Free Home to You by Cheryl Wolverton

could.”
    “Well, we’ve set out on a plan. You read, I research, and tomorrow we discuss. How does that sound?”
    Meghan sighed. “I don’t know. I mean…I was aim-less when I came here, so I suppose anything is better than simply sitting and thinking about it. But maybe I should do the research?”
    “You read those verses first. They’ll help you more than sitting at a computer. Besides, you still need rest and when you’re feeling better, we’ll get you online, okay?”
    Meghan hesitated and then nodded, visibly relaxing.
    “Will you be okay staying out in the upstairs apartment?” Carolyne asked gently.
    “I think I can manage the stairs.”
    “Are there any other symptoms you’ve been experiencing that we need to know about? Any medications?”

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    Meghan shook her head. “I get tired a lot and fall asleep sometimes just sitting there. I think I may be forgetting more than normal but that could be the alcohol.”
    She bit her lip to stop the trembling.
    “You know, it’s okay if you cry, Meghan.” Carolyne crooned the words softly, thinking back to how many times after her husband’s death she’d sat down and cried. “Sometimes it’s good to mourn a loss, a change to your way of life.”
    “I’m afraid if I let go, I won’t come back.”
    Carolyne hugged her close. Carolyne felt they had talked enough about the subject. Now might be a good time for a change. “So, what do you think we should do next?” she asked Meghan. “I mean, obviously you don’t want breakfast.”
    Meghan blushed. “I do need to go lie down, but maybe we could talk some more later?”
    Carolyne laughed and stood. “I’ll be waiting. The electricity is already on and I’ve put toiletries up there.”
    “Thank you.” Meghan smiled. Turning, she left and went out the back door.
    The yard was turning brown as everything went to sleep for the coming winter. The garden was dying, but still had a beauty about it. She looked around the yard trying to remember.
    So intent was she on studying it, she didn’t hear the car drive up or the car door close. The first indication anyone was near was his voice. “What are you thinking about?”
    Startled, she glanced around. Dakota stood there, looking handsome and so in charge. She forced her gaze away, back to the yard. “I was thinking even 76
    Home to You
    though it’s been more than twenty years, things haven’t really changed much. There are still tall plants that aren’t quite as tall now, and the latticework is new, but other than that, your place still looks the same.”
    Dakota walked forward and glanced around the yard.
    “You’re the second person in as many days who has pointed out that despite the years things around here haven’t changed.”
    “You see it all the time.” Meghan kept her gaze averted. “You probably haven’t noticed.”
    “On the contrary. I’m so rarely at home that I’ve never noticed.”
    She wasn’t sure what he meant by that.
    The sound of the wind blowing through the trees whistled above. She wondered what the man next to her was thinking.
    “It’s been a long time,” he finally answered her question by saying.
    She nodded. “I am sorry.”
    He touched her arm, a fleeting touch from behind and then his hand was gone. “Don’t be.”
    They stood that way for a while, neither saying anything. Meghan watched a blue jay fly into a tree and then a squirrel run up the tree, scaring the blue jay into flight. She felt much like that blue jay and the MS the squirrel. It has sent her running.
    “I remember that promise,” Dakota finally said.
    That brought Meghan around, and staring into those deep beautiful eyes. “You’re kidding.”
    A small smile tilted his clean-shaven cheeks into a pleasant look. “No. If I remember right, you were going to make me eat a mud pie.”

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    She groaned. “Oh no.”
    He chuckled softly. “My thoughts exactly. And I’ll have you know, I was grounded