“You’re late. Where are the boys?” Margaret’s sharp, clipped words grated.
Not even a hello. “Asleep in back.” Sarah opened Jack’s door and woke him with a gentle rub on his chest.
“Mama, are we there yet?” Jack rubbed at his eyes.
“Yes, honey. Let’s go see Grandma.”
Sarah turned around and Jack climbed onto her back. Sarah went to the other passenger door, opened it, and gently woke Nick.
Nick opened his big green eyes, and as he did upon waking most days told her, “Daddy played with me while I slept.”
Sarah’s throat clogged, as it always did. She brushed her son’s golden hair away from his brow, gave him a smile, and said, “Daddy will come back and play when you go to sleep tonight. Wanna see Grandma?”
Nick nodded.
She set Jack on the ground beside her, then hooked her hands under Nick’s arms and lifted him from his seat and held him close.
Sarah walked toward Margaret with her getting-heavier-by-the-day load and Jack right beside her with his little arm wrapped around her leg. The guest stepped out of the shadows to the porch railing and leaned against the post, staring down at her. She wished he’d remained hidden. Tall, handsome, he conveyed strength and confidence in his worn boots, faded jeans, and chambray work shirt. He was made to draw a woman’s eye with that gorgeous face and wide shoulders, and she found herself staring for a moment before she caught herself and realized the unfamiliar sensation running through her was attraction.
She couldn’t remember the last time a man made her feel any kind of personal interest.
Sarah guessed he probably worked at the nearby horse ranch. His intense gaze studied her. Margaret had probably already given him an earful about her no-good daughter-in-law, and Sarah’s initial interest quickly faded because he probably already thought she was a gold-digging bitch.
She glanced back to Margaret, noticing for the first time the sixty-four-year-old woman’s small frame seemed a bit frail, her complexion pale. Her graying blond hair had been cut short into a simple, sleek style. Margaret held her hands clasped so tightly, her knuckles had turned white. They appeared swollen.
Sarah knew all too well grief and pain could wear a person down. Maybe that’s what she saw in Margaret as the older woman carefully placed each foot on the treads as she made her way down the steps to them. Her gaze locked on Jack, who had Sarah’s same dark hair and brown eyes. He’d grown a lot over the past two years. Margaret noted the differences with surprise in her eyes.
Sarah sympathized. Time went by way too fast and her boys were growing up and changing with every passing day.
Nick lifted his face from her neck and Margaret gasped at the sight of him. While Jack took after her, Nick looked just like Sean. Blond hair, a beautiful soft face with his father’s light coloring, the same mouth, slender build, and piercing green eyes.
Margaret blinked tears away. Her stoic exterior showed a tiny crack but Margaret pulled herself together and hid her true emotions again.
It couldn’t be easy for her to see how much the boys had changed over the last two years and face the reminder that life went on, even when you still grieved. And let resentments hold you back.
Jack ran the short distance to Margaret. She opened her arms to him and cuddled and kissed him on the head, then immediately produced a chocolate candy. Jack snatched it and gave her a warm, sweet smile.
Margaret cupped Jack’s face in her hand. “You’ve grown at least six inches since I saw you last. You’ll be tall, like your father.”
“Mama says she’s going to stop feeding me because I’m almost as big as her.” Jack’s serious tone made it seem like Sarah had meant it.
“Well, not to worry, Grandma will feed you bunches and you’ll be an inch taller by the time you go home.”
“Can I watch TV? I want to watch cartoons.” Sarah’s boy was obsessed with TV, which meant she had to make him earn it. At home, homework and chores came first.
“Later, Jack. Let’s get settled first and spend time with Grandma.”
Margaret’s gaze drifted to Nick, still in Sarah’s arms, playing with her hair. Something he always did. She cherished every stroke he made down her hair to the middle of her back.
Sarah took the initiative and closed the distance to Margaret, so she could get a better look at him. “Honey, do you remember Grandma? Please say hello.”
“Hi.” Her shy guy spoke softly, then whispered in her ear.
Sarah whispered back and Nick smiled. She looked right into Margaret’s eyes and told her what Nick said. “Nick would like to know if he can have a candy, too. He also wants you to know that his daddy said he misses you.”
Margaret gasped. She recovered quickly, hiding the shock in her eyes. “Of course you can have a candy, Nick.”
Sarah set Nick down and stretched her aching back. It often hurt because she was always carrying the boys. They wouldn’t be little for long and she tried hard to enjoy these moments and not take them for granted.
Nick received his candy and smiled with a mix of happiness and wariness. Margaret looked over the boys’ heads and eyed Sarah up and down, obviously finding her lacking, before she scooted the boys up the steps. “Go find the cookies on the counter in the kitchen.”
Sarah didn’t like the boys having so many goodies right before dinner, but she held her tongue, not wanting to start off on the wrong foot.
Once the boys cleared the front door, Margaret turned on her. “How dare you say that their father misses me! You have some nerve coming here and speaking of Sean as if he’s still alive.” Margaret shook with anger and grief.
She obviously didn’t intend to be civil.
Sarah had vowed to remain calm no matter what. She would not argue with Margaret or engage in any kind of yelling or verbal sparring. She’d had enough with people yelling when she was growing up and didn’t raise her voice unless absolutely necessary. The boys deserved to know their grandmother, and she was going to make sure they got the opportunity. “Nick asked me to tell you that.”
“He needs to understand Sean isn’t coming back. The doctor told you that two years ago when Nick was having nightmares,” Margaret challenged.
Sarah took a slow breath to calm her rising ire. She had seen Jack and Nick through their tears and grief. She had finally gotten them to accept their father’s death, though they did so in different ways.
Jack always wanted to hear stories about Sean. Every night at bedtime, Sarah told him one of her memories. He especially liked the stories that included Jack and his father together. It made Sean real to both the boys, whose memories of their dad faded a little more each day.
Nick’s acceptance had taken longer. Even though he was younger and everyone thought he would forget his father, that wasn’t the case. Nick began having dreams about his dad immediately after Sean’s death. At first, Nick woke up scared and confused and wondered why his father wasn’t home. The doctor told Sarah not to encourage him, but to coax him to accept Sean wasn’t coming back. Even so young, Nick seemed to understand his father was gone, but couldn’t reconcile why he saw him on their nightly adventures.
Sarah took another approach and encouraged Nick to talk about his escapades with his dad. She told him how special it was that he could see his dad in his dreams.