Forever by Your Side (Willamette Brides #3) - Tracie Peterson Page 0,21

in the storm, for Connie was certain they had once been there. Everything looked run-down and neglected. It wasn’t at all as she remembered. But perhaps it was just the difference of seeing with adult eyes.

She couldn’t put aside the overwhelming sense of sadness as she continued to look around. The people, what few she saw, appeared weary and depleted of life. It was almost as if their spirits had been taken away. Their gazes were hollow, striking in Connie a moment of discomfort and fear. Nothing and no one looked familiar.

“Connie!”

She heard her mother’s cry and turned to find her parents approaching. Like the land, they too looked tired and old. Mama had some gray to her hair and wrinkles that Connie didn’t remember. When had that happened?

“Mama!” She ran to her mother and wrapped her in her arms. “I’ve missed you so much.” To her surprise, Connie’s eyes filled with tears as they embraced. Had her mother always been so thin?

“How I’ve missed you,” Mama whispered against her ear.

“What about me?”

Connie pulled away to find her father’s smiling face. “What about you?” Her tone was teasing. “I suppose you’ll want me to hug you as well.” She all but threw herself into his arms, noticing the lines on his face. “Oh, Papa, it’s so good to see you again.” She let him hold her for a long time. She found herself a young girl once again, her papa dispelling all thought of trouble and harm.

It wasn’t long before Mama spoke. “It’s good to be together again. Letters do not do justice to an aching heart.” She touched Connie’s cheek. “Seven years is far too much time to let pass between loved ones.”

“Is there room for me to join this party?”

Connie smiled. “That must be Isaac.” She let go of her parents and turned to find her older brother grinning from ear to ear. “Just look at you. You’re taller still than when you went off to school.”

“I think he’s finally done growing,” Mama commented. “But there for a while we were having to let down the hem of his pants nearly every month.”

The siblings embraced. Connie felt a sense of wholeness. Their little family was all together again. Despite the changes in their lives and her worries for the future, Connie couldn’t have been happier. She was exactly where she belonged.

“Clint, thanks for bringing her home,” her father said, and she pulled away from Isaac.

“I need to introduce you all to my dear friend.” She glanced around for Tom and found him standing pretty much where she’d left him. “This is Thomas Lowell, but he goes by Tom.”

Mama was the first to reach him. She gave him a warm smile. “I feel, from all I’ve heard about you over the years, that you’re already a part of the family. Welcome.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Browning.” He smiled. “I feel like I know all of you as well. Connie has told me so much about her family and her life here.”

“Well, we’re glad you could come. The idea of the government taking a true accounting of the tribes and their culture is a promising thing,” Connie’s father declared. He extended his hand, and Tom shook it. “I think you’re going to find it all very fascinating, although sadly some tribes have already been lost.”

“I believe I will enjoy it very much, and hopefully we can still account for those tribes that are now extinct. I think it’s important to preserve our history.”

“I arranged a room for you in the government house, but Adam tells me that you’ll both be staying with them,” Clint interrupted.

Connie responded before anyone else could. “My folks live just across the way, and it will be much homier to stay with them.”

“Absolutely,” her mother said. “I wouldn’t rest a wink if Connie weren’t staying with us, and there’s no need for Tom to feel isolated in a strange place.”

Clint shrugged. “Well, if that works for all of you, then I see no harm. I’m sure the government will appreciate not having to pay for their room and board.”

“Well, the government can still pay, as far as I’m concerned,” Connie declared. “Mama and Papa don’t make much money anymore, and they’ve offered to keep us fed. The government can at least pay for food and Tom’s lodging, even if they won’t pay for mine.”

“I agree,” Tom replied. “And I already worked all of that out with them before we came West. The Bureau knows we’re going to live