He turned to her. “I know what you want in life. You must go. But this would be my child. I’m not going to have another one.”

“And you would stay behind to raise it? Déjà vu? Do it all over again? I’d go off alone and you’d stay here?”

“Yes,” he said. “You can go and I’ll stay here and raise our child alone. Again.” He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

They were almost home when Vera whispered, “I think I know a solution.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Mason, Kansas
2019

Vera Exton was returning.

The entire town was reverberating with the news. The local celebrity was coming home. To stay. “The town wants to put on a parade for them!” Kelly’s voice was trembling with anger. She and Adam were in their bedroom in the apartment on the Plaza.

“I know,” he said. “Can you imagine Vera and Miguel standing on some decorated wagon bed and waving to people? I heard they’re supposed to ride through Mason tossing flowers out. My guess is that they’ll change the parade so it goes down Main Street in Ottawa. Make a real spectacle of it.”

“Oh, great! There’ll be hundreds of people lining the street. If my sister hears of this, she’ll never return. Never!” She flopped down on the bed next to Adam and he drew her into his arms.

“And they’ve scheduled this parade on Kyle’s wedding day?”

“Yes! That hideous Celeste Wigman did this.” Kelly never bothered using Celeste’s married name. She said it changed often, so how could she be expected to remember them? “She did it on purpose. I swear, you’d think that all Vera has accomplished was due to Celeste. She’ll probably set up a table and autograph copies of Vera’s book about Joe Harding.” When Adam didn’t answer, she pulled back to look at him. “Why aren’t you giving me one of your pep talks about how everything will be fine?”

“Because I don’t think it will be. If Vera hears even a hint that the town is putting on a parade in her honor, she’ll wait another year before she shows up.”

“Then she’ll slip into town and no one will know she’s here until they see a light on in the schoolhouse.”

Adam kissed the top of her head. “By the way, you did a brilliant job on that.”

Kelly smiled in memory. For the last eighteen months, her life had revolved around remodeling what everyone called “the old Exton place.” The house and about three acres had been rented for years. Jared had tried to oversee it, but he was busy with the farm and a family. When the tenants moved out, the house was in bad shape. Adam had suggested bulldozing it. The look Kelly gave him answered that! So the house had sat empty for over a year.