Rachel leaned slightly against the stone wall behind her. “I’ve heard Emily is getting married soon.”
“New Year’s Eve. She’s marrying the new police chief.” Lucas couldn’t quite say that with a straight face; he felt his mouth twist wryly.
Rachel’s smile was fleeting. “Did you come back to congratulate her or try to talk her out of marrying a cop?”
“I came back to make sure she’s okay.” It was the truth—just not all the truth.
“And is she?”
“She’s fine. She seems happy.”
“Was she glad to see you?”
Lucas relived that moment when Emily had thrown herself into his arms, startling him with the genuine warmth of her welcome. “I believe she was.”
“And how is everyone else reacting to your reappearance?”
He shrugged. “I haven’t seen anyone else. Except you. And I wouldn’t describe your reaction as overjoyed.”
Rachel looked out the window again. “I don’t know how I’m feeling right now,” she admitted quietly.
He understand that, since he couldn’t have described his own emotions at the moment.
Something made him take another step toward her. “Rachel...”
Losing the thin veneer of bravado she’d assumed before, she flinched.
Lucas froze.
“Are you afraid of me?” he asked after a moment, his tone sounding flat, even to his own ears.
There was a long, taut pause, and then Rachel answered, her eyes downcast. “Yes.”
Funny. Lucas thought he’d become so cynical during the past fifteen years that no one could ever hurt him again.
He’d been wrong.
He moved backward toward the doorway. His voice was gruff when he spoke.
“In my whole life, there have been only two people I would have died for. My sister is one. You’re the other.”
He didn’t wait around for her response, but turned abruptly on one booted heel and headed back down the path toward his sister’s house.
LUCAS HAD BEEN back at the house less than half an hour when he heard Emily’s car in the driveway. She’d promised to be home for lunch. It was straight-up noon when she walked into the house, her arms loaded.
“I brought food,” she said with a smile. “Chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, fried okra, corn on the cob, biscuits, and peach cobbler for dessert. I remember that used to be your favorite meal. I hope you still like it.”
It was one of his favorite meals, though one he rarely indulged in. “How could you possibly remember these things?” he demanded. “You were just a little girl when I left.”
Her smile was both sweet and sad. “I remember everything about you, Lucas. Didn’t you know how much I adored you?”
He didn’t know what to say. He reached out, instead, to relieve her of the packages. “Where do you want these? Dining room or kitchen?”
“Kitchen. We can be more comfortable in there. I’ll be in as soon as I put my purse away and wash my hands.”
Lucas had the table set and the food ready to serve by the time Emily joined him.
“That was quick,” she said with a smile, reaching for the refrigerator door. “What would you like to drink?”