Twice in a Lifetime. Marta Perry

done there. That makes it considerably more difficult to navigate all the various governmental regulations.”

      “You’re doing fine.” Miz Callie waved away the issue. “It’ll be exactly the way I want it.”

      This was a tempest in a teapot, as far as she could tell. “Miz Callie, whatever has all the secrecy been about? You must know that no one in the family will object to turning the land into a nature preserve.”

      “Yes, child, I know that.” Miz Callie’s face seemed to tighten, as if the skin were drawing close against the bones. “They won’t object to the preserve. They’ll object to what I’m going to call it.”

      “Call it?” Georgia echoed. This was like swimming in a fog.

      Her grandmother continued to clasp her hands tightly together. “It’s to be named the Edward Austin Bodine Memorial Preserve.”

      For a moment the name didn’t register. Then memories filtered through—of pictures quickly flipped past in the family album, of questions unanswered, of conversations broken off when a child entered the room.

      “You mean Great-uncle Ned? Grandfather’s older brother? The one who—” She stopped, not sure how much of what she thought she knew was true and how much was a child’s imagining.

      “They said he was a coward. They said he ran away rather than defend his country in the war.” Her grandmother’s cheeks flushed. “It wasn’t true. It couldn’t have been.”

      Georgia caught the confusion in Matt’s eyes. “The Second World War, she means. Supposedly Ned Bodine disappeared instead of enlisting when he was old enough to fight.” She tried to think this through, but her instinctive reaction was strong. “Miz Callie, you must know it’s not only the family who will be upset about this idea. Other folks have long memories, too. Why don’t you dedicate it to Grandfather?”

      “To Ned.” Her voice was firm. “He’s been the family secret for too long.”

      “Will people really be upset after all this time?” Matt asked. “Would anyone even remember?”

      The fact that Matt could ask the question showed how far he had to go in understanding his adopted home.

      “They remember. Charleston society is like one big family with lots of branches. Everyone knows everyone else’s heritage nearly as well as they know their own.” She ran her fingers through her hair, tugging a little, as if that would clear her thoughts. “And it’s not just that. This is a military town, always has been. Bodines have served proudly.” Her mind flickered to her brothers. “Miz Callie, please rethink this.”

      Her grandmother shook her head firmly. Tears shone in her eyes.

      Georgia’s heart clenched. Miz Callie was the rock of the family. She didn’t cry. She didn’t show weakness. And she certainly didn’t do things that would put half the county in an uproar.

      Except…now she did.

      She reached across to grasp her grandmother’s trembling hands. “It’s going to cause a lot of hard feelings, you know.”

      Miz Callie clutched her hand, her gaze seeking Georgia’s face. “Not if it’s proved that he didn’t run away.”

      “After all this time? Miz Callie, if people have believed that all these years, surely it must be true. I know you were fond of him, but—”

      “I knew him.” The words came out firmly. “He wasn’t a coward, whatever people say.”

      “Please, think about what will happen if you do this.” Her grandmother was set on a course that would hurt her immeasurably. “Even if you’re right, how can you prove it after all these years?”

      “Maybe I can’t, not alone.” Her fingers tightened on Georgia’s. “I want you to help me.”

      “Me?” The word came out in an uncertain squeak.

      “I can’t die without making this right. I should have done it long ago.”

      The echo of something lost reverberated in her words, twisting Georgia’s heart. So this was the wrong she’d talked about—the one that needed righting.

      “Miz Callie, you know I’d do anything for you. But I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

      “Matthew will help you. The two of you can do it. You have to.” Her voice didn’t waver, but a tear spilled down her cheek.

      Georgia’s throat tightened as panic swept through her. How? The one thing her grandmother asked of her, and she couldn’t even think where to begin.

      She turned to Matt and saw the reluctance in his eyes. He was no more eager to take this on than she was, even though he didn’t understand the situation the way she did.

      As for the family—her stomach clenched at the thought of explaining this to them. It made her want to scurry back to Atlanta until the storm was over.

      But she couldn’t, because the bottom line was, if she couldn’t talk Miz Callie out of this, she also couldn’t leave her to face the consequences alone.

      “All right.” She patted her grandmother’s hand. “You win. I’ll do my best.”

      As to whether that would be good enough—well, she seriously doubted it.

      Georgia tiptoed out onto the deck when the sun was still low over the ocean, her running shoes in her hands. Miz Callie was sleeping, and she didn’t want to disturb her, but an early morning run was just what she needed to clear her mind.

      She tugged the laces tight. After a night of trying to think of a good way to explain the situation to her parents, she didn’t have an answer. Too bad she wasn’t more like her cousin Amanda, the older of Uncle Brett’s and Aunt Julia’s twins. Amanda never let anyone stand in her way when she was convinced she was right. Of course, that led to the kind of loud arguments that would have Georgia hiding under the bed, but at least Amanda fought for what she wanted.

      Well, she wasn’t like Amanda and never would be. And their grandmother wasn’t turning to Amanda right now. She was turning to Georgia, and it was up to her to do the right thing for Miz Callie.

      Once she knew what that was, anyway. She trotted down the stairs and stopped abruptly, halfway down. “Adam!”

      Her oldest brother held out his arms when he saw her, and she catapulted into them for a hug that lifted her off her feet.

      “Hey, Little Bit, how are you?”

      “Don’t call me that,” she said automatically, though she doubted she’d ever get him to stop, since he’d been teasing her with that since their parents brought her home from the hospital.

      “Pardon me, Ms. Georgia Lee.” He set her down, grinning. “I just have trouble believing you’re all grown up now, and engaged to boot.”

      She focused on his chest, clad in a Coast Guard Academy T-shirt, instead of his face. She couldn’t fool Adam. “That last part’s not so true anymore.”

      “Really?”

      She nodded, miserably aware that the news could now be spread to her huge extended family in a matter of minutes. “Listen, Adam, you can’t tell anybody the engagement’s over. I didn’t tell Mamma yet.”

      He whistled softly. “Okay. Nobody’s hearin’ it from me, cross my heart. But you probably ought to tell her soon.”

      “I know. But you know how she’ll be, denied the prospect of a wedding. I don’t suppose you’d care to get married instead.” She peeped up at his face, ready for his grin.

      “Not me,” he said quickly. “This old boy is not putting his head into a noose, thank you very much.”

      She shook her head with mock sorrow. “What are you doing over here this early? On your way to or from