“The night of the wedding—you talked a lot about traveling then,” he said.
“I remember you did, too.” She’d often replayed their conversation from the summer night they’d sat under the stars while everyone else danced at Jake and Marina’s wedding. The strength of Sam’s long-cherished dream to see the world, his clear, focused determination, still stuck in her mind.
As they rolled down the highway, Kelly blushed, remembering how natural it had seemed to share confidences on that perfect night. After Sam had revealed his soul-deep longing to travel, she’d blurted out her own painful story of meeting the man she was certain God meant for her, only to have him fall for someone else. Sam, being Sam, had comforted her, assuring her that God had someone special in mind for her. She’d felt so privileged to be in his confidence that night. Now she wondered if Sam had ever confided the depth of his desire to travel to anyone else.
She’d garnered from Marina’s emails that Sam had postponed his plans to travel on at least four occasions “for the good of the family.” As far as Kelly knew, he’d never left the ranch. Probably never would, now that he was responsible for it. Her heart bumped with affection. Dependable, loyal Sam, who willingly gave up his dreams for the ones he loved.
They drove in silence for a while. Kelly absorbed the beauty of the area where her sister had lived, immediately attracted to the gently sloping hills that grew to snow-capped mountains in the distance. Thick stands of evergreens dotted the snowy landscape. Here and there cattle stood in pastures near massive bales of hay. Then the truck crested a hill, and a quaint little town spread before them.
“This is Buffalo Gap,” Sam told her as they drove through the community. “That’s the church where—” He paused, gulped. “Where Marina and Jake attended,” he finally managed.
Kelly wondered at his angry look.
“About five thousand people live here. Not a big place, but it has most everything we need,” he continued after a moment’s pause. “Not far now to the Triple D.”
They passed through Buffalo Gap, then at the top of another hill Sam turned left onto a gravel road and drove past several homes on either side. Then he turned right.
“Here we are.” Sam drove under a big black metal arch with Triple D scripted above it. He grinned at her, obviously happy to be home, as a dimple appeared in one cheek. “We made good time.”
Kelly checked her watch. The watch Marina had given her as a bridesmaid’s gift.
Tears welled, and of course Sam wanted to know why. When she told him, he held out his own wrist and told her the watch he wore had been Jake’s gift to him.
“They were quite a pair, our twins,” he mused quietly.
“They were.” Kelly blinked hard, forcing away her tears to concentrate on the upcoming meeting with her parents and Marina’s kids.
Sam pulled up in front of a big white house with lattice work around the eaves. Two lopsided snowmen dotted the front yard. Kelly knew this had been Marina’s home. There was a wide front porch that would be perfect for sitting on long summer evenings and bright green flower boxes hanging from the railings—empty now, but Kelly could visualize brilliant blooms tumbling from them. Memories of a young Marina tending her flower garden played through her mind like an old movie. Her throat clogged as she fought back emotion.
“Relax, Kelly. No one’s going to yell at you,” Sam teased.
“How well do you know my mother, Sam?” Kelly managed to toss him a wry smile before she slid out of the truck. Inside, her stomach danced with nervousness. Would her dad know her? Would her mother launch one of her verbal attacks in front of Sam’s parents—if they were there? Would the kids like her?
Sam slid his hand into hers and murmured, “We’ll do this together.”
Grateful for his support, Kelly clung to his hand as they walked the snowy path to the door and prayed for wisdom to get through the meeting with her mother.
Despite Sam’s earlier welcome, Kelly doubted this could ever be her home. This was where Marina had belonged. Kelly was just a stand-in, the person her sister and Jake had chosen to help Sam keep the family dream alive. Could she do that?
Sam turned the knob, pushed open the door then stepped back, his green gaze holding hers with a tenderness that said he understood. Perhaps his “Welcome home, Kelly,” was what gave her the strength to let go of his hand and step inside.
“Hi, Mom. Dad.” After hugging her parents, Kelly stood back, a tentative smile curving her full lips.
Sam figured he was probably the only one who saw a question lingering in the depths of her brown gaze and knew she wondered if her father’s disease meant he wouldn’t recognize her.
“Hey, Kelly.” Neil Krause grinned at his daughter then hugged her again. “Boy, I’m glad to see you, honey. We’ve missed you so much.”
“It took this to bring you home?” Arabella Krause wasn’t as forgiving of her daughter’s long absence. Sam winced at the anger underlying her snippy words.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get back earlier, Mom.” Kelly touched Arabella’s cheek in the merest graze of her fingertips. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss there then pulled back to glance at the child wiggling in her mother’s arms. “Who’s this fellow?”
“That’s Jacob Samuel Denver. He doesn’t talk yet.” A little girl with bright blond pigtails and cornflower blue eyes stood in front of Kelly. “I’m Sadie and this is my sister, Emma,” she said, indicating her twin. “You’re our mommy’s sister, aren’t you? But our mommy’s not here anymore. She’s gone.” Big fat tears trickled down her cheeks.
“She’s with God,” Emma said in the whisper-soft voice she’d used ever since Sam had told the twins of their parents’ deaths. She slipped her hand into Sadie’s. “You’re s’posed to be happy, Sadie. Mommy tol’ us that’s a happy place, ’member?”
“I don’t want Mommy and Daddy to be gone,” Sadie snapped. “I want them here.”
Sam stepped forward to console her, but Kelly beat him to it.
“They are here, darling.” Sam’s heart blocked his throat as Kelly crouched down to the twins’ level. “Your mom and dad are right here in your heart.” She tapped Sadie’s little chest. “They’ll always be there because they loved you so much and because you loved them.”
Sadie frowned. “Are you sure?”
“Yep. Positive,” Kelly said with no hesitation. Sam could have hugged her for that when Sadie’s sad tears immediately stopped.
“Oh.” Sadie leaned forward until her lips were next to Kelly’s ear. “I like talkin’ ’bout my Mommy an’ Daddy but it makes Grannybell cry.” The not-quite-whispered words pierced the room’s sudden silence.
Sam winced at Arabella’s indrawn breath and tensed. Now Kelly’s mother would take offense. She’d done a lot of that lately. To save everyone’s nerves he prepared to intervene, but once again Kelly spoke first.
“Your mommy was Grannybell’s daughter, Sadie. That means she was Grannybell’s little girl, just like you and Emma are Mommy’s very special little girls.” Kelly’s voice lost its composure for an instant, but she swallowed and quickly regained her poise. “You loved your mommy