Hummingbird Lane Brown, Carolyn (libby ebook reader TXT) 📖

it’s real hard for them to surface, and, yes, Josh, I believe Coco is helping her a lot. I just hope that living here among all of us will also help her get over whatever it is that’s holding her back from having a real life.”

Somedays, Sophie wished that she could bury her own guilt over the relief she’d felt when she had lost her baby. The child would have been a teenager now. That was hard to even imagine.

“Earth to Sophie.” Josh chuckled.

“I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “I was woolgathering. What did you say?”

“It was me talking to you,” Filly answered. “I asked if you’d pass your plate.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Sophie picked up the disposable plastic plate and handed it to her. “This all looks delicious. I’m starving.”

“What do you think happened to Emma?” Arty asked.

“I don’t know, but it had to be traumatic enough for her to just let her mother take over her entire life, and that is not a good thing,” Sophie answered. “Victoria has controlled Emma her whole life. She was never allowed to make any decisions on her own—clothes, meals, extracurriculars, nothing. When Victoria was away from the house, and Mama and I were in the house, she could be more herself. All she ever got from her mother was criticism, and her dad just went along with whatever Victoria said. I feel so guilty that I didn’t make a bigger effort to see her before now.”

Josh nodded several times. “I can so relate to that. My parents are still disappointed in me. I was a genius, so I was supposed to force myself to use my brain for something other than drawing pictures with pen and ink.”

Sophie thought of Rebel, who never told her that her dream of being an artist was stupid. “I’m finding out that I had the best mother in the world,” she said and then tried to change the subject. “Arty, how have you outrun the women all these years? Any man that can cook like you do should have been dragged to the altar years ago.”

“He can cook, but he’s not got a romantic bone in his body,” Filly answered.

“Well, neither do you,” Arty snapped back at her. “If you couldn’t bake, and I didn’t have a sweet tooth, I would have strangled you years ago.”

“Oh, hush,” Filly shot across the table at him. “Now, back to Emma. Could she have been molested or maybe seen some horrendous crime that scared the bejesus right out of her?”

Sophie hoped that neither one of those things had happened. But Emma had mentioned going into a panic when her date tried to kiss her good night, so maybe Filly had hit on something important.

“You’ve been watching too many of them cop shows,” Arty fussed at Filly.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Probably so, but I know at least forty ways to kill you and bury you out there in the cactus field with no one the wiser, so maybe I’ve seen just enough of them to get away with a crime.” She turned back to Sophie. “Whatever it might be, she needs our help. You should take her some good hot supper before it gets cold.”

“Much as I hate to admit it, she’s right. We’ll do whatever it takes to help Emma.” Arty dipped up a plate of food. “You’ll need to carry that with both hands. I’ll take the dumpling up to the door for you.”

Sophie took the plate from him. “Thank you, and thank all of you for understanding.”

Arty reached for the dessert, but Josh beat him to it.

“I’ll take it.” Josh stood up. “You’re still eating, and I’m finished, except for dessert.”

“Thanks.” Arty nodded. “If this old woman wouldn’t argue with me, I’d be done already.”

“Humph.” Filly almost snorted, but her eyes twinkled.

Sophie loved the easy banter between Arty and Filly. And, of course, she loved the communal meal every night—which reminded her, she needed to give Josh her share of the grocery bill as well as her personal grocery list by the next morning.

“Come on inside,” she said as she and Josh reached the porch. “You and Arty will be going to the store tomorrow. I’ve got my list ready.”

Josh followed her into the trailer and set the bowl on the counter, but he looked as nervous as the only one-legged rooster at a coyote convention. Just thinking about one of her mother’s sayings put a smile on Sophie’s face.

“Hey, Emma,” she yelled out to the back porch. “Is there anything food-wise that you want for next week? Josh goes to the store for us on Saturday.”

“Chocolate cookies,” Emma said.

Sophie added that to her list and handed it to Josh, plus an envelope with cash in it. “Thanks again for doing this for us.”

Josh cocked his head to one side and weighed the envelope of cash in his hand. “This feels a little heavy.”

“There’s two of us eating, so it should be,” Sophie told him.

“That’s not necessary,” Josh said.

“Yep, it is. Now, get on out of here and go eat your dessert. I’ll be back out there in a few minutes for mine.” Sophie motioned toward the door.

“Yes, ma’am.” He pushed his wire-rimmed glasses up on his nose and closed the door behind him.

“Supper is served,” Sophie called out. “Might be easier to eat if you come inside and sit on a barstool. Coco will try to share it with you if you stay out there.”

“I still don’t feel like I deserve this,” Emma said as she made her way to the bar and slid onto a stool. “Oh, but it does look good. Is that an apple dumpling? I haven’t had one of those in years.” She picked up the plastic fork and dug into it.

“I’m going back outside to have my dessert with the folks. Enjoy the dinner.”

“Tell the cooks thank you for me. This is amazing,” Emma muttered around the food in her mouth.

Chapter Five

Emma ate. She slept. She and