what I think you’d tell me.”
Eliza raised an eyebrow. “And what do you think that would be?”
Sarah gathered her thoughts, choosing her words carefully before she spoke. “Do what you think feels right to you . And don’t rush into anything. You don’t answer to any of us, and you shouldn’t have to feel like you do. Daddy wouldn’t want that. He’d want you to do whatever you need to do to get through this and hang anybody who feels differently.”
Her mother didn’t respond for a long time, and Sarah was starting to worry that she’d said too much when Eliza finally asked, “How did you get to be so smart, young lady?”
“I get it from my mother.”
Eliza let out a long breath and closed her eyes. “I’ve not had a good night’s sleep in several months. I’m so tired, I can’t think straight. Other than sleep, right now I don’t know what I want.”
“Would it help if I stayed with you tonight?”
“Sleep in the bed with me?” Eliza asked.
“Yes. Only for tonight, to get you past the first hurdle. I’d be there in case you got scared, or needed to talk.”
Eliza rubbed her eyes. “If you wouldn’t mind, I think that would… I think I could do that. Thank you.”
Sarah got up and took their mugs to the sink. She came back to her mother and held out a hand. “Then let’s see if we can’t get you settled in so you can get some sleep.”
“Dr. Spencer gave me something to help me sleep. I don’t want to have to rely on it. Do you think I should take it?” Eliza asked as they went into the bedroom.
“Why don’t you try to sleep without it, and then if you need it in a little while, you can take it?”
Sarah tucked her mother in and smoothed Eliza’s hair back much like her mother had done for her when she was a child.
Eliza smiled. “One of these days, you’re going to be a wonderful mother, Sarah Jane.”
“I hope so, Mama.” Sarah went around and got under the covers on the other side of the bed, turning the light out as she lay down. To her relief, her mother seemed to go to sleep almost as soon as the light was out. Sarah, however, stayed awake for a while longer, her mind drifting back over the last few days. As she started to drift off, a sound woke her. Thinking at first that it was a train whistle, she raised her head up off the pillow to hear it better. When she did, she realized that the long, mournful wail wasn’t a train whistle, but the distant howl of a wolf.
Chapter Eight
T HE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS WERE long and stressful for everyone in the Browning household. Sarah’s father had done as much as he could when he’d learned he wouldn’t survive, so her mother wouldn’t have to worry about finances after he was gone, but there was still paperwork to complete, banks to visit, and a myriad of other small things that had slipped by while Ira was ill.
Jack went back to Fort Knox, and life slowly returned to some semblance of normal, but the progress went in fits and starts. Every time Sarah thought they were making headway against the grief, at least learning to cope with it a little more, something would happen to knock that impression back down.
After two weeks of trying to sleep in their old bedroom, Eliza had given up. “I can’t bear the memories,” she confessed during one of their late-night conversations. With little ceremony, Sarah helped her mother pack up the bedroom and move into Jack’s old room. Kathy and Randall had moved out a few days later, leaving Sarah and Eliza the only ones in the house.
By the time January rolled around, Sarah had started trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. It was a topic that often came up in conversation with her mother.
“What do you want to do?” Eliza asked. “If you want to go back to school, we’ll make it happen. Your father set aside some money, and—”
“No. That money is yours, Mama. Besides, I don’t know that going back to school is the right thing for me. I
Eliza raised an eyebrow. “And what do you think that would be?”
Sarah gathered her thoughts, choosing her words carefully before she spoke. “Do what you think feels right to you . And don’t rush into anything. You don’t answer to any of us, and you shouldn’t have to feel like you do. Daddy wouldn’t want that. He’d want you to do whatever you need to do to get through this and hang anybody who feels differently.”
Her mother didn’t respond for a long time, and Sarah was starting to worry that she’d said too much when Eliza finally asked, “How did you get to be so smart, young lady?”
“I get it from my mother.”
Eliza let out a long breath and closed her eyes. “I’ve not had a good night’s sleep in several months. I’m so tired, I can’t think straight. Other than sleep, right now I don’t know what I want.”
“Would it help if I stayed with you tonight?”
“Sleep in the bed with me?” Eliza asked.
“Yes. Only for tonight, to get you past the first hurdle. I’d be there in case you got scared, or needed to talk.”
Eliza rubbed her eyes. “If you wouldn’t mind, I think that would… I think I could do that. Thank you.”
Sarah got up and took their mugs to the sink. She came back to her mother and held out a hand. “Then let’s see if we can’t get you settled in so you can get some sleep.”
“Dr. Spencer gave me something to help me sleep. I don’t want to have to rely on it. Do you think I should take it?” Eliza asked as they went into the bedroom.
“Why don’t you try to sleep without it, and then if you need it in a little while, you can take it?”
Sarah tucked her mother in and smoothed Eliza’s hair back much like her mother had done for her when she was a child.
Eliza smiled. “One of these days, you’re going to be a wonderful mother, Sarah Jane.”
“I hope so, Mama.” Sarah went around and got under the covers on the other side of the bed, turning the light out as she lay down. To her relief, her mother seemed to go to sleep almost as soon as the light was out. Sarah, however, stayed awake for a while longer, her mind drifting back over the last few days. As she started to drift off, a sound woke her. Thinking at first that it was a train whistle, she raised her head up off the pillow to hear it better. When she did, she realized that the long, mournful wail wasn’t a train whistle, but the distant howl of a wolf.
Chapter Eight
T HE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS WERE long and stressful for everyone in the Browning household. Sarah’s father had done as much as he could when he’d learned he wouldn’t survive, so her mother wouldn’t have to worry about finances after he was gone, but there was still paperwork to complete, banks to visit, and a myriad of other small things that had slipped by while Ira was ill.
Jack went back to Fort Knox, and life slowly returned to some semblance of normal, but the progress went in fits and starts. Every time Sarah thought they were making headway against the grief, at least learning to cope with it a little more, something would happen to knock that impression back down.
After two weeks of trying to sleep in their old bedroom, Eliza had given up. “I can’t bear the memories,” she confessed during one of their late-night conversations. With little ceremony, Sarah helped her mother pack up the bedroom and move into Jack’s old room. Kathy and Randall had moved out a few days later, leaving Sarah and Eliza the only ones in the house.
By the time January rolled around, Sarah had started trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. It was a topic that often came up in conversation with her mother.
“What do you want to do?” Eliza asked. “If you want to go back to school, we’ll make it happen. Your father set aside some money, and—”
“No. That money is yours, Mama. Besides, I don’t know that going back to school is the right thing for me. I
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