but she’d end up at home eventually, and he’d be there, waiting for her to help him figure out what to do.
She always knew what to do, and he’d never needed her wisdom more than he did right then.
Chapter Two
“Love is the flower you've got to let grow.”
—John Lennon
When Lincoln got home, he realized he’d left George, one of his two yellow Labs, in town with his daughter Charley. She’d taken George with her on a lunchtime run and hadn’t returned before Linc left. He’d have to retrieve George later, after he’d talked to Molly. He let out their other Lab, Ringo, and poured himself a glass of ice water.
He really wanted bourbon, but he needed to keep his head clear. Standing at the kitchen window, he gazed out at the snow-covered landscape that had become so familiar to him since he arrived in Vermont. Back then, he couldn’t imagine hip-deep snow for months on end. Now it was as much a part of his life as his lovely wife, the barn they called home and the ten children they’d raised there.
Vermont ran through his blood, with her mountain peaks, aspens, evergreens, cool crisp air and pure, raw beauty. He’d been fortunate to travel widely, but he’d never been anywhere that had called to him the way this place had from the first time Molly brought him home with her.
He loved the way the house smelled of pine and spice this time of year, when Molly had their barn decorated for the holidays.
Ringo’s excited barking a short time later alerted Lincoln to Molly’s arrival.
She came in a minute later, chatting with the dog, who darted into the kitchen and then back into the mudroom, torn between wanting to be with both of them.
They’d wanted dogs, kids, a comfortable home and a life in Butler, Vermont. They’d gotten all those things—in spades.
Smiling, Molly walked into the kitchen, her cheeks red from the cold, her eyes sparkling the way they always did when she looked at him. “This is a nice surprise. Thought you had the staff meeting this afternoon.”
“I did. I mean… I do. Hunter is handling it for me.”
She took a closer look at him, insightful as always where he was concerned. “What’s wrong, love?”
“Sit with me?”
“Did something happen? The kids…”
“Everyone is fine.” He took her hand and led her to the kitchen table, the scene of so many of their most important conversations.
“You’re scaring me,” she said when they were seated next to each other.
“I’m sorry. My sister, Charlotte, called me.”
Shock registered in her expression. “You… your… Oh. What did she want?”
“To tell me my father is dying and wants to see me.”
She stared at him for a long moment, her eyes no longer sparkling. Now they were flat with the start of anger. “All this time… He wants to see you now? After he excommunicated you from his life, your mother’s life, your siblings’ lives?”
“Yes.”
“I hope you told her to tell him where to go.”
“Not exactly.”
“Lincoln… You can’t actually be thinking about going there. After everything he put you through…”
“I know.”
“Are you?” she asked hesitantly. “Thinking about going there?’
“I don’t know what to do. One part of me says screw him. Where’s he been the last forty years? The other part…” He let out a deep sigh. “The other part is the dutiful son who still feels he needs to come when his father calls, even after all this time.”
Molly stood and came over to him. “Make room.”
He scooted his chair back so she could make herself at home on his lap.
She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. “How dare he do this to you!”
Lincoln had known she’d be angry, and with good reason. His father had been awful to both of them once upon a time, forcing him to make a dreadful choice. He leaned his forehead against hers, drawing on her for strength the way he had for so long now. She and their family were the best things to ever happen to him. He had no doubt he was leading the life he was meant to, and nothing, not even a blast from the past, could change his mind about that.
“What’ll you do?” Molly asked after a long silence.
“I suppose I’ll have to go, or spend the rest of my life wondering if I did the right thing by not going.”
Molly’s deep sigh said it all. “I hate this for you. He has no right to tie you up in knots this