“What I think is that you better shut that door and stay on this side of it with me,” Zed told him. “They got to work this out by themselves.”

Wyatt eased the door shut. “What can I do to help you?”

“Stir this sausage. Keep it movin’ real slow like. When they get done, they’ll have worked up an appetite.”

“What in the hell is going on in here?” Dana hissed and nodded toward the closed kitchen door. “You know Uncle Zed is—”

“In the kitchen with Wyatt,” Tawny finished for her and then pointed at Harper. “She tried to drown herself this morning.”

Brook ran across the floor and put her arms around Harper. “Why would you do that?”

“I did not try to drown myself.” Harper took a couple of steps back.

Tawny opened her hands, put them both on Harper’s chest, and pushed her hard. “Yes, she did. She started to drown herself this mornin’.” Tawny’s voice got higher and shriller with each word. “I was havin’ a nightmare about Granny Annie bein’ in water that she couldn’t get out of, so I went outside on the porch.”

Harper grabbed the edge of a table to keep from falling. Her hands knotted into fists. “Don’t push me, little sister, because I will push back. And I don’t have to explain anything to you,” she said. “You need to get your story straight before you go tellin’ tales. I was only waist-deep in water, and I can swim like a fish. I wasn’t even thinking of drowning myself. Give me some credit.”

Dana took a few steps forward and got nose to nose with Harper. “Have you lost your mind? What happened, Tawny?”

“She was singing a song about facing death and then she walked right out into the water. Almost gave me a heart attack, but then Wyatt went runnin’ down there and she turned around and walked into his arms,” Tawny said.

Harper pulled out a chair and plopped down into it. “I was thinking about Granny. The song was about her, not me. I was wondering if she had to die to bring me peace.”

“Peace for what?” Brook asked as she scooted a chair close enough to Harper that she could hold her hand.

“Just peace for all the hatred, anger, and guilt I have built up inside me,” Harper said honestly.

“What’s that got to do with me?” Dana asked.

“I’ve hated you so much.” Harper pointed at Dana.

“Hey, now. I know we don’t always get along, but hate is a strong word. Why would you feel that way?”

“Because you have a beautiful daughter and you kept her and raised her and you were old enough that you could marry her father.”

“But—” Dana started.

Harper shook her head emphatically. “I didn’t do the same thing you did. I gave my daughter away, and I go through this guilt trip every single year on her birthday and on the day that I gave her away and walked away from the girls’ home. That’s what it was, Tawny, not a boarding school. Mama sent me away because she was ashamed of me and because she couldn’t face her friends if her daughter had a bastard child.”

“I didn’t send you away. Why would you hate me?” Tawny asked.

“Because you’ve always been the favorite who got all the breaks. Daddy wanted a son. Hell, they even gave me a boy’s name. I always felt like I was just a replacement for his guilt over Dana and you were the wanted child.”

Tawny plopped down in a chair, suddenly out of energy. “And you ran away from there because you didn’t want to come back home and live with her?”

“I could’ve lived with Mother . . . maybe. But I couldn’t face Granny Annie for a couple of years.”

“You were only sixteen?” Brook gasped. “That’s only two years older than I am.”

“That’s right.” Harper nodded.

Dana’s heart went out to her sister. If she’d been six years younger, if she’d not been out of college, if her mother had practically thrown her out, she might have done the same thing. A cold chill made its way slowly down her back, like an ice cube melting at her neck and sending little trickles inching down her spine. She could have easily been in Harper’s shoes if any one of those statements had been her portion in life.

“Why didn’t you tell us? Why did you wait . . . whoa! We’ve got a niece out there in the world?” Dana stammered.

“Her name is Emma Joanna, and I held her for an hour after she was born. Then I handed her to the nurse who took her to her adoptive parents.” Harper finally sat in a chair at the table with Tawny. “She was nine on March 30, and I signed the final papers on April 4. Then I walked out and I’ve been on my own ever since. And I still feel guilty about giving away my child.”

“I’m so sorry.” Brook stood up and then sat down in Harper’s lap. “I love you, Aunt Harper, and Mama will share me with you to make it easier.”

“Daddy fell apart when you disappeared. He was never the same after that.” Tawny’s voice was barely more than a whisper. “Believe me, I wasn’t the favored one like you thought.”

“Is Wyatt the father?” Dana asked.

Harper nodded.

“Holy smoke,” Tawny sputtered. “Did you tell Mother or Daddy?”