Rustic Hearts

Sophie

“Well, I’ll be damned. The rumors are true. Sophia Doreen Lancaster has finally returned to Poplar Falls.”

I look from my perch on the front porch to see a gorgeous woman with long strawberry-blonde curls, ta

“Oh my God. Dallas Henderson, is that you?” I squeal as I jump to my feet and head down the steps to embrace my long-lost best friend.

Gone are the bright red Pippi Longstocking braids, freckles, and braces that I remember. The woman before me is stu

“In the flesh. It’s Dallas Stovall now.” She steps back and gives me a once-over. “I barely recognize you though. What’s with the get-up?”

I look down at my emerald-green silk drawstring pants and flowing, off-the-shoulder white linen blouse. The teal tips of my toes are peeking out of my strappy nude stiletto sandals.

“Sorry. My closet doesn’t carry much cowgirl chic nowadays. It was this or a little black dress, I’m afraid.”

She shakes her head at me and laughs.

I wait for her to get it all out before I ask, “You’re married? Anybody I know?”

I reach back into my memories, try to place the last name Stovall to a face, and come up blank.

“Divorced. And, no, you don’t know the jackass. He and his family breezed into town senior year. Long after you disappeared, the silver-tongued devil talked me into ru

I’m not the least bit surprised. Dallas was always a fly by the seat of your pants kind of girl. Even when we were little, she could talk me into the most ridiculous situations against my better judgment.

“Wow. Divorced. You’re like a real-life grown-up.”

“I can do you one better. I’m also a momma. I got myself a little six-year-old stud. He looks just like his daddy. Hopefully, he won’t act like him. Or me, for that matter.”

“A son. Really? Congratulations.”

“Thanks. He’s the one good thing that came from the whole situation, so I have no regrets. Well, maybe a few, but no need to dwell on the past. Right?”

I assume that is her not-so-subtle intro into asking about why I’m back in Poplar Falls.

I put my arm around her shoulders and lead us toward the porch. “Come sit with me a while. We have a lot of catching up to do. Do you have time?”

“Sure. I don’t have to pick Beau up from school until later this afternoon, and I’m working the night shift at the tavern, so I’m all yours this morning.”

I love this porch. It’s large with a breakfast table on one side where Gram and Pop would have coffee every morning. Then, Aunt Doreen and I would sit on the wide steps and snap green beans from her garden all afternoon. At night, I’d curl up with my mother in the huge swing. We’d rock as she read me bedtime stories. I’d always fall asleep before the end, and Daddy would join us when he finished with the cows and carry me to bed.

“I’m sorry about Gram. She’s sure going to be missed around here. I think the entire town is still reeling from the loss. She was kind of everyone’s grandmother.”

I let out a sigh as we take a seat in the swing. “I wish I had made it out to see her before it was too late.” I take a deep breath. “I bet she thought I didn’t love her.”

“Ah, Sophie, she knew you loved her.” She blows off my guilt.

“How could she? I hadn’t spoken to her since I was a little girl.”

“Do you think she loved you?” she asks.

I think about it for a minute. I let all the memories of her braiding my hair, teaching me how to garden, showing me how to can tomatoes, and helping me learn how to recite my ABCs and write my name wash over me.

“Yeah, she loved me.” I don’t know how, but I know it in my heart.

“See? She knew just like you know. You don’t have to say it. Real love survives time and distance. It doesn’t need to be constantly reassured. It just is. Besides, isn’t she the one who always said that when we die, we finally know all the answers to the questions in life, and until then, it’s a waste of time to keep asking why?”

She did. Gram’s faith was strong. When we were younger, Dallas and I swore she could literally pray down a mountain if she wanted to.

“Yes, she sure did.” I nod in agreement.

“Well then, that means she knows all now, right? So, she knows how you feel, and she wouldn’t want you down here, grappling with nonsense guilt.”

And just like that, the weight falls from my shoulders like Gram herself swatted it off.

Just then, Madeline opens the front door and peeks out. “Hey, Dallas. I didn’t hear you drive up.”

“Truck’s in the shop again. I had Momma drop me off at the gate on her way to the bakery.”

“Would you girls like some iced tea? I just made a fresh pitcher.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Dallas answers for us.

I give her a tight smile before she disappears back into the house.

“Uh-oh, did I feel tension?” Dallas asks.

“No. Not really. I don’t really know her. Or anyone here, for that matter. It’s awkward.”

“Madeline is one of the kindest women I know. Everyone around here loves her. She was only twenty-two years old when she took Brax and Elle in after her sister and brother-in-law died in that car crash. Brax was thirteen, and Elle was just three years old. She didn’t bat an eye. Just quit vet school, and she and Jefferson took them right in. She also runs an equestrian therapy program for children with disabilities. Parents bring their kids from all over the state to have her work with them. And she puts up with your old grump of a dad. She’s practically a saint.”

“Yeah, a saint. Who seduced a married man and stole him from his family,” I mumble under my breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. Let’s talk about you. Divorced. Boy mom. What happened? Tell me the rest.”

“Well, after the wedding, Travis and I moved to Denver. He was a mechanic. Just one of those guys who was good with an engine, you know?”

I nod, and she keeps going, “Mom and Dad gave us some seed money as a wedding gift, and he opened a little garage in town. It did well. He did excellent work, and word started spreading. Travis and success did not mix well though. Fast-forward a few years, and he was working all the time. I barely saw him. And when he wasn’t working, he was off somewhere, drinking and partying. All we did was fight. It’s like he changed all of a sudden. His entire personality morphed.”

She pauses for a moment.

“You know, there is a reason all the fairy tales they tell us as kids end with the wedding. Nobody wants to read about how hard it is to actually be married. Falling in love is the easy part, the fun part. It’s staying in love that’s hard. I finally got fed up, and I left him. Stayed at a girlfriend’s house for about a week. Then, he came around with pretty flowers and pretty words, and I fell for his promises and went home. Then, he knocked me up. I’m fairly sure he thought that would keep me there. Before I knew it, he slipped back in his old ways. I stayed. I thought for sure when the baby came, things would be different. That is, until one day, the FBI came knocking on my front door. They sat me down and explained that my husband had been selling drugs and laundering the money through the garage.”