by Ruth Langan
“Hannah’s here, Daddy.” With a shriek, Danny and T.J. slammed out the door and raced across the deck.
By the time the red convertible had come to a stop, the two little boys were standing side by side next to the driveway.
“Well.” Hannah knelt down to accept their hugs before giving them both a nod of approval. “Looks like your dad laid out your Sunday best.”
They wore navy shorts and crisp white polo shirts in a soft knit fabric. On their feet were new blue sneakers. Their blond hair was still wet from the shower. All they needed to look like perfect angels were halos of light over their heads.
As she took their hands in hers and started toward the deck, Ethan stepped out the door. She felt her heart do a lazy dip at the sight of him in pants and a silk T-shirt the color of caramel. Like his sons, his sandy hair was still damp.
The smile on his lips reached all the way to his eyes, especially when he gave her a long, slow appraisal before turning to his sons. “Who is this woman? And what has she done with Hannah Brennan?”
Hannah couldn’t help laughing as she glanced down at the ankle-skimming skirt and lacy shell in white silk. “I guess it would be a bit of a jolt to see me in lady clothes after my usual muddy jeans.”
“More than a bit.” He touched a hand to his heart. “If you’re not careful, you may have to give me CPR.”
“What’s that?” Danny asked, looking from his father to Hannah.
“Commonly called mouth-to-mouth.” Ethan continued staring at her in that way that always started her pulse racing.
As she walked up the steps he leaned close to whisper, “I was afraid I’d never see you again.”
“So was I.” She gave a little laugh. “You realize I’ll have a lot of questions.”
“Fair enough.” He nodded. “I’ll answer as many as I can.”
“That’s all I ask.”
He looked at his watch. “Want to drive? Or do we have time to walk?”
“Let’s walk.” Hannah breathed in the fragrance of freshly turned earth and early-summer blooms that wafted across the yard on a gentle breeze. “We’d be foolish to waste a day like this.”
With Danny and T.J. dancing along between them, they started down the driveway and past the gatehouse, where the uniformed guard waved.
Once they’d cleared the gated community, they walked along a sidewalk that curved past high fences abloom with roses that grew so lush and thick it was impossible to see the houses just beyond. When they started up the driveway of The Willows, Hannah saw Ethan studying the aged stone and brick facade, softened by ivy that had been neatly trimmed around doorways and windows. The lawn was carefully manicured, the gardens showing the years of love and hard work that had been lavished upon them.
Hannah’s eyes danced with unconcealed humor. “Welcome to our humble abode.”
Chapter 10
They followed the sound of voices to the backyard where the rest of the family had already gathered on the patio. It was a sight that always had Hannah smiling. Her grandfather stood at the brick barbecue, wielding giant tongs that he’d fashioned from several discarded garden implements to turn an assortment of meats and fish on the grill. Sidney was arranging flowers in a crystal vase, while Courtney was setting the table with a fashionable mix of family heirlooms and one-of-a-kind pieces she’d bought from local artisans. Emily and Jason stood to one side, hands linked, faces bent close, wearing the secret smiles of newlyweds. Trudy was wheeling a trolley laden with covered dishes from the kitchen. And in the midst of all the commotion, Hannah’s grandmother, Bert, sat on a glider, watching her family with a look of pure contentment.
“Well.” Frank’s chore was forgotten as he caught sight of Hannah and her guests. Hurrying over he bent to kiss her cheek. “Now our family is complete. I was beginning to worry that you’d overslept.”
“Not a chance, Poppie. But the day is so perfect, we decided to walk.” She laid a hand on Ethan’s arm. “Ethan, this is my grandfather, Judge Frank Brennan. Poppie, this is Ethan Harrison.”
“Sir.” Ethan extended his hand and was surprised by the strength of the old man’s grip.
“Welcome to The Willows, son.” Frank turned to the two little boys. “Such handsome lads.”
“This is Danny and this is T.J.” Hannah dropped an arm around each of their shoulders.
“Danny, is it? You’re the picture of your father.” The old man bent down and offered his hand. “Tell me what T.J. stands for.”
“Thaddeus Joseph.” Danny answered for his little brother.
“A fine name. Can you say it yet, lad?” T.J. nodded. “Taddus Josep.”
While the others smiled, Frank said, “Good for you, lad. By the time you’re able to say it comfortably, that nickname will have stuck. You’ll be T.J. for a lifetime. I speak from some authority. I was Frankie from the time I was born. By the time I’d ascended the bench, I wanted to be called Francis Xavier, because I thought it sounded judicial and proper. But it was too late. All my friends called me Frankie, and do to this day. Those who don’t—” the old man winked at the little boy “—call me Poppie. I ask you, what kind of respect can I get with a name like that?”
The two boys were grinning as the rest of the family gathered around.
Hannah’s mother greeted Ethan warmly. “Are you still in love with the house?”
“Yes, thanks to you. You made my move effortless.” He paused a beat before saying, “Your daughter tells me that everyone calls you Charley.”
“That’s my name.” She winked at Danny and T.J. “If you think Frankie is a tough name for a judge, just think about a woman my age still being called Charley.”
“A woman your age?” Frank lifted his daughter-in-law’s hand to his mouth for a gallant kiss. “To me you will always be twenty-five and my son’s gorgeous bride.”
She blushed like a schoolgirl. “Which is why you’re my favorite father-in-law.”
As the others gathered closer, Hannah handled the introductions. “These are my sisters. Sidney.”
Ethan accepted her handshake. “The artist.”
“I see Hannah’s been discussing her family.”
“And why not, when she has such beautiful sisters.”
Hannah turned to her youngest sister. “This is Courtney.”
“I’ve seen your gift shop in town, though I haven’t had time to stop in yet.”
“Come on by. You’ll find some really unusual things for that new home of yours.”
Ethan nodded. “I will.”
“And this is Emily.”
“The doctor.” He glanced toward his two sons. “I’ll be calling to arrange a well visit soon.”
“I look forward to it.”
“And this is Emily’s husband, Jason Cooper.”
Ethan arched a brow. “The author?”
Jason nodded as he offered a handshake.
“You write fantastic books. Your latest, Secrets in a Small Town, was fabulous.”
Jason brushed a kiss over his sister-in-law’s cheek. “I see you finally found a guy with good taste.”
That had everyone laughing.
Ethan studied Jason. “I thought you lived in Malibu.”
“I did.” Jason dropped an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “But Emily’s medical practice is here, and I figured I can write anywhere. We’ve decided that Devil’s Cove is to be our home from now on.”
Ethan watched as grandmother approached. Despite the cap of white curls, her eyes held the same twinkling light that he’d always seen in Hannah’s.
“Ethan, my grandmother, Bert Brennan.”
As they shook hands Ethan said, “I don’t think I’d be comfortable calling you Bert.”
“Try Mrs. B.,” Jason offered. “It’s what her students have always called her.”
“You teach?”
“I did.” Bert gave him a warm smile. “I finally retired this past year.”
As Hannah and her sisters exchanged knowing looks,
Hannah explained. “If you can call it retirement. I think Bert tutors more students now than she did when she was on the school’s payroll.”
“And why not?” Trudy Carpenter ambled up. “Not only does Mrs. B. offer her services free, but she also sees to it that the kids put away a mountain of cookies and a gallon of lemonade before she sends them home.”
Hannah lay a hand over Trudy’s. “If that’s true, then you’re Bert’s coconspirator. You know you like baking for all those teenagers.”
“That’s because you and your sisters have decided that cookies are fattening. I have to find someone who appreciates my baking.”
Hannah turned. “Trudy, this is Ethan Harrison and his sons, Danny and T.J. This is our housekeeper, Trudy Carpenter. She’s been keeping us all in line for as long as I can remember.”
The housekeeper, who was as round as she was tall, gave Ethan a long, direct look. “If you’re a friend of Hannah’s, you’re welcome here.” She turned her attention to his sons. “I hope you two like homemade cookies.”
Danny seemed surprised. “You really bake them. In an oven?”
“I really bake them. In an oven. None of those store-bought cookies in this house.”
“Can you make chocolate chip?”
“They’re my specialty.”
Danny’s eyes grew even bigger. “They’re my very favorite.” He turned to his little brother, who was nodding his head. “And T.J.’s, too.”
“That’s good.” She pointed to the trolley. “There’s lemonade over there. And after brunch, I’ll have a tray of cookies hot from the oven.”
The two little boys looked questioningly at their father. When he gave a nod of approval, they followed Trudy across the patio and were twitching with excitement as she poured them frosty glasses of freshly squeezed lemonade.
Watching, Ethan couldn’t help chuckling. “Those two have never tasted cookies from the oven.”
“Then they’re in for a very special treat.” Frank rubbed his stomach. “Nobody bakes chocolate chip cookies like Trudy. Nobody.”
“And Poppie should know.” Hannah and her sisters
“Careful,” Emily warned. “If your sons have a sweet tooth like Poppie’s, they’re about to become Trudy’s slaves for life.”
“Why don’t we all sit.” Bert tucked her arm through Frank’s and led the way toward the table, with the others following.
When they were settled around the big patio table, Bert sat at one end, the judge at the other.
Hannah indicated a chair beside her grand father’s. “Why don’t you sit here, Ethan, and we’ll put the boys between us.”
As Trudy began removing the lids from silver trays and passing them around the table, she paused beside Danny and T.J. “I hope you two like waffles.”
Danny nodded. “Daddy makes them in the toaster sometimes.”
The housekeeper wrinkled her nose to show her disapproval. “Not those kind of waffles. These are made in a waffle iron, and topped with real Michigan maple syrup and black walnuts, freshly whipped cream and strawberries picked this morning from the judge’s garden.”
Ethan took his first bite and closed his eyes on a sigh of pure pleasure. When he opened them, he looked over the heads of his two sons to see Hannah grinning.
He shook his head. “This is amazing. I’m not sure my boys can appreciate this yet, but I don’t believe I’ve ever tasted food this good.”
Trudy gave a sigh of pleasure before walking away.
As the housekeeper crossed the patio to retrieve something from the kitchen, Hannah looked around the table. “Well, we weren’t too far off base with the name of Trudy’s next slave. But who knew it would be the father instead of the sons?”
“Do you come from a big family, Ethan?” With the meal finished, Bert and Ethan were seated on a glider, watching as Frank showed off his strawberry patch to Danny and T.J. on the far side of the yard.
Ethan shook his head. “My parents died in a plane crash when I was just about Danny’s age. I don’t even remember them, except for the things I’ve been told. I was raised by an aunt and uncle, my father’s older brother. Their own kids were already in college by that time, so I was treated more like a grandson than a son.”
“How fortunate that you had some relatives to open their home to you.”
He nodded. “I must have been a handful to those two quiet, bookish people. I started boarding school when I was ten.”
“So young.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t mind. It gave me the chance to be with other boys my age. I remember playing a lot of soccer and football. And it was there that I discovered computers. I fell wildly, madly in love with all the possibilities that opened up with my first computer. By the time I’d finished college, I’d already designed half a dozen software programs and was offered top jobs with all the big computer software companies.”
“Which one did you go with
He smiled. “I started my own, with a friend from college. My uncle was horrified when he learned that I was planning to use my inheritance for the start-up costs. Though he tried his best to sound encouraging.” His tone softened. “I’ve always been glad that he lived long enough to see my business flourish.”
“How long ago did he pass away?”
“It’s four years now.”
“And your aunt?”
He looked away. “She cut me out of her life two years ago. There’s been no contact since.”
Bert laid a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Ethan. I know that your wife died under mysterious circumstances. I should think that would be enough to bear, without the censure of those you love, as well.”
At his arched brow she said softly, “I don’t believe Hannah was betraying your confidence by speaking openly to her grandfather.”
“Of course not.” He paused before adding, “I’m just surprised that you would welcome me to your home after hearing such a thing.”
“It is apparent that you and your boys matter to Hannah. And Hannah matters to us.”
He gazed out over the expanse of water at the base of their yard. “The case is still open and I’m still a prime suspect. What if I should be accused and brought to trial?”
“Are you guilty of your wife’s death, Ethan?”
The blunt question had him turning to look at her directly. “No. I loved Elizabeth. But knowing I’m innocent isn’t enough. I have no right to drag anyone else into this slime.”
“Hannah?” Bert smiled. “In case you haven’t noticed, my granddaughter isn’t the type to be dragged into anything. If there’s any dragging to be done, it will be Hannah doing it.”
Ethan looked across the yard to the object of their discussion, kneeling in the grass between his boys. Though he wasn’t aware of it, a look of softness came into his eyes. Even his voice softened. “You know her very well.”
“I do indeed.” For long moments Bert studied him as he watched her granddaughter. There was no denying what she could see in his eyes.
When at last she spoke, her voice was little more than a whisper. “If Hannah chooses to stand with you, Ethan, she will have the love and support of her family. And if the day comes that you are called upon to prove your innocence, you may be assured that the Brennans will be there to stand beside her.”
Ethan shook his head. “I’ve never known a family like yours, Mrs. B. You’re a formidable force to be reckoned with. You’d make terrifying foes.”
She smiled then, a smile that was so much like Hannah’s it dazzled him. “We would indeed. Keep that in mind, young man. When you see Hannah working like a man, you may be tempted to forget that she has the tender heart of a woman. But if you should ever break that heart, you would answer to all of
Chapter 11
“Look, Daddy.” Danny and T.J. came rushing up to their father, holding out little tin buckets filled with strawberries. “Hannah’s Poppie let us pick all we wanted.”
“Judging from those red stains on your mouths, I’d say
you ate as many as you put in the buckets.”
“Just a few. Hannah said they wouldn’t give us tummy aches.”
“Maybe not. But added to the plate of chocolate chip cookies you put away and the gallon of milk and lemonade, I think we’re going to have to do some serious walking to work off all that food.”
“But Courtney said we worked hard on her sailboat.”
“That looked like fun.” And had caused Ethan a moment of panic when he’d watched his two sons leaving on the little boat with Hannah’s sisters. It had been quite a jolt to his heart to give up control of his sons’ safety into the hands of someone else. He’d been the sole caregiver for so long now, it was hard to let go for even a few hours. But Hannah had assured him that both her sisters were excellent sailors and that his sons were in capable hands.
“It was fun. Courtney made us wear life jackets. And she let us steer.”
“Steer,” T.J. echoed. His chubby little hands made steering motions in the air.
Danny nodded. “And the sails puffed up and made us feel like we were flying. And when we got to Sidney’s place, she took us to her studio and let us paint.” He held up a wrinkled sheet of paper. “Look. I made a sailboat. And T.J. made a garden.”
“Garden.” T.J. held up his drawing for his father’s approval.
“That’s great. Were you drawing Hannah’s garden?”
When the little boy grinned, Ethan ruffled his hair. “You two have had quite a day.”
The little boys nodded.
“But like all good things, it’s time for this day to end.”
“Do we have to go?” Danny’s smile faded, and beside him, T.J. pouted while rubbing at his eyes.
“Yes, we do.”
As they bade goodbye to Hannah’s family, Trudy came shuffling across the patio carrying a pretty little box tied with blue ribbons and handed it to Ethan.
“What’s this?”
“A few treats for tomorrow.”
“Oh, boy.” Danny was grinning from ear to ear. “Are they—” he held a hand over his mouth to whisper loudly “—chocolate chip cookies?”
