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“I can’t imagine.”
He recognized that sarcastic tone. “Hey, I’m a good guy,” Porter said. “I build our fences real high so our neighbors can’t get into the same mischief we got into over here as kids; I only snitch a few rolls out of the baskets of food Mom makes us take out; I…” He listened to the soft pitter-patter of feet as two small intruders sneaked up on them in the barn. He smirked. That would be Charlie and Pip. He’d been meaning to get them back for church.
They rounded the bend and he let out a low growl, then sprang out at them.
The boys shrieked, their small legs stiffening at the scare.
Porter doubled over, laughing. Cole shook his head at him. “Huh,” he said dryly. “I can’t imagine why she’d run from you. What a mystery.”
“Right?” Porter handed Charlie the small puppy. “Watch that little rat, will ya?”
Porter’s offenses against the children were immediately forgiven at the sight of the cute animal. The seven-year-old jumped up in excitement, giving the energetic puppy a run for her money. “I wanna name him!” Charlie cried. “I wanna name him!”
“Her,” Porter corrected, “and not a chance. You’ve got two strikes against you—Bartleby and Lizardman.” Charlie had named his horse and his father’s puppy after the worst characters imaginable. “I mean, what’s that about?”
Pip seemed confused. “What’th wrong with Bartleby and Lithardman?” His S’s went AWOL through his front missing teeth.
“Nothing,” Porter said. “Your pets have built a lot of character because of their disadvantages in life. Just ask the boy named Sue.”
Charlie rolled his eyes, definitely used to his uncle’s teasing by now. Cole took pity on him. “What would you name this little girl if you could?”
“Hmm.” Charlie sniffed the puppy’s soft fur as if her essence would somehow reveal her true nature to him. “Ballerina,” he said dreamily.
Even Porter was tempted to give in at that hilarious performance, which meant his brother Cole was done for. He met his younger brother’s softening eyes. “Don’t even think about it.”
Chapter Ten
What had Cadence been thinking to disturb a sick lady like this? The last thing Lily needed was for her interference during this difficult time, but after Cadence’s thoughts kept drifting to the sweet woman, she couldn’t help her idle fingers anymore. She finally broke down on Wednesday morning and called Lily up.
“Angel!” Lily’s response was warm and welcoming. “My sweet Angel, you called. I’m so happy that you did!”
She invited Cadence over for lunch. After offering a futile resistance, Cadence found herself driving over the bumpy country roads a few hours later to reach the address that Lily had given her. Unless Cadence was on the highway, her stupid air conditioning in her ancient car refused to work for some reason. Luckily, she had the wind tunnel from the two stuck windows in the back stopping her from dying of heat stroke. Good thing, because her two front windows wouldn’t go down.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. The Cavalier had been making strange noises since she’d hit that pothole at Milo’s gas station. With a sense of unease, she listened to that noise turn into a loud thumping. Her car was seriously haunted—either that or it was ready to self-destruct in about five minutes. She hoped it was the former.
Luckily, her maps showed that Cadence was close. As she chugged over the hill, she spotted Lily’s beautiful home. She gulped when she saw its immensity. Cadence hadn’t expected Lily to live in a homestead the size of a mansion. The place seemed formed from nature, it was so elegant in its simplicity, with hundreds of acres surrounding the structure in breathtaking beauty.
Cadence parked next to a collection of pickups. That black GMC monster truck at the church must belong to someone in her family. Cadence chuckled when she saw it and pushed open her car door to escape her own personal steaming sauna. Wiping off her glistening forehead, she headed for the house. It had brick siding and a wraparound porch. A sweet garden of summery blossoms and decorative bushes and trees decorated the grounds.
How sweet! Lily’s loving touch was all over the heart of her country home.
Now where was this secret garden? It could be anywhere, hidden between the trees in the distance or perhaps behind the house or these barns? If this garden was anything as spectacular as what Lily had done with the main house, Cadence couldn’t wait to get her hands on it.
She trotted up the neatly painted white steps and knocked on the heavy oak door, waiting tensely. What if she was wrong to come? Cadence shifted in her new sandals. She wore Emily’s yellow and white plaid summer dress. It was a tad shorter than she liked, but even so, Cadence felt worlds better than she had on Sunday.
“Angel!” She was greeted with a warm hug. Cadence melted like gooey chocolate. Lily embodied love, exactly how Cadence imagined all mothers should be. As soon as the surprising thought ran through her mind, she found herself studying Lily more closely. Should she be taking notes?
Lily walked slowly into her kitchen, leaning heavily against the furniture to support herself. Her white blonde hair was a wave against a pink shirt that rivaled the fresh sweetness of the blossoms outside. Her smile, though weak, was just as bright. “I’m so happy that you came!” Lily said breathlessly. “Sit down. Sit down.”
Cadence took a stool on the other side of Lily at the kitchen island. Lily pulled out a bag of Oreos. “Would you like some snacks? Milk?”
She was embarrassed to admit, but yes, Cadence had finished off her bag at home. She was famished now that she was pregnant, and yet, she was hardly eating for two. She wasn’t that far along; it was more like she was eating for herself and a child the size of a pea. It didn’t make sense to her. Despite that, she nodded eagerly.
Lily poured her a cold glass of milk. Cadence sipped it while Lily pushed the Oreos at her. The milk tasted so thick and rich. “Wow. This is fantastic,” Cadence said. “So fresh tasting.”
“We have a few cows on our land.” Lily winked, working on getting the Oreos open. “It’s a ranch.” She finally wrestled open the bag and gasped. There were two left. “Oh, I’m so sorry, my grandsons came over.”
“Grandsons?” Cadence brightened. “How old are they?”
