Over the years, he’d shown them many kindnesses. A lot of compassion. Grace by the bucketload. For instance, when Maddy stole the sheep.
Or when Mama was sick and he paid for the passage for two so Madysen could take Mama to Seattle.
Instance after instance came swirling back. Judas had become like part of the family.
The door gave its telltale squeak, and Whitney turned to see her sisters peeking in.
“It’s all right. Come on in.” She held out her arms, and they embraced in a group hug.
“You all right?” Maddy stroked her shoulder.
“Yes. It’s simply been an exhausting day. All the way around.” She snuck a glance back at the spot on the floorwhere she’d found Granddad. Swallowed against the lump in her throat. She wanted to sob on his chest like that morning. But he was gone.
“I’m so sorry you had to be the one to find him, Whit. I know that couldn’t have been easy.” Havyn sat on the edge of their grandfather’s bed and put a hankie to her eyes.
“I’m glad it was me so that you two didn’t have to go through that.” She’d been trying to shield her younger sisters from the pain of life ever since she’d first dragged their father home from Saloon Row. It was a vow she’d made to herself as a little girl. No one should have to endure the pain and heartache she did. Especially her family. “In particular you, Havyn. In your delicate condition, that wouldn’t have been good.”
Havyn put a hand to her waist. “I wouldn’t say that I’m delicate, but I sure do seem to cry at the drop of a hat nowadays.” Tears streamed down her face. “See? I can’t seem to stop them.”
If onlyshehad that problem. Maybe she wouldn’t feel like she was hollow one minute and then like a volcano ready to erupt the next.
Maddy sat by Havyn on the bed. “We came in here to tell you Mr. Davis—Granddad’s lawyer—approached Havyn and John after the funeral. He asked if we would come by his office on Friday for the reading of Granddad’s will.”
Why did that feel so final? She said as much to her sisters. “I guess there’s no getting around it. We have to move forward. It’s not like the world will stop spinning just because we want to grieve for a little longer.”
“Or pretend none of this happened.” Havyn burst into tears again.
Maddy wrapped an arm around Havyn’s shoulders. “Thereare still mornings that I wake up and forget that Mama is gone. I keep thinking I’ll hear her singing in the kitchen. Or telling me to tune my cello.”
Whitney sat on the other side of Havyn and held out her hands to her sisters. “We’ll get through this together. We have to think about what Granddad would want us to do with his farm. How we can honor him and the legacy he left to us.”
Maddy squeezed her hand. “He’d want us to run the farm together as a family, give glory to God, and be happy.”
Havyn straightened her shoulders and sniffed. “I agree. And Mama would want us to stay close to God and each other.” She looked back and forth between Whitney and Madysen. “I know you already know this, but I can’t tell you how important it is that you both are with me during this time. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, and I would hate for either of you to leave. First and foremost because I love you both so much, but even more so as I’m facing the birth of my first child. Which, I have to say, scares me more than I’d like to admit.”
Maddy laid her head on Havyn’s shoulder. “We will be here for you no matter what! Every second. Right, Whit?”
Forcing a slight smile, she nodded. “Of course. Every step of the way, we’ll be by your side. Just let us know what you need.” She could be strong. Keep up the façade. They needed her.
At least for now.
Madysen closed the door to their grandfather’s room and walked to the kitchen. She’d offered to get some sandwiches together. Even though none of the sisters had much of an appetite, the men had to be hungry.
Havyn was beginning to show that she was with child, and Maddy’s heart soared. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have to wait too long before she could share that same joy.
But what would that do to Whit? Her heart sank.
Something wasn’t right with their older sister. Hadn’t been right for some time now.
True, they’d all taken an enormous hit when they lost Mama. But it affected Whitney the most, even though she wouldn’t admit it at the time. But she’d closed off more since then. Walled off her heart and became more stoic than ever. Even more reluctant to allow anyone in than before. Poured herself out for everyone else. For a while, Madysen had chalked it up to their grief. That it was how Whit was coping. But Madysen’s heart had begun to clench every time she noticed one of the signs. This wasn’t the sister she knew. Something had to be done about it.
Then that horrible Sinclair fellow put her into a downward spiral toward melancholy. Something that none of the Powell women had ever been prone to.
They’d walked on eggshells for a while, not wanting to make things worse. Then there were the headaches.
Those terrible pains still seemed to plague her sister on too regular of a basis. But Whitney refused help or attention. Dr. Cameron had seen her many times but hadn’t expressed any serious concern for a while now.
Madysen bit her lip. Was she overprotective? Mama would tell her that worry was a sin. That she should cast her cares upon the Lord just like 1 Peter chapter 5 instructed. But what would Mamadoin this kind of situation? They’d never dealt with anything like this. No one had ever injured any of them before. Their lives had been protected, even though they’d lived in some rowdy places.
