joined Lorna on the porch.
Lorna reached for the chubby infant, relishing the feel of her warm, sweet skin as she nuzzled the baby’s neck, then settled her into her arms. “Oh, you’re so beautiful.” Emily made a contented sound. “She’s such a sweetheart, Amy.”
Amy smiled happily. “She is, isn’t she? The girls just adore her.”
Amy had a five-year-old daughter from her first marriage and Bryce’s two daughters from his first marriage were nine and ten, so she had her hands full.
“Speaking of the girls, where are they?”
“You forgot. Today’s the first day of school.”
“I did forget, and I even saw the school bus this morning.”
“Well, you’ve had lots of things on your mind.”
“So Calista started kindergarten today?”
Amy grinned. “Yes, and she was thrilled to be going to school like her big sisters.”
Calista had worshiped Susan and Stella from the very first day Amy had entered their lives, and in turn, they were crazy about her.
“She picked out her own outfit, too,” Amy said. By now the two women had settled onto the swing and were gently moving back and forth. Buttercup settled in her favorite loaf-of-bread position on top of the railing and watched them.
“What did she choose?”
“Green shorts and that white peasant blouse you bought her.”
Lorna grinned. “She has good taste.”
They continued to talk about the children, with Amy bringing Lorna up-to-date on the older girls’ doings.
“Emily’s asleep,” Amy observed a few minutes later.
Lorna looked down at the baby. She was so utterly precious, this little goddaughter of hers. Her tiny mouth was open, her breathing shallow and occasionally her eyelids fluttered. Lorna swallowed against the sudden lump in her throat.
As if she knew exactly what Lorna was thinking, Amy reached over and squeezed her arm.
Lorna willed herself to stay dry-eyed.
“I should be going,” Amy said. “You’re coming for dinner later, right?”
Lorna nodded.
“Are you still planning to leave for Houston sometime tomorrow?”
“Yes. The movers are delivering my things Friday, and I need to be there.”
Amy stood. “And the Baxters are moving in here on Monday?”
Mark Baxter was the newly hired sales manager at the plant, and he and his wife Leslie had purchased Lorna’s home. She’d been lucky to find a buyer so quickly, and she knew it. “Yes.” Lorna handed Amy the baby, who barely stirred. “They’re really nice, Amy. I think you’ll like them. In fact, I can see you and Leslie Baxter becoming good friends.”
Amy smiled sadly. “No one can take your place.”
“Or yours,” Lorna said softly.
After Amy left, it only took the movers another hour or so to finish loading all of Lorna’s belongings. Once they were gone, Lorna—followed by Buttercup—walked back inside to survey what was left to do. There wasn’t much, thank goodness. The only pieces of furniture that remained were ones Lorna didn’t have room for in the new house, and the Baxters had decided to buy. Everything else had either been disposed of before the movers arrived or had been loaded onto the truck for transport to Houston. Tomorrow morning Lorna had a cleaning service coming. After that, she would be free to leave.
Free to begin my new life.
Suddenly, the melancholy that had plagued her all day began to lift and Lorna smiled.
Everything really was going to be okay. She could feel it in her bones.
And who knew?
Maybe by this time next year, she would be well on her way to having the kind of life she’d dreamed of all along.
Chapter Two
“Lorna, I love your house!” Claudia plopped onto Lorna’s sofa and stretched her long legs out in front of her.
Lorna glanced around with a smile. It was the Wednesday after her move-in, and she was in good shape, with almost everything unpacked and put away. “It is looking good, isn’t it? You know, at first I thought I would have a hard time getting used to having a much smaller place than I had at home, but I’m finding I like it. It’s cozy.”
Claudia grinned. “It is cozy. In fact, it’s adorable. And Buttercup seems to like her new surroundings, too.” She looked over at the cat, who was curled up on the hearth, even though it would be months before it might be cold enough to build a fire.
“Yes, she settled right in as if she’d lived here forever. Didn’t you, Buttercup?”
The cat never even turned her head.
Claudia laughed. “Don’t you love how cats totally ignore you unless they want something?”
Lorna smiled. “So what brings you here so early? I thought your last class wasn’t over until three.” The new semester at Bayou City College, where Claudia taught business and marketing courses, had just begun.
“I had a doctor’s appointment, so I rescheduled today’s classes.”
“Nothing’s wrong, I hope.”
Claudia grinned. “No, nothing’s wrong. Just the opposite, in fact.”
From her sister’s expression, Lorna had a pretty good idea of what was coming.
“I’m pregnant,” Claudia said, her smile filling her entire face.
“Oh, sweetie, that’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you!”
“And I want you to be our baby’s godmother,” Claudia bubbled on. “Well, actually, I thought we’d have two godmothers. You and John’s sister Jennifer.” She jumped up from the couch and hugged Lorna. “Oh, Lorna, I’m so happy! I never knew I could be so happy!”
Laughing and squealing, the sisters danced around the room together.
“Does John know yet?” Lorna asked when they’d finally settled down again.
“Of course. I called him right away. He’s totally thrilled.”
“He’ll make a wonderful father.”
“He will, won’t he?” Now Claudia’s smile turned tender.
Lorna wondered if Claudia had any idea how much she envied her. How much she wanted a baby, too. They hadn’t discussed the subject recently,
