When Mrs. Carl had been told that her only child was gay, she’d been surprisingly understanding. If she was upset, she kept it to herself. However, when Paul told her that Gabby was pregnant from one time with Miguel, Mrs. Carl had stepped in. With the force of a Kansas tornado, Mrs. Carl took over. She told her son—didn’t ask—that Miguel was going to become a partner in Pauly’s business. Then she hired a lawyer to arrange for Miguel to get full custody of the baby. But Gabby didn’t fight them. She just wanted enough money to start a new life without the burden of being a single mother. In the end, Gabby went to Florida and baby Caitlyn stayed in Mason with her father. And Mrs. Carl.

There was never a more doting, adoring honorary grandmother. Everyone in Mason thought Forey would be jealous, but she said, “Love is multiplied, not divided.”

When Kelly’s letter reached Vera, telling what was happening, Vera wrote back, saying, “I bet she read that on a greeting card. I’d put money on it that Forey is jealous as all hell. But at least Miguel got what he wanted.”

All these years later, Vera was still angry, still bitter over Miguel being with Gabby. Kelly had written her theory—that Miguel had done it to give Vera her freedom—but she didn’t believe it.

Or maybe Vera didn’t want to believe it. Maybe she needed the tie between her and Miguel broken.

Whatever had been done and why, the result of Vera’s years of nonstop traveling was that she had become a famous reporter. She went anywhere on any assignment. More than once she’d dressed as a man and infiltrated sites forbidden to women.

She wrote about it all with great feeling. Not just cut-and-dried news but the tears and laughter of those involved.

For years Vera had worked with the seasoned news reporter Joe Harding. He taught her everything she knew.

Eight years ago he’d stepped on a land mine. He heard the click and knew what was going to happen. He looked at Vera. “I love you, kid,” he said before he died in the violent explosion. The book Vera wrote about Joe won her a Pulitzer Prize.

Vera had returned to Mason only once, for Nella’s funeral. Even then, she’d only agreed if Kelly swore that Miguel wouldn’t be there.

Kelly didn’t know if Vera hadn’t forgiven him or if she still loved him so much that she might be tempted to stay in Kansas. Truthfully, Kelly didn’t think her sister knew, either.

So much had changed since Vera left. Miguel’s life was his daughter and selling organic fruit to groceries across the US. He had expanded the business greatly. Paul had fallen in love with Seth Murray and wanted to stay home with him, so Miguel did the traveling.