“I’m taking them home so they’ll be out of the way once we open. See you in a few.”
Her older brother’s expression didn’t change. Poor Sam had been put through the wringer these past few days and had probably endured all he could handle from his women. Thank goodness he waved and started walking toward the store.
Abby thought her lungs and legs might burst before she got home. As a precaution, she wheeled the cart around to her back door before she slowed her pace. Only when she let go, and the bed of the vehicle hit the ground with a
whump
, did she realize what her concealed passenger might have undergone during the ride.
A gasp came from beneath the clothing as Zanna swatted aside the fabric that covered her face. “Could we do that again so you hit
every
bump in the road this time?” she said grumpily. “I’ll have bruises all over my—you
could
help me out of here, you know!”
At the first crack in her little sister’s voice, Abby blinked back tears. What an awful ride that must have been. When Abby grabbed Zanna’s hands to haul her up, she wrapped her arms around the poor girl. “Zanna, I didn’t mean to be so rough. I didn’t think about you bouncing against those hard wooden sides—”
“I’ve got no reason to complain, now that you’ve got me over here.”
“But we’ve all been so worried about you,” Abby finished with a gasp. “We had no idea where you’d gone, or why.”
Zanna sniffled loudly, swiping at her red-rimmed eyes. “I’ve got a lot of questions to answer, I know. And I’m really sorry about cuttingup that wedding dress you made me, Abby. Must be the baby that’s making me act so crazy, so thankless.”
Thankless
. Now there was an admission that might redeem a few of the unpleasant moments they’d had over the past days.
Abby drew in a long breath, returning Zanna’s worried gaze. “Your wedding dress is the least of our worries right now,” she murmured. “Let’s get you inside. While I’m working this morning, take a bath, all right? This situation will be easier to handle when we’ve both simmered down. Then we’ll figure out how to tell everybody else what’s going on.”
Nodding, her sister stepped up the back stoop and into the kitchen. Abby followed, clutching an armful of the old clothing, which she tossed into the alcove where her clothes washer sat. Her pale, blond sister stood in the center of the room, absently munching a graham cracker as she gazed at the glossy wooden cabinets and floors as though she’d never seen them. When Abby noticed how thin and worn-out Zanna looked, she bit back the lecture she’d planned to deliver.
“Make yourself comfortable, sis. Tea and soup and what all are in here,” she said as she opened the pantry doors. “Help yourself to clean clothes, and then think about what you’ll tell everybody when we take you over home.”
Abby turned then, waiting for Zanna to make eye contact. “But you’ve got to play fair, Zanna. No more of those overblown stories about James—hear me?” she insisted. “For one thing, nobody will believe he treated you badly, even if he… made you his woman before you became his wife.”
Did that sound as awkward as it felt when she’d said it? Abby fought a surge of anger and impatience when she thought about how Zanna had apparently run away from James, the father of her child… the man who’d never seen Abby as anything other than a friend. She sensed Zanna’s thoughts were elsewhere, so she kept her personal grievances to herself. “Never,
never
forget that no matterwhat you do, Suzanna Lambright—or how awful you think things will be when the truth comes out—we’re your
family
. We love you, and we’ll stand by you.”
Abby paused to let that idea sink in. “But things will go a lot easier for everybody if you tell the truth.”
Zanna hung her head, her unfinished cracker in her hand.
“Are we gut now, you and I?” Abby asked quietly. “I’d stay,
Her older brother’s expression didn’t change. Poor Sam had been put through the wringer these past few days and had probably endured all he could handle from his women. Thank goodness he waved and started walking toward the store.
Abby thought her lungs and legs might burst before she got home. As a precaution, she wheeled the cart around to her back door before she slowed her pace. Only when she let go, and the bed of the vehicle hit the ground with a
whump
, did she realize what her concealed passenger might have undergone during the ride.
A gasp came from beneath the clothing as Zanna swatted aside the fabric that covered her face. “Could we do that again so you hit
every
bump in the road this time?” she said grumpily. “I’ll have bruises all over my—you
could
help me out of here, you know!”
At the first crack in her little sister’s voice, Abby blinked back tears. What an awful ride that must have been. When Abby grabbed Zanna’s hands to haul her up, she wrapped her arms around the poor girl. “Zanna, I didn’t mean to be so rough. I didn’t think about you bouncing against those hard wooden sides—”
“I’ve got no reason to complain, now that you’ve got me over here.”
“But we’ve all been so worried about you,” Abby finished with a gasp. “We had no idea where you’d gone, or why.”
Zanna sniffled loudly, swiping at her red-rimmed eyes. “I’ve got a lot of questions to answer, I know. And I’m really sorry about cuttingup that wedding dress you made me, Abby. Must be the baby that’s making me act so crazy, so thankless.”
Thankless
. Now there was an admission that might redeem a few of the unpleasant moments they’d had over the past days.
Abby drew in a long breath, returning Zanna’s worried gaze. “Your wedding dress is the least of our worries right now,” she murmured. “Let’s get you inside. While I’m working this morning, take a bath, all right? This situation will be easier to handle when we’ve both simmered down. Then we’ll figure out how to tell everybody else what’s going on.”
Nodding, her sister stepped up the back stoop and into the kitchen. Abby followed, clutching an armful of the old clothing, which she tossed into the alcove where her clothes washer sat. Her pale, blond sister stood in the center of the room, absently munching a graham cracker as she gazed at the glossy wooden cabinets and floors as though she’d never seen them. When Abby noticed how thin and worn-out Zanna looked, she bit back the lecture she’d planned to deliver.
“Make yourself comfortable, sis. Tea and soup and what all are in here,” she said as she opened the pantry doors. “Help yourself to clean clothes, and then think about what you’ll tell everybody when we take you over home.”
Abby turned then, waiting for Zanna to make eye contact. “But you’ve got to play fair, Zanna. No more of those overblown stories about James—hear me?” she insisted. “For one thing, nobody will believe he treated you badly, even if he… made you his woman before you became his wife.”
Did that sound as awkward as it felt when she’d said it? Abby fought a surge of anger and impatience when she thought about how Zanna had apparently run away from James, the father of her child… the man who’d never seen Abby as anything other than a friend. She sensed Zanna’s thoughts were elsewhere, so she kept her personal grievances to herself. “Never,
never
forget that no matterwhat you do, Suzanna Lambright—or how awful you think things will be when the truth comes out—we’re your
family
. We love you, and we’ll stand by you.”
Abby paused to let that idea sink in. “But things will go a lot easier for everybody if you tell the truth.”
Zanna hung her head, her unfinished cracker in her hand.
“Are we gut now, you and I?” Abby asked quietly. “I’d stay,
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