Lily could hardly believe that a daughter of Rachel’s would take that kind of treatment. To think of a man controlling a woman like that fired up a mad spell in her. She closed the journal, wishing that she hadn’t even read that page. Then she realized that her anger was directed not just at Fred but at herself, too. She’d let Wyatt control her. He’d wanted a son to carry on the Anderson name since he was an only child and his father had been one, too. To him, having a son had been very important, and he wanted one immediately. Even though Lily had wanted to wait a couple of years, she’d thrown away her birth control pills on their wedding day. A year later, she’d given birth to Holly. Wyatt had been very disappointed, and childcare had been expensive, so he’d talked her into giving up her job and working from home. He’d been so good at manipulating her that she had actually thought for years that the idea had been hers. Then Braden was born, and she thought Wyatt would be happy. He was for a little while, but then he began to work more and more, spend less and less time with her and the kids, and their marriage had simply died in its sleep.

“Mama, what are you reading?” Braden asked from the doorway.

“An old journal I found in your grandmother’s secretary,” Lily answered.

He came on into the room and touched the book’s leather binding. “It looks really old. What’s in it?”

Holly air slapped him on the arm. “I told you about the journal days ago.”

“It’s a family journal,” Lily said. “The first entry was made in 1862 during the Civil War, and it seems to have been passed down from mother to daughter. So far what I’ve read has been about the lives of our ancestors. Holly and I have been reading it for her history project.”

“Hey, Mama.” Holly joined her brother right outside her mother’s door. “I’m going out to the goat pens with Braden and Mack to check on the goats. Can I please have a pair of rubber boots?” she asked. “I’ve been wearing the ones that belonged to Granny Vera, but they’re getting cracks in the soles.”

“I imagine we can get you a pair tomorrow,” Lily said. “Maybe I’ll go with y’all out to the barn and pens.”

“That’d be great.” Holly’s eyes lit up. “You haven’t seen Star in a couple of days, and she’s growing more and more all the time.”

Lily said a silent prayer as she followed her daughter downstairs. Please, God, don’t ever let her walk in Sophia’s shoes. Give her the courage to stand up for her rights, and don’t let what she thinks is love shade her judgment.