"Who knows, but I'm not going to complain. We need the business." Vinia glanced at her. "Why are you up so early? You're usually my late sleeper."
Sarah sat down on a stool and rubbed her belly. "I think I'm giving birth to a sumo wrestler. This little gal kept me up half the night."
"The joys of pregnancy," Vinia teased. "It's good to have you here with me, so I won't complain."
"What are you going to do, Mama?"
"About what?"
"About the ranch. About the rest of your life. Do you want to go home?"
Vinia stopped prepping the serving trays and rested against the table. "Honey, I am home. You kids don't even remember the gardens, not very much anyhow, and after the way that sonofabitch treated me, and the way all the people went along with it, I don't know if I would go back. Why? Why the sudden question?"
"We have the idol that was at the bottom of all the trouble. You could prove Daddy's innocence."
"But it doesn't bring him back," Vinia replied sadly. "And we've always known he wasn't to blame. So really, not much would change."
"You're just going to keep the idol?"Luke may be getting married to someone else, but they should still know.She didn't want to admit to herself that it was just a way to open the lines of communication with him.
"I'll send a message to that king of theirs, but don't hold your breath that all will be forgiven." Vinia pointed at her. "Do you hear me?"
"I do. And thank you. I think it's important for Daddy to be exonerated."
Vinia didn't look convinced as she went about her tasks. A little while later, Wren appeared in the doorway. "Anything I can do?"
Sarah pointed to a pitcher near the sink with a pile of oranges next to it. "Want to squeeze the juice so it has a few minutes to chill?"
"You're just telling her to do that because you don't want to," Vinia teased. "Wren, you don't have to do anything. You're a guest."
"I feel like I do, because I'm causing you a lot of trouble."
Sarah frowned. "What do you mean?"
"My brother made reservations for the rest of my family. I had no idea that they would follow me. At least, not this quickly."
"Well, now," Vinia said, "things make a little more sense."
Sarah watched the two women talk. Something was definitely off, but she still couldn't figure out what it was. But if Wren wanted rest and relaxation, why would her family ruin that for her?
Wren got busy squeezing the oranges, and Sarah grabbed another bag of the fruit from the cold cellar. "I'm baking bread this afternoon if you're interested in helping. I know it's not the baking that you want to do, but it's a start."
"Oh, I'd love to." She bit her lip. "And just so you know, I'm not overly excited about all of my siblings being here. I was trying to put some distance between us."
Sarah threw her head back and laughed. "I have four brothers. I can definitely understand that one."
"There's six of us all together. I'm the eldest."
"What about your parents?" Vinia asked. "But you don't have to answer if that's too personal."
"No, it's fine," Wren responded. "My parents have both passed away. My dad died several years ago, and my mom early last year. It's just us kids now, even though we're not really kids."
Vinia patted her arm. "Well, it'll be good to meet your family."
An hour later, the dining hall was filled with clanking dishes, conversation, and laughter and the entire Hale family ate breakfast with Wren. Sarah glanced around the room. Adding five more people was going to make the entire room very cozy.
After breakfast was over, Vinia left them to clean up. Tyson gave Sarah a puzzled look. "Where's Ma going? She never just ups and leaves."
Sarah shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe she had to run into town for something."
