Page 15 of Unexpected Gifts
She dried her eyes. Shake it off. Get showered and dressed.
For Ramona.
4
ABBY
Abby had the salad bowl in one hand and Rufus’s leash in the other as they trudged across the snow-covered meadow to the Hayeses’ farmhouse. Sophie and Jack ran ahead, which in turn made Rufus desperate to follow them. She called out to Jack. “Come take Rufus, please.”
Jack turned back, a delighted grin spread across his face. “Really? I can walk him?”
“Yes, but keep a firm hand. I don’t want him breaking free.” Abby didn’t want Rufus acting unruly in front of Luke.
“I will,” Jack said.
Sophie surprised Abby by waiting for her to catch up. The two of them walked together, with Jack and Rufus taking the lead.
“What’s your favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner?” Abby asked, desperate to get the girl to talk to her.
Sophie clutched a book against her puffy jacket. “Mashed potatoes and gravy.”
“I love that too. And apple pie. Do you think Grace will make pie?”
Sophie nodded. “She always makes an apple and a pumpkin. My mom loved apple pie, too.”
“We had a lot in common,” Abby said. “Especially our love of sweets and reading.”
“My mom said you’re really smart. That’s why you could go to vet school.”
“I worked hard, that’s all.”
“My mom worked hard, but she was always broke anyway,” Sophie said without any emotion. Abby knew better than that. Under the surface of that statement were layers and layers of complicated feelings. She knew because she’d felt that way about her mother. It had been so hard to watch her single mother struggling to make ends meet. Feelings of helplessness and sometimes even anger, not at her mother, but the world, had often overwhelmed young Abby. She had vowed at an early age to do whatever she could to have a different kind of life. What irony that she was back here, unsure of what work she could possibly find despite her fancy degree.
Were all the women in her family fated to be single mothers?
They soon arrived at the Hayeses’ driveway, which had been cleared by some kind of plow, making it easier to walk.
Abby stopped for a moment to take in the Hayeses’ two-story farmhouse framed by tall pine trees dusted with snow. It was as she remembered—painted white with black shutters and a red door. A wraparound porch extended from the front of the house all the way around one side. Today, its white railings were decorated with evergreen garlands and dotted with twinkling lights. Smaller wreaths hung from rafters, each one tied with a simple red ribbon. Another wreath hung on the red front door.
Through the windows, a faint glow of warm light hinted at the cozy interior. Upstairs, a balcony overlooked the snowy yard, and from its railing hung a giant wreath.
“Oh, it’s so pretty,” Abby murmured.
“Mom said it’s the prettiest house in the whole county,” Sophie said.
The red barn, its wide double doors shut tightly against the chilly temperatures, was also as she remembered. A weathervane in the shape of a rooster perched on top of the barn, slightly rusted.
Hayes’s bottling and packaging building was new, though. Its practical design was built for function, with long windows running along the sides to let in the natural light. The building had a sturdy wooden frame and a wide front door, flanked by signs proudly displaying the Hayes family name and their famous maple syrup.
Abby and the children, with Rufus behaving himself, carefully made their way up the steps to the porch. She switched the heavy glass bowl of Jell-O salad from one hand to the other and knocked on the door. It was now or never. She must be brave. Having Thanksgiving with virtual strangers was not something she’d have ever chosen, but here she was, so she must make the best of it.
Why was her stomach suddenly tied in knots of nerves?
The front door swung open, and Lily bounded out, her blond curls bouncing with excitement.
"Hi, Sophie. Hi, Jack. Hi, Abby. Hi, Rufus.” Lily’s small hands flapped in obvious excitement before she launched herself at Rufus, prompting Jack to drop the leash.
“Rufus, sit,” Abby said in her most commanding voice.