“Love it,” Addy said. “I’ve got a support system with Pearl and Sonny and Mia to help with the twins, so I don’t have to feel guilty about leaving them. But then, I can do what I love at the same time. It’s the perfect job for me.”

“It’s not so different from what you do.” Mia brought her breakfast to the table. “You go to the animals. Folks don’t bring them to your house. Mama and Uncle Cody go to the houses of the older folks and those who don’t want to go to a clinic. It’s about the same thing only the patients have two legs instead of four.”

Stevie nodded in agreement. “That’s pretty much it in a nutshell.”

“I know your mama was sick, but why did you stay after you lost her?” Addy finished making a pan of yeast bread and set it to the side to rise. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down across from Stevie. “If that’s too personal, you don’t have to answer it.”

“I might ask you the same thing. Considering the circumstances of Mia’s birth, why would you ever come to work here on Sunflower Ranch?” Stevie asked.

“Fair enough,” Addy answered. “This was home, and something kept drawing me back here. Maybe it was Fate, or just a longing in my heart, but whatever, I’m glad I listened to it. When the Ryans offered me a job helping take care of Sonny after he was diagnosed, well…” She took a sip of her coffee. “I learned years later that they figured out that Mia was their granddaughter and considered it an extra bonus to get to spend time with her and have me as Sonny’s private nurse.”

“When did you tell Jesse?” Stevie asked.

“He kind of figured it out on his own,” Addy answered. “Now, your turn? Did you come back to get closure with Cody?”

“Not really, but that is an added bonus to my Texas homecoming.” Stevie finished off the last bite of her waffles. “I’ve tried to steer clear of him the past six months, but I guess Fate, as you called it, had different plans.”

“Sometimes it works that way,” Mia said, adding her two cents. “I couldn’t wait to get out of this place, but before many days passed, I felt like the prodigal son. I didn’t care what I had to do, I just wanted to come home. I guess age doesn’t matter when the heart longs for home, does it?”

“You are so right about that.” But if that was the case, why did Stevie feel more at home in Addy’s kitchen than she had anyplace she’d been in a very long time—including her own house?