Abby gingerly unfolded herself from the leather sofa, all too aware of her sore muscles after hours spent in the saddle yesterday, and tiptoed past the sleeping twins to add more logs to the dying fire.
Apparently Betty was still asleep in her room, but Jess was already up and out, and from the rumble of heavy equipment outside she guessed he was already moving snow.
She stood at the French doors and stared out into a world of white.
Bright sunshine had turned the glittering, crystalline landscape to a scene as familiar as a moonscape.
Drifts were banked up to the gutters on the south end of the house and had turned the vehicles outside into giant mounds of whipped cream. A convention of birds was gathered around the bird feeders out in the yard.
The house lights flickered on. Went dark. Then they came on again and she heard the furnace kick in.
Still, there’d be no school again today—of that she had no doubt—and the likelihood of taking Betty into town for her rehab appointment seemed pretty slim, unless Jess could clear the long lane out to the highway and the county graders came by in time.
She glanced around the room, noting the household chores that she could deal with this morning, then headed into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. As soon as it was burbling away, she powered up the laptop she’d left on the counter and started looking through Pinterest for kindergarten-level art projects.
Whatever else happened today, she was going to do her best to win over those two little girls.
As if her thoughts had summoned them, she heard a rustle behind her and turned to find Bella standing just inside the kitchen, her long blond curls in a wild nimbus about her head.
“Where’s Uncle Jess? And where’s my gramma?” Bella demanded.
Abby looked at her and smiled. “Your uncle is outside clearing snow and Grandma Betty is still asleep. I think she’s still pretty tired from her surgery and all she’s been through.”
Bella gave her a stony stare, and if this had been a normal parent-child relationship, Abby would have gently called her on her poor manners. But this was a difficult situation.
Being dumped by a mother who hadn’t bothered to stay in touch would hurt any child, and having Abby appear out of the blue had clearly been a most unwelcome surprise.
“Are you hungry? I’d love to make you breakfast.”
The little girl fidgeted from one foot to the other, then looked back toward the living room, where her sister was probably still sleeping.
“Scrambled eggs? Waffles? Chocolate-chip pancakes? Cereal?”
Bella wavered, then gave a single stubborn shake of her head.
“It can be hard to decide. Maybe when your sister wakes up, she can decide what she wants and you might want some, too.” Abby smiled. “In the meantime, I’m looking for fun projects we can do together. I found recipes for homemade playdough and finger paints. Or we could make some Christmas ornaments, if you’d like.”
“Christmas is seven whole weeks away,” Bella murmured, her face downcast. “I can’t wait that long.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Abby said with a sympathetic drop of her shoulders. “But there’s lots of things we can do to get ready, even now. What about cookie decorating? We could make some Christmas cookies now and put them in the freezer.”
Bella’s eyebrows drew together in consternation. “And not eat any?”
“Well, of course we have to try them, right? To make sure they’re good? In fact,” Abby added thoughtfully, “maybe we could even decorate pretty cookies for Thanksgiving. I noticed a big box of cookie cutters on a top shelf, and maybe there are some nice turkey and pumpkin shapes.”
“Yes, indeedy. And we’ve got lots of decorating sugars and sprinkles in every color you can imagine.” Betty pushed her walker into the kitchen and paused to give Bella’s shoulders a squeeze before dropping gingerly into a kitchen chair. “I get them in bulk at an Amish village in the next county. Do you remember buying the Easter colors, Bella?”
The little girl shook her head.
“You and Sophie chose pink and purple and blue and yellow. And you did a mighty fine job of decorating, too.”
Abby poured a cup of coffee and brought it over to Betty. “Did you sleep all right? Jess had the fireplace going last night, so he opened your bedroom door and brought you another blanket.”
“Warm as toast.”
Betty shifted awkwardly in her chair and Abby frowned. “Are you uncomfortable? Do you need some of your pain medication?”
“I’m a tough old bird.” Betty shooed her away. “Less I take of that stuff, the better.”
“Speaking of that, I don’t know if we can get to town for your physical therapy.”
“No worries. A few days won’t matter either way.”
“Still...do you have the number of the clinic? I can call to see if they’re open.” Abby looked out the windows by the kitchen table. “Then I can check with Jess to find out if we can even get out of here.”
“The phone number is on the red magnet on the fridge, upper right.”
After making the call, Abby shoved the phone back into her pocket. “They’re open for urgent care, but the physical therapist and her assistant can’t make it in. So—what would you like for breakfast?”
Bella sidled next to Betty and whispered in her ear, then raced out to the living room.
“I guess I would like chocolate-chip pancakes,” Betty said solemnly, with a sparkle in her eye. “And some bacon, too.”
Abby listened to the girls playing for a moment, then moved closer to Betty and lowered her voice. “I hope I’m not prying, but maybe you can tell me something?”
Betty frowned up at her. “Of course, dear. Is something wrong?”
“When I first got here, Jess warned me that it can take only a blink of an eye for something bad to happen to little kids. Of course everyone knows that’s true, but he... Well, he seemed almost paranoid about it. Did something happen to the twins after they arrived here?”
“No, but if anything happens to them—even just Band-Aid worthy—it’s like another reminder of his worst nightmare. But he probably told you about that years ago.”
Mystified, Abby shook her head.
“The boys were just nine, eight and six when their dad accidentally backed over their sister, Heather.” Betty’s eyes filled with tears. “She was only four.”
Abby drew in a sharp breath. “That’s awful.”
“Yes, it was. Her death was a terrible tragedy.” Betty’s expression hardened. “Their dad was a mean old coot. He couldn’t face what he’d done, and when it happened, he flew into a rage and blamed the boys for her death. Said they hadn’t been watching her, and it was all their fault. He repeated that over and over until they believed it. But the thing is, they weren’t anywhere nearby and they hadn’t been told to watch her that day. He just hadn’t looked before he stepped on the gas.”
Abby’s heart wrenched at how helpless the little boys would have been to defend themselves against their father’s tirades. The nightmares they must have suffered. “Those poor kids.”
“Less than a year later, their mama died—my youngest daughter. I know it was from a broken heart. And the boys? Not one of ’em is married. I think they were so emotionally damaged by their father that they never wanted to take responsibility for a family of their own.”
Abby closed her eyes, thinking about how Jess had to somehow overcome those wounds and his fear to take in two little girls in need and had become such a loving substitute dad.
“Thank you, Betty, for telling me.” Abby gave her a long hug. “It was a great loss for you, too, and I’m so sorry for all you’ve been through.”
By the time the food was ready to serve, both of the girls were sitting at the table on either side of their grandmother and Jess was just coming through the back door.
His face was drawn and weary.
Abby looked up from flipping pancakes. “How is everything outside?”
“Better, now that the power is back on,” he said as he shrugged out of his down jacket. “Chores are all done and I cleared the road to the highway so we can get out, but the county plow hasn’t cleared the highway yet.”
“Back when you boys were growing up, that sometimes took a week or more,” Betty said with a chuckle. “All winter I made sure our storeroom and freezer were stocked, just in case.”
Jess toed off his boots and washed up before coming into the kitchen.
When he came to the table, his half smile revealed the dimple Abby had always loved. “Thanks again for helping move the cattle yesterday, Abby. No way I could’ve gotten hay to them after this storm.”
“I enjoyed every minute.” She brought the pancakes and bacon to the table, along with cheddar-cheese-scrambled eggs. She caught Jess watching her, his smile now reaching his eyes.
“You wouldn’t be just a little saddle sore from yesterday, would you?”
Her gaze collided with his and held, and what started as a teasing look seemed to deepen into an awkward awareness that simmered between them.
She turned away to get the warmed maple syrup from the microwave. “No cowgirl is ever going to admit being saddle sore,” she retorted, avoiding his eyes when she put the syrup and butter on the table. “Especially not one who was riding before she could walk.”
“Okay...then I don’t need to tell you that the ibuprofen is in the cupboard above the stove, right?”
Betty chuckled under her breath as she cut up the girls’ pancakes. “I’ve missed having an extra adult or two here. Keeps things lively, don’t you think? All right, girls—bow your heads.”
Everyone joined in the table prayer, then started eating.
“This is real good,” Betty said with a smile. “Food always tastes better when I don’t have to cook it. Aren’t these pancakes yummy, girls?”
Bella gave her pancake a listless poke with her fork and pushed her plate away. “I don’t like pancakes. Not with spots.”
“Watch your manners, Bella. Those are chocolate chips and I believe Abby made them especially for you girls,” Jess said in a low voice. “I think they are delicious.”
Sophie looked between Jess and Bella, wavered, then put down her fork. “I’m not hungry. Can I go?”
“That’s ‘can I be excused.’ And the answer is no, Sophie. Not until you’ve eaten something on your plate.” Jess gave the girls a warning look. “And that goes for you, too, Bella.”
Bella flopped back in her chair, her expression mulish. After sliding a sideways glance at her sister, Sophie did the same.
Abby felt Jess’s eyes on her and figured he was probably assessing her ability to handle the situation.
“Well. I was planning to make cookies this morning with lots and lots of sprinkles, but I don’t think the girls are interested. So instead, the girls and I could start cleaning the whole house,” she said. “If we work hard, we could get it done by supper time, since it’s too cold to play outside.”
“Then they’d sure work up an appetite by lunchtime, since they don’t seem to be hungry for breakfast,” Betty said with a solemn nod of agreement. “Good idea.”
The girls looked at them in horror, then resolutely started eating.
Abby smothered a laugh. One small battle won, though she knew that Bella’s rebellious streak would have to be dealt with and that Sophie usually followed her sister’s lead.
When everyone finished breakfast, Abby cleared the table and began loading the dishwasher.
“Are we making cookies next?” Sophie asked hopefully.
“We should go out to the barn first, because there’s something I want you girls to see,” Jess said. “It’s nice and warm in there now that the electricity is back on. If Abby comes along, she can bring you back to the house when you’re ready.”
Excited, the girls raced for their coats.
Jess reached for a pair of pink leather cowboy boots on the top shelf above the coat pegs. “Use these, Sophie, since your snow boots are at school. I’ll carry you out to the barn, okay?”
“I’m just going to sit in my favorite chair by the fire and read awhile,” Betty said with a mysterious twinkle in her eye as she stood and grabbed the handles of her walker. “You girls can tell me all about what you find in the barn when you get back.”
Abby refilled Betty’s coffee cup and brought it to her once she’d settled comfortably in the living room with her Bible resting on her lap.
“You’re a sweet girl, Abby,” Betty murmured. “Always were. It was such a shame that you and Jess didn’t end up together. Maybe someday...”
“Someday soon I’ll be moving on.” Abby grabbed an afghan and settled it around Betty’s shoulders. “I want to try to spend time with my dad and his new wife while I’m here, but I hope to be back in school this fall.”
“Jess tells me you want a PhD from some fancy college. That’s wonderful, dear.”
Abby laughed. “I have to wait to see if any of them accept me. Besides, Jess might find his perfect housekeeper any day. And then I’ll be packing my bags.”
Betty searched her face with an all-too-knowing look. “Things haven’t been so easy for you all these years, have they?”
“I’ve been blessed in many ways. Really.”
“Yet here you are. Without a home of your own, a family...”
“I’m just in transition and ready to start over.” Abby smiled. “Somewhere.”
“Somewhere could be here, my dear. If you and Jess just—”
Abby squeezed her hand gently and took a step back, suddenly realizing that the crafty matchmaker was probably trying her not-so-subtle ploys on Jess, as well.
No doubt the poor man had to be counting the days until somebody answered his housekeeper ads so Abby could be on her way.
Though with every passing day here, her uncertainty was growing. Did she really want to leave?