Free Milk Money by Cecelia Dowdy

my sister, Sarah, left home. That’s why you see her smiling. She was getting ready to leave the farm, and she was relieved because she always hated it.”
    “Were you angry that your sister left?”
    She shrugged, glancing around the cluttered office. “It worked out okay. I love it here, and I don’t mind being the only sister left behind to take care of the family business.”
    “Do you talk to your sister often?”
    “Not really.”
    “Do the two of you get along?”
    “It depends. Sometimes we do, and sometimes we don’t. She only calls me when she wants to borrow money.”
    “Really?” She nodded.
    “Does she usually pay you back?”
    “Sometimes she does. We were never really close even though we lived in the same house. My daddy used to say we were like oil and water.”
    “What happened to your real mother?”
    “She died of breast cancer when I was fifteen. Things were pretty rough out here on the farm when she passed.”
    “Things were rough because you were grieving?”
    “Sort of. Remember, I told you Sarah hated farming?”
    He nodded.
    “Well, when Mom died, she refused to do anything. She wouldn’t help out with the chores. She’d yell at my dad; she called me names.” She shook her head, looking away. “My dad had to ask our church if they knew about any type of counseling services he could use for Sarah.”
    He stared at her, wanting to take her into his arms and tell her he was sorry that she’d now lost both of her parents. Instead, he asked another question. “How did you deal with your grief when your mother died? It’s obvious that your sister turned rebellious.”
    “I spent most of my time in the barn or in the field with the cows, alone.” She folded her arms in front of her. “It was awful. It took me a long time to get over losing my mom.”
    “Sarah’s reaction reminds me of what my sister is going through now.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Remember I told you about her husband leaving?”
    “Yes, I remember.”
    He told her about Trish’s recent phone call and Mark’s rebellious behavior. “I have to find some time soon to go and see Mark. I miss him, and I want to do everything I can to make him feel better.”
    “I’m sorry your nephew is hurting so much.”
    “I’m sure my sister’s life would have been a lot better if she’d never married that guy.”
    “Frank, you don’t know that.”
    He gritted his teeth. “I never trusted him, and I tried to warn her, but she wouldn’t listen to me. Every boy needs a good, stable father at home, and it makes me mad that Mark and Regina’s dad doesn’t even seem to care.”
    “You really feel strongly about this, don’t you?”
    “Yes, it makes me upset when so many young boys are out there and they don’t have fathers to turn to.” He told her about the rec center in Chicago and the youth he used to mentor.
    Her dark eyes widened. “You used to mentor youth?” He nodded.
    “Have you done this since you’ve been in Maryland?”
    He shook his head, almost sorry he’d said as much as he had. He didn’t feel like going into the reasons why he’d stopped mentoring one year ago.
    Emily frowned as she looked away.
    “What’s the matter?” he asked.
    “Nothing. I was just thinking about something.”
    He looked at the bulging pile of paper, no longer wanting to talk about his sister and his activities in Chicago. “We have tons of stuff to go through. I hope we can find everything I need.”
    “How is the audit coming along so far? I’m sure my father’s financial records are in good order.”
    “I can’t comment until I’m finished. Do you understand everything we’ve been going through together? Are you having any problems with the financial software I showed you how to use?”
    She frowned. “I think I understand, sort of.” She gestured around the office. “I’m still not used to handling all this. It’s a lot of information for me to remember.”
    “Either myself or somebody in the