The House on Blackberry Hill (Jewell Cove 1)

Now they were reduced to this.

He thought of Josh, all alone in his house in Hartford. Josh had been the one to take retirement from the service and set up their home, waiting for the day Erin would be back for good and they could start the family Josh had always wanted.

And then Erin had been killed three weeks before she was due to return. Tom hadn’t always been a good friend or cousin, but he’d be a cold bastard to begrudge Josh the chance to come home and be with his family.

“I already promised to make an appearance, if that’s what you’re here for.”

“Actually, I was hoping you would make us a dance floor for the party. Something like you did for Julie and Adam’s wedding last summer, remember?”

A dance floor. It wasn’t a bit of trouble. Some plywood and nails. It wasn’t that. It was wanting to reach out to his cousin and make amends and being afraid he’d be slapped back. He turned his back on Sarah and walked to the wide bay window with his hands on his hips, gazing out over the water.

She went to him and put her hand on his arm. “Tom,” she said quietly, “hasn’t this gone on long enough?”

He didn’t look at her as he answered. “What you’re asking for isn’t just a dance floor. It’s not so easy to forget.”

Her reply was clipped. “Well, someone needs to make the first move. Or does family really mean that little to you?”

He turned on her then, a little bit angry himself, because he wasn’t sure why the onus always had to fall on him to make things right. Josh wasn’t a totally innocent party, either.

“Don’t you dare accuse me of that, Sarah. Not when you know better. We both know what I gave up in the name of family and brotherhood. Not that it did a damn bit of good.” Tom had stepped aside when push came to shove and they all knew it. He hadn’t stood in Josh’s way.

“You let her go except for the one way that mattered most. In your heart. You said all the right things but we all knew why you moved out here. You’re practically a hermit. You never date. You spend all your time on the job or in your woodworking shop. Please, Tom. Don’t let this continue to drive a wedge between you and Josh when she’s not even here anymore.”

“It’s not that simple,” he relented, softening his words.

She shook her head, her eyes soft. “Of course it isn’t. All I’m asking is for you to try. A visible gesture that you’re willing to take this first step. I miss the old days, Tom. I want to see us all back together again, like it used to be.”

“We’re older now,” he said, quieter. “We can’t go back. It won’t ever be the same.”

For a few minutes they stood in silence, watching the softening light over the cove. A few ducks bobbed on the surface, their bodies sending ripples over the glasslike water. This was why he’d chosen this particular spot in the first place. The cottage had a way of quieting a busy mind and a hurting heart.

“You always were like a mother duck,” he finally said, a smile in his voice. “If we all argued, you came up with a compromise. We got a scraped knee, you went for the Band-Aid. But you can’t fix this, Sarah, no matter how much you try. That’s up to Josh and me.”

He saw her shoulders slump and he closed his eyes, giving in. Why could he never say no to the females in his family?

“I’ll make your dance floor, and I promised Aunt Meggie I’d show up. The rest is up to Josh.”

A smile spread across her face and she raised her arms and hugged him. “Thank you! I knew I could count on you, Tom!”

He chuckled as he gave her a quick hug and then set her back. “Don’t get too excited. You had to know you’d wear me down. Now get going. Don’t you have a family to look after or something?”

“We’re meeting at Sally’s for ice cream after ball practice. I promised Matthew one of her hot fudge sundaes.”

He chuckled. “Just like we used to do when we were kids.”

“Yeah, only Sally is much older now. You’re welcome to join us,” she added.

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ve still got dinner on the grill.” Which was probably dried out by now, but it didn’t matter much. The way he was feeling, the last thing he needed was to hang around with yet another big, happy family.

He walked her to the door and kissed her cheek before she left. But as she backed out of the driveway he frowned.

Everyone seemed to think that this big reunion was going to be perfect, but Tom got the feeling they were setting themselves up for disappointment. Even if he were willing to make a new start with his cousin, it was a two-way street. And he wasn’t sure it was one Josh was willing to travel.

CHAPTER 6

Abby’s hands were sweating inside the rubber gloves, but she was doing so much cleaning that she didn’t dare work without them unless she wanted chapped skin. For two days she’d scoured and washed and sometimes it felt like she hadn’t gotten anywhere. So far she’d managed to make the master bedroom clean and fresh, as well as the bathroom with its old fixtures, stand-up shower, and luxurious claw-foot tub. Marian Foster had spent considerable money updating the house to modern standards while still maintaining a vintage feel to everything. Running water and electricity were readily available but to Abby everything still looked like she’d stepped back in time. Somewhat grudgingly, she had to admit she liked it. It gave the house character.

The hall and stairwell had been cleaned, the faded carpet on the steps vacuumed within an inch of its life, and she’d taken a whole day to work on the kitchen, wiping walls and cupboards from top to bottom. Her whole body ached. The next time someone asserted that housecleaning wasn’t work, she’d set them straight in a hurry.