When Cami had called Amy to ask if she’d be willing to help Jessa and Lance out, she’d explained that since Julia’s birth, Jessa had suffered four miscarriages. They’d occurred at varying times during each pregnancy but had been increasingly devastating for both Jessa and Lance.
“I hope you don’t think Jessa is too demanding,” Lance said, rubbing a hand across his forehead. “It’s just that this is the furthest she’s made it in a pregnancy since Jules was born. She—we—are desperate for this one to get as close to term as we can get it. We’ve agreed that she will do as little as possible, and when she’s moving around, someone will be with her. I realize that might seem a little extreme—“
Amy held up her hand. “I understand completely and have no problem helping with anything she needs.”
“Thank you. Again.” Lance pressed his hands to the counter and stood. “I’m going to run into town and do a little work at the office. I shouldn’t be gone too long, but I need to catch up on a few things that got pushed to the back burner when the bed rest command was given.”
“I’ll give you a call if anything comes up,” Amy assured him. She picked up the small walkie-talkie from the counter. “And I’ll keep this with me at all times in case Jessa needs something.”
Lance nodded. “Just figured it might be easier if she needed you quickly than for her to try and type out a text message or something.”
“It’s perfect. Now off you go.” Amy made shooing motions with her hands. “I’ve got this under control.”
As her cousin left the kitchen, Amy moved around the counter to sit on the stool he’d vacated. She opened the notebook Jessa had given her earlier with information on what needed to be done. In addition to helping with Jessa, Amy had agreed to pick up what she could of the running of the bed and breakfast side of things now that the manor had been converted from just the family home to a B&B. Shereally hoped that she wasn’t promising more than she could deliver. There was no doubt she wanted to help them out, but Amy didn’t want to cause more work for anyone because of her inability to do something that was required.
The most daunting thing on the list was just over a week away. A wedding. A couple had booked the whole manor for the wedding party and family, and they were going to use the chapel for the ceremony. Jessa had made notes that Laurel and Violet would be helping out, too, so Amy wouldn’t be completely on her own. The only reason the sisters hadn’t been able to help out more with Jessa was because they each had families of their own and couldn’t move into the manor.
Since she’d last seen them, Laurel and Matt had added two more children to their family. Another boy and a girl, which gave them two of each. Dean and Violet’s brood had only grown by one in addition to Addy and Danielle, who had been born just a couple of weeks before Will and Cami’s wedding. They’d gotten their boy so had apparently decided to stop at three. Cami and Josh had two—both girls—and from what her brother had said, they were quite happy with the size of their family. Given that their career required a lot of travel, it made sense they wouldn’t try for a larger family.
In a few weeks, Cami and Josh would be arriving with the girls for their annual summer Collingsworth family get-together. Amy was excited to see them since it had been Christmas when they’d last been together.
In the meantime, the most pressing thing on her agenda was figuring out what she needed to get from the store for the breakfasts for the weekend. Laurel and Violet had already volunteered to help out with suppers for the family, but the breakfasts for the guests she’d have to handle on her own. Thankfully, her mom had made sure she knew everything about running a household—including cooking. It was just that she didn’t have much opportunity to practice since she still lived at home where her mom did most the cooking.
Looking up from the notebook, Amy stared out thewindow above the sink. It had been just over eight years since she’d last been to Collingsworth. Since Cami and Josh made their home in Nashville, there had been no reason for Amy to return after that heartbreaking visit for their wedding. Cami was still the only one who knew what had happened during that time. She’d apologized more than once for asking Amy to return to Collingsworth when she’d called last week, but Amy hadn’t even had to think twice about it.Though ithad taken some time, her teenage heart had healed. She still didn’t completely understand the feeling she’d had that Will Collingsworth was the man God wanted her to marry, she had put it behind her.
Of course, Will was no longer a married man. She remembered the day she’d heard the news of Delia’s death. There had been no joy for her because the circumstances had been just too awful. Pregnant with their first child, she’d had an aneurism and died just a year after their marriage. They had been able to save the baby—a girl—but there had been nothing they could do for Delia. Amy couldn’t even fathom how someone dealt with something like that. She knew it had been difficult for Josh when his first wife had committed suicide, but it hadn’t been a huge shock as she’d tried a couple of times already. What had happened with Delia—
Amy heard the front door open and turned on her stool. Had Lance had forgotten something. A man appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. Though she barely recognized him, her heart skipped a beat. He looked nothing like the man she’d loved with her teenage heart. Short, styled hair had grown out to a scruffier length, and it looked like he hadn’t shaved in a couple of days. The hard, tenseness of his face gave him a somewhat gaunt look, and there was no twinkling in his eyes or smile on his face. Even though it had been almost six years since his wife’s death, he looked as haunted by it now as he must have the day it happened.
“Hi,” she said, standing up from the stool.
“Hello. I’m Will Collingsworth.” He stared at her for a moment. “Are you a guest here?”
Telling herself there was no reason to be disappointed he didn’t recognize her, Amy shook her head. “No. I’m here to help Jessa. My name is Amy.”
“We’ve been away, so I just heard the news. I dropped by to see if there was anything I could do.” He glanced toward the hallway. “Can you wait here, Isabella? I’ll just be a couple of minutes.”
Amy’s gaze dropped from Will to the little girl who moved to stand next to him, and she understood with shocking clarity why he still wore the haunted look all these years later. The little girl was the spitting image of her mother. It was like she had all her mother’s genes and none of her father’s.
Isabella looked at Amy, her big brown eyes wide.
“Is it okay if she stays here with you?” Will asked.
“Sure. I could use some company.” Amy smiled at the little girl. She was rewarded with a small smile in return.
“Be good, please.”
“I will.”
Will rested a hand on her shoulder for a moment before disappearing up the stairs.
Amy beckoned for Isabella to come to the counter. She noticed as the little girl approachedthat she was dressed in the most fashionable brand name children’s clothes. As a teacher, she was aware of children’s fashions, and Isabella would certainly outshine most in her first grade class.
“My name is Amy,” she said as Isabella climbed onto one of the stools. “Do you want a cookie or something?”
“Yes. I’d like a cookie.” Isabella glanced toward where her father had gone.
“Will you get in trouble if you have one?”
