Nessa was right behind April, and she hurried a little and gave her cousin a gentle sideways hug. “I’m so sorry that you had to live with the angry side of Nanny Lucy.”

Flynn closed the door and brought up the rear. “I loved our grandmother, but I’m just now coming to grips with the fact that she didn’t offer to let me stay here when Mama died. She knew what kind of man my dad was, and yet she sent me to him instead of raising me here, but I understand now that she was hoping that if I lived with my dad, he would shape up.”

Nessa slid in behind the steering wheel, waited until Flynn and April were settled into the SUV, and then started the engine. “Seems like y’all didn’t put her up on a pedestal like I did, but we’ve sure come a long way in just three weeks.”

“Yes, we have, and I’m glad for it,” April said from the back seat. “She must have felt real time pressure there at the end. I believe that she wanted us to make amends with the past, and maybe even with her, and that’s the reason we had to make that quilt.”

“Yep,” Flynn agreed. “I figured I would spend this month helping you two clean out the house and then go back to South Texas.”

“And I never thought that I’d be doing a job that I love,” April said. “Today Maudie and I set up a plan for me to take over the computer work for her. I’ll work half a day in the shelter and the other half in the vet office.”

“What can I say?” Nessa pulled to a stop beside Jackson’s pickup. “I came here with the idea that I would probably stay. I just hope this quilting business makes enough money that I can survive.”

Flynn stared at the white frame house. “This is it, girls. This is the day we’ve been waiting for. Do you feel a little like it’s Christmas?”

“Not me,” April answered. “It’s more like Halloween. I’m going to stand way back when Jackson opens that thing.”

“Thinking something scary might pop out of it?” Nessa’s chuckle caught in her throat.

“With Nanny Lucy, you never know. It could be filled with switches or dollar bills, but I’m not taking any chances.” April’s voice quivered.

Nessa shut off the engine and slung open the door. She had two things to worry about that evening, and the hope chest was the second in line.

Jackson stepped out on the porch and waved at them. “Y’all come on in. I’ve got cold beers or coffee waiting.”

“Thanks. A beer sounds good,” Flynn yelled across the yard.