“Oh, my, maybe twenty years. She and her husband Joseph were faithful members.”
“I married her grandson late in her life and only met her last week. I took my daughter with me so she could see her.”
“I visited her later that very day,” he commented. “She told me how happy your visit made her. Bless you for coming to see her. She died holding on to that memory.”
Natalie’s eyes filled with tears. Without Kit, that trip to Denver would never have happened. “I’m thankful she had you to watch over her, Pastor. You don’t know how much I appreciate your kindness. Do you know where she was interred?”
“Fairmount Cemetery next to her husband and their son and his wife.”
“One day when my daughter is older, we’ll go there. I’ll look forward to receiving those photos. Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome, Mrs. Harris. God bless you.”
Thrilled to have made contact, Natalie got off the phone and went to the kitchen to make some kind of a treat for Kit to thank him. She took her laptop with her and put it on the kitchen table.
What would he love? After some thought she decided to make brownies. Once they’d cooled she would ice them with peppermint frosting then pour melted chocolate chips over the top. The trick was to cut them into squares before the chocolate set. Her mom’s recipe had always been a huge hit.
An hour later Amy awakened. Natalie brought her into the kitchen and set her up so she could play with the tins in the kitchen cupboard. She dangled the measuring spoons on a ring in front of her. Amy saw them. “Mama.” She lifted her hands.
“Say ‘spoons.’”
“Spoons.”
“Yes.” She kissed her cheeks. “Spoons.”
Laughter bubbled out of Natalie. She found a wooden spoon so her daughter could pound on the bottoms of the saucepans. While she started cutting the brownies, she heard the text alert from her phone and glanced at the screen.
Driving into the garage.
Kit was home! Joy, joy, joy.
* * *
WHEN KIT WALKED into the house he was bombarded by the delicious smell of chocolate. He had to stop when he reached the kitchen because Amy sat surrounded by pots and pans and utensils, blocking his path.
“Kit!” She showed him the measuring spoons she held in one hand. “Spoons!” In the other she gripped a wooden spoon that she pounded on everything she could find. He burst into laughter and got down on his haunches. Picking up a potato masher, he tapped along on a couple of tins.
In the midst of all this he shot Natalie a glance. In her nautical-striped top and white shorts, those long legs made his breath catch. “I think your daughter might be turning into a drummer. Look at her go!”
Her radiant smile was unexpected after the tension between them last night. “I’ve been listening to her repertoire since she got up from her nap. Show her the ice cream scoop and ask her what it is.”
He did as she suggested and held it in front of Amy. “What’s this?”
“Scoop!”
Her answer amused him so much he picked up a heart-shaped cookie cutter. “What’s this?”
“Cookie!”
That was close enough. He was having too much fun to quit. He found the spatula and lifted it.
“Spat!” She’d put her heart into it.
“Yes. Spatula. You’re even smarter than I realized.” Kit leaned forward and kissed the top of her golden curls. She smelled sweet, like Natalie. Heavenly.
“You’re home early,” Natalie observed.
He looked up into those fabulous green eyes. “Yup. I could smell those brownies all the way to headquarters and decided to come home in time to sample them. Is that permitted?”