Etta wondered if there was anything sweeter than to see women coming together to love one another through hard things. She didn’t think so, and she squeezed her sister’s hand.
“There are plenty of us to help with Mother,” she said. “You don’t have to do it alone.”
“I know,” Ida said. “But I’m the closest, and my life is fairly stable.”
“Judy is my favorite baby of all the Glovers.”
Ida scoffed, her eyes coming open. “You’re such a liar.”
“She sleeps through the night when you leave her with me.” Etta shook her hair over her shoulders as if she alone had tamed Ida’s almost-two-year-old. “Let me take her tonight.”
“You can have her any time you want her.”
“Done.”
The doors opening across from her caught her attention, and she jumped to her feet. “He’s here.” She hurried forward to help Mother stand, and she led her over to Ward and that baby with all that hair. Etta loved babies more than anything in the world, and while she’d imagined over and over what it would be like to have her own, wonder still filled her from top to bottom at the sight of this new human being who’d just come to the earth.
Ward gazed at the infant with pure love in his expression, and when he looked up, Etta thought for sure her tough, cowboy brother had been crying. “Dot did great,” he said. “They’re moving her to a room right now, and then people will be able to come back. Who wants her?”
“Etta,” Mother said. “Let Etta have her, and she’ll sit by me.”
Etta reached for the baby, no complaints about being nominated to hold the precious baby first. Ward slipped Glory Rose into her arms, and it suddenly didn’t matter what the baby’s name was. She smelled like soap and powder and cotton, and Etta fell in love with her instantly.
“You come with me, baby girl,” she whispered, leaning down to press a feather-light kiss to the soft spot right on top of Glory’s head. “Let’s meet your gramma.”
A couple of hours later, Etta pulled up to the homestead. Oakley and Ranger had left the hospital before her, but they’d gone with Sammy and Bear to visit Sammy’s parents. She wasn’t surprised to see they hadn’t returned to the homestead yet.
Mister lived here too, and he had one of his former rodeo buddies staying in his suite right now. They worked at a Christmas event down the hill from Shiloh Ridge, and Etta had heard them come in a couple of nights ago, when she couldn’t sleep. Other than that, Mister and Dave were quiet and respectful. She didn’t see either of their trucks either, and they’d probably already gone to Golden Hour Ranch, where the Country Christmas had live music on the weekends.
Relief moved through Etta at the thought of having the house to herself, which didn’t happen very often, but a heaviness entered her heart when she thought of how the homestead had been left. Food on the counter. Had she even turned off the oven? Had Bishop? The garbage can had been nearly full when she’d strode past it on her way out.
She opened the front door and paused at the angel tree. She hung an actual angel every year for her grandmother. She’d crocheted it so the lady had an open, O-shaped mouth, as if singing God’s praises every day of her life.
Etta wanted to live like that, her heart open enough to praise the Lord. Open enough that the songs would come pouring out of her mouth. She hung a cowboy hat for Noah Johnson. She’d contemplated not hanging it for him this year, but in the end, she’d done it. She did want him to be happy, and if she could feel good about herself by hanging an ornament, she would.
Other than that, Etta usually hung an ivory heart with red thread woven through it for herself. Every year for the past few, she’d closed her eyes and said a single-sentence prayer for herself.
Bless me to be the type of woman that is worthy of love, both divine and from friends, family, and perhaps a man.
Could August be that man? Etta wasn’t sure, and the holidays hadn’t even hit yet. She had plenty of time to find out. She could admit—only to herself—that she’d hung that heart this year with his face in her mind.
She breathed out and continued past the angel tree, and the moment she stepped into the kitchen, she froze. “What in the