Page 7 of Unexpected Gifts

“Good morning, Daddy.” She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, pressing her soft cheek to his. “Are you cold?”

“Not me. I’m too ornery to be cold.”

“What’s on or we?” Lily asked.

“Kind of old and grumpy,” Luke said.

“You’re not grumpy, Daddy.”

His mother laughed, waving her spatula in their direction. “He’s not old either. It’s all perspective, love. Someday, you’ll understand.”

His father sat at the table, too, readingThe New York Timeson his tablet. Luke still found it hard to believe Walter Hayes had transitioned from the old-school paper, but his love of the earth’s resources trumped any ties he had to the past.

“Everything good?” his dad asked without looking up.

“Yeah, everything’s in good shape.” Luke kissed the top of Lily’s head before setting her down. “We’ll need to replace some lines before the sap runs, but nothing major.”

His dad grunted in approval. “Good work, kid.”

“Thanks, Pop.”

It was the least he could do. After all, he lived here for free, and his mother took care of Lily. Even if his heart hadn’t belonged to every square inch of this farm, he’d have been obligated to serve.

“I invited Abby Parker and the kids for dinner,” his mother said. “She finally arrived last night after a long car trip.”

“Yeah? How is she?” Luke asked. Every time he thought about those poor kids losing their sweet mother it was enough to make him cry. They’d all been relieved to hear that Ramona had laid it all out in her will after her husband died. The cousin had agreed to take them upon the event of her death. None of them would have ever thought it would be necessary, but tragedyhad struck. Why did some families have to lose so much? First Afghanistan took their dad, and then some kind of undiagnosed heart condition killed their mother. It wasn’t fair.

“She’s nice,” Grace said. “Very intelligent. Strangely enough, Sophie looks a lot like her—they’re both blond with big blue eyes. Poor woman is like a deer in the headlights though. She told me she knows nothing about children. I got the feeling she focused mostly on school and her career. I told her to reach out for help any time she needs it.”

Walter lifted his head from his Spelling Bee puzzle. “What does she do for work?”

“She’s just graduated from veterinarian school,” Grace said. “Poor thing’s had her whole world turned upside down. She didn’t say, but I have a feeling she gave up a lot to come here.”

“There’s worse places in the world to live if you’re a vet,” Luke said. “Folks around here always need a good one.”

“Yes, I’m going to suggest that she apply for a job with Doc Ford,” Grace said.

“Good idea,” Walter said. “That guy’s even older than me.”

By that afternoon,there was a good foot of snow on the ground. His mother, busy preparing the food, alongside Nolan, who loved to cook, asked him to take Lily out as she was underfoot.

“You want to build a snowman, Lily?” Luke asked. “And maybe go sledding?”

She squealed. Clearly, the answer was yes.

A few minutes later, he had her in her snowsuit, boots, and knit cap tugged over her ears. They trudged out past the barn, where a gently sloped hill was perfect for small children. Whenshe was a few years older, Luke might consider letting her go to the hill behind the elementary school, but for now this would do.

“Do you want to go down the hill by yourself?” Luke asked, wondering if he should take one or two sleds from the storage bin.

“I don’t know.” Lily looked up at him, worry in her eyes.

“You don’t have to.” In fact, he’d rather she didn’t. She could get hurt if she fell off the thing. However, his mother often told him he was too protective of her.She needs to know she can do new things. When you act scared, she will too.

His mother didn’t hold back with the parenting advice. However, she did raise four sons who were for the most part well-adjusted, contributing members of society. As much as it irked him at times to have her give unsolicited feedback, he was smart enough to know whom he should listen to and whom to dismiss. The judgy mothers at preschool, however, were not on the list.

“Me and you go together? Like before?” Lily asked.

He hesitated, unsure if he should encourage her to go alone. She was only four. Going down with her daddy wasn’t out of the ordinary. Right? “You got it.” Luke grabbed only one of the sleds and headed toward the hill, holding on to Lily’s mittened hand as they trudged through the snow. Selfishly, he was glad she still wanted to go with him. Last year, they’d had such fun together. He’d put her on his lap, and they’d sailed down the hill, her squealing and giggling. However, she’d changed so much in a year’s time. Who knew what she would be like a year from now? Instinct told him to cherish these moments. Children’s growth marked time like no other. It was his job to raise her to be independent from him, to go out into the world and make her way. The idea of being apart from her made his chest ache.

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