herself wishing he would. Just a little.
“Wow,” she said, picking up the frame and staring at the picture. “He almost looks familiar.”
May looked uncomfortable and quickly took the picture back. “Rafe doesn’t like me to talk about Clay.”
Why? Was he in prison? Or worse, although she wasn’t sure what would qualify as worse.
“Then we won’t talk about him.” Heidi touched the other woman’s arm. “It’s all right.”
May nodded, her mouth tight with worry.
“Don’t you have a daughter, as well?”
May sorted through the other pictures she held and passed one to Heidi, showing the boys and their sister at the holidays.
Rafe’s baby sister was younger than Heidi had expected. The boys were obviously close in age, but Evangeline had to have been born six or eight years later. She didn’t look anything like the rest of the family, either. Her hair was a honey-blond, her eyes deep green.
“She’s lovely,” Heidi told May. “I notice you don’t have any other pictures of her. Is she…” Heidi paused, wishing she’d thought before speaking. “Did she, um, die?”
“Oh, no. She’s a classically trained dancer. I’ve only seen her perform a few times, but she’s wonderful. Elegant and graceful. I wish…” May drew in a breath. “We’re not close. We don’t speak much these days. Mothers and daughters. You know how that goes.”
As Heidi barely remembered anything about her mother, she couldn’t relate to any kind of mother-daughter relationship, but she nodded, mostly because she realized things in the Stryker household weren’t as they had first seemed. Not quite so perfect.
May quickly put out the rest of the pictures. Heidi saw that, except for the one photo of Evangeline, they were all of the brothers. Complications and questions, but not so many answers.
“We should probably come up with some ground rules,” May told her. “About the kitchen.”
“What did you have in mind?” Heidi asked, not sure what she meant.
“I thought it would be easier if we shared our meals. The four of us. I love to cook, so I don’t mind taking care of fixing dinner.”
Cooking wasn’t one of Heidi’s favorite chores, so she was thrilled to let someone else handle that. But sitting down across from Rafe every night would be difficult. Or tempting, which made the situation problematic.
“I already asked Glen and he said it was fine with him.”
Heidi held in a groan. “You’re welcome to cook anytime you’d like. I hope you’ll let me help. But, about Glen. You need to be careful. He’s a bit of a flirt.”
May blushed and turned away. She busied herself rearranging the pictures on the table. “I’ve heard a few things about him in town. Don’t worry. I won’t be taken in by his charm. It’s just nice to have a man to talk to. My husband died so long ago. I’d nearly forgotten what it was like to have a man around.”
Heidi didn’t know how to press her point without sounding mean, so she hoped her warning would be enough.
“Is there any food you don’t like?” May asked.
“No.”
“Good. Rafe and I will go out tonight, but tomorrow I’ll be cooking. Maybe lasagna.”
“That sounds delicious.” Heidi suspected May’s lasagna didn’t come in a red box from the frozen-food aisle.
The roar of a large truck engine shattered the quiet. May turned toward the sound and clapped her hands together. “They’re here with the supplies. I can’t wait to see everything.”
Heidi followed her out onto the porch. Two trucks from the local lumber supply pulled into the yard, by the barn. From where she stood, she could see fence posts and two-by-fours, roofing material and what looked like a barn door. While the thought of getting the place fixed up was exciting, everything on the trucks represented more money she was probably going to have to pay back if she wanted May gone.
She wanted to complain, to say that until the judge ruled, this was still her house and her
“Wow,” she said, picking up the frame and staring at the picture. “He almost looks familiar.”
May looked uncomfortable and quickly took the picture back. “Rafe doesn’t like me to talk about Clay.”
Why? Was he in prison? Or worse, although she wasn’t sure what would qualify as worse.
“Then we won’t talk about him.” Heidi touched the other woman’s arm. “It’s all right.”
May nodded, her mouth tight with worry.
“Don’t you have a daughter, as well?”
May sorted through the other pictures she held and passed one to Heidi, showing the boys and their sister at the holidays.
Rafe’s baby sister was younger than Heidi had expected. The boys were obviously close in age, but Evangeline had to have been born six or eight years later. She didn’t look anything like the rest of the family, either. Her hair was a honey-blond, her eyes deep green.
“She’s lovely,” Heidi told May. “I notice you don’t have any other pictures of her. Is she…” Heidi paused, wishing she’d thought before speaking. “Did she, um, die?”
“Oh, no. She’s a classically trained dancer. I’ve only seen her perform a few times, but she’s wonderful. Elegant and graceful. I wish…” May drew in a breath. “We’re not close. We don’t speak much these days. Mothers and daughters. You know how that goes.”
As Heidi barely remembered anything about her mother, she couldn’t relate to any kind of mother-daughter relationship, but she nodded, mostly because she realized things in the Stryker household weren’t as they had first seemed. Not quite so perfect.
May quickly put out the rest of the pictures. Heidi saw that, except for the one photo of Evangeline, they were all of the brothers. Complications and questions, but not so many answers.
“We should probably come up with some ground rules,” May told her. “About the kitchen.”
“What did you have in mind?” Heidi asked, not sure what she meant.
“I thought it would be easier if we shared our meals. The four of us. I love to cook, so I don’t mind taking care of fixing dinner.”
Cooking wasn’t one of Heidi’s favorite chores, so she was thrilled to let someone else handle that. But sitting down across from Rafe every night would be difficult. Or tempting, which made the situation problematic.
“I already asked Glen and he said it was fine with him.”
Heidi held in a groan. “You’re welcome to cook anytime you’d like. I hope you’ll let me help. But, about Glen. You need to be careful. He’s a bit of a flirt.”
May blushed and turned away. She busied herself rearranging the pictures on the table. “I’ve heard a few things about him in town. Don’t worry. I won’t be taken in by his charm. It’s just nice to have a man to talk to. My husband died so long ago. I’d nearly forgotten what it was like to have a man around.”
Heidi didn’t know how to press her point without sounding mean, so she hoped her warning would be enough.
“Is there any food you don’t like?” May asked.
“No.”
“Good. Rafe and I will go out tonight, but tomorrow I’ll be cooking. Maybe lasagna.”
“That sounds delicious.” Heidi suspected May’s lasagna didn’t come in a red box from the frozen-food aisle.
The roar of a large truck engine shattered the quiet. May turned toward the sound and clapped her hands together. “They’re here with the supplies. I can’t wait to see everything.”
Heidi followed her out onto the porch. Two trucks from the local lumber supply pulled into the yard, by the barn. From where she stood, she could see fence posts and two-by-fours, roofing material and what looked like a barn door. While the thought of getting the place fixed up was exciting, everything on the trucks represented more money she was probably going to have to pay back if she wanted May gone.
She wanted to complain, to say that until the judge ruled, this was still her house and her
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