Well, anyhow, I don’t think she recognized the house. And it’s very possible we’ve already scared her away. Although, she did say she’d stay.

Anyhow, the children don’t want her here and they haven’t made an effort to hide that fact and so I let my displeasure show. They were huddled together in the kitchen, ignoring the fact that they’d left her out in the dining room, and I couldn’t help myself. And now all I can think about is how many times I did the same with Diana. How many times we argued when she was a teenager.

How I always wished you were there to help me raise her. Maybe then I wouldn’t have lost her.

I miss you, Robert. I miss you every day.

With all my love,

Maggie

She couldn’t be that bad. Not considering the way she knelt in the dirt and let Captain lick her face.

Captain, after all, was the best judge of character Neil knew. And the collie’s tail hadn’t stopped swishing since the moment the imposter stepped out the back door.

No, not an imposter. Maggie had invited her here. Sydney Rose was a guest. And he . . . well, if he wanted to stay in Maggie’s good graces, he had to learn how to live with Sydney’s presence here.

Didn’t mean he had to like it. The chill of the autumn morning gusted over him, carrying the loamy, intermingling scents of soil and sea.

At least Sydney hadn’t kept him waiting. He probably could’ve been quieter when he’d awoken this morning—at the crack of dawn, like always. His sisters had learned to sleep through his noise, but Sydney likely had heard him tromping to the bathroom, or perhaps it was the sound of the water running through old pipes that had drawn her from her room.

Or maybe she was simply an early bird, too.

Regardless, she’d made it to the kitchen even before him. He’d found her leaning against the counter, nursing a cup of coffee and a sheepish expression. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to totally make myself at home. But it just smelled so good.”

It did, at that. He always filled and programmed the pot the night before. Wasn’t used to sharing his first cup of the day with company, though. “Maggie would want you to make yourself at home.”

She hadn’t flinched, not exactly. But he’d seen just enough of a shadow flicker through her eyes to know she’d heard the truth behind his words: Maggie might want her to make herself at home, but him? Not so much.

“There’s creamer in the fridge, if you like.” It was as much of an olive branch as he’d been able to muster as he pulled his coat off a hook by the back door and shrugged it on. “Maggie and the girls should be up soon. Maggie probably has a big breakfast planned.” He moved to the cupboard and found his usual Thermos. “I can give you that tour after.”