“I’ve been meanin’ to talk to you about that.” Mack looked uncomfortable. “If that should happen, will you sell me this place? And if you do decide to move back, and the kids can’t have their pets in the city, I’ll be glad to adopt them.”
“I guess we’ll have to see what the future holds, but if I decide to sell the property, you’ll definitely have first chance at it.” She laid a hand on his shoulder. “And thanks for the offer to take on whatever pets the kids might have. I appreciate that.”
She removed her hand and headed out of the room. When she got to the staircase, she looked at it to see if it was as red as it felt. It wasn’t, so she held it to her face and was surprised to find that it was actually quite cool and not on fire at all.
She checked on Braden and found him reading another Harry Potter book. “You need to get your bath, brush your teeth, and be ready for sleep at nine thirty. You can read until ten; then it’s lights out.”
“I used to get to watch videos on my tablet until midnight,” he grumbled.
“That was before you got into trouble.” She closed the door, got the journal from her bedroom, and went across the hall to Holly’s room.
Her daughter was busy flipping through hangers on her clothes rack. “Would you like to have a closet?”
“Yes, I would, but it’s all right if Mack can’t build it until after spring break. Granny Hayes has a rack just like this. She said that she was born in that cabin, and she’ll die in it, and that she likes being able to see all her clothes without having to open a door,” Holly answered. “I’m trying to find something to match my new earrings for tomorrow. What do you think of this?” She held up a blue shirt.
Lily was taken aback at being asked for her opinion. “Looks great. Wear your denim jacket with it and you’ll be beautiful.”
“Nope.” Holly held up her pink jacket. “I made the earrings with pink and blue feathers so it would look good with this combination. I just don’t know if this shade of blue matches the earrings right.”
So much for getting excited about her opinion, Lily thought. “It looks great. Lights out at nine thirty, but we’ve got time to work on your history project if you want to.”
“Yes!” Holly pumped her fist in the air. “I got all my notes written up, and I’m ready for the next entry. I hope it’s about Matilda, still. I like her, but I wish she’d leave her husband, like you did Daddy. I love him because he’s my dad, but sometimes I don’t like him so much now that I’m old enough to know what he did. Are all men like that, Mama?”
“No, honey, they aren’t,” Lily answered as she opened the journal. “There are good men out there in the world. When you get ready to date or get married, I hope you find a really good one.”
“I will, Mama.” Holly laid a hand on Lily’s shoulder.
Lily sat still, hoping that maybe it would turn into a hug, but Holly removed it and picked up her notebook.
“And if he’s a cheater like Rayford and Daddy, then I’ll shoot him,” Holly said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“That would just put you in prison,” Lily told her.
“Nope, it wouldn’t. Mack will help me bury the body where no one will ever find it. Now, read me the next entry, Mama,” Holly said.
“This is new territory for me, too. I haven’t read this part because I wanted to share it with you.” Lily opened the journal and began to read to Holly, just like she did when her daughter was a little girl.
Matilda Smith Medford Massey, May 1875: What a difference five years makes in the life of a woman. I was so depressed after I lost my son that I vowed I’d never write in this journal again. I still remember the feel of his tiny body. Rayford left me for one of his women—who knows which one. To tell the truth, I was relieved to have him out of my life, but I have to admit that he did have the decency to leave the area and move to Maine. The kids and I moved in with Henry and his wife, poor Pansy, who died the next year. We decided