“So our mother informed us,” Harper said. “Any reason you can think of why our father neglected to mention you all these years?”
“It’s a long story. I need to sit down with you two and your mother. Where’s the other sister?”
“She’s over there.” Harper pointed to Catie. “That’s her husband, Chad McCray.”
“Yeah, I heard she married pretty young. Too bad for me. But you’re still single, right?” he asked Angie.
Why on earth would he care if Catie was married? “I’m not sure what business it could possibly be of yours, but yes, I’m single.”
Raf
e approached them, Amber and Tom on his heels. “You okay, Angie?” he asked. “You look a little pale.”
“I just buried my daddy.”
“I know. Just…you look like you could use some sittin’ time.” He took her arm. “Excuse us please.”
“Wait a minute. I’d like to meet your friends, Angelina,” Jefferson said.
Rafe stuck out his hand. “I’m Rafe Grayhawk. This is my brother, Tom, and this is Amber Cross. We’re friends of Angie’s.”
“A pleasure. I’m Angelina’s uncle, Jefferson Bay.”
“Nice to meet you. But Angie really needs to sit down. Come on, honey.”
Rafe led her to a sofa in the hallway where, thank the lord, no one was loitering.
“I don’t want to insult your family on such a sad day but your uncle could use some manners. He didn’t seem concerned about your well-being at all.”
“Why should he? He just met me today.”
“What?”
“Seriously. Till today, I never knew he existed. My daddy never mentioned a brother. I thought he was an only child.”
Rafe’s eyebrows rose. “Interesting time for him to show up.”
“I know. He says he needs to talk to us. I have no idea what it could be about.”
“Probably just wants to make amends.”
“Hopefully. But wouldn’t it have made more sense for him to come around while Daddy was alive?” She massaged her temples and closed her eyes.
Rafe’s fingers softly drifted over her forearm. “You want to go upstairs and lie down? Get on out of here for a little while?”
His touch was soothing. Felt so nice.
“You have no idea how much I want to do that, but I can’t. Mama’s already gone upstairs, so I have to play hostess.”
“A lady who just lost her father doesn’t have to stand on ceremony, baby. Let’s get you upstairs.”
She relented. What the heck? Harper and Catie could take care of things. And mama’s sister, Aunt Meghan, was here to assist. Catie’s two sisters-in-law, Dusty and Annie, were helping too. She took Rafe’s arm and let him lead her upstairs.
“Which room?”
“First one the right,” she said. “That was my room as a kid.”
She grimaced as her pink canopy bed came into view. But she was too sad and tired to care what Rafe might think of her childhood tastes, though she did wonder for a moment why Maria had never changed any of their rooms. Catie’s still had stuffed horses strewn all over.