“Thanks,” he said, meaning it. It was really sweet of her to think about the kids.
He was trying to think of what to talk about then Willow grabbed the tomatoes and a knife and put herself to work.
He had to smile at the familiar feeling of cooking in the kitchen together. Mom always kept so busy that the two of them had prepared plenty of meals together up in the big farmhouse.
“Thanks,” he told her.
She nodded, her eyes on the tomatoes, and he let himself pretend for a moment that nothing had ever gone wrong between them.
The house instantly felt more like home with his sister here. Maybe they could make a regular thing of this now. The kids should get to know her. They were already planning to spend a family Christmas together here with Mom and Aunt Rhonda, if their aunt was up for the trip.
He began to weave a fantasy in his mind—time spent with Willow, making up with Jensen, Hailey deciding to stay in Trinity Falls forever, and all of them sitting around the table.
“So, how’s it going?” Willow asked.
It felt like a splash of cold water in his face.
Ransom had always been a dreamer. But his reality was pretty far from perfect right now. That’s how it was going.
“The kids are adapting really well,” he said carefully. “They’re tough as nails. And I’m figuring it out.”
“You’re clearly killing it,” she replied cheerfully, gesturing around the house. “You’ve got this place looking like a home. I remember when it was more like a summer camp.”
“We sure made a lot of s’mores around that fireplace,” he said, smiling at the memory as he stirred the onions and peppers.
The conversation slid into planning for the holiday. With Mom and Aunt Rhonda here, it was going to be tight. But he was pretty sure he had it all figured out. And he didn’t have to decide on a menu, since they had so many traditional Christmas dishes they made every year, he couldn’t possibly add anything new to the lineup.
“It’s a lot for you with the kids,” Willow said. “Do you want me to just handle the food?”
The suggestion stung a little.
“I’m fine,” he heard himself say roughly. “You think because I’m a man I can’t handle kids?”
His awful words hung in the air for a moment, and he wished he could take them back. Things had been going so well.
What’s wrong with me?
“Not at all,” Willow said, thankfully not reacting to his bad attitude. “I think because you’re a single parent you’re busy. And I’m here with nothing to do, so I’d like to help.”
“Sorry,” he sighed, feeling awful. “I guess I’m still figuring this out.”
“It’s weird being home, isn’t it?” she asked.
That hit hard.
And as little as he ever thought he’d want to talk to his baby sister about the military, now that they were both here and safe, he found that it was actually exactly what he wanted.
They talked quietly as they finished preparing the lasagna. He suspected that like him, Willow was grateful to have something to do with her hands. The conversation moved to her new apartment, which was over Carla’s Place, a gathering space for older folks in town. And before he knew it, the lasagna was in the oven, and the banter between them was starting to feel like old times.
“Let’s have a look at this pie,” he said, heading over to the bag.
Willow looked really pleased with herself, and as soon as he peeked inside, he could see why. A perfect Cassidy Farm pumpkin pie was inside, the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg bringing him back.
But it was impossible to get a Cassidy Farm pumpkin pie at this time of year. People reserved them months in advance.
“They made it just for you,” Willow said with a smile, anticipating his question.
When he lifted the pie out of the bag, he spotted another surprise inside.
