Where My Heart Belongs (16 page)

Without really meaning to, Sunny ended up at Debbie’s house. The old Victorian three-story had been restored to its original charm and seemed to outshine all the other houses in the neighborhood.

Sunny sat for a minute in the car and thought about how her life might have been different had she stayed here in Slocum. She and Debbie might have been neighbors. They might have planned get-togethers with each other’s families and celebrated birthdays and anniversaries together. A sadness washed over her and she let out a sigh.

“Why did I think it would be so much easier—so much better out there away from home? Why couldn’t I see the truth of things for myself—even then?”

She supposed a part of her had known there was no ideal place or person, but in her heart Sunny knew that the old Amy had been convinced that while she might not find “ideal,” she was bound to find “pretty good”—but not in Slocum.

The idea of having wasted her life was something that haunted Sunny. She’d been married and pregnant, abused and neglected. She’d seen a taste of fame and fortune, as well as real love.

“But here I sit, back in Slocum,” she murmured and shook her head. It just seemed there was something God wanted to teach her that wasn’t getting through.

She got out of the car and walked up the steps of the beautiful whitewashed porch. Several chairs surrounded a couple of small tables on the porch, and toys were scattered around the floor. Obviously this was a gathering place for the family. Sunny smiled at the thought and imagined them all seated there enjoying the end of a day.

“I thought I heard someone pull up,” Debbie said, opening the screen door. “I’m so glad you came by for a visit.”

“I feel bad just barging in,” Sunny admitted. She liked the carefree way Debbie had styled her hair by pulling it back into a ponytail. But to give it a bit of extra attention she had put a rhinestone barrette on either side of her head. She didn’t have any makeup on, yet the natural glow of her complexion was perfect.

“Nobody worries about calling ahead around here. Everybody just kind of owns everybody. You remember how it was.”

Sunny nodded. “Part of the reason I left.”

Debbie smiled. “I remember your list of grievances against Slocum, Kansas. Hey, do you want to come in or sit out here? We spend a lot of time out here.”

“I figured as much. It looks like a comfortable place.”

“It is. Why don’t we start here and then I can give you a tour.”

“Where are your boys?”

“In Hays with Marty’s folks. It’s kind of nice to have the time to myself. I just finished painting one of the upstairs rooms.”

Sunny took a seat on one of the chairs, settling into the comfortable thick cushions. Debbie pulled her chair a little closer and sat. Down the street a man Sunny didn’t recognize was watering his lawn, but otherwise the neighborhood was pretty quiet.

“Is it always like this?” she asked. “So still and relaxing?”

“For the most part. Several of the neighborhood ladies are at the church for one of their regular meetings. They’re probably finalizing plans for the Fourth of July celebration. There’s usually a big potluck picnic at the church and then fireworks. It’s always a lot of fun. I hope you can make it.”

“It’s hard to believe the Fourth is coming right up. Seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the new year.”

“I’ve noticed time goes a lot faster now,” Debbie agreed.

“So you mentioned how things went for you and Marty. Where did everyone else end up?” There had been only twelve kids in their rural graduating class and most of them had been pretty close. Sunny had a feeling the others had remained that way.

“Well, let’s see. Ruddy ended up in the army, and I lost track of him. His folks moved back East after the railroad pulled out. The Gruber twins went off to college and never came back.” Debbie bit her lower lip and gazed to the ceiling. “Hmm.” She seemed momentarily stumped. “I know that Kate and Jean moved to Topeka. They always were inseparable friends. They’re both married now and have families, but I don’t really remember how many or what sex.” She laughed. “I haven’t tried to think of where everybody went for a long time.”

“I figured most would have stuck around here,” Sunny said. The tally had already accounted for over half their class and only Debbie and Marty were still here.

“Well, Christopher did. He lives here with his wife and kids. He married Cara Lewis. She was two years behind us— remember?”

“I do. They were an item from grade school. I can’t imagine having a romance like that.”

Debbie picked at the lint on a cushion. “They still seem very much in love. They’ve got six kids and own a nice farm on the north side. The old Carlson place.”

Sunny found all the references familiar. Funny how the childhood memories and information were firmly etched in her mind. “I always liked that farm. It was so well managed.”

“I did too.” Debbie rocked for a moment in her chair. “Oh, did you know that Linda Marshall died? It was a cartrain accident up near Lindsborg.”

“No, I didn’t know about that.” Sunny thought of the terminally happy Linda. “That’s so sad.”

“It really was. She’d just gotten a teaching job at the college there. I saw her a couple of days before she was killed. She told me she had never been happier. Felt her whole life was just about to start in earnest. Instead, it was ending. It really made me think about how frail life is.”

Sunny nodded. “I had to learn that lesson too. When you’re young you think you’ll live forever and that nothing can ever really be all that bad. Boy, was I wrong.”

Debbie looked at her oddly. “How so?”

Sunny stiffened. “It’s not important. There have just been some nasty bumps along the way. So who’s left?” She did a mental tally. “What happened to Jasmine and Rachel?”

“Rachel’s still here. She married and divorced Barry Sutton. He moved to Alaska, I think. She stayed here with her two kids and lives with her mom. Her dad died last winter. Jasmine left for California when you took off.”

“Yeah, we were all going to go together with her sister and a couple of her sister’s friends. Instead, I decided to stay in Las Vegas. I met up with her again in California, but lost track of where she went after that.”

“Well, that’s everyone. Not too many stayed and only a couple showed up for the ten-year reunion. I guess that’s the way of it. The town is dying out. Some say if Hays grows big enough, Slocum will thrive again as a bedroom community.”

“Is that likely?”

Debbie shrugged. “I suppose it’s as likely as anything. Hays has grown so much since we were kids, I think it’s possible.”

“I did notice that,” Sunny replied. “I was just there the other day.”

“So what about you? Did you marry and have children? Where’s your family?”

Sunny found herself back on the same topic she’d avoided with Kathy. “I did marry and have children, but I’d rather not talk about it right now. I’m sorry.”

“No problem.” Debbie got to her feet. “Why don’t I show you around? The backyard is really incredible. My mother-in-law was a master gardener, as you probably remember. She planted the most amazing arrangements of flowers and shrubs.”

Sunny appreciated Debbie’s ability to let the matter drop. Most people would have encouraged her to talk or badgered her for answers. Debbie seemed content to let it go. Maybe that’s why Sunny had always liked Debbie.

Kathy was folding the last of her mother’s clothes when she heard a car pull into the driveway. It was nearly suppertime, and she supposed it was Sunny. Within a few minutes that was confirmed by her sister coming through the front door, a large brown paper sack in hand.

“I got us Chinese food. I hope you still like it.”

Kathy nodded in surprise. “You went all the way to Hays?”

Sunny smiled sheepishly. “I figured I owed you an apology and thought it might be better received with a gift of Cashew Chicken and Crab Wontons.”

Kathy laughed in spite of herself. “Of course. That always makes it easier.” She got up and led the way to the kitchen. “Let me get some plates.”

Sunny put the bag down on the kitchen table. “I am sorry for the way I acted. I will talk to you about it all, but just give me a little time. Please.”

Kathy turned with dishes in hand. She could see the earnest sorrow in her sister’s eyes. “I’m in no hurry.” She felt a tenderness for Sunny that she’d not yet experienced since her return. It was funny how her feelings seemed to be changing in stages. It was kind of like when her foot would go to sleep after she’d been sitting cross-legged for a long while. At first it was all numb and dead. Then as the blood rushed back in, it would tingle—even be painful. Then little by little the feeling would come back. That was how this felt. Maybe she did want the feelings to be restored.

“I’m starved,” Kathy finally said, putting the plates on the table. “Time got away from me.”

“What have you been doing?” Sunny asked as she began to pull things from the sack.

“I packed up all of Mom’s old clothes. We can give them to Goodwill or the Salvation Army over in Hays. I’ve been packing up some of Dad’s too. He wants to be buried in his overalls—just like he lived most of his life.”

“I think that’s the way it should be. And a baseball cap on his head.”

Kathy smiled. “He already has it picked out.”

Sunny laughed. “Why am I not surprised?”

It was almost like the old days, before Amy got to be so cantankerous and selfish. Kathy decided to plunge ahead. “Look, you might as well know what’s going on,” she began. “I pleaded last year with Dad to put the farm on the market. Sales were good around here and farms were surprisingly hot commodities. With the lower interest rates, everyone seemed to be able to go for something bigger and better, you know.”

Sunny nodded. “I remember . . . we bought a house.” She looked up at Kathy. “I’ll tell you about it in a minute. Go on.”

“Well, Dad didn’t want to move. He figured he’d beaten the cancer and would get stronger. The doctors told him he had a fifty percent chance of it recurring, but Dad wanted to be optimistic. So instead of selling, we consolidated the debts and took out a bigger mortgage on the farm. The only problem was that the crop yields were poor and we went through the money pretty fast. One thing led to another, and I began dipping into my trust fund to pay the bills. Then the doctor gave us the news about Dad, and I realized things weren’t going to get any better. Dad did too.”

“So he let you put the farm on the market?”

“Finally. But it was too late to cash in on the boom that had been going on in the fall. By the time we listed it, several other farms were up for sale in the area, so local people had their choices.”

“What’s happening now?”

Kathy didn’t try to hide her discouragement. “Nothing. No one has shown much interest. We’re going to advertise in Kansas City and elsewhere, but I’m beginning to think it will take a miracle to sell the place very soon.”

Sunny grew thoughtful. She appeared to be considering the matter for several minutes before she finally spoke. “I want to help with all of this. I know you have to get things put in order for the auction. I can help if you just tell me what to do.”

“Well, I moved all that stuff out of your bedroom and into Mom and Dad’s old room. We can start going through it later.”

“You cleared out my room? I would have helped. I’m so sorry. I got caught up talking with Debbie this morning and before I knew it I’d decided to drive to Hays and get the food. If I’d known . . .”

“It doesn’t matter. It wasn’t a big deal. I just moved everything out of there. It still needs some sprucing up— dusting and sweeping—but there are clean sheets on the bed. And you’ll need to take your suitcases up. I didn’t have time.”

“I sure wouldn’t have expected you to. Kathy, thank you. I really appreciate it.”

Kathy spooned some rice onto her plate. It was good to be at peace with Sunny. Even if just for a little while. She knew their problems were far from resolved, but something was happening in her heart. Maybe in time, she could learn to forgive her sister for the pain of the past.

T
HIRTEEN

“AUNT GLYNNIS! UNCLE WILL! I’m so glad you’re here.” Kathy embraced them both and pulled back with tears in her eyes. “I don’t know how much longer Dad has. He hasn’t even asked to get out of bed in days and he’s not eating at all. The pain is bad, but he doesn’t want to take much in the way of medication, so he can stay coherent.”

“Well, I’ll talk to him about that,” Glynnis said, in true big sister fashion. “He always was much too stubborn for his own good.”

Glynnis was a beautiful woman. She had defied the years by taking good care of herself and living right. Dressed impeccably in a casual linen slack suit, she had just the right balance of makeup and jewelry to appear elegant, but not ostentatious. Kathy had always admired Glynnis and the way she presented herself.

Uncle Will, on the other hand, was more Kansas farm boy than pharmaceutical genius. He had gotten an education and became a pharmacist in Hays at a fairly young age. He worked there for several years before a growing interest in researching drugs had sent him to Jackson Pharmaceuticals. His interest had spilled over to spark Kyle’s fascination about the industry one summer when Will and Glynnis had come to stay at the farm for a visit.