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Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Half Title Page
  3. Books by Katie Powner
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright Page
  6. Dedication
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. FOUR
  11. FIVE
  12. SIX
  13. SEVEN
  14. EIGHT
  15. NINE
  16. TEN
  17. ELEVEN
  18. TWELVE
  19. THIRTEEN
  20. FOURTEEN
  21. FIFTEEN
  22. SIXTEEN
  23. SEVENTEEN
  24. EIGHTEEN
  25. NINETEEN
  26. TWENTY
  27. TWENTY-ONE
  28. TWENTY-TWO
  29. TWENTY-THREE
  30. TWENTY-FOUR
  31. TWENTY-FIVE
  32. TWENTY-SIX
  33. TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. TWENTY-NINE
  36. THIRTY
  37. THIRTY-ONE
  38. THIRTY-TWO
  39. THIRTY-THREE
  40. THIRTY-FOUR
  41. THIRTY-FIVE
  42. THIRTY-SIX
  43. THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. THIRTY-NINE
  46. FORTY
  47. FORTY-ONE
  48. FORTY-TWO
  49. FORTY-THREE
  50. FORTY-FOUR
  51. FORTY-FIVE
  52. FORTY-SIX
  53. FORTY-SEVEN
  54. FORTY-EIGHT
  55. FORTY-NINE
  56. FIFTY
  57. FIFTY-ONE
  58. FIFTY-TWO
  59. Acknowledgments
  60. About the Author
  61. Back Ads
  62. Back Cover

Marge pulled a piece of paper from her back pocket and set it on the table. “I have something to show you.”

He narrowed his eyes at the paper. She pushed it closer.

“What is it?” he asked.

She pointed to the left side of the paper. “This is the list of all the people who want to volunteer to help with your mom.” She pointed to the right side. “And this is the calendar of who would help when, Monday through Friday, for the first three months, starting next week.”

“And we’ll visit most weekends.” Bea nodded at Jeremy, and he nodded back. “For extra support.”

He stared at the list of names. So many people. Almost everyone he knew from church was on there, including Corn Chowder Barbara. Something shifted in his heart, like when the sun hit just right and the light on the mountain sparked to life.

He shook his head. “I can’t believe—”

“I’m sorry.” Marge wrung her hands. “I know you haven’t made any decisions yet, but—”

“No.” He held up a hand. “It’s okay. I mean I can’t believe all these people would be willing to help me.”

After how he’d treated them. After avoiding them for two years. After shunning the only kind of love and support they’d known how to give during the hardest time of his life. He should never have expected them to be perfect. To handle a terrible, tragic situation they’d never faced before perfectly. He sure hadn’t.

“What do you say, Dad?” Bea’s eyes were wide. Hopeful. “Can we give this a try?”

It went against everything in him. He’d been raised to solve his own problems. Clean up his own messes. Independence and grit were the way of the West. The way of the pioneers and trailblazers who had settled the wilds of Montana and North Dakota and Wyoming. But country living was also about community. Sharing with neighbors.

He thought about Susan Mullins, who had recently returned from her treatment in Seattle to find everyone on her block had pitched in to build her a new deck. He thought about the chili feed coming up on Saturday, where he was sure the town would raise thousands of dollars for the Tucker family. This was the Montana way.

“Okay.” He looked at the paper again and nodded. “Let’s do it.”

FORTY-NINE

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Bea dropped her bag on the floor and looked around. Jeremy had been right. This was way nicer than their apartment in California. Brand-new carpet. Sliding glass door that opened to a small balcony. A second bedroom—tiny but big enough for a crib.

“And not a speck of mold in the whole place.” Jeremy put his arm around her shoulder. “I checked.”