They swung in silence for a moment, both watching the little angel who had fallen asleep in Paige’s arms.
Despite the eight years difference between them, Ben and Paige had always been close. He’d always been the big brother she could turn to and rely on, especially with things she didn’t want to discuss with their parents. And she’d been the little sister who could always read his mood and cheer him up or calm him down. She’d been at college last year when his world collapsed, but she’d taken a whole week off to stay with him. After she returned to school, she’d made it a point to come home every weekend to be there for him. He’d appreciated it. She never said the things everyone else did; ‘I’m sure they’ll find her’ or ‘It’ll get easier’. She was simply there.
“Is it getting any easier?” Paige’s quiet question pulled him from his musings.
He let out a sigh. “Most days, no.”
“And other days?”
He took his time answering. “Last Saturday, when I recognized Amy needed help and I realized I could do something for her, that turned out to be a good day.” It had been a hard day too, but Paige didn’t need to know that.
“She’s nice, Ben. I like her.” She stroked Kallie’s chubby leg. “And this little cutie has stolen my heart.”
“She is a little angel, isn’t she?” He gave into the urge to touch her soft curls. The ever-present tightness in his chest seemed to loosen at the feathery soft contact.
“Is it hard being around Kallie?”
“A little. It’s painful, but I’m trying to think of it like rubbing a sore muscle. The deeper you rub, the more it hurts, but eventually the soreness starts to ease. She reminds me of what I’ve lost, but she makes me smile. I keep hoping if I can endure the discomfort, the pain will subside.”
The muscle in question was his heart. Despite his words, he wasn’t sure his heart could endure any more pain. Would he ever feel something other than the despair and emptiness that filled it now?
They lapsed into silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Ben watched Amy cross the back lawn with Jake, who laughed at something she said. Both Robert and Jake had stuck close to her all day. He’d seen Robert take Amy to lunch at the diner on Friday and for a ride on the four-wheeler today. Now, she walked to the stables alone with Jake.
He couldn’t blame either of them for taking an interest in her. There weren’t a lot of single women in Providence, and Amy was certainly pretty enough to warrant any man’s attention. Was she making a play for one of them? She was by no means a Debbie Wheeler, but would she lead his cousins on for her own purposes?
She didn’t strike him as that type, but desperation drove people to do crazy things. Despite his efforts to make sure she was comfortable, she probably felt desperate to provide stability for her daughter. Was she looking for a husband? She’d just left a relationship, surely, she wasn’t ready for another one already. However, it didn’t sound like much love was lost between her and the unfaithful musician.
He felt responsible for her in a way, but he wasn’t sure what more he could do for her. So why did he think about her so often?
After quite some time, he heard the unmistakable sound of Debbie’s Porsche. He hadn’t heard her arrive—he must have either been in deep conversation or even deeper thought. Laughter caught his attention.
A smiling Jake carried a laughing Amy across the back lawn.
Who was flirting with whom now? Had Amy convinced Jake to carry her or was Jake showing off? This wasn’t typical behavior for Jake. Robert maybe, but not Jake.
When Jake called, “Uncle James,” Ben realized something must be wrong with Amy.
Paige elbowed him. “Go see what’s wrong. I can’t move.” She motioned to the sleeping baby on her lap.
Ben approached the group gathering around Amy as Jake described how Amy had fallen off the fence.
Amy laughed. “Not very gracefully, I might add.”
“Was that Wid—” Robert bit back a smile. “I mean Debbie’s car I heard leaving?”
Jake nodded, not even trying to hide his grin.
Ben caught the glance his cousins shared, and suddenly things became clear. Jake had used Amy to drive Widow Wheeler away. Ben struggled to hide a smile of his own. He couldn’t blame them, but to what lengths did Jake and Amy go to make Debbie mad enough to take off? In his experience, it wasn’t that easy to get rid of her.
And why did he suddenly want to rip Jake’s arms off?
