had me worried.”
“Do you honestly think I’d be hanging out with a stranger?”
“Well, no, but Uncle Roy said the campgrounds were full this weekend.”
“His name is Deke Matthews. He’s going to be one of our guides this summer. He brought the canoes to the lake.”
“That explains it. Although—” Faith’s brow wrinkled “—he did look kind of scary when Lyle brushed by him on his way to the truck. I’d followed Lyle outside and there was your… Deke, stone-cold staring us down.”
“We heard you guys arguing when we came up the path. Deke is a cop and I guess he was ready for the worst.”
“Cop?”
“Long story.”
“Well, thankfully Lyle just passed him by.”
Grace opened the bag of buns. “Is Lyle going to be a problem?”
“Probably.”
“I’ll let Deke know. He’s staying at Uncle Roy’s place.”
“A guide and a cop? Well, then, I feel better having him close by.”
Grace gathered up the tray of dinner supplies. “Me, too,” she replied, for very different reasons.