Message in the Sand by Hannah McKinnon

Author:Hannah McKinnon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Published: 2021-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

When she pulled into his driveway, Wendell was waiting on the front porch of the farmhouse. He stood and came down the steps to meet her. “Thanks for coming by.”

“I was happy to.” Ginny smiled, unsure whether she should hug him; before she knew it, he’d wrapped an arm around her and drew her hesitantly against him. For a moment, her nose was pressed to his neck, and she inhaled: the scent of soap and pine, and something else, was a jolt of recognition. She pulled back quickly. “So what’s the big mystery?”

He glanced over his shoulder at the red barn behind the house. “Would you like something to eat? A beer?”

She could tell it had something to do with that barn, and he seemed pulled to it. “Why don’t you show me whatever it is first, and then I’ll take you up on the beer.”

He grinned. “Sounds good to me. Come on.” It felt strange being back at the Combs’ farmhouse all these years later. And yet nothing had changed. They passed the front porch they’d spent so much time sitting on back then. And his mother’s perennial garden behind the house, by the patio. All of it was surreal, like stepping back in time.

“So the place is all yours now.”

Wendell was walking just slightly ahead of her, and she had to hurry to keep up. He looked back at her. “It is. Dad left it to me, and I wasn’t sure what to do with it at first. It’s a big house for one.”

She glanced back at the house. It was the stuff of a New England bed-and-breakfast brochure. “You’ve kept it up beautifully,” she said. “I think it’s nice you stayed.”

They’d climbed the slope of backyard to the small red barn in the rear. Wendell stopped at the sliding door and turned to face her. “You’re the first person I’m sharing this with,” he said. Then added, “The only person, actually.”

“Okay.”

But there was more. “You know I work at White Pines. And you know about the accident. There were two little girls left behind.”

Ginny nodded. “Yes, I heard.”

“Their aunt, Candace Lancaster, has flown in from London, and she’s not exactly a good match. For the children or the property. It’s all kind of a mess.”

Oh, she knew. She was about to tell him she’d just met Candace that very same afternoon, but something in Wendell’s expression stopped her. He went on, “I don’t like to mix business with my personal life. In fact, I don’t really have much of a personal life anymore.”

An uncomfortable feeling fell between them. Years ago, she had been part of that personal life. “I know,” she said, averting her gaze.

“Candace has made a lot of changes since she arrived. She’s selling the place and moving the kids to London. It’s been hard to watch, let alone difficult to work with. But the other day, I couldn’t stay out of it anymore.”

Intrigued, Ginny met his gaze. “What happened?”

“I got personally involved.”

With that, Wendell slid the barn door ajar and stepped to the side.

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