Page 4 of Unexpected Gifts

“Yes, we feel the same.”

Bywe, Abby assumed her husband and sons, but she didn’t ask.

“Do you know how people come up with nice things to say about someone after they’re gone, even if it’s not quite the whole truth?” Grace asked softly.

Abby nodded, smiling, thinking of Dr. Simmons, a professor who had tortured her and her classmates for several semesters before dying suddenly of a stroke. She, Breck, and Arabella, her best friends, had gone to the memorial and managed to come up with a thing or two to tell his wife. “Yes, I do.”

Grace’s eyes filled. “Well, Ramona—she was the opposite. I can’t think of one bad thing to say about her. She’d had a hard time of it after she lost John, you know. Money had been tight. Raising the kids alone. Yet she never complained. She loved those kids more than anything.”

“I know.” Abby’s words caught at the back of her throat.

“Which means she must have known what she was doing, if she left them with you.”

Her kind words nearly crumpled Abby. Tears scratched at the backs of her eyes, but she willed them away. “I’m not sure I’m up for the task, to be honest. I know nothing about children or living in the country.”

“You’ve been focused on other things. Becoming a veterinarian is a great accomplishment and not easy, I’m sure.” Grace had one of those soothing voices, low-pitched and melodic. The voice of a mother.

Which Abby was surely not.

Grace drew nearer and patted her shoulder. “I can imagine you must be frightened out of your mind.”

“Something like that, yes.”

“As a mother of four boys, I can tell you there was nothing I wouldn’t have done to keep them safe and pave the way for a happy life. Again, Ramona would not have chosen you on a whim.”

“We were close when we were kids, but in recent years—well, I wasn’t in touch much. The call was a shock in more ways than one.”

“How could it not be?” Grace looked into Abby’s eyes. “We’re here for you. Anything you need, and I can be here in five minutes.”

She thanked her when really she wanted to say,I don’t know what I’m doing. What if I’m not enough?

Grace, however, seemed to hear Abby’s thoughts. “You’ll never replace their mother, not because you won’t be perfectly capable of looking after them, but because no one can. But you’ll find your way. If you love them, you’ll be enough.”

But I don’t know them. How could I love them?

“Now, come along to the kitchen. We have some warm supper for you. I hope you like chicken stew.”

Despite her nervousness, the idea of a home-cooked meal sounded delightful. “I like anything other people make. I’m not much of a cook.”

“Well, I don’t cook anything fancy myself, but I managed to feed my brood over the years. They’re all over six feet tall, so my simple grub must have done the trick.”

Abby followed Grace into the kitchen, her footsteps muffled by another well-worn rug. Ah, yes, the kitchen. She’d loved it as a child. So many happy meals had been shared at the rough but sturdy table. A large farmhouse sink had its share of chips and scratches in the enamel. Various items and appliances populated the tidy counters. The source of the delicious smell came from a pot simmering on the old cookstove.

Abby’s gaze turned to the slight, pale girl sitting at the rustic table reading a book. Sophie wore her long blond hair in a braid down her back.

“Sophie, Abby’s here,” Mrs. Hayes said. “Can you say hello?”

Sophie looked up, a resolute politeness etched into her face. “Hello.” Dark smudges stained the areas under her big blue eyes.

Abby’s instincts told her they were similar, holding themselves as tightly together as humanly possible, for fear of dissolving into paralyzing grief.

Rufus, who had no problem with shyness, sauntered over and nudged Sophie’s knee with his nose.

“This is Rufus,” Abby said.

Sophie shut her book and took a long look at Rufus, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “Hi, Rufus.” She patted his head.

He wagged his tail and licked her hand.

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