rain pounded on the roof and battered the ancient smoky windows.
“Myra, we need to talk,” Charles said quietly.
“Hmmm, yes, I suppose we do. What would you like to talk about, Charles? It’s raining outside. I always hated thunder, but I hate lightning even more. But then, you already know that, so there’s no point in discussing it. Dinner is wonderful.”
“How would you know? You haven’t touched a thing on your plate. Close your eyes, Myra, and tell me what’s on your plate.”
“Roast beef,” Myra snapped irritably.
“Wrong! It’s pork tenderloin. You’ve always loved pork tenderloin.”
“I used to love a lot of things, Charles. I’m sorry. We should just have had sandwiches and soup, or even just the soup.”
“You wouldn’t have eaten that, either,” Charles snapped in return.
“What do you want me to say, Charles? I’m not trying to be difficult, it’s just that…I miss my family. You know what else, Charles? I’m sorry we got those pardons. I was happy on the mountain with the girls. I cry every time I think of them. I would give anything to have yesterday back.”
“That’s rather cavalier of you, Myra. The girls wanted their old lives back. They didn’t want that outlaw life anymore. They wanted to get married and have families. Surely you can’t fault them for that.”
“Of course I don’t fault them for wanting their old lives back. I was speaking for myself. It’s been a year and a half, Charles! Do not, I repeat, do not tell me to get a hobby. I do not want a hobby.”
“I never thought of knitting as a hobby, old girl. I’d love a hand-knitted sweater.”
“Then go to town and buy one! I am too old to learn to knit, and I have arthritis in my fingers. Why are you deviling me like this? Why can’t you just let me be miserable?”
“Because I love you, that’s why. You’re starting to act the same way you did when Barbara died, and you’re scaring me. I can’t go through that again, Myra, I just can’t.”
“Oh, Charles, no, that isn’t going to happen. I’ll get a handle on it, just give me some time. Just a little more time.”
“Myra, a year and a half is a lot of time. We need to make some decisions here. We need to join the living, to get on with our lives. We can’t keep marking time like this.”
“No one needs me these days, Charles. Not even you. Somehow, you manage to keep busy helping the boys with Global Securities. There are just too many hours in the day to fill. I now know how Annie felt. There’s nothing worse than not being needed.
“Those old, supposedly dear friends of mine from my other life have cut us dead. Nellie spends almost all day in therapy for her two hip replacements, and even when she’s home, she’s too tired to do anything but sleep. Pearl is out there somewhere doing her thing with the underground railroad. I volunteered my services, and she said that if she needed me, she’d call. Well, guess what, Charles, she hasn’t called once. I don’t want to be a pest where Lizzie and her new baby are concerned. She and Cosmo are so happy, they don’t need me fussing around them even though they said their door is always open to us.
“I love it that Lizzie is just doing consulting work these days, and Cosmo is just on call in case some emergency crops up. They’re such wonderful parents to Little Jack.”
“Speaking of Little Jack, tell me again why we didn’t go to Lizzie’s baby shower at the White House?”
“Because it would have stirred things up, and I didn’t want to ruin Lizzie’s day. And it’s the same reason we didn’t go to Little Jack’s christening. Isn’t it wonderful how Lizzie and Cosmo donated all the gifts to Babies Hospital and to families who need all that baby gear? They’ve set up so many foundations for baby care, I can’t count them anymore. I can’t wait for them to come back to town. Just a few weeks, and we’ll get to see Little Jack again.”
“You’re done with dinner, right?” Myra nodded. “Get your slicker. I have something I want you to see. If you don’t come with me, I’m going to pick you up and carry you. Move it, old girl!”
Grumbling, Myra followed Charles out to the mudroom and donned her slicker and Wellingtons. She held his hand as they made their way to the barn. Inside, light blazed. The horses whickered softly at the intrusion. Somewhere deep in the barn, a dog growled. “Be quiet, don’t make any fast moves or loud noises. Just stay with me.
“It’s just me, Charles, Little Lady. I’m coming in. Remember what I said, Myra. Look!”
Myra looked down into a mountain of straw where a warm blanket had been spread. “I don’t know what her name is or even how she got here, but here she is with her newborn pups. I found them this morning. I call her Little Lady—not that she’s little, because she isn’t.”
“Ooooh, Charles!” Myra dropped to her knees in front of a magnificent golden retriever, who eyed her warily. She made no move to touch the mother or her pups. “Did you feed her, Charles?”
“I did, and she gobbled it all down. I’d like to bring her and the pups into the house if you don’t mind. You know, just to keep an eye on her. I already called a vet, and he came out earlier this afternoon. Aside from being undernourished, Little Lady is fine. He gave me some nutrients and vitamins to give her. Like I said, it will be a lot easier to take care of them in the house.”
“Of course it will, but you said we can’t touch them. How will we get them into the house? Will Little Lady allow us to pick them up?”
“I don’t know. I think that’s up to you, Myra. She trusts me, but she doesn’t know you yet. You have to make friends. Talk to her, see if she’ll let you pet her. Touch is very important, so be gentle.”
“It’s so damp in here, Charles. That can’t be good for the puppies. Find the wagon, the one we use to wheel in firewood. If you lift Lady and put her and the pups in it, we can cover them with a tarp and scoot right back to the house. We can build a fire in the living room even if it is July and make a bed for all of them. That’s a good idea, isn’t it, Charles?”
Charles beamed. “Splendid idea, old girl. Now why didn’t I think of that?”
“Because I’m a mother, and you aren’t,” Myra said as she stroked the golden’s head. “I don’t think there’s anything more beautiful in the whole world than a new baby or a new puppy or kitten. What are you waiting for, Charles, Little Lady is shivering.”
Forty minutes later, the air-conditioning in the house was turned off and a fire was blazing in the humongous fireplace. Old, worn, soft blankets were spread close to the hearth but not too close, in case a spark eluded the fire screen. Mother and pups were settled within minutes. A bowl of real food was set out for Little Lady, who gobbled it down within seconds. When she was finished, she used her snout to move the bowl away from the blanket, then she offered up her paw to Myra, who dutifully shook it.
“I think you have your family, old girl,” Charles said.
Myra looked up at her husband, her eyes misty with tears. “Whatever would I do without you, Charles? You always make it come out right somehow. But what happens when these little creatures
