women across racial and ethnic lines.”
Rachel gave him a sidelong glance. “You’ve really changed.”
Sawyer opened his mouth to tell his sister that he really had not changed that much when the front door opened and his mother stepped out onto the porch. He knew his absence had impacted his mother more than Rachel or even his nephews because Mara Middleton told him that she sometimes cried after their telephone conversations ended. Those were the times when he had to force himself not to leave New York to return to his hometown. But now he was back to reconcile his past and make peace with his father. Even if it meant groveling, he would put aside his pride to make it a reality.
Taking long strides, he mounted the steps to the porch, set the hamper on a table and swept his mother up in his arms. Except for a few more silver strands in her dark hair, Mara Middleton hadn’t changed much.
“How long are you staying?” Mara asked.
Sawyer kissed her forehead. “How long do you want me to stay?”
Mara eased back, her smoky-gray eyes filling with tears. “You’re not playing with me, are you?” she asked.
He kissed her again, this time on both cheeks. “No, Mom. I’m not playing with you. I’ll stay as long as you need me.”
Her arms tightened around his neck. “What I’d really like is for you to move back to Wickham Falls.”
He would spend as much time needed to reunite and hopefully heal his fractured family, and when it came time for him to return to New York it would not be with the heavy heart he’d felt more than three years before. “Moving back is not an option, but I’m willing to stay for the summer.”
Mara pushed against her son’s shoulder. “I suppose the summer is better than nothing. Now, please put me down so I can get a good look at you. FaceTiming isn’t the same as seeing you in person.” She rested a hand along his jaw. “You look good, son.” She stroked the curling strands on his nape.
“So do you,” Sawyer countered. He hadn’t lied to his mother. The stress and turmoil of attempting to maintain a peaceful household had not taken a toll on her pretty face. He stared over her head, frowning. He rocked back and forth when the porch’s floorboards moved under his weight. He also noticed a few shutters had come loose from their fastenings and all were in need of a new coat of paint. “Why does this place look so run-down?”
Mara’s eyelids fluttered. “We’ll talk about that later. Let’s go inside and put away the food Jessica brought over. She volunteered to cook for us because she knew Rachel and I said we were going to take turns hanging out at the hospital until Henry’s discharged.”
His strained expression was replaced by astonishment. “She would do that?”
“Have you been away so long that you’ve forgotten that folks in The Falls look out for one another?”
Sawyer forced a smile. “I suppose you can say I have.”
Coming home this time would be different than when had been honorably discharged from the army. Then he had planned to stay and put down roots in his hometown. However, the constant warring between himself and his father had made that impossible.
Mara opened the screen door, holding it ajar as he picked up the hamper and walked back into the house he’d sworn he would never reenter.
Sawyer set the hamper on a bench in the corner of the immaculate kitchen. It had been updated during his absence. New kitchen appliances had replaced old and brand-new flooring had been exchanged for worn tiles. “I’m going back to the car to get my bags.”
“I hope you don’t mind, the boys are now in your old bedroom,” Mara said. “I had Henry take your bed up to the attic once Rachel moved back. We also put in a bathroom with a vanity, commode and shower because I thought the boys would want to sleep up there. But they much prefer your room because it’s large enough for twin beds.”
Sawyer gave his mother a tender smile. “It doesn’t matter where I sleep, Mom.”
Mara returned his smile. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes.”
“Go bring your bags in. You can eat while I make up your bed.”
“I do know how to make up a bed, Mom.”
“I know you do, Sawyer,” she countered. “I just need to keep busy.”
“What you need to do is relax. Once Dad is given a clean bill of health the two of you need to go away for an extended vacation.”
“That’s not going to happen until we make repairs to the outside of the house.”
Now Sawyer knew why the exterior was in disrepair. His father didn’t like loans, and he waited until he saved enough money to pay for an earmarked project. Sawyer left the kitchen through a side door. Although Henry had sailed to ports all over the world, his wife had yet to travel out of the country. She occasionally went to see her twin sister in Ohio but that wasn’t what Sawyer deemed a vacation. If Henry had mellowed, as Rachel claimed, then Sawyer would try and convince him to take his wife away for a little R & R for their upcoming thirty-fifth wedding anniversary.
Sawyer removed his bags from the Jeep’s cargo area and returned to the house. Within seconds of walking into the kitchen he inhaled aromas that reminded him of how long it had been since he’d eaten. “Something smells delicious.”
“I just reheated Jessica’s baked chicken in the microwave,” Mara said as she ladled a spoonful of potato salad onto the plate with the chicken and a slice of cornbread. “I don’t know what she uses to season it, but I could eat her chicken every day.”
Sawyer washed his hands in the small bathroom off the kitchen, a ritual he’d followed since childhood. Rachel entered the kitchen as he sat at the table. She’d changed out of her scrubs and into a pair of shorts and baggy T-shirt.
“Do you want me to fix you a plate, too?” Mara asked her daughter.
“No, thanks,” Rachel replied, peering at the labeled containers on the table. “I grabbed a bite at the hospital. I just came down to tell you I’m going to bed and locking my door so the boys don’t barge in.”
“Don’t worry, sis, I’ll make certain they won’t bother you.”
Wrapping her arms around Sawyer’s neck, Rachel dropped a kiss on his hair. “I still can’t believe you’re here.”
He patted her hand. “Believe it.”
Sawyer could not believe it, either. His mind was flooded with wonderful memories of himself and Rachel sitting at the kitchen table enjoying an afternoon snack before doing homework while Mara busied herself making dinner. It was the good memories rather than the disturbing ones that kept him from totally despising his father.
He cut into a piece of chicken and popped it into his mouth. “Oh, my goodness! This chicken is incredible!”
Mara gave him a knowing smile. “Now you know what I’m talking about.”
Hard-pressed not to moan out his pleasure while savoring the most delicious baked chicken he had ever had, Sawyer concentrated on finishing the food on his plate. It appeared Jessica was the total package. She had looks, brains and she could cook! Although he considered himself a modern man with passable culinary skills, he still preferred women with the ability to put together a palatable meal.
There was something about Jessica that intrigued Sawyer, and he didn’t need his sister’s assistance as a go-between to get to know her. The odds were in his favor that their paths would cross again.
* * *
Jessica had been driving for ten minutes when her attention shifted from