“Just a minute,” I heard my mother call.
Moments later, the door opened. My mother was there dressed in one of her home-stitched gingham dresses and her favorite yellow apron decorated in embroidered blue clematis flowers and curling vines.
“Maybelle, we missed you so much!” Not quite meeting my gaze, she grabbed my hand in hers and pulled me into the house. She didn’t try to hug me, but she was never much of a hugger. “Your daddy is in the living room waiting for you.”
“Is Leanna here?”
“She’s taking a nap. Poor thing gets so tired. I need to get back to dinner—can’t let the greens scorch! We’ll have a chance to set a spell and catch up after dinner.”
And with that, she disappeared into the kitchen again. I stood there in the hallway, breathing in ancient house dust, willing my heart
