pasture, the rolling
hills, and the tall, shady trees that dotted the property.
“But everywhere I look, I see my husband. He put up all that fencing before our boys
were even born. As a new bride, I remember watching him from the tailgate of our old
Chevy truck. As he worked in the sun, he’d take off his shirt, and those muscles would
just flex in ways that made my heart race.” She gave a small sigh and chuckle. “Sometimes
he’d take a break and we’d cool off in the creek.”
“That sounds wonderful. And romantic.”
“Oh, it was.”
Jana’s smile confirmed everything Charli believed about love and marriage—that through
the hard times came the good times. And that those good times would carry you through
the rest of your life. Charli never saw that side of her parents’ marriage, but from
the way her mother had loved her father, she believed it must have existed.
“Well, that’s enough woolgathering for the moment.” Jana opened the front door.
“How about we go inside and let you put down that big bag.”
“It’s my design stuff,” Charli said, stepping inside a large foyer with adobe floor
tiles that still had a lot of life left in them. “Samples. Photos. And . . . wow.
This is beautiful.”
Photographs in carved wood frames lined the walls and recorded the history of a blossoming
land and growing family. Charli studied them all until her eyes landed on one that
included all the Wilder boys wearing their full-dress military uniforms surrounded
by their beaming parents.
“Is this your husband?”
“Yes. That’s Joe.” Jana sighed, and Charli sensed a moment of deep heartache.
“He’s very handsome.”
Then Jana chuckled. “He was definitely what girls now call a hottie.”
“No wonder you watched him so closely.” Charli moved closer and studied the photo
a little more. It didn’t take an Einstein to recognize that while four of the handsome
young men were blond-haired and blue-eyed like Jana and her husband, Reno was the
standout, with dark hair and eyes.
“On the right is Jake, the baby. And that’s my Jared, the oldest, there on the left.”
Joe, Jana, Jared, Jackson, Jesse, Jake and . . . Reno. Hmmm.
“Jared looks just like your husband.”
“Almost a complete replica, temperament and all. He was such a good baby. But once
he learned to walk, look out. He was into everything. He and Reno were very close.
They both liked to work with their hands.” She sighed. “They’d planned to build a
side furniture business when they got out of the military.”
For a moment, she stood silently looking at the photo, and Charli could almost hear
her heart break all over again. The woman had said she was ready to move on, but that
didn’t mean it wouldn’t be difficult.
“Now. In this room the furniture was tasteful—once upon a time.” Jana waved Charli
into a family room filled with dark, heavy furniture, and boy-resistant fabrics.
Horseshoes had been welded into lamp bases. Antlers had been used to make a chandelier.
And a movie-theater poster of the movie Tombstone was placed next to the flat-screen TV.
“But it’s seen the rearing of five rambunctious boys. That coffee table has always
been to blame for the scar at the corner of Jesse’s eye. Not, mind you, the fact that he was nine at the time and trying to perfect an Olympic
backflip.”
“Is that where the saying “Boys will be boys” came from?”
“Obviously from a mother who knew them well. I always wondered what would last the
longest, the boys, the furniture, or me. Come on. I’ll give you the nickel tour of
the rest of the disaster that is my home, and you’ll see that the furniture has survived
the longest.”
“Your home is very comfortable,” Charli said.
“And you are very polite.” Jana chuckled, then led the way down the hall past several smaller
bedrooms on one side of the home to the master suite on the opposite
hills, and the tall, shady trees that dotted the property.
“But everywhere I look, I see my husband. He put up all that fencing before our boys
were even born. As a new bride, I remember watching him from the tailgate of our old
Chevy truck. As he worked in the sun, he’d take off his shirt, and those muscles would
just flex in ways that made my heart race.” She gave a small sigh and chuckle. “Sometimes
he’d take a break and we’d cool off in the creek.”
“That sounds wonderful. And romantic.”
“Oh, it was.”
Jana’s smile confirmed everything Charli believed about love and marriage—that through
the hard times came the good times. And that those good times would carry you through
the rest of your life. Charli never saw that side of her parents’ marriage, but from
the way her mother had loved her father, she believed it must have existed.
“Well, that’s enough woolgathering for the moment.” Jana opened the front door.
“How about we go inside and let you put down that big bag.”
“It’s my design stuff,” Charli said, stepping inside a large foyer with adobe floor
tiles that still had a lot of life left in them. “Samples. Photos. And . . . wow.
This is beautiful.”
Photographs in carved wood frames lined the walls and recorded the history of a blossoming
land and growing family. Charli studied them all until her eyes landed on one that
included all the Wilder boys wearing their full-dress military uniforms surrounded
by their beaming parents.
“Is this your husband?”
“Yes. That’s Joe.” Jana sighed, and Charli sensed a moment of deep heartache.
“He’s very handsome.”
Then Jana chuckled. “He was definitely what girls now call a hottie.”
“No wonder you watched him so closely.” Charli moved closer and studied the photo
a little more. It didn’t take an Einstein to recognize that while four of the handsome
young men were blond-haired and blue-eyed like Jana and her husband, Reno was the
standout, with dark hair and eyes.
“On the right is Jake, the baby. And that’s my Jared, the oldest, there on the left.”
Joe, Jana, Jared, Jackson, Jesse, Jake and . . . Reno. Hmmm.
“Jared looks just like your husband.”
“Almost a complete replica, temperament and all. He was such a good baby. But once
he learned to walk, look out. He was into everything. He and Reno were very close.
They both liked to work with their hands.” She sighed. “They’d planned to build a
side furniture business when they got out of the military.”
For a moment, she stood silently looking at the photo, and Charli could almost hear
her heart break all over again. The woman had said she was ready to move on, but that
didn’t mean it wouldn’t be difficult.
“Now. In this room the furniture was tasteful—once upon a time.” Jana waved Charli
into a family room filled with dark, heavy furniture, and boy-resistant fabrics.
Horseshoes had been welded into lamp bases. Antlers had been used to make a chandelier.
And a movie-theater poster of the movie Tombstone was placed next to the flat-screen TV.
“But it’s seen the rearing of five rambunctious boys. That coffee table has always
been to blame for the scar at the corner of Jesse’s eye. Not, mind you, the fact that he was nine at the time and trying to perfect an Olympic
backflip.”
“Is that where the saying “Boys will be boys” came from?”
“Obviously from a mother who knew them well. I always wondered what would last the
longest, the boys, the furniture, or me. Come on. I’ll give you the nickel tour of
the rest of the disaster that is my home, and you’ll see that the furniture has survived
the longest.”
“Your home is very comfortable,” Charli said.
“And you are very polite.” Jana chuckled, then led the way down the hall past several smaller
bedrooms on one side of the home to the master suite on the opposite
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