…

The doorbell rang.

Her eyes shot to the door, as did Cookie’s. The bell rang again, then again and again.

“Lord, who can that be?” she grumbled. It was Wednesday, dusting day. Every day had its purpose, but Wednesday was her favorite. Dusting required little effort and provided the opportunity to reacquaint herself with the many treasures she had collected over the years. She did not like being disturbed by unwelcome thoughts or people knocking at her door.

“For God’s sake, stop pushing the bell!”

No one dropped by, except for Bible peddlers, who came calling all too often, mistaking countryfolk for the lonely and hoping for a friendlier reception than the townies provided. Judyth didn’t resent the gospelers who came to her door; they were doing God’s work. But she didn’t need their preaching. She heard enough of that on Sunday mornings.

“Oh, fudge, not now,” she said, loud enough to be heard. A warning. Stern-faced and ready for a showdown, she opened the door.

“Hello,” Tony said.

He was holding a suitcase. Janet, his six-year-old daughter, stood by his side, her face hidden in the folds of his jacket.

Surprised to see them, Judyth stood rigid and stared at her son and the suitcase. “Tony?” she said, her gaze moving to the road. Searching for his car, she expected Karen to be watching from the passenger seat. She located the Studebaker, but Karen wasn’t there.Guilt swelled, souring her stomach. She had not visited them since the twins were born, and yet they had come over for Easter. True, she had volunteered to help, and her offer had been rejected—maybe not outright, but Karen had made it clear that they could do without her. Her mother was coming to stay.

“I wasn’t expecting you,” Judyth said finally. She recalled the evening she met Tony’s mother-in-law, how Helen had fawned over him and how he’d responded in kind. Tony clearly envied Karen’s upbringing and would have traded mothers, had he the opportunity. “I wish you’d telephoned first.”

“I need a favor.”

“Aren’t you coming in?”

“I have to get back to work.”

She waited for him to explain. When he wasn’t forthcoming, she became agitated. Her gaze jumped from him to her granddaughter. “What’s this about?”

“I need you to take Janet for a while. We can barely keep up with the twins. Janet has stopped speaking. Not a word since Easter. We don’t know why, and yes, we’ve tried to figure it out. Karen is overwrought. Exhausted. I’d like to do more, but I have to work. I don’t like asking—”

“What’s wrong with her?”

“Karen?”

“No. Janet.”

Judyth glanced at Janet, expecting a reaction, but the child did not flinch upon hearing her name.

“Karen thinks she’s acting out—maybe jealous of the twins.” He looked down at his daughter and said, “I agree. And they’re not going anywhere, so you’d best get used to it.” When the child refused to look at him, he rolled his eyes. “Whatever we’ve tried has made no difference—only made matters worse.”

“What do you expect me to do?”

“Since Janet is close to Dad, Karen thought bringing her here might help.”

“Your dad is supposed to fix her? That’s ridiculous. Besides, how can she be a bother if she’s silent? Take her home and give it time. She’ll come around.”

“Karen’s at her wits’ end.”

“What about Helen? I thought she was going to help out.”

“She went home yesterday. Said the same thing as you—we should wait it out.”

“Good advice.”

“Mom . . . I’m not asking.”

“Excuse me?”

Tony wiped his forehead and squeezed his eyes shut. After a moment, he opened them and glared at her. “Damn it, Mom. I don’t want to fight. You owe me. A second chance. And she’s your granddaughter.”

“I owe you?”