Page 6

I tilted my head back against the seat, watching a sparrow hop across the hospital parking lot. Now that Neil knew I was in town, it was risky to stick around. He might come looking for me in the hopes we could talk things out. Again.

But the thought of jumping on a cramped airplane and returning to my lonely apartment didn’t hold much appeal either. I craved the comfort of Connie’s presence. I needed to be around family after my visit with Neil had unsettled me. I wanted to hug my sister and pepper my nephew’s sticky face with kisses until he squirmed in protest.

“Would you mind if I crashed on your couch for a while?” I asked. “I picked up some treats for Wylie in the airport gift shop.”

“Hattie, sweetie, of course. You’re always welcome here. You know that. And there better be a marginal amount of nutritional value in those treats. Wylie has enough energy as it is. He doesn’t need to get loaded with sugar and hit turbo levels of hyper.”

I glanced at the gift shop bag in the back seat, bursting with brightly colored candy.

“Hate to break it to you, but I’m not showing up on your doorstep with nothing but carrots for my nephew. I’d be sleeping with one eye open for the rest of my life.”

Connie laughed. I smiled to myself as my heart warmed at the sound. Even though my feelings might be a conflicted mess after seeing Neil, visiting my sister and spending time with her family would set me right in no time.

When I pulled up to Connie’s cottage-style house, I felt my stress begin to melt away as soon as I parked in the driveway. Her little homestead was nestled at the outskirts of Brightwater, with four acres of land that included fruit trees, a small pond, and a chicken coop. Pink petunias cascaded from her window boxes, and brightly colored toys littered her lawn.

Wylie shoved the front door open and waved exuberantly, wearing his favorite red cowboy hat and dusty little cowboy boots.

I pretended to shield my eyes and squint into the distance as I climbed out of my car.

“Is that my favorite nephew?”

He cheered and raced toward me, flinging his arms around my leg with a grin.

“Hi, Aunt Hattie. Did you bring me any presents?”

“Well, that depends,” I replied. “Are you still the fastest cowboy in the West?”

Wylie bounced on his toes, blue eyes gleaming with eagerness to prove himself.

“Get ready,” I said.

He crouched into position.

“Get set,” I said.

Wylie practically trembled with excitement.

“Go!”

He took off, zooming around the corner of the house and out of sight at top speed. Two minutes later, he came careening around the other side of the house, breathing hard, cheeks flushed.

I caught him around the middle as he flew by me, sweeping him off his feet.

“A new world record!” I declared, spinning him in a circle. When I set him back on the ground again, I retrieved a box of candy from the gift bag and slipped it to him surreptitiously. “Here you go, champ. Enjoy your winning prize. And if your mama asks, I gave you a bag of carrots.”

Wylie tore into the candy, gobbling it up.

“I saw that,” Connie said dryly from the porch. A soft smile touched her lips as she rested one hand on her swollen belly. Her dishwater blonde hair was swept up into a messy bun and her blue eyes sparkled with fond amusement. “Gummy worms are not carrots.”

“I think they’re made with real fruit juice,” I countered, removing Wylie’s hat to ruffle his hair. “That’s healthy, right?”

She chuckled and shook her head.

“Not even close. Is that what you’re teaching kids in the classroom these days?”

“Can you imagine how popular I’d be if I did?” I replied.

Connie held her arms out to me.