Clay’s father nodded, his eyes on the car. “You need some help carrying them in?”
“I got it, Dad, thanks.” Clay opened the back door, unfastened Tony’s seat belt and gently removed him from the car.
The boy stirred. “Where are we?”
“We’re at your foster home, son.”
“Don’t want no foster home. Wanna go home with Jordan,” he mumbled.
“Jordan can’t take care of you right now, I’m afraid, but you’ll like it here, I promise.”
Tony woke further. “Where’s Maria?”
“She’s right here,” Sabrina assured him. She had the little girl in her arms. Maria rubbed her face and laid her head on Sabrina’s shoulder. To Clay’s mother she said, “They both need baths and food and then I think they’ll be ready for bed. They’ve had a very stressful day.”
“Of course, of course. Bring them on in.”
“They don’t have any clothes.” Sabrina stepped inside and the smell of fried chicken made her stomach growl. She ignored it. “If you can make do for tonight, I’ll see what I can find at the community church first thing tomorrow.” Wrangler’s Corner Community Church had a food and clothing pantry. Sabrina had used it more than once to dress her charges.
“We’ll be fine. When we decided to take in foster children, I asked for donations from friends and my church. We got a closetful in under two hours. I’m sure something will fit these little darlings. Now, come on into the kitchen and we’ll get to know each other over dinner.”
Sabrina hesitated. “I don’t want to intrude.” But she didn’t want to just drop the kids and leave, either. Maria had already gotten attached to her. She wondered if Clay’s parents realized who she was.
They had to, and yet they were treating her with a kindness she hadn’t expected. She’d been friends with Steven, of course, but had gone out of her way to avoid the rest of his family. Shame gripped her.
“Wouldn’t be intruding,” Clay said. “I’m going to run up and wash my hands. You want to come with me, Tony?”
The little boy looked at his grubby hands. “I probably need to.”
A smile played on Clay’s lips. “Then come on.”
Tony paused and looked at his sister. “You, too, Maria. You’re just as dirty as I am.”
Maria stirred. She looked at Clay’s mother. “You got ice cream?”
Mrs. Starke smiled. “I sure do. What kind do you like?”
“Neo-poppin’.”
Confusion filled the woman’s face. Sabrina translated, “I think she means Neapolitan.”
“Ah, well, that clears it up. And it just happens we do have it.”
Maria grinned.
The front door banged shut, and Sabrina jumped, her arms tightening around the little girl, who wiggled to get down. She set her on the floor, and Maria walked over to take her brother’s hand. Sabrina forced herself to relax. Her nerves were shot, and she needed to decompress.
Heavy boots clomped toward the kitchen. A man who could have been Ross Starke’s twin appeared in the doorway. He held a rifle in his left hand and a bag of apples in his right. He set the apples on the floor and leaned the rifle against the wall. “Saw a couple of deer over this way and thought I’d bag me one. Went back and got my rifle and now I can’t find the deer.” He looked around. “Hey, Clay, saw you drive up. What’s going on?”
Sabrina tensed, her stomach twisting into a knot. Abe Starke. A man she’d spent her life avoiding now stood three feet from her.
“Uncle Abe. My parents have decided to take in foster kids. This is Tony and that’s Maria.”
Abe gave a smart bow and held out his hand. “Pleasure to meet you two.”
Maria giggled and ducked her head. Tony’s lips curved slightly as he shook Abe’s large hand.
Abe looked back up. “Julianna, I brought those tables over for the barbecue.”
“Oh, great. Clay can help you take them into the barn until we need to set them up.”
Abe’s gaze finally landed on Sabrina, and he froze. The warmth in his eyes frosted over. “What’s she doing here?”
Julianna gasped. “Abe Starke, that was rude.”
He snorted. “Yeah? Well, I thought it was pretty rude when her mother left me standing at the altar.” His eyes lasered into Sabrina, who stood frozen. “You’re not welcome in this house—or on this land, for that matter. Get out.”
Clay recoiled as though his uncle had slugged him. He’d heard the sad story his entire life, but he hadn’t realized Abe still harbored such strong bitterness. He’d been gone too long.
His mother sucked in a deep breath. “Not here, Abe.”
“Then where, Julie?” Abe glared at his sister-in-law.
Tony’s and Maria’s gazes swung from one adult to the next. Sabrina stepped forward and placed a hand on Maria’s head. “I think I’ll go.” She sounded shaky. Unsure. Confused. But Clay knew she wouldn’t say anything or ask questions in front of the children.
He shot a look at his mother, who quickly gathered the two children and two plates of food and ushered them out of the kitchen and down the hall. Thankfully, they went without protest.
Clay stared at his uncle. “This isn’t the time or the place. Let the past stay in the past.”
Abe pointed at Sabrina. “You knew who she was and you brought her here?”
Clay tried to put a lid on his impatience. “Yes, of course. She didn’t have anything to do with what her mother did. It’s time to let it go, Abe.”
Clay thought he detected a bit of steam leaking from his uncle’s ears, but he was sick and tired of the whole “feud,” the animosity and antagonism displayed toward Sabrina and her grandmother—two innocent women.
Clay’s attention circled back to Sabrina.
She stood frozen, lips tight, face pale. She stiffened her spine and squared her shoulders. “I haven’t seen my mother in about twenty years. I don’t know where she is or if she’s even still alive.” She glanced toward the door where the children had disappeared, then looked at his uncle Abe. “I’m sorry for what she put you through.”
“Sorry? Sorry about the fact that your mama and I were engaged to be married and she never showed up?” He snorted and gave a humorless laugh. “Or sorry about the fact that she did show up about two years late?” He slammed a fist into the wall. Clay winced and Sabrina jumped. “It wasn’t enough she left me at the altar, but then she humiliates me by coming back to town with a baby in tow. A baby that’s obviously not mine.”
“Me,” she whispered.
“Yeah. You. So you can see why you’re not welcome in this house.”
“But I’m not my mother.” She straightened her back and met Abe glare for glare.
“Close enough.”
Sabrina flinched. “I’ve worked very hard to prove myself in this town. I’m not her. I’ll never be her.”
Clay stepped in. “That’s enough, Abe. Sabrina’s