Chapter 57
Chapter Fifty-Seven
R ose glanced between Hal and Finn. What was this?
“We’ve answered every question she and her siblings have asked,” said Hal. “Nola’s gone. The loss hurts all of us, but we can’t change it.”
His sorrow was visible. The Elders were a tight-knit group, a fixture in their small town for as long as she could remember.
Finn leaned forward. “I’m sorry to bother you about this, but I’ve been having nightmares.”
Hal studied him. “That’s normal, after what both of you lived through.”
Finn nodded, swallowed beside her. “Some of them are about the barn fire, the one that?—”
“—No need to say it. I’ve never forgotten that night.”
Rose reached out and took Finn’s hand. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
But she already knew the answer. She still had nightmares as well about the recent fire and hadn’t wanted to talk about them.
Finn shrugged. “I remember when Lady died—that you helped Ms. Magnolia pull the trigger.”
Surprised by his admission, she said, “You never told me that. We were supposed to keep our eyes closed.”
“Trust me, I regret opening mine. Why you, Hal?”
The older man toyed with the handle of his mug. “I was the veterinarian. Also, I knew Nola. A bit of her died that night, knowing what she had to do. I didn’t want her to feel alone with her pain.”
Rose froze mid-sip, her mind gathering questions.
Hal continued. “When she lost her husband, it took her a long time to heal. I understood what she was going through when I lost my wife. I used to come and sit with her. Sometimes, we’d ride horses on the trails. There was no need for talk.”
The merest of smiles graced his lips. “Then I came across Lady at a place up north, near the Virginia border. She had a suitable temperament for Nola. So, I bought her and brought her to Briar House.”
This man had bought Lady as a gift for her birth mother?
He chuckled then, lost perhaps in the memory. “It was love at first sight, so strong that Nola couldn’t refuse the gift. It vexed her.”
Her voice sounded off when she spoke. “I never knew that.”
“It was awhile ago. Did you know I took her to prom?”
“Brigette mentioned something about all of you asking her out, but she didn’t mention prom.”
He laughed once more. “Brigette was so besotted with Jeremy that I could have brought my horse to the dance without her noticing.”
Rose couldn’t help but ask. “Were the two of you together?”
He nodded, looking lighter than she’d seen in weeks.
“We actually did, in secret, back in high school. No one knew, not even our closest friends. I had to get permission from her father about the prom. Malcolm knew my character; he trusted me with his horses, and gave his consent for prom. He also made sure I knew his future plans for his daughter would never involve me. It didn’t stop the way I felt about her. ”
Malcolm Everson sounded like a snob.
Rose blinked as she tried to process his words.
They’d dated in high school long before she came along. She didn’t see the relevance.
Yet she noticed the way Hal’s hands tightened around his mug, the slight slosh of coffee over its edge, and the tightness in his voice when he spoke again.
“I graduated the year before her. America got involved in another war. All of us men felt compelled to enlist except Clyde. He was the only one who had family money for college.”
“Nola went to college, well versed in her father’s expectations for her. We made no promises to each other. We exchanged letters during my first tour. After my second, I came home and learned she’d married Devin Brooks and moved to New York City.”
Hal stood, got more coffee. Even though his mug still held plenty.
“After my tour, I received tuition assistance and went to university. I majored in Animal Science. Got my veterinary license. Met Martha. We married after I opened my practice here in Evers Hollow. Nola inherited the house when Malcolm passed. She and Devin moved down here. Daisy was a toddler. Adorable kid. Brown pigtails, freckles, much like your sister, Willow.”
He paused. They were used to Hal’s long winded stories and the pauses. His gaze locked on something outside the window. What did he see out there?
“Nola and I decided we could exist as friends. She and Devin were happy. All I wanted was for her to be happy.”
There was another pause before he said, “You look so much like her.”
“Brigette says the same thing.”
He looked towards the mantle. Half a dozen frames of him and his wife sat up there.
His next words came out strained, as if they were difficult ones to say. “If Devin had been less of a man, I would have resented him. He was a good person though, made her happy, a solid friend to us all. I loved Martha, but I never forgot how I felt about Nola. She was my first love.”
Rose’s next breath felt sharp. All the tumblers slid into place. Not just a first love, but maybe the last as well. The words came out before she thought to stop them. “You slept together.”
He didn’t need to answer. The answer was on his face, in his eyes. “We did.” Hal hadn’t moved. Both his hands circled his coffee mug. “Again, we kept it to ourselves.”
Finn laced his fingers between hers.
She studied Hal. Thought about the timing.
Had they been together when she was conceived?
She couldn’t find herself in his features.
But it was possible. It was na?ve of her to ignore the men who were closest to Magnolia.
Brigette herself had said all of them had asked her out at one time or another.
That she’d refused them all. Except Hal. He’d taken her to prom.
She gathered her words. “Magnolia’s not my grandmother. She’s my mother.”
“You don’t say.” An automatic response given without thought. It was clear when he realized what she’d said.
Hal’s eyes narrowed as he focused on her. She held her breath.
“Your mother—how is that—?” His expression changed to confusion, then to one of astonishment. “You can’t think I’m—no—Martha and I couldn’t have kids.”
Finn asked, “Is it possible that only Martha couldn’t have kids?”
Instead of answering, Hal pushed himself away from the table and stood. “I—I need some air.”
Finn stood too, wrapped his hand around his upper arm as the man swayed. Hal sank into his seat, shock evident on his face. Then he put his head in his hands. A wrenching sound of anguish escaped him. His shoulders shook with near silent grief.
Rose moved closer to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.
He lifted his head a tad. “She came to me, told me she had to leave town, asked me to take care of the horses. So sudden, no explanation. I had no way to reach her. No idea of where she’d gone.” The worry he’d felt then showed on his face.
Rose had known none of this. She said, “She went to England. There’s a cottage there, near her sister. She stayed there for a time.”
He went on as if he hadn’t heard her speak.
“I’d asked her to marry me. Told her I still loved her.
She told me she couldn’t marry me. That she couldn’t go against her father, even in death.
I never knew what she meant, but I assumed there were conditions, ones that kept her from being with someone like me.
She was gone for months, stubborn woman.
When she came back, she looked thinner, like she’d been sick.
I tried to talk to her. But she was distant. ”
Rose said, “Tess was awful worried about her. I found out recently.”
He sighed, shook his head. “I’m sorry. That must have been difficult for Tess.
They were like sisters. Nola didn’t come to breakfast at the cafe.
Not for a long while. I continued to care for the horses after she returned.
Checked on her like I’d promised Devin. She resented that, but never told me to stop. ”
He pulled a worn bandanna from his pocket and wiped his eyes. “Then the car accident happened. Poor Daisy and Clark, poor all of you. Another blow. I remember the day you moved in.” He ran both his hands through his hair. “I tried to pay condolences for your, I mean, your…”
“Mom and Dad.” She smiled at him. “Daisy will always be my mom. Magnolia’s my Magnolia. It’s what she preferred I call her. Now I know why.”
“We should do one of those DNA tests to be sure.” He cleared his throat. His face flushed.
Finn said, “I can arrange that.”
Rose explained all she’d learned these past weeks about Magnolia.
Hal shook his head. “I can’t believe she kept this from me. If she were still here, I’d have strong words. Couldn’t tell her what to do once she made her mind up. Too stubborn for her own good.”
Then he stood steady on his feet this time. She did the same.
He put his hands on her shoulders. “I would have loved to call you daughter.”
Tears came to her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him to hug him. “I’d say there’s still time.”