Page 2 of Noble Neighbor
“Maybe it’s time for a fresh start, Oliver. The three of us. Get away from the memories here. You can try your hand at writin’ that story you keep talkin’ about, and I’ll have more than enough space for my workshop. And we won’t have to worry about news like that” — he pointed to the paper — “botherin’ us.”
Oliver gaped at his father. “You want to move to Nebraska?”
1
Forever home
Present day …
Sunny Jones leaned into the back of the Suburban and unstrapped her daughter from the child seat.
“Mommy …”
“Hmm?”
“This gonna be our ever home?”
Startled by the question, she glanced down, meeting the hopeful gaze of her younger child. “Yes, Molly.This is our forever home.”I hope, she thought, sending a quick, fervent prayer to the heavens above.
“Yeah. Right.” Kenzie slammed the opposite door, and Sunny bit back her equally sharp response.The kid’s tired, she reminded herself.Just as I am.The last few days had been long and hot. She shut the car door with almost as much force as Kenzie.
“I like it, Mommy.” Molly took her hand and squeezed. “Let’s explore,” she added, tugging impatiently.
With her gaze sliding over the rambling, white, three-story farmhouse nestled upon the rolling hill, Sunny pasted a smile on her face and murmured, “Good idea, honey.”Buying a house sight unseen was risky, but she’d liked the look of the place from the web listing, and the realtor had humored her with a video tour.
The farmhouse was dated, but its bones were good, the wiring, plumbing, and roof redone within the last five years. Surrounded by wide-open land of which she now owned fifty-five acres, there was space for the pets they all hankered after, maybe some horses. And hens. Definitely hens. A home like this needed a few roaming about.
It was just the place for her girls to grow and thrive; just the place for Sunny to let go of the past and concentrate on her future. She needed the stability as much as her girls did.
Molly dragged her along the path to where Kenzie stood, arms folded and foot tapping, on the edge of the large wrap-around porch. Ignoring the filthy glare her daughter speared her with, Sunny looked around. The porch needed a couple of welcoming Adirondacks with colorful cushions, maybe a matching swing chair—
She pivoted to the mature trees about forty yards away to the right. Yes, a hammock strung from the sturdy branches would be awesome. Truth be told, it had been the trio of trees, a reminder of her carefree childhood, that had sold her the house.
“Home,” she murmured, her mood lifting as the word manifested in her soul.
Turning her face to the sun, she raised her head and arms, stretching out the travelling kinks, sucking in adeep breath. A genuine smile replaced the fake, growingwider as the air filled her lungs and the sun warmed her face. Clean air, carrying the unmistakable tang of country. Sunshine, grass. A hint of manure. Maybe she should buy a cow or two, just for the heck of it.
And please, she was DONE — yes, capitalized —with homeschooling. She’d enrolled her girls in the localschool, and in a few weeks’ time, they would board the yellow bus that stopped at the start of the lane each morning, giving her ample time during the day to figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.
For the first time in absolute ages, Sunny felt the suffocating weight of her past ease. Their new beginning had started, and life was truly looking up.
“Mommy, I need to pee.”
At Molly’s desperate cry, Sunny lowered her arms and turned her head. The poor kid was bouncing about with crossed legs. Suppressing her chuckle, she rushed to unlock the front door with the key she’d collectedon the way through town. Sunny reckoned she’d offended the realtor by not allowing the woman toaccompany them, but this moment, theirhomecoming, was for her and her girls, and not one to share with a stranger.
“Come, hon.” Taking Molly’s hand, she ushered heracross the threshold. “There should be a bathroom underthe stairs. This way.” She tried a door. Nope. Storage. Ah, there. Sunny turned and—
“Oh, Molly.”
The wet stream trickled down a scrawny leg, pooling on the hardwood floor. “Sorry, Mommy,” Mollysaid mournfully, her mouth puckering as a sniffle escaped, and she rubbed her eyes.
“It’s okay, Molly. Mommy took too long to open for you. Kenzie,” she called out.
A long-suffering sigh escaped Kenzie as she movedcloser, taking in the scene. “Such a baby,” she muttered.
The scathing remark released the tears Molly was holding in. “I’m not a b-baby,” she wailed, and Sunny sank to her knees, taking the now sobbing girl into her arms. She rubbed a soothing hand up and down Molly’s back, spearing Kenzie with a you-are-in-so-much-trouble look.
The girl dropped her eyes, a blush staining her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Mols,” Kenzie mumbled.
