remember his father loves him or he wouldn't have come to visit.
"Fern says William doesn't understand why Chris came here. Or why he stayed. And Chris doesn't think he should have to explain himself."
She lifted her chin. "And he shouldn't. Chris went through a very difficult time and his father didn't seem to understand."
"It's not easy for others to understand," Jenny said quietly. "War isn't war. I mean, what Chris experienced—what I saw— overseas isn't like what William went through when he served. And the military wasn't the male bonding experience Chris expected, what he'd heard about from his dad growing up. His buddies turned on him when he refused to look the other way about what Malcolm did. And when Chris was injured just before coming back, well—"
"He felt God turned His back on him, too."
"Exactly."
"You understood that," Hannah told her. "Chris told me that. He said you showed up at the same hospital he was at for tests and the two of you started talking and he started getting some of the answers he'd been looking for."
"Well, I don't think I had any answers—"
"He thought so," Hannah interrupted her. "I'm glad he thought so. He came here to Paradise to talk to you some more. Just think about it. If he hadn't, he and I wouldn't have met and gotten married."
Taking a deep breath, Hannah leaned back against the seat. "William and Fern weren't expecting this." She held her hands protectively over her abdomen.
"He didn't let them know?"
Hannah shook her head. "He said they didn't come to the wedding so why bother?"
"I imagine it was quite a shock for them to have him embrace the religion and the way of life here."
"Try telling Chris that. He says his father's always been stubborn and unwilling to listen to him. Then when Chris returned home after his military service, the distance between them grew wider."
"Are you warm enough?" Jenny asked, noticing that Hannah pulled her shawl closer around her. "There's an extra blanket on the back seat."
Hannah turned for it but movement was awkward for her. Jenny took her eyes off the road and reached for the blanket. This is something I can't do in a car, she couldn't help thinking.Pilot wouldn't veer off the road if Jenny didn't pay attention.
"You're being quiet. Either that or I'm talking too much. "Hannah thought about it for a minute. "I'm talking too much."
"You needed to vent."
"You look exhausted."
"Wow, such flattery."
"It's too much for you to be caring for Phoebe on top of your family and your home. And your book deadline."
"I'm managing. Really."
"Nothing else is wrong, is it?"
Jenny sighed inwardly. Hannah was far too observant and far too plainspoken. "What could be wrong?"
Hannah laughed. "Matthew's my brother, but he's far from perfect."
She sobered and put her hand on Jenny's arm. "You know if you need someone to talk to I won't say anything to anyone. Especially Matthew. I'd probably even take your side."
Jenny avoided her gaze. "Nothing's wrong."
She winced inwardly at the lie. But she didn't have any choice. This was something that was just too personal to share with anyone. She was still hoping that there was a good reason for what Phoebe had done.
And her biggest hope was that Matthew hadn't known about it.
Matthew couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Jenny was a silent shadow of herself lately. At first he'd blamed her behavior on her being exhausted. He knew what it was like to be a caretaker since his first wife had been terminally ill for so long.
His friends and family had helped. They'd brought in meals, taken the kinner to school, helped with farming chores, sat with Amelia when Matthew needed to grab a few hours' sleep.
But no one bore the burden of care that a loving family member who was the caretaker did.
He knew that Jenny had been so worried about Phoebe since she'd gotten sick that she'd barely slept, barely ate. But something else was going on. He felt it in the mildly uneasy
"Fern says William doesn't understand why Chris came here. Or why he stayed. And Chris doesn't think he should have to explain himself."
She lifted her chin. "And he shouldn't. Chris went through a very difficult time and his father didn't seem to understand."
"It's not easy for others to understand," Jenny said quietly. "War isn't war. I mean, what Chris experienced—what I saw— overseas isn't like what William went through when he served. And the military wasn't the male bonding experience Chris expected, what he'd heard about from his dad growing up. His buddies turned on him when he refused to look the other way about what Malcolm did. And when Chris was injured just before coming back, well—"
"He felt God turned His back on him, too."
"Exactly."
"You understood that," Hannah told her. "Chris told me that. He said you showed up at the same hospital he was at for tests and the two of you started talking and he started getting some of the answers he'd been looking for."
"Well, I don't think I had any answers—"
"He thought so," Hannah interrupted her. "I'm glad he thought so. He came here to Paradise to talk to you some more. Just think about it. If he hadn't, he and I wouldn't have met and gotten married."
Taking a deep breath, Hannah leaned back against the seat. "William and Fern weren't expecting this." She held her hands protectively over her abdomen.
"He didn't let them know?"
Hannah shook her head. "He said they didn't come to the wedding so why bother?"
"I imagine it was quite a shock for them to have him embrace the religion and the way of life here."
"Try telling Chris that. He says his father's always been stubborn and unwilling to listen to him. Then when Chris returned home after his military service, the distance between them grew wider."
"Are you warm enough?" Jenny asked, noticing that Hannah pulled her shawl closer around her. "There's an extra blanket on the back seat."
Hannah turned for it but movement was awkward for her. Jenny took her eyes off the road and reached for the blanket. This is something I can't do in a car, she couldn't help thinking.Pilot wouldn't veer off the road if Jenny didn't pay attention.
"You're being quiet. Either that or I'm talking too much. "Hannah thought about it for a minute. "I'm talking too much."
"You needed to vent."
"You look exhausted."
"Wow, such flattery."
"It's too much for you to be caring for Phoebe on top of your family and your home. And your book deadline."
"I'm managing. Really."
"Nothing else is wrong, is it?"
Jenny sighed inwardly. Hannah was far too observant and far too plainspoken. "What could be wrong?"
Hannah laughed. "Matthew's my brother, but he's far from perfect."
She sobered and put her hand on Jenny's arm. "You know if you need someone to talk to I won't say anything to anyone. Especially Matthew. I'd probably even take your side."
Jenny avoided her gaze. "Nothing's wrong."
She winced inwardly at the lie. But she didn't have any choice. This was something that was just too personal to share with anyone. She was still hoping that there was a good reason for what Phoebe had done.
And her biggest hope was that Matthew hadn't known about it.
Matthew couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Jenny was a silent shadow of herself lately. At first he'd blamed her behavior on her being exhausted. He knew what it was like to be a caretaker since his first wife had been terminally ill for so long.
His friends and family had helped. They'd brought in meals, taken the kinner to school, helped with farming chores, sat with Amelia when Matthew needed to grab a few hours' sleep.
But no one bore the burden of care that a loving family member who was the caretaker did.
He knew that Jenny had been so worried about Phoebe since she'd gotten sick that she'd barely slept, barely ate. But something else was going on. He felt it in the mildly uneasy
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