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. I know it’s almost Addie’s bedtime.”
“It’s the least I can do since you watched Addie again for me and took her to her doctor’s appointment.”
“I’m her grandma, Hank. It’s in the job description,” she said in a teasing manner. “Not to mention being one of the joys of my life.”
Hank leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek. “We’re blessed to have you, Mama. I appreciate you and Piper more than you’ll ever know. I just wish she didn’t have to work so hard at the diner. I barely get to see her anymore.”
Trudy wiped her hands on a dishrag and let out a little sigh. “You know she’s determined to carry on Jack’s legacy. That diner was his pride and joy, along with the two of you kids. I wish that I could help her out more over there.”
Silence descended over them for a few moments. Losing his stepfather, Jack, had been a huge blow to their family, and none of them had recovered from it, least of all Piper. She hid her pain under a thick facade, but if you looked long enough you could see the telltale cracks. For Hank it had served as another tremendous blow to lose a father figure so unexpectedly.
“By the way, Sage has been asking me about car rentals, but in a town this small it’s a real head-scratcher. With all the journalists in Owl Creek they’ve scooped them all up. I suppose I sound ungrateful since they’re paying customers, but all the media attention has me on edge.”
“Let me see what I can do. I might know someone who can help her out,” Hank offered.
“Oh, that would be wonderful. She’s a real delight. Beulah invited her for a tour of the chocolate factory tomorrow. I just can’t tell you how sweet and helpful she’s been. It’s so nice having someone like Sage staying here.” She glanced over at him and raised an eyebrow.
Hank frowned at Trudy. “Mom, stop giving me the side-eye. You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?” she asked, her voice full of innocence.
“Playing matchmaker. Fess up. You’re trying to set me up with Sage.”
“I’m not doing any such thing.” She winked at him. “Now if the two of you struck up a close friendship, I wouldn’t object.”
Hank couldn’t help but chuckle. Some things never changed. His mother considered herself to be a matchmaker, although she’d never successfully set up a single couple. “There’s something about her that seems a bit off to me.”
“Off? In what way?”
He shrugged, then struggled to put his feelings into words. “I don’t know, Mama. I think it’s a bit peculiar she landed in Owl Creek. It’s not exactly a hot spot for tourists this time of year. I don’t really buy her story. She seems a bit jittery at times.”
Trudy made a tutting sound. “Hank Crawford. I’m mighty proud you took up after your daddy and became town sheriff, but you are one of the most suspicious people I’ve ever known. You need to give it a rest. Not everyone has a malicious agenda.”
He looked at his mother and wiggled his eyebrows. “And you trust everyone on face value. In my humble opinion she seems a bit secretive. Maybe she’s a journalist writing a story about the twenty-fifth anniversary of the kidnapping and she’s trying to dig up some dirt.”
“Your theory makes no sense. Why would she hide her profession? There’s no crime in being a journalist,” she snapped. “Didn’t your friend Boone Prescott marry a writer?”
“Yes, he did. And she went to his town under false pretenses,” Hank said in a raised voice. Grace Prescott was a lovely woman, but she hadn’t been transparent at all until her deception had backfired. “Maybe I should run a background check on Sage.”
Trudy swatted her hand in his direction. “Hush before Sage hears you. You’ll do no such thing, Hank!” She shook her head at him, disapproval radiating off her in waves. “It’s not my place to tell you this, but Sage’s mother passed away a few months ago. She’s grieving the loss, and from what I gather, a bit overwhelmed with life at the moment. She came to Owl Creek to disappear for a while and to reflect.” She scowled at Hank. “Cut her some slack.”
All of a sudden, Hank felt like a colossal jerk. More than most people, he understood how grief could pull you under. Although he’d only been six years old when his father died, the loss had plunged him into a deep sadness. Losing his stepfather, Jack, in an accident four years ago had been another huge kick in the gut. Jack had been a wonderful father, husband and stepfather, and had treated Hank as his very own.
He had been reeling in the aftermath of Jack’s death and coming apart at the seams. That period had lasted until he’d discovered he was a little girl’s father. At that point Hank had made a decision to embrace fatherhood and walk a righteous path. He’d accepted God into his life. All for the love of his little girl who deserved an honorable, responsible father.
“I didn’t know that she’d lost her mother,” he said in a small voice. He felt horrible about being so suspicious of Sage when she was in the throes of grief.
“I for one know what she’s going through. I was widowed at twenty-seven, then widowed again at forty-eight.” His mother’s eyes misted over. “Both times it brought me to my knees.”
Hank’s heart plummeted at the sight of his mother in tears. “You’ve been through the wringer, Mama. You’ve had more than your fair share of pain and loss.”
She let out a brittle-sounding laugh. “But guess what? I still believe in love. I still think it’s possible for me to find another person to walk through this life with by my side. Some might say I’m crazy, but I call it belief.”
Hank leaned over and placed a kiss on his mother’s cheek. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dredge up all of these painful memories.”
“There’s no need to apologize, Hank. Loss is part of living and loving. And if I had to do it all over again, I’d still love your dad and Jack with every fiber of my being even though losing them gutted me. I’ve been twice blessed, and I wish you believed in love the way I do. It’s a gift from God. Believing in something you can’t touch or see, but you know is real all the same is a beautiful thing indeed.”
She wiped tears away from her face with the back of her hand. “What Theresa did to you was terrible, but you can’t continue to hide your heart away because you fear it might get broken again. That’s not living your life to the fullest.”
