She had just opened the door when she heard the rumble of the school bus coming up the lane. That’s when she turned and pointed, but Wyatt had already heard it and was looking that way. The kids got off the bus with Holly in the lead. Neither of them ran to hug him. Holly stopped and talked to her father and then came on toward the house.

“He wants to know if he can wait for us inside,” she told Lily. “I said I’d ask you about that, and reminded him that he wasn’t supposed to be here for another hour and that I had to take care of Star before I could leave.”

“Of course he can wait inside.” Lily just couldn’t be hateful in front of Holly. “Are you packed and ready to go?”

Holly nodded and ran through the house, out the back door, and across the yard and pasture to the barn. Braden came in behind her with his father in tow, and followed his sister outside.

Wyatt nodded at Lily and said, “Cold out there today.”

“Yes, it is. You can either sit right there”—she pointed to the empty ladder-back chairs—“or you can go to the barn with Braden.” She glanced down at his expensive loafers. “Your choice.”

Wyatt removed his topcoat, took a seat, and folded his coat on his lap. “Are you ever going to forgive me? Can’t we be friends for the kids’ sake?”

“I can be civil and let you come in out of the cold for the kids’ sake. I will never be your friend.” She went upstairs and left him alone in the foyer.

Her hands shook with anger as she got out the journal to calm herself.

Jenny Medford O’Riley, December 1919:

That surprised Lily since there hadn’t been as many entries from one woman. There were usually several years between each recording, but this one was only two years after the last. She read through the page the first time, but Wyatt was still on her mind, and she was feeling a little guilty about reading it without Holly. She vowed that she’d backtrack when Holly got home and go over it again with her.

The flu epidemic made its way to Oklahoma. We lost Mama last week, and she’s been on my mind ever since. I was young when my daddy left with that other woman. We never saw him again. I’m still a little bitter, but my precious mama used to tell me that there was no room in a heart for both love and hate. She said that hate would soon eat up its half of the heart and want more and more until soon there would be no love left for anyone. I’m in mourning still, but I’m so glad I got to be with her all the way to the end when she took that final step from this world into a better one. I only hope that the flu doesn’t take any more of us. It seems like we do nothing but attend funerals these days.

“Okay, Mama.” Lily closed the book. “You might not be here to tell me in person, but you spoke loud and clear.”

She marched back downstairs. Wyatt was still sitting in the same place. He looked up at her with eyes the same clear-blue color as Holly’s. “How much longer do you think they’ll be? I was hoping that we could meet Victoria for dinner this evening.”

Lily sat down on the bottom step. “Wyatt, they know that Victoria doesn’t like them and hates being around them. They’d far rather spend time with you in a burger shop than eating in a fancy restaurant. They don’t care about museums or the Alamo. They’ve been to those places on school trips at least a dozen times. What they’d rather do is play a board game with you, or watch one of Braden’s collection of Harry Potter movies—again, with you. You could hole up in a hotel room, play games, watch movies, and order pizza brought to the room, and they’d be happy. And”—she inhaled deeply—“if you can put your phone away and not call or text Victoria every ten minutes, they’d appreciate that, too. They need your time and your love, not your money.”

“Did they tell you to say that?” Wyatt asked.

She shook her head. “I’m trying to help you out. They’ll come home tomorrow and probably not see you again for months. You might remember to call on weekends or you might not. They never know what to expect, and when they do spend time with you, it’s like you’re a tour guide, not a father. Get to know your kids, and make them want to see you or talk to you.”

Wyatt narrowed his eyes at her. “You mean they don’t want to see me now?”

That was typical Wyatt, always and forever twisting her words.

“When I caught Holly smoking weed and found out that Braden was sneaking out of the house to smoke cigarettes and drink, I took a step back for a couple of days and figured some things out. You weren’t around. I seldom got out of the house, except for church on Sundays, and buried myself in my work. I told myself that by helping others I was doing a good thing, but I didn’t spend nearly enough time with the kids. It wasn’t a healthy environment for either of them. So I changed that, and they’re so much better now. If you’ll adjust what you do with them when you have them, it’ll help you and them,” she tried to explain.

“I tell you what, Lily.” Wyatt’s tone was downright chilly. “You do things your way and have goats and live in a miserable old house like this in the country. I’ll do the cultural scene with them when I have time for them. And, darlin’, I will never not answer a text or a call from my wife.”

“You lost the right to call me darlin’ a long time ago,” Lily said as she left him sitting in the foyer and went to the kitchen. “I tried, Mama. I really did, but he only hears what he wants to hear,” she muttered under her breath.

The kids arrived not long after she’d poured herself a glass of tea. They didn’t burst inside arguing like always. Braden gave her a hug and said, “Can we call from the hotel when we get there?”

“Sure, you can. You can call however often you want. Just use the room phone,” she said.

“I hate hotels,” Holly declared. “I’m going to call and check on Star before I go to bed and before we check out in the morning. God, I hate that we have to go to the Alamo. I don’t even like going to the mall with Daddy. A ten-year-old wouldn’t be caught dead in what he wants to buy me.”

“It’s only twenty-four hours,” Lily said. “Maybe things will be different this time.”

“Yeah, right.” Braden’s shoulders were slumped as he left the room.

Holly gave Lily a quick hug. “If it’s not any better this time, then I’m not going again. Not even God can make me.” She flounced off to get her things.

“You kids ready?” Wyatt’s voice carried to the kitchen.

“In five minutes,” Holly answered.

“I’ll go warm up the car.”

“See you there,” Holly said.

Mack came through the back door so quietly that she didn’t even realize he was there until he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his body. “Are they gone yet?” he whispered.

The front door closed. There was the sound of the kids coming down the stairs, and Holly called out, “We’re leavin’, Mama. Talk to you later this evening.”

“I thought they might tell you goodbye,” she sighed.

“They did.” Mack kissed her on the neck and took a step back. “We just spent half an hour or more out in the barn with the goats. I thought maybe it would be best if I made myself scarce this time. Next time he comes around, I’ll introduce myself. Braden gave me a hug before he left, and Holly patted me on the arm. I’m making progress. Mama has invited us to eat with her and Dad tonight. It’s only a forty-minute drive, but I told her that I’d have to ask you.”