over about five and have supper with us?” Teresa asked. “I’m making enchiladas, black beans, and Mexican rice. There’s plenty for all of us.”
“I’m so glad you dropped by to see Teresa,” Miss Janie said. “Noah is going to find Kayla real soon. My babies are all grown up now and coming home to stay with me, and Greta will come visit if she can. I’m so happy.”
Poor old darlin’. It has to be exhausting for her to live with a mind like that, Teresa thought. One minute she is sixteen and the next she’s either jumped forward or backward to another time or place. Even though dementia wasn’t anything new to Teresa, it was tougher seeing it afflicting a family member like Miss Janie. There were those blasted tears damming up behind her eyelashes again.
“They grew up, didn’t they?” Miss Janie said. “I didn’t think I’d ever get to see them again when they took them away from me at the home, but Noah found Teresa. Now he’ll find Kayla, and we’ll be the family we should’ve always been. They were raised up out around El Paso. Just think”—she paused long enough to get a third cookie—“they were that close all this time and I didn’t even know it. But in those days they wouldn’t tell us who adopted our baby. We had them, got to hold them for a few minutes, and then they were gone.”
Times had sure changed since Miss Janie had had her babies. Teresa couldn’t imagine being told that she couldn’t keep a child if she wanted to, no matter how young she was when she gave birth.
“I’ll be back for supper around five,” Sam said. “I love good enchiladas. Did your mama teach you to cook?”
“Nope,” Teresa answered. “Mama didn’t like the kitchen so well. She used to say that my grandmother did, but I never got to know her or any of my other relatives. Miss Janie taught me to love cooking.”
Miss Janie waved goodbye to Sam and then smiled up at Teresa. “Did I tell you that I named them Maddy Ruth and Mary Jane? But the folks who got them changed their names, I’m sure,” Miss Janie said. “I’m sleepy. Nurse, would you help me back in bed? I’m really sore, and I need to rest.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Teresa stood up. “I sure will. You can get a little nap before Sam comes back for supper.”
By the time Teresa got her settled, Sam had gone and Noah was back in the living room looking over what appeared to be legal documents.
“Need something?” He looked up.
“Are you even searching for Kayla, or have you given up?” she asked.
“The way you two fought and bickered, I’d think you’d want me to give up,” he challenged.
“There’s not an ounce of love lost between us, but if Miss Janie wants to see this Greta or her before she dies, then I’ll tolerate Kayla.” Teresa bit her tongue to keep from adding, “Like I tolerate you.”
“Greta’s not coming. She was her roommate in the home where Miss Janie had the twins. She had me search for her a couple of years ago, and we found out that Greta had died from a heart attack when she was seventy. She’d gotten married when she was thirty and had two boys, who are still living and running the horse ranch in Virginia. From what Miss Janie told me, Greta was pretty sassy. She said that you reminded her of Greta, but I always thought that Kayla could beat you for sass any day of the week. You might have some spunk, but that girl was hard as nails.”
“Don’t underestimate me”—Teresa sat down on the sofa—“or you might wind up in trouble.”
“Right back at you,” he told her. “I’m still looking for Kayla. I traced her to San Antonio, but her trail has gone cold. She’s off the grid. No credit cards. No job that pays social security. Nothing.”
“Did you check the morgues?” Teresa asked.
“Yes, I did,” he answered. “And the hospitals. I even had a fellow PI put a man out on the streets to see if she is a working girl.”
“She’s a survivor and don’t you forget it. Most of the time she’s meaner than a constipated cougar, but I don’t think she’d stoop that low.” Where did that defense of Kayla come from?
“Like you said, she’s a survivor. I met her one time, and she had a lot of anger in her, even after living here with