“You’re the actor, not me.”
“Was Mom mad?” Jason asked.
“No. She just gathered all the pieces and put them aside. I’ve no idea when she glued them back together. That’s how it was with her. Christmas just magically happened.”
“I don’t know how she always managed to give us such great Christmases. It’s not like she had unlimited funds.”
“Not working on the Hayes farm, that’s for sure,” Roan said.
Jason was quiet for a moment. “Do you ever wonder about him?”
“About who?”
“Our dad,” Jason said.
“I used to. Not anymore.”
“I asked Mom about him once,” Jason said. “She said she’d tell us more about him once we were older.”
“And then she died.”
“Right.”
It had been so sudden, so unexpected. In a second, their whole world had shattered.
“We could look for him,” Jason said. “With one of those DNA testing companies.”
Roan stared at his brother. “Do you want to?”
“I don’t know. It would be nice to at least know who he is.”
“Or would it?” Roan asked.
Jason simply nodded and moved on to another subject. “We should get a tree. Put some of this stuff up.”
“Yeah. For Mom.”
“I think she’d be glad we’re home,” Jason said.
“It was time, I guess. The hardest part’s over too.” Roan gestured toward the now empty bin. “We’re in the house. We’ve opened a Pandora’s box of memories. Now maybe we can start to create some new memories here.”
“Sure we can,” Jason said. “Sugarville Grove at Christmas is exactly what we both need.”
Roan wasn’t entirely convinced but he nodded anyway and then got up to get them another beer and put a frozen pizza in the oven. It was good to have his twin home. He wasn’t sure he could face the holidays without him. Fortunately, he wouldn’t have to. Jason was here until the new year. And Roan was determined to have a good Christmas as a way to honor their mother. She had loved Christmas more than any other time of the year. It was time to bring some joy back into this house.
4
REESE
The day after Thanksgiving Grace had called to ask Reese to come to dinner at her home. Grace had an idea for a program for at-risk youth and wondered if Reese was interested in helping. Pastor David, the new, young minister at the community church had already committed to the project, as had Kris Olaffson. No surprise there. Kris was always the first to raise his hand to help with anyone in their community who needed assistance.
Reese made no promises, other than to join them for dinner. December was a busy month for her, given the dance recital the week before Christmas. Regardless, she was always interested in being part of the community of Sugarville Grove. She’d already accepted before she realized Roan was back in town. Now, as she was driving out to the Hayes farm, it occurred to her that Roan might be there. Grace was his aunt after all. She almost stopped the car and turned back toward home, but she hated any kind of flakiness. Unlike Roan on prom night, she always showed up when she said she would. Anyway, if he were invited or not, there was nothing to be done about it now. She’d said she would come, and she didn’t want to disappoint Grace. Also, she was curious to hear about Grace’s idea.
Reese arrived exactly on time, parking next to an SUV she didn’t recognize. She grabbed the bottle of wine she’d brought and headed up the porch steps. Through the window, she could see people gathered in the living room. Her stomach dropped when she recognized the broad shoulders and hair the color of dark honey.
Roan was indeed here.
No going back now. Time to face him and whatever feelings it brought to the surface. And truthfully, now that the shock had worn off, she had to admit to herself that she was curious about him. He was a man now, not a teenage boy. Was he as emotional and headstrong as he’d been at seventeen or had the years mellowed him?
