Nessa peeked around the corner of the house. “Does he bite?”

“No, he’s all bluff,” Jackson answered. “Come on around and meet him. Once he gets to know you, and that takes about two minutes, you’ll have a friend forever. I might warn you, though, he doesn’t like Waylon, so if he comes visiting over at your place, don’t let him in the house. I tried that when I first brought the cat over here, and it did not end well. When the fur stopped flying, Tex had a scratched nose, and Waylon had a bloody ear.”

Jackson laid a hand on the dog’s neck. “Tex, this is Nessa. She’s kin to Miz Lucy. Remember her? She saved soup bones for you. Nessa might do the same if you’re nice to her.”

Tex began to wag his tail and slowly made his way off the porch. He raised a paw when Nessa was a foot away. She stooped slightly and shook with him. “Pleased to meet you, Tex. And yes, I will save you a bone the next time I make a ham.”

Nessa could have sworn that the big yellow dog actually smiled at her.

“Want a cup of coffee?” Jackson asked. “I made a whole pot.”

“I’d love one.” Nessa nodded. “When I was a little girl, it seemed like a lot farther between our house and this one, but in those days, I didn’t notice how rough the roads were to either of our places.”

Jackson stood up and motioned toward the swing on the other end of the porch. “County don’t pay a lot of attention to roads that only go back to two houses, but every now and then they bring out a load of gravel and smooth it out a little. Come on up and have a seat. I’ll bring out the coffee. Unless you want to come inside?”

“This is fine.” Nessa crossed the porch and sat down on the end of the swing. “It’s going to get hot this afternoon, so we might as well enjoy the cool morning while we can.”

“My thinking exactly.” Jackson whistled as he went inside.

In a couple of minutes, he poked his head out the door. “Sugar or cream or both?”

“Just black,” she answered.

Another minute passed, and he pushed through the old wooden screen door and carried two big mugs of coffee outside. He handed one off to her and then sat down on the other end of the swing.

“Thank you. So you’ve been living here five years? Ever wish you were back in the city?” Nessa asked.

“Not one time,” Jackson answered. “The peace and quiet out here kind of grows on you. After you’ve been here a few weeks, go on back to the city for a visit and see how discontented you’ll be.”