Spending all that time with Hope was sure to bring their parents together, and that is exactly what happened. By the end of the school year, Clint and Grace were a pretty serious duo and by the following summer had tied the knot. Emily was delighted that her best friend was now her sister and they shared everything.
Grace had been there for everything, and now she was going to miss the best part. Emily felt the first stirrings of rage for the drunk driver that caused this wonderful, caring person to be lying here in this hospital bed so close to her last breaths. It wasn’t fair! The boys needed their grandmother, Sadie needed her grandmother—Hope needed her mother! They all needed Grace, and Emily couldn’t fathom what they’d do without her. There would be a huge hole in their family.
Emily laid her head on Grace’s chest and let the tears flow freely.
She felt a hand on her back and twisted her head to see who it was. Hope. She had a wobbly smile on her face, and she sat on the opposite side of the bed. She rubbed Emily’s back, giving comfort where there hadn’t been any before.
“You haven’t had a moment to grieve yet,” Hope said quietly. “I’m so sorry everything has fallen to you.”
Emily shook her head. “Don’t be sorry.” She sat up and wiped her eyes. “I was doing fine until this morning. Being here, having free reign of her room. It made it all too real. She’s leaving us and there’s not one of us who’s ready for it.”
“She visited me last night,” Hope whispered. “It was during one of my snippets of sleep. She’s so proud of us all, she said, and she loves us so much. She’ll be watching us from above and she’ll be waiting.”
“Oh, Hope,” Emily said, reaching out to hug her sister. “I’m so glad you got to speak to her one last time.”
“It was something I needed,” Hope nodded. “And whether it was really her or my subconscious dreaming it, I don’t care. But I’m in a better place today, more accepting, though I really wish we didn’t have to do this.”
“Me neither.”
Clint stepped into the room and came around to Emily’s side of the bed. He grasped her hand and squeezed. “The paperwork is all signed. Dr. Mosler said we have a few minutes before he comes in.”
Emily nodded, and Hope switched sides. She put her arms around Clint’s waist and hugged hard.
“Where’s Tyler and Derek?” Emily asked.
“Derek didn’t want to intrude. He’s finishing up some work this morning. He offered to come with me, but I told him I’d be okay. The visit last night helped,” Hope explained.
“And Tyler said he couldn’t watch this, so he left this morning to help Sophie with the last-minute preparations,” Clint said gruffly.
Understanding, Emily nodded. She’d left Sadie with Jason this morning for the same reason. They would enjoy a leisurely breakfast, play in the pool, and Sadie would have good memories of today. Tonight would be the viewing and Emily had already decided to keep Sadie away. She was too young, and if she was honest, Sadie didn’t need the closure, not at eighteen months old.
When Dr. Mosler came in a half hour later, they’d all had time to say their private good-byes. Now they stood around Grace’s bed, holding hands and lost in their own memories of Grace. As Dr. Mosler began turning off machines, Hope began to hum “Amazing Grace,” and with tears pouring down her face, Emily joined in. Clint took it a step further and added the words, and Emily couldn’t think of a better send-off for their beloved Grace than this.
Chapter Twenty-Three
An hour and a half into the drive back to the ranch, Emily, Hope, and Sadie were driving through the main village of Mosquero. Derek had gotten pulled into a last-minute conference call, and rather than hold up the procession, he’d encouraged everyone to go on without him. Hope had offered to drive so Emily could keep Sadie, who had never been in a car for longer than a half hour, happy in the backseat. They shouldn’t have worried. All the activity that morning had worn her out and she’d fallen asleep before they’d left the city limits of Santa Fe.
Despite herself, Emily was a little excited about being home. The village itself wasn’t very big and consisted of less than two hundred people. It was one of those towns where everyone knew everyone, and all your private business was fodder for gossip among the locals.
She glanced out the windows as Hope drove through the village. It hadn’t changed much and that was a bit of a comfort to Emily. The tiny grocery store that was a third of the size of the stores in Boston was still on the corner of Main Street. Mr. and Mrs. Addlemeyer were out front, Mrs. Addlemeyer sitting on her rocking chair waiting for customers and Mr. Addlemeyer sweeping the sidewalk. Emily smiled to herself; it was nice to see some things hadn’t changed, but she felt bad for him. How many times had he swept that sidewalk throughout his life, only to have to do it again the next day? The dryness of the desert made the sand soar with the slightest of breezes.
Next, they passed the post office and the courthouse. Mosquero was the county seat, which was good because there were always land disputes to be dealt with, and it was so much easier to take care of those issues right here in town, rather than traveling an hour or more away to one of the bigger towns.
Next in line down Main Street was The Dustbowl, the cafe by day and bar by night, and next to that, the gas station.
A feeling of contentment settled over Emily as she took in these familiar sights. It was good to know that somewhere in the world things stayed the same.
“Can’t believe how little Main Street has changed,” Hope said.
“It makes me strangely happy,” Emily said. “I feel like in all the chaos of our lives right now, some things are stable and we can count on them.”
Hope nodded and went back to driving.
A farming community before the Dust Bowl drought, Mosquero was now a ranching community. Emily’s family was no different from the rest of the village in that respect. They raised Black Angus cattle for the sole purpose of selling them to be processed for beef. The Camancho ranch consisted of a few hundred thousand acres, one of the largest in Mosquero.
Jason’s family owned a ranch a bit bigger than the Camancho’s. It bordered their ranch. To get from one house to the other, one would only have to walk across the yard and through a patch of trees. Emily recalled many afternoons when she would take that trip across the yards. There was a small creek that ran between the properties that all the children had played in during their youth. A small bridge had been added to the creek when Emily had been around six years old, but none of them ever used it, preferring to hop across the creek on the rocks.
Emily looked back into the back seat of the car to find Sadie still sleeping. She gently shook Sadie and told her that they were almost at the ranch.
Sadie was instantly awake. “How long, Gamps?” she asked with so much excitement that it brought a lump to Emily’s throat.
“About five or ten minutes.”
“Gamps! UncTy!”
“Gramps will be there, but I’m not sure about Uncle Tyler. He might still be at home with Aunt Sophie and the boys.”
“Ride horsie?”
“Maybe in a little while.”
“Sadie, look at the cows in the field over there.” Hope pointed out the window. “Those are just like the cows that Gramps and Uncle Tyler raise.”
“Mooooo,” Sadie mimicked.
“Those are Black Angus. That’s where we get our hamburgers and steaks,” Hope explained.
“Look, here’s the entrance to the ranch. Do you see the house?” Emily asked.
“Big!”
“Yes, it is. A lot bigger than our apartment, huh?”
“UncTy! UncTy!” she screeched, straining against her car seat buckles and pointing out the window at her uncle on the front porch.
“Hold your horses, kid, can I at least get to the house first?” Hope laughed.
The next minute, they were pulling up to the house and Sadie was bouncing in her car seat.
Tyler opened Sadie’s d
oor when Hope pulled to a stop in front of the huge wraparound porch.
“UncTy!” she squealed in delight when he unbuckled her and lifted her high in his arms.
“How are you doing, sport? How was the car ride?”
“Where’s Dad?” Emily asked.
“He’s in the kitchen.”
“Down! Down!” Sadie said, wiggling in Tyler’s arms. As soon as her feet touched the porch, she went flying into the house. “Gamps! Gamps!”
“Now, if that isn’t the biggest bundle of energy I’ve ever seen, I don’t know what is! What do you feed that child? Pure sugar?”
“No, she just woke up from a nap,” Emily told her brother as she gave him a hug. “And besides, she doesn’t have nearly as much energy as those boys you have. Sadie is positively peaceful compared to them!”
Tyler laughed and nodded, opening the screen door for Emily and Hope. “True story.”
The interior of the house looked exactly the way it did the day Emily left. The front room contained the same furniture in the same place. The hallway still contained the little table that the phone rested on along with a vase of flowers. The same oriental rugs were in the hallway leading to the kitchen that had been there since Grace moved in with them. That memory brought tears to her eyes and she sniffed them back. She couldn’t break down now. She still had so much to go through.
Emily followed behind Tyler and Hope down the hallway. When they got to the kitchen, Tyler stopped short and burst out laughing. Emily and Hope pushed him aside so they could see what he was laughing at. “Oh my,” Emily murmured as the full scale of what she was seeing hit her. It wasn’t another second before she and Hope were laughing as well.
Sadie was on the floor, trying to eat a cookie around one of the new puppies. Clint was covered in milk, apparently from a glass he had gotten for Sadie. And another one of the puppies was trying to lick the milk off Clint.
When they didn’t move to help the two of them out, Clint snapped at them, “Do you think the three of you could stop laughing long enough to help with this mess?”
“Sorry, Daddy,” Emily said as she walked over to the sink to get a washcloth. “But this wasn’t exactly what we were expecting to see when we walked into the kitchen.”
“Didn’t know you were into milk baths, Dad,” Tyler joked as he bent over to pick up one of the puppies and put him outside, then he picked up a towel and bent toward the floor to clean up the milk.
Hope picked Sadie up and put her on the counter so Emily could wipe the milk, chocolate, and puppy slobber off her face and hands.
“I’m glad you all find this so amusing,” Clint said dryly as he picked himself off the floor. “I’m going upstairs to change.”
“Doggie kisses,” Sadie said gleefully.
Emily smiled and sat Sadie at the table to finish her snack.
“Tyler, did you check on our pregnant cow?” Clint asked, entering the kitchen with dry clothes on. He went straight for the coffeepot and poured himself a mug.
“Yeah. I’d say her time is near,” he replied. “Probably tonight or sometime tomorrow.”
“Terrible timing,” Clint muttered.
“We’ll just get one of the hands to watch her while we’re busy. We have the vet on speed dial. As soon as she starts, we’ll have them call Doctor Ed. He can be here in five minutes, and he’s more than qualified to see a cow through a birth.”
“You’re right.” Clint took a gulp of his coffee. “You girls get settled in your rooms, yet?”
They both shook their head.
“What time do we need to be at Dell and Sons?” he asked, referring to the funeral home.
“They said we should plan to arrive forty-five minutes early,” Emily said. “So, I guess we need to be there around quarter after five.”
Shaking his head, Clint finished off his coffee, and rinsing the mug out, he placed it in the dish drainer. “What the hell am I supposed to do with myself now?” He let out a deep sigh and walked out the screen door, heading for the barn.
“Should one of us go after him?” Hope asked.
Tyler shook his head. “Nah, let him go. He needs some time.”
A few minutes later, they heard a knock on the door.
“I wonder who that could be,” Tyler said.
“Probably someone wanting to give their condolences,” Hope said. “I’ll go find out.”
As she neared the door, she couldn’t believe her eyes. The woman had balls, she had to give her that. Her welcoming smile turned menacing, and without opening the screen door, she folded her arms in front of her, her eyes like glaciers. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to offer my condolences and to see if there was anything I could do to help,” Lila said sweetly.
“Thank you and no. We have everything well in hand.”
“She was my aunt, Hope.”
“Yes, she was. But it doesn’t change anything. Your parents will be here in a few hours, shouldn’t you be on your way to pick them up?”
“They’re renting a car,” Lila said. “They need freedom to come and go as they please, and I have to work.”
Hope nodded. “I’m sorry for your loss, too,” she said sadly. “I’m sure we’ll see you at the viewing tonight and funeral tomorrow, as we can’t keep you away from those public events. But I’d appreciate it if you would stay away from the reception tomorrow. Your presence will only serve to bring more sadness.”
Lila’s eyes narrowed, and she took a step closer to the door. “I’m not welcome at the family reception tomorrow?”
“Correct. You’ve done enough damage to this family; it’s best if you stay far away. Like I said, we can’t keep you from the public events, but you are not welcome here tomorrow after the funeral services.”
“This is about Emily, isn’t it?”
“No, this is about you. You’ve made bad choices and those choices have consequences. This is one of those consequences. Don’t come back here, again, ever. You are not welcome here.”
With that, Hope took a step back and closed the front door in Lila’s face. She took a minute to collect herself. She hated confrontations, they made her have tunnel vision and made her heart race. Tyler and Emily would want to know who was at the door, and she better not keep them waiting or they’d come out here to find out. She went back to the kitchen, knowing once she told them Lila had visited, they’d both want to race out and track her down. Neither would appreciate Lila’s gumption. She knew Lila’s visit had been a ploy; she didn’t care about Grace. She wanted to see Emily and get Emily all riled up. That was her focus. How would they keep Lila away from Emily tomorrow? She’d have to figure that one out this afternoon. The last thing they needed was a confrontation between Emily and Lila.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Mama?” Sadie asked from the doorway of the room they were sharing. It was Emily’s childhood bedroom that she’d shared with Hope, and it hadn’t changed since the day she and Jason had left for college.
When Hope had joined the family, they’d made a few adjustments to the room—adding a second twin bed, bookcase, and dresser, but leaving the decor the same. Once they’d grown up a bit, her parents had taken down the rose floral wallpaper and painted the room a pale lavender. The girls had gotten white comforters with lilac flowers on them and curtains to match. Her father had had someone come in to clean and wax the hardwood floor, making it glossy and smooth.
The floor was a bit worn after almost ten years, and the curtains and comforters, as well as the beds and furniture, were the same—if only a bit faded.
“Yes, sweetpea?” Emily was unpacking their suitcases and stowing them under the beds. It was unseasonably cool, so Emily had the windows open to air out the room.
“Have puppy?” she asked, eyes wide and hopeful. “Home puppy?”
“Maybe.” Emily smiled. “We have to ask Aunt Hope, it’s her apartment.” She ran her hand down Sadie’s hair and turned to finish unpacking.
Sadie wobbled to the bed and rubbed her eyes. Yawning, she stuck her thumb in her mouth and twirled a lock of hair around her finger. Emily glanced up and sighed to herself. Her poor baby. Crazy schedule, change of time zones, boring time at the hospital, and a normal toddler schedule gone straight to hell.
“Tired baby?”
Sadie shook her head. But Emily knew better. She picked Sadie up and pulled back the blanket and sheets on the bed. Tucking her in, Emily laid down next to her and rubbed her back. Not even two minutes later, Sadie was sound asleep.
Emily quietly got up and finished unpacking. She spent the day roaming the rooms and halls of the house. Venturing outside after Sadie woke from her nap, they saddled a horse and took a short ride around the ranch. Sadie loved the ride and spent the rest of the day talking about it.
When Emily laid her head on her pillow late that night, she wished for strong arms to hold her tight. Sadie was softly snoring in the bed next to her, and Emily’s heart was breaking. She wanted to curl up in a ball and cry herself a river, and those strong arms would help to keep her from falling apart and floating down the river with her tears.
She didn’t want to wake her daughter, so she turned over and resolutely closed her eyes. There’d be a time and place for her to grieve later. But as the minutes ticked by and she couldn’t find a comfortable position, she wondered if sleep would be elusive for her tonight. Her legs were twitching, her mind racing with thoughts and memories of Grace, and the twin bed seemed so much smaller than it had when she’d been a teenager.
Sighing deeply, she flung the blankets back and quietly got out of bed. She pulled the blankets up on Sadie, who was a hot sleeper and routinely kicked her blankets off every night, then kissed her cheek. She snuck out of the room and went down to the kitchen. Pouring herself a mug of milk, she popped it in the microwave and stood in front of it waiting for the countdown so she could open the door before it dinged and woke the house.
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