Her Old Kentucky Home Read online

  “Ah, yes. Isabella.” Dad spoke her name with a shade more tenderness than Mom. “You love her, but I bet she doesn’t want to leave the city.”

  David shrugged. “She’s been pretty clear. As long as I’ve known her, she’s vowed never to live in Kentucky again.”

  Chapter Two

  Sarah is still a fantastic cook, but oof, I think I overdid it a little by making up for all those meals of hers I missed.” Bella patted her stomach as she sat on the front porch with Jo-Jo after supper. Jed had given them some sisterly space after they ate, but Bella didn’t miss the longing look that passed between the two of them as she and Jo-Jo headed outside.

  “It’s not hard to do. Believe me, I’ve enjoyed her southern cooking skills for the past couple of weeks, and I’m surprised my jeans still fit.” Jo-Jo let out a happy sigh and pulled her cardigan around her shoulders. “Brr. It’s getting chilly.”

  “So, about the farm . . .”

  “You’re cutting right to the chase.”

  Bella nodded. “It’s too much for the four of us to deal with now, or ever.”

  “The place has grown on me again, Bella. I mean, we grew up here. This is our heritage—our family legacy passed on from Dad. Our great-great-great grandpa homesteaded here. Part of me wants to keep it and somehow make it work.”

  “You’re right. It’s our legacy. But realistically, how long can we keep up with it? None of us live in the area. Jed works somewhere else to make ends meet here. The hands aren’t paid enough, and I know you probably don’t want to let any of them go.” Bella gestured toward the stable. “There’s the horse auction, you told me about, coming up next week—”

  “I think the four of us need to decide together, which is why Amy and Sophie need to be here.”

  Tuck, what a fine mess you’ve left us. “I can’t argue with that . . . if they’ll actually come home for Christmas. If not, I think you and I need to take some time, inspect the house and outbuildings, and determine what needs a little TLC. My vote is to sell it.”

  “Jed and I have been making a list of what needs to be done already.”

  “Good. We have a head start.” Bella decided to change the subject. “You and Jed seem pretty cozy.” She slid her sister a sideways glance. “Have you talked about the future yet?”

  A flush crept over Jo-Jo’s cheeks, visible in the porch light and gathering dusk. “A little. It happened pretty quickly, but—oh, Bella, I never imagined. Well, maybe years and years ago I did, but it was just a schoolgirl crush back then.”

  “You two are pretty serious then?”

  Jo-Jo nodded. “I can’t describe it. It’s as if we’ve known each other forever. If that makes any sense.”

  Bella wished she could have that certainty. Jo-Jo’s eyes had held a glow every time she looked Jed’s way during supper. How could true love happen that fast? How could two people be so right for each other so quickly? She knew she loved David, but . . .

  She didn’t want to burst Jo-Jo’s bubble. “I think that’s wonderful and sweet. I envy that. I’m happy for you.”

  “But what about you and David? I can tell you love each other. I know you do.”

  Bella sighed. “It’s complicated. I’m gone so much of the time. I know he loves me, and I do love him—”

  “Then what’s the problem? Maybe it’s time for you two to settle down. Have you thought about looking for another job, one without so much travel?”

  “Not really. It would mean a huge pay cut, plus I love to travel.”

  Jo-Jo reached over and squeezed her hand and gave her a tender smile. “You know, Bell, you never did tell me how you and David met.”

  “At the apartment gym—at five a.m.” She laughed. “Because the weather was so horrible, we had both decided to cancel our outdoor runs and ended up on the treadmills. He had a Wildcats T-shirt on, so we started talking. You know the rest.” The memory made her smile.

  “I can’t wait to get to know him better while you’re both here.” Jo-Jo snuggled deeper into her cardigan. “How great is it that his parents live over in Louisville? You never mentioned that before.”

  “No, I guess not. Things have been going a mile a minute for me lately.”

  “Lately? As in the past few years lately?”

  Bella gave her sister a sheepish grin. “You’re right. It’s been far longer than lately.” She thought of the email followed by the conference call, their end-of-year meeting at Sunrise Media Systems.

  “Earth to Bella. You zoned out on me for a minute. What’s up?”

  “Nothing, I hope.”

  “No way. With that face, it’s not nothing. Spill.” Jo-Jo reached over and poked Bella in the ribs.

  “Ow.” Bella grabbed her side, then chuckled.

  “See? You can’t hurry off Skype when you’re right here beside me.”

  “Very funny.” Bella rolled her eyes. “They told us at our last meeting of the year to expect cutbacks in personnel after New Year’s. My department, especially.”

  “Looks like we’re two peas in a pod again.” Jo-Jo sighed. “It seems like yesterday we were sharing a room, talking about boys and our dreams for the future, and here we are again, doing the same thing.”

  “You’re right; it doesn’t seem that long ago.” She swallowed hard, unexpectedly emotional. And she never got emotional in her professional life. Coming home had tapped into a place she’d forgotten, memories ignited by the house: The Christmas tree, glowing in the great room when she arrived; the stockings hung from the mantel; the roaring fire, popping and crackling in the fireplace.

  Jo-Jo cut into her memories, continuing their conversation. “You should be safe, though, from those personnel cuts, right? You’ve been in Chicago three years.”

  Bella shook her head as her gut tightened. “Seniority is no guarantee I’ll keep my job. It’s all about whether the position is deemed critical. They’re offering early retirement incentives for some of the employees who’ve been there more than eighteen years. The training department seems like it’s always the first to go when there are budget cuts. Also, I had to use up the rest of my paid time off by New Year’s or I’d lose it. No cash payouts.”

  “Well, the second part I’m glad about, so you can be here through Christmas.”

  “Me, too. It would be great if Sophie and Amy came home, but I’m not holding my breath.”

  “God has a plan, even if we don’t see it—the timing of Dad’s passing, Christmas, your job stuff and mine.” Jo-Jo sounded like their mom who saw everything through the eyes of faith.

  “I’ve missed you, Jo-Jo. You’re always cheerful in spite of everything.”

  “I don’t always feel cheerful. After getting the news about Tuck, I missed Mom even more. I know they weren’t together for years, but I can’t help but think of them as being together now.”

  “I hope so.”

  Jo-Jo rose from her chair. “I want to make some of Mom’s special hot chocolate. You want a mug?”

  “I’d love some.”

  “It’s too cold to sit out here.” Jo-Jo paused in the doorway. “Guess what? You know that carved, cedar box Mom called her Christmas treasure chest? I found it on the top shelf in her closet.” Jo-Jo paused in the doorway. “I decided to wait to open it until you got here. Promise me we’ll go through it together?”

  “I promise. I’d love that.” As she watched her younger sister enter the house, she realized she meant those words. The Christmas treasure box, a reminder of the times they used to have.

  “Oh, Lord, it’s been a while since I’ve talked to you,” she whispered into the gathering dark. “I miss Mom so much. No matter how long she’s been gone, I still expected to see her walking into the kitchen tonight. She would know what to do about the farm. I need you so much this Christmas.”

  Christmas had never been the same since the car accident that took her mother’s life. Bella swallowed hard. She couldn’t slow down, couldn’t let herself think about what she’d lost. May
be she was more like her father than she realized.

  David took an easy morning jog, filling his lungs with cold air, even though his eyes still felt heavy because he stayed up late talking with his parents. But despite the late night, by the time he rolled out of bed, Mom already banged around in the kitchen as she cooked up her customary kids-have-come-home, delectable, country breakfast. Hopefully, he’d burn up a few hundred calories to outweigh her pancakes, sausage, fried eggs, and biscuits with cream gravy.

  As he rounded the corner on Vance Avenue, an attractive woman jogged toward him. Whoever she was, she smiled widely at him.

  “Hey there, stranger!”

  “Catelynn?”

  She jogged up to him, and they both stopped, breathing hard. Her cheeks were flushed with the cold and physical exertion. A blue headband that matched her blue running pants and jacket held back her blonde hair. “It’s been a while.”

  “That it has,” he said, wondering about the coincidence of running into her.

  “I heard you were coming back for Christmas.”

  In that moment, David knew his mom had orchestrated this “chance” meeting with his childhood sweetheart and former fiancée. Last night, he had mentioned he planned to be up by seven for an early morning run. Inside, he shook his head. Mom always had the best of intentions, but it wouldn’t work this time.

  “Yes. We got here yesterday afternoon.”

  “We?”

  He caught her swift glance at his ring finger.

  “My girlfriend, Isabella, drove down with me from Chicago. She’s staying with her family in Bluegrass Crossing. I’m heading back there soon.”

  “Ah, I see.” A furrow crinkled Catelynn’s brow. “It’s good to see you, though. How have you been?”

  “Good. Business has been very good. We’re thinking of opening an office near Louisville, maybe Lexington.”

  “I’m impressed.” She gave him a bright smile. “You started that business from the ground up and now look at you.”

  “You’ve kept up with my business?”

  His former fiancée shrugged as a red blush swept over her cheeks and made her neck glow. “Your mom and I run into each other at church, and she fills me in. I’ve . . . uh . . . wondered over the past few years how you’ve been.”

  Silence hung between them. Had he wondered about her? A couple of times, maybe, but definitely not since Bella came into his life. When Catelynn had called things off between them, the shock had crushed him. He’d healed, but it had taken time. There had been no one but Bella since he and Catelynn parted ways.

  “Well, I should finish my run,” he said.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  He hesitated. “No, I don’t mind.”

  They set off along the last part of the two-mile route he used to cover during his high school days and college breaks. Not much had changed about the neighborhood, other than the trees were taller. A few homes had been repainted.

  As they jogged closer to his parents’ home, old man Webster plucked his newspaper from the mailbox. He waved at the two of them, then trudged up the sidewalk to his house.

  David didn’t talk to Catelynn during the final leg of his run, and she didn’t offer to speak. He imagined Mom would ask her to stay for breakfast, but her ploy wouldn’t work.

  They continued their run, rounding the corner of his street, and approached his parents’ home, then slowed to a walk when they reached the curb. Their breath made puffy clouds in the cold morning air, and David remembered why he preferred to run at the gym in the winter.

  Catelynn smiled at him and wiped her brow. She’d always had a great smile, and he found himself smiling back. But he nixed the idea of her staying for breakfast. He needed to hit the road early for the two-hour drive back to the Tucker farm.

  Catelynn stopped at the foot of the porch stairs. “It was good seeing you again, David.”

  “Yeah. Nice seeing you, too.” David raised his hand in a half-wave as she jogged away down the street. He couldn’t miss the disappointed expression on her face. “They” were a long time ago. She’d been the one to break things off—two months before their wedding.

  He took the porch steps two at a time just as his mother opened the door.

  “Was that Catelynn I saw running off just now?”

  “Yes, it was.” He narrowed his eyes a millimeter or so. “Did you have anything to do with that chance meeting on my morning run?”

  “I have no idea what you mean,” she said in a high-pitched voice, then turned on her heel and led the way into the kitchen. “Breakfast is ready, Son, whenever you are. If Catelynn had stayed, I would have invited her in.”

  “I’m sure,” he mumbled.

  She rounded on him. “What did you say?”

  “I said it smells great.” In the space of the fifteen hours of arriving home, his mother had piled on the comfort food. He didn’t mind. Much.

  Dad, sitting at the table, looked up from his morning paper. “Morning. Sleep good?”

  “Sure did.” David accepted the cup of coffee his mother extended in his direction. “Mom, you don’t have to cook like this while I’m here. I don’t mind having cereal for breakfast or grabbing something while I’m out.”

  “Of course, your dad and I don’t eat big breakfasts like this anymore. It’s a lot to prepare every day. But I like to cook for my boys. I haven’t had that chance in a long time.”

  “It’s me she won’t cook for like this,” Dad said, shooting Mom a grin.

  “Ha. Very funny.” Mom tapped him with the poinsettia-print oven mitt she wore on her right hand. “Doctor’s orders, Smarty-britches.”

  David smiled at their teasing and sat at his old place at the table. “When are you planning to hang the lights and get the yard set up?”

  “Monday or Tuesday. Should take two days, if everything cooperates,” Dad said. “I hope you’ll be able to join me. I don’t mind the extra pair of hands. It should go faster that way.”

  “I’ll be here. I’ll bring Bella with me, too, next time.”

  “It will be nice to finally meet her.” Mom pulled a pan of biscuits from the oven and set them on the counter.

  Nice, huh? He almost chuckled at her tone.

  “You’ll love her. She’s smart, beautiful, funny, and friendly. She cares about people and likes to help them.”

  “Does she love the Lord?” Dad asked.

  “Yes, she does. She says she’s not where she wants to be spiritually, but she’s working on that. As are we all.” He set his cup on the table. Mom placed his breakfast in front of him.

  “I don’t know, Davie.” Mom shook her head. “I don’t have a good feeling about her. I don’t want to see you get hurt. And if you’re thinking of moving back here, then what? Will a long-distance relationship work out with this woman?”

  Long-distance relationship? They had that already, pretty much. He picked up a piece of crispy bacon and ate it in two bites.

  “I don’t know.” Maybe this move—or possible move—along with Bella’s likely reluctance meant it was time for both of them to move on, despite how he felt about her. Part of him could almost see her deciding to move to Kentucky, but like his mother said, then what? If he could convince Bella to move home, would she be miserable? Worse, would she grow to resent him?

  He finished off another piece of bacon. He needed to hit the road and get back to Bluegrass Crossing. Hopefully, things would be clearer for him. He could always return the ring he’d bought if Bella was adamant about never returning to Kentucky. But his heart ached at the thought.

  Chapter Three

  Bella knelt on the floor by the coffee table opposite Jo-Jo, a rectangular, cedar box between them. Hand carved with Christmas images, with the relief stained a darker tone, the box called out reminders of Christmases past.

  “You do the honors.” Jo-Jo smiled at her and nodded toward the box. Bella lifted the lid, and the scent of cedar filled the room, bringing back memories of when she was a li
ttle girl. No one knew where the box had come from originally, but their mother stored Christmas memories inside, along with other treasures.

  The scent of old paper met Bella’s nose. She caught a whiff of pine and held back a sneeze as she set the box’s lid on the coffee table.

  A stack of folded programs, special Christmas cards, and some photos were held together with a rubber band.

  Jo-Jo frowned at an ancient cookie that crumbled as soon as she touched it. “Eww. I think I was responsible for putting that in there. I wanted to save a bite of Christmas, or something like that.”

  Bella laughed. “I’m not sure I remember most of these things. But the box seemed a lot bigger when we were kids.”

  Jo-Jo reached inside for a pressed red rose. “It did. Do you remember Mom bringing it out every Christmas while we decorated the tree? We never knew where she hid it . . . and I looked for it.”

  “Nosy. I was always hanging ornaments on the tree. None of the rest of you ever cared about the aesthetics.”

  “You were such a perfectionist.” Jo-Jo rolled her eyes. “You even placed the tinsel on one strand at a time.”

  Bella sucked in a breath. “My snowflake!” She pulled out a tiny ornament made of toothpicks painted white and covered in ancient silver glitter. “I can’t believe Mom kept this.”

  “I remember I broke it.” Jo-Jo looked guilty. “But I didn’t mean to.”

  “I know. I sure pitched a fit, though, and then Mom glued it back together.” Bella smiled and turned the ornament over to see the painted back. “I was in second grade. I painted the back white, even though Mrs. Parker told us not to. But to me it seemed silly to leave it plain. If someone saw the bare wood on the back, then it wouldn’t look like a real snowflake.”

  Next Jo-Jo pulled out a flat, felt ornament of red and gold, with her name designed with sequins.

  “I made this during a Christmas craft night at school. Maybe fourth or fifth grade.” Jo-Jo’s eyelashes fluttered, and she brushed away a tear at the corner of her eye. “I miss Mom.”

  Bella felt tears sting the back of her eyes. “Me, too. Maybe we shouldn’t have opened the Christmas box.”