Return to Emmett's Mill. Kimberly Meter Van

no one knew her secrets or wanted to know more than she was willing to share. Where no one expected her to face a past that she’d willfully buried under layers of denial, anger and grief.

      Her sisters were asking more than she could give.

      Yet, she felt her head nod. “Fine,” she whispered, turning to leave but adding a caveat for sanity’s sake. “Only until things are settled. No exceptions.”

      “It must be nice to be able to drop limitations on your family. Makes me wonder if you do the same thing to your people in the Peace Corps,” Nora said, returning to the room, her eyes hot. “I’ll bet you trip all over yourself to help out when it doesn’t involve us.”

      Tasha drew back in stricken silence, unable to breathe from the pain in her heart from Nora’s attack. But it was true. Tasha ran herself ragged when she was working, trying to dull the constant hurt she carried with her from day to day. Her mouth worked but nothing came out, words failed her. If only she had the courage to explain. Tasha was spared the effort for Natalie whirled on Nora, surprising them both.

      “Stop it! I’ve had enough of your snap judgments on a person you hardly know.”

      “Why are you taking her side?” Nora wailed. “Ever since she got here she’s been trying to skip out on us like we’ve got the goddamned plague! Why are you defending her?”

      Tasha started to say something, but Natalie stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. Natalie drew a deep breath, and when she began again, her tone softened. “She’s agreed to stay long enough to help us get things settled with Dad. Just stop treating her like she’s the enemy. She’s our sister. Try to remember that fact.”

      The glitter in Nora’s eyes betrayed the hurt she was feeling, but her expression hardened just the same. “Yeah, well somebody ought to remind her of that fact, too,” she spat, then turned and grabbed her own jacket. “Food’s put away. I’m outta here.”

      “Nora…” Tasha managed to croak her sister’s name but the rest died on her lips. Their father’s snores filtered down the hallway and she was glad he hadn’t witnessed their meltdown. She met Natalie’s weary look. “I don’t want to come between you two. You guys are close and I don’t want to ruin it. She has a right to be angry.”

      “I agree,” Natalie said quietly. “But she takes it to another level. That’s her way with most things, but it shouldn’t be the way she is with you. The good news is her temper usually burns out as quickly as it fires. Give it a little time. She’ll come around.”

      “I don’t know, Nat.” Tasha shook her head wearily. “I don’t think there’s enough time in the world for Nora to get over her issues with me.”

      Natalie crooked a thin smile. “Ye of little faith,” she said, adding ruefully, “Then again, you might be right.”

      Tasha’s mouth curved for a moment. “Thanks, Nat. Thanks for…everything.”

      “What are sisters for?” Natalie joked softly before checking her watch. “It’s late. I better get going and make sure Evan put Colton to bed.”

      “He’s such a sweet little boy,” Tasha murmured, watching as Natalie shrugged into her coat. “You’re lucky to have him.”

      Natalie smiled, the first bright and genuine one Tasha had seen on her sister’s face since arriving in Emmett’s Mill. They walked to the door in silence until Natalie, hand on the doorknob, stopped with a sad contemplative look. “You know, I never realized how Mom kept us all connected. She was the common thread. Now I guess it falls to you.”

      “Oh, God, Nat. Don’t set me up to fail. I think I’ve disappointed enough people to last a lifetime,” she said around the lump of fear in her throat.

      Natalie ran the back of her hand lovingly against her cheek and graced her with a sweet smile that spoke of her confidence in Tasha and said, “You won’t fail. It’s not in your nature. You’re a leader… always have been and always will be.”

      Tasha stared, struggling under the weight of her sister’s belief and her own denial, but most of all, she wasn’t sure if she wanted her sister to be right or wrong.

       CHAPTER FIVE

      JOSH MADE HIS WAY toward the local newspaper office to start a subscription. He enjoyed reading the newspaper on Sunday morning with his coffee. It gave him a sense of normalcy that he felt sadly lacking since his divorce, and, small as it was, he was clinging to it.

      The storm had broken, and although a bracing wind kept pedestrians clutching at their jackets to ward off the chill, Josh barely felt the cold. His mind was crowded with the details of reestablishing himself. Dean was good enough to offer him a job on his crew, and Josh was happy to work with his brothers again.

      They were good guys, and Dean had a son a little older than Christopher who was willing to help his younger cousin get acclimated to the new school.

      Gripping the handle, the cold burning into his palm, he pushed the door open and walked inside.

      The blond receptionist looked up at the sound of the door jingling, and when she saw who it was, a bright yet surprised smile lit her face. “Josh Halvorsen? Wow! It’s been forever since I last saw you.”

      “Patti Jenkins,” he said slowly with recognition, following with a warm smile. Patti had been one of those girls he knew peripherally, but as they hadn’t exactly traveled in the same circles in school, he hadn’t gone out of his way to really know her. But he did remember her being a nice girl. Real smart, too. “Since when’d you start working for the Tribune?” he asked, happy enough to make small talk as he handed her the cutout from an old newspaper for new subscriptions.

      “Oh, about three years ago. I was working for the bank, but then there were some layoffs so I ended up here. It’s nice enough and I get benefits. That’s all that matters.” She glanced at the paperwork. “You moving home for good?”

      “Seems that way. The city really wasn’t my scene. Too much country in this ol’ boy.”

      She gave him an appraising glance, answering cheekily, “Nothing wrong with that. Country’s fine by me. I’m one husband away from being single and I’m always looking for the next lucky Mr. Patti Jenkins.”

      He chuckled, knowing she was kidding, and was happy to play along. “Good to know.”

      Grinning, she returned to the paperwork in her hand. “It will just take a minute to get you set up, but your first issue will take about two weeks.” She waved the paperwork in annoyance. “Something about the file system. I don’t know, for some reason, even though we don’t have more than a handful of subscriptions it takes longer than molasses in winter to get it going. Though,” she added with a wink, “once you’re in the system, it’ll take an act of God to get you out. I don’t think Adeline Merriweather has paid for a subscription in nigh five years, but she gets her weekly paper as faithful as ever.” Josh laughed outright at that and she continued with a twinkle in her eye. “Well, honestly, who can take away some sweet old biddy’s weekly news? It’s just not seemly. Anyway…here you go.”

      She handed him the receipt and he tucked it into his wallet. He was in midthanks when the door jingled and he turned.

      Tasha’s expression surely mirrored his own as she shut the door behind her and offered a tentative smile to both Patti and himself. “It seems you’re everywhere in this small town,” she murmured. She peeked around him to wave at Patti. “Hi, Patti. You look great. How’ve you been?”

      “Can’t complain. You?”

      “Same.”

      “Don’t let her fool you, she’s been working for the Peace Corps for the past couple of years,” he interjected before his good sense got a hold of his mouth. She blushed at the hint of pride in his voice, and he remembered how shy she could become under the right circumstances.