Free To Have and To Hold by Ruth Ann Nordin Page B

upset if I come back too soon.” He glanced at
    Mary and took her hand in his. “It must be my lucky day.”
    April giggled as she poured coffee into the cups resting on the worktable. “Poor Joel. Sal y
    slammed the door in his face when I first married him.”
    “Wel , he was giving you a hard time,” Sal y said as she brought over the cups to the table and
    set them in front of Dave and Mary. “David was never as difficult as Joel was. David wanted
    to be married to Mary, and he let her know it.”
    “It didn’t take Joel long to warm up to the idea of marriage,” April argued as she gave the
    children their cookies.
    Sal y brought her cup to the table and sat across from Dave and Mary. “Mary just told us that
    her father is il , and we thought it’d be a good idea if you took her back to Maine so she could
    see him and hopeful y remember what her life was like there. We thought since she’s starting
    to recal parts of her life here since she’s around us, she might remember her past if she’s
    around the people she grew up with.”
    Dave nodded. “I agree.”
    “Now before you argue how it’s going to be a long and expensive trip, we’ve figured out a way
    to buy—”
    April hurried over to Sal y and put her hand on her shoulder. “He agrees with you.”
    Sal y stopped talking and stared at Dave. “Real y?”
    He laughed and picked up his cup of coffee. “Real y.” He glanced at Mary. “ I figure if they’re
    offering, then they won’t mind watching Isaac and Rachel so we don’t have to drag them along.
    A train ride al the way to Maine is too much to ask for kids their age. Now, to figure out who’l
    take care of the farm…” He looked at Sal y.
    “We already decided I’l watch Isaac. April and Joel wil watch Rachel and manage the farm.
    The doctor wil understand,” Sal y replied.
    “Then it’s al settled.” Dave squeezed Mary’s hand. “But we won’t go if you don’t want to. I
    don’t want you to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”
    Mary knew it was a good idea, especial y since it involved seeing her father. And her husband
    would be with her, so she wouldn’t have to face a bunch of strangers alone. Taking a deep
    breath, she nodded. “I’l go.”
    Sal y clapped her hands and grinned. “Oh, how exciting! I just know your family wil be glad to
    see you again. And I think this is exactly what you need to help you get those memories back.”
    April put a plate of cookies on the table. “Sal y, it might not give Mary al of her memories
    back, but she’l get to see her family again and that’s worth going for.”
    “You’re right,” Sal y agreed, “but I hope it gives Mary her memories back.”
    “Either way, I think it’l be a good thing,” Dave said. “And it’l be nice to see my in-laws.”
    Mary glanced from one person to another and took in their hopeful expressions. It seemed
    strange that, even without her memories, she felt a hesitation about the whole thing. But she
    had a nagging suspicion that, soon enough, she’d discover why.

Chapter Eight
    A week later as Dave and Mary waited in the train station to leave Omaha, Mary waited for
    Dave to check in their luggage. She got a vague sense of being in the station before. Curious,
    she strol ed over to the corner near the newsstand and stared at a bench. There was
    something important about this area of the station. Intrigued by the stirring of an emotional
    memory, she sat on the bench and glanced around the space, noting that she was out of the
    way from the main traffic of people as they got ready to board. The train wasn’t there yet but
    would be soon.
    She cleared her throat and shifted on the bench, feeling strangely awkward to be alone in a
    crowded place. She shouldn’t feel awkward. Being alone wasn’t anything to feel awkward
    about, but she did feel awkward. Awkward and lonely. And, if she was right, hurt. It seemed
    to her that she was recal ing a time in her past when she didn’t