“Poor kid.”
“Yes, which is why Greg and I are determined to adopt him.”
“He must be happy about that.”
“Actually, we haven’t said anything to him so please don’t. In case…you know.”
“Gotcha. In case it doesn’t work out.”
“Right. What am I doing keeping you standing here on the porch? Come inside. Are you hungry? The kids and I just finished lunch, but I still have a half pot of chili simmering on the stove.”
“You cook?”
She batted his arm. “What kind of question is that? Of course I cook.”
“All I remember is your burned offerings. Burned eggs, burned pancakes, burned beans, burned meatloaf.”
Pressing her hand to her cheek, she giggled. “Oh, the meatloaf. Do you remember how hard it was, and how Dad kept saying it was fine while everyone else was slipping pieces under the table to the dog.”
“As I recall, Shep didn’t touch them.”
“It was years before I made meatloaf again for that very reason.”
Still laughing, Maya headed into the house in front of him. Clay followed, amazed at how easy it was to fall back into the sibling banter they’d always enjoyed.
Inside, Maya lowered Layla to the floor, but the little girl clung to her leg while treating Clay to covert suspicious glances. After taking his coat and hat, Maya led the way to a cozy kitchen where the delicious smell of her chili set Clay’s stomach rumbling.
“Have you had a chance to see the town,” Maya asked as she withdrew a bowl from the cupboard.
“I did. It’s hard to believe all the damage.”
“You should have seen it that first night. I’ve never been so terrified in my life.”
“I wish I’d been here to help.”
After hesitating a second, she asked, “Why didn’t you come back sooner?”
Was she asking about the storm or his original exit? He chose to talk about the twister. He didn’t fully understand himself why he hadn’t come back after his last fight with Jesse.
“I missed your phone call by two days. I’d just left the ranch to guide a group of hunters on a four-week packhorse trip. I called as soon as I got the message, but your phone was still out so I called Jesse.”
“He told me he’d spoken to you. He told you about Marie?”
“Yeah. He mentioned the twister, but he didn’t tell me the town had been leveled. Course, he never was talkative. I offered to come home then, but he said not to bother.” Anger at Jesse’s harsh words reared its head again.
“Jesse said that?” Maya was clearly shocked.
“Pretty much.”
Ladling a heaping serving of chili into the bowl, she set it on the table in front of him and sat down. Sighing, she said, “There’s a lot more to the story, but go ahead and eat.”
Maya propped her elbows on the smooth pine surface and stared at him.
Tentatively, he sampled his first bite. The thick sauce and chunks of meat simmered to perfection with just the right kick of spices warmed him all the way to his toes. “Hey, this is good.”
“Don’t sound so surprised.”
“But I am.”
Rising, Maya picked up Layla. “Let me put this one down for her nap, and then we can talk.”
Clay finished his lunch and sat back in the chair. It wasn’t long before Maya joined him at the table again.
Sitting, she folded her hands in front of her. “Did Jesse tell you anything about the way Marie died?”
“Just that she was killed when a tornado touched down at the ranch.”
“A tree fell on her car. It was the same storm that hit High Plains, but there was more than one tornado that day. Anyway, Marie wasn’t at the ranch.”
“Where was she?”
“On the highway a few miles from here. She’d left Jesse and the babies the day before the storm hit. Jesse found a note on the kitchen table along with her wedding band and the Logan family engagement ring. He was devastated.”
Sympathy for his brother’s loss and humiliation blunted Clay’s anger. “I imagine he would be. I guess I can even understand why he didn’t want to tell me about it.”
“I hoped you’d understand. Their marriage wasn’t happy, but everyone thought the babies would change that, including Jesse.”
“She left her babies?” Even Clay was shocked by that.
“I really think she was suffering from some type of postpartum depression. I can’t imagine leaving my child if I was in my right mind.”
“Poor Jesse.”
“In one of those bizarre things that happens in a twister, the kitchen was damaged, but the note and her wedding ring were still on the table. However, the Logan family ring was gone.”
“That’s a shame.” The ring didn’t have great monetary value, but to the Logans it was a priceless treasure. It had been handed down with love through the family for six generations.
“We all lost so much that night. Especially Jesse. Losing the ring was like adding insult to injury. He feels so bad about it.”
“You say the house was hit. How badly was it damaged?”
“It tore out the kitchen wall and took off a small section of the roof. The dining table Dad made for Mom was broken and Grandmother Logan’s shadow box was smashed. I think I was as upset about that as I was about the ring.”
Clay gestured toward her hand. “You can start a new tradition with your engagement ring.”
She turned the diamond solitaire around on her finger. “I might just do that. I wish you could have been here for my wedding. Not that it was much, just a quick ceremony so we could get custody of Tommy…and all that other stuff that goes along with wedded bliss.”
Her cheeky grin and sparkling eyes told him just how much she loved her new husband. Clay found himself looking forward to renewing his acquaintance with the man.
“I’m sorry I missed it, Maya.”
“That’s all right. You’ll just have to be here when we renew our vows in the new Old Town Hall as soon as it’s finished.”
“I won’t miss it. I promise. When’s this going to be?”
Rolling her eyes, she answered, “Good question. The hall is being rebuilt by volunteer workers and with donated supplies, but some of the work, like the electrical stuff, has to be done by professionals. It seems like every electrician and contractor in this part of the state has work backed up for months. That has slowed our progress.”
“I can imagine.”
“There was a lot of enthusiasm for the project when it was first proposed, but that has tapered off. People are busy trying to get their own lives in order, their businesses open and their homes rebuilt before winter. We meet on Monday evenings and Saturday afternoons now. Volunteers come and go as they can.”
She glanced at the clock. “In fact, I’m volunteering there tonight.”
“Doing what?”
“Whatever they need me to do. Hey, why don’t you come, too?”
Nicki might have been the main reason he’d returned