Rhona cupped a mug of hot coffee between her hands, her elbows resting on the polished oak table in her kitchen, and pondered the twenty-something young man who sat slump-shouldered on the chair at her left. The look of defeat in Kai’s eyes didn’t fit the rest of his strong features—wavy black hair, high cheekbones, green eyes, and a well-defined jaw. She knew from his short family history recitation that he’d known sorrow and joys aplenty. But as she’d learned after long association with her husband, Dermid—a staunch Scotsman if ever there was one—men do not like to be told what to do, much less what to think.

Does anyone?

Grandma Hazel’s piercing black eyes in her childlike face filled Rhona’s mind. Now there was a woman who passionately responded to the undercurrents of her heart despite what anyone might think.

Lincoln logs clattered across the wooden table as her niece, Syn, eighteen, and the young man’s nephew, Tam, age four, conspired to construct a tower worth knocking down with a homemade catapult.

Rhona shook her head as she swung her gaze back to the man. So young to be saddled with the weight of a troubled brother and a nephew who clearly needed help… She frowned. Something about the child was off, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. With an intake of breath, she focused on Kai.

“Mind if I tell you a story? It’s about my grandmother; something about your situation puts me in mind of her.”

Kai shrugged and reached for another muffin from the dwindling mound set on a plate at the center of the table.

The coffee had cooled; Rhona no longer felt the warmth she craved on autumn mornings, but a different strength seeped into her bones as she allowed old memories to surface—long-guarded treasures that few ever knew about. Odd how strangers usually inherited the preserved contents of attics and dark closets, and even family photos, which should have been valued forever but tainted with mixed emotions, were often thrown away like yesterday’s garbage. Never a hoarder, Rhona rarely kept useless things. But she retained these memories… Maybe for just such a moment as this.

“My grandma Hazel was a wonderful woman. She was strong in the manner of a load-bearing beam hidden in the ceiling of a house, you understand?”

A smile hovered on Kia’s lips, a knowing look in his eyes.

“Yes, well, she had a baby face. Always did. You could look at photos of her as a kid, a teen, a young woman, and even an elderly lady, and recognize her on the spot. Her eyes remained ageless, no matter what happened to her skin.”

Though the building project on the far end of the table continued, Syn’s chattering had dwindled. Rhona could practically feel the girl’s ears rise like aerial antennas.

“Well, Grandma had this Chevy, a pretty, full-figured car that ran quite well, so long as you didn’t take it through ditches or across creeks. Something Grandma Hazel might do if the exploration mood hit. She was unpredictable like that. Her husband, Mac, had given her the car as a fiftieth birthday gift and even had it painted in her favorite shade of dark blue. After he died, she seemed a bit untethered and would roam all over the county in that automobile. She never told anyone where she was going, and frequently, not terribly unexpected in those days, she’d show up as a surprise guest at someone’s farmhouse. She pretty much always brought a treat, so the welcome was genuine, though as she sped away afterward, dirt flying from her back wheels, so was the concern that she might never make it home.”

Rhona pointed to the muffin plate, a silent question in her arched brows.

Shaking his head ruefully, Kai rubbed his lean stomach as if it had never been so full before. Not a word to interrupt her flow.

In her implacable manner, Rhona carried on. “So, the whole town got to the point where unusual Grandma Hazel sightings were reported morning, noon, and night. No cell phones needed. Phone lines, café gatherings, and even weekly meetings at the Quilt and Sew Shop started with new accounts of Grandma’s adventures. The more absurd reports were usually treated with the same skepticism as a Big Foot sighting, but it became a thing! Bets were made.”

Kia’s eyes twinkled with delight.

Syn had abandoned the building project and now leaned on one arm, her eyes wide with wonder.

Only little Tam stayed faithful to his work, balancing logs on a square frame, slowly building upwards.

“Then there came a day when grandma didn’t make it home by dark. Her eldest son, Kal, went out to look for her, and sure enough, she was stuck midway across a flooded stream. She’d attempted to race across, as she had done many times before, but this time, it didn’t work, and she got stuck fast.”

The kitchen door swung open, and a heavy-set, broad-shouldered man with a noticeable belly, brown eyes, and gray streaks running through black hair stepped into the room. Undeterred by the sight of a strange young man and an unknown boy in his kitchen, he tromped to the sink and began to wash his hands.

Rhona rose and grabbed a brown mug from the cabinet. “I’ve got fresh coffee. And the muffins are still fairly warm.” Then she gestured to the table. “This is Kai, the young man Ada told us about. And that cherub building a tower is his nephew, Tam.” She met Kai’s gaze. “My husband, Dermid.”

Kai started to rise, but Dermid waved him back to his seat. “Don’t get up. I just want to settle down and let my old bones remember what rest feels like.” He smiled as he scooted onto the bench across from Tam and scrutinized the building project with all the seriousness of a construction foreman.

After setting a mug of coffee in front of her husband and nudging the muffin plate within easy reach, Rhona leaned on the back of her chair. “Well, a long story not so short, my grandma learned a hard lesson. Her beloved Chevy was never quite the same after that ramble. Her spirit may have been made to soar, but automobiles have limitations. As do we all.”

Kai’s smile faded as his gaze turned inward. Then he looked up, a question in his eyes darting from Rhona to Dermid. “Whatever happened to it? The car, I mean?”

Derm laughed, and a few crumbs tumbled down the front of his shirt. “We had to hide it eventually. It wasn’t going anywhere, but the old gal, well into her nineties, would dress up, get behind the wheel, and try to go for a drive. We hated to see the disappointment in her eyes every time she realized that it wasn’t able to take her anywhere.” Derm pointed to the wood line across from their farmhouse. “On winter evenings when the trees are bare, you can just see its outline, snug in the woods.” His smile warmed. “It’s happy there, having served grandma well. But as Rhona said, it wasn’t made to fly. That’s another road altogether.”

A crash, and all heads swiveled to Tam, who stood before the ruin of his tower, his bottom lip quivering.

Syn jumped to her feet and attempted to contain the logs before they rolled to the floor, murmuring comfort as she did so, “It’s okay, little guy. We’ll build again, and I bet we can make it even higher next time.”

Tears flooding his eyes, Tam stood shakily on his chair, barely keeping his balance over the wreck of his short-lived dreams.

Kai rushed over and scooped the boy into his arms. “That’s okay, Tam. We’ve got to get going anyway. It’s been great visiting.”

Tam dropped his head onto his uncle’s shoulder and heaved a world-weary sigh.

Rhona walked Kai and Tam to the door. “I’m glad you came, Kai. We love visitors.” She tilted her head toward the table where Syn and Dermid dropped the Lincoln logs into the canister. “Syn is always open to babysitting if you need someone. Though I might recommend the Children’s Garden if you need something regular.”

Kai grabbed the doorknob and nodded. “Yeah. Someone recommended them to me. I’m planning on going out there and meeting the manager.” He shrugged. “Just to see. I’ve got to work, and Wiley should find a job soon…”

Dermid padded up from behind, his gravelly voice set on low. “If you’re thinking about daycare, you might want to take the little man to the doctor for a checkup first.” He rubbed his chin casually. “Doctor Omar Fadel at Family Practice over in Hillsborough is good with kids, I hear. Tam will need his vaccinations in any case.”

Kai’s penetrating stare suggested that he wanted to ask more, but a quick glance at Tam deterred his intention. He merely smiled and thrust out his hand.

Rhona clasped his hand in hers. “We’re here, Kai. Any time you need us. Remember that.”

Seconding his wife’s words, Derm nodded, his gaze direct and unwavering.

A grateful smile, and Kai carried his nephew out the door and bounded down the steps.

Rhona shut the door against a rising wind and turned and faced her husband.

Derm grinned at her. “Why Grandma Hazel’s Chevy?”

Rhona shrugged as she gathered up the cups and the plate of muffins. “It’s a great story. And besides, it’s good to remember—we all have limitations. That’s why we need friends.”