Free Looking Through Windows by Caren J. Werlinger Page A

like a truly good person," Katharine mused. "I think she really cares about Ann, but there's something I can't quite put my finger on... I don't know."
     
    "Do you think Ann has figured it out yet?" he asked.
     
    Katharine shook her head. "I just can't tell."
     
    "I guess we'll have to wait till she's ready to tell us," Owen sighed.
     
     
     

Chapter 14
     
    T hey all got up about eight to have breakfast together. Ann and Emily cleaned the kitchen while Owen and Katharine finished packing. When they brought their bags down, the girls met them in the front hallway. Ann gave her parents each a big hug, while Emily stood back feeling uncomfortable during this family moment.
     
    Katharine went to Emily, and said, "Emily, it was very nice having you with us this weekend," as she gave her a hug also. Emily hesitantly returned the embrace.
     
    Owen came over and put an arm around Emily's shoulders. "I hope you'll come back again," he said sincerely.
     
    "You drive carefully, little girl," he said to Ann as he picked up their suitcases. "And be sure to lock up when you leave."
     
    "I will, Dad," Ann laughed. As her parents pulled out in their Volvo, she turned to Emily saying, "I don't think he'll ever change." They went back to the kitchen and sat at the table with fresh coffee.
     
    "I'm curious," Emily said. "Your father owns his own company. Why aren't you and your brother working with him?"
     
    Ann smiled and took a sip of coffee. "Michael and I have always known that we would start our careers on our own. Dad never said so directly, but we knew that we would have to earn an invitation to join him. I think he's always felt that his clients and employees would lose respect for his leadership if we were just brought in as the 'heirs to the kingdom'."
     
    "I think that's very admirable," Emily said. "It works the other way, too. If you don't have any interest in joining him in his work, you're free to pursue your career without any guilt."
     
    "I never thought of it that way," Ann admitted. "How often do you see your family?"
     
    "Oh, maybe two or three times a year.  I love them, but ... it's been especially hard to be around them these past few years. Caroline and I spent holidays apart, with our families, but kept the visits as short as possible so we could be together again.   The first Christmas after her death was the loneliest I have ever felt. My family was all around, but they had no idea how lost I felt. They didn't mean to be uncaring, I guess they were either oblivious or just didn't know how to say anything to make it easier." Emily shrugged. "Anyway, my visits have become shorter and more sporadic."
     
    Ann stood. "How about a walk?"
     
    "That sounds good," Emily said, grateful for an end to that conversation.
     
    They donned jackets, boots, hats and gloves and went out the kitchen door. Ann led them in a different direction from the hill where they had gone sledding. They climbed over a couple of wooden fences, trudging through the snow in the open fields. After about ten minutes, they topped a hill and came within sight of a very old stone barn, with a stand of tall pine trees surrounding three sides.
     
    "Oh, Ann," Emily gasped, "this barn is beautiful!"
     
    "I thought you'd like it," Ann said, smiling. "I have always loved it here. Even the slightest wind moans through the pines." She stopped and listened, but it was absolutely still.
     
    They went in through a small wooden door. It took their eyes a moment to adjust to the dimness. There were rays of sunlight coming in through the windows on the south side of the barn. As their entrance stirred the air inside, they could see dust twinkling in the sunlight.
     
    Ann led the way up a ladder to a loft, which still held a large pile of dried hay. "I've always wanted to convert this barn into a house with a studio area. Large south-facing windows and rough finished floors," she said, picturing the rooms. From the upper windows of the loft, they