'Almost three years,' Micah said, and he smiled and took my hand again. He hesitated only a moment and took Nathaniel's hand in his other hand. I had a moment to see a defiant look on his face, as if daring them to criticize. Our patient, diplomatic Micah was more aggressive around his family, more like me. It explained a lot of his patience with me early on.

Jerry's face didn't quite know what expression to have, but his mother beamed at us as if we'd told her she was getting a grandchild or something. Ty's entire body language relaxed, some tension going out of him that I didn't understand. He was smiling. Acceptance was great; this level of happy made me wonder what I'd missed. I was always suspicious if something was too good to be true; it wasn't an old saying for nothing. I'd come into the world with a healthy dose of cynicism, and being with the police for six years hadn't done anything to persuade me otherwise.

Micah squeezed our hands and changed the subject, sort of. 'Is Beth with anyone? I still see her as a kid, but she's twenty-two now, right?'

They all nodded. 'She just graduated with a double major in theology and philosophy,' Jerry said.

'Theology and philosophy?' Micah said. 'I wouldn't have thought that for her.'

'It took her a while to find herself,' Bea said, 'but she's already been accepted into her master's program for next semester.'

I heard Nicky's deep voice murmur something behind us. A woman's voice, much louder. 'Who are you and what gives you the right to question us?'

I turned to find two women trying to get past our bodyguards. Micah said, 'It's okay, Nicky, Dev, they're my aunts.' He went toward them as they walked between our blond guards. One woman had red curls that fell past her shoulders and was wearing work jeans, T-shirt, jacket, and boots that were not a fashion statement. The other woman had hair cut so short there was no curl left, a conservative skirt and jacket over a white blouse with a rounded collar, and sensible pumps. They were dressed so differently that it took a few seconds to realize that other than the superficial differences they were mirror images of each other, or damn close. They both looked a little like Micah, like his dad, and a lot like Juliet, who was hurrying to catch up with them both. There was another woman, or maybe girl, trailing behind Juliet. She was wearing an ankle-length skirt and a button-up blouse untucked over it, hair pulled back in a tight braid that couldn't quite hide the tight curls she'd have if she let her hair go. Where the lack of makeup on Juliet had looked fresh and like she didn't need it, on the girl it made her face look unfinished, or maybe it was the huge black-rimmed glasses that looked like they'd been issued by the military. The kind of glasses that were nicknamed contraceptive glasses, because no one could get laid while wearing them. I thought she belonged to the button-up skirt woman, maybe. Juliet was dressed so much like the woman with longer hair that I made a guess that she was Juliet's mom.

Micah introduced us to Aunt Jody and Aunt Bobbie; Jody was the long-haired rancher-looking woman, and Bobbie was the one who looked like a prim second grade school teacher at a parochial school. Jody did run a farm, and Juliet, her husband, and their two kids lived in a second house on the property and helped run it, but Jody wasn't her mom, Bobbie was. They were Rush's twin sisters. Bobbie was not a schoolteacher or a would-be nun; she was a lawyer.

'I'm sorry Monty couldn't be here tonight, Mike,' she said as she gave him one quick hug and stepped back. The blue eyes that had been warm and showed so much emotion in Juliet's face were cool and unreadable in Aunt Bobbie's. She looked at me like she was studying me for an exam. 'Monty is my second husband; he's a judge now.'

'Congratulations, I remember Monty. He, Dad, and Uncle Steve were friends,' Micah said.

Bobbie smiled with the first true warmth I'd seen. 'He's a good judge.' That one small display said she loved and cared for her husband. It was nice to know Bobbie had found love twice.

'Rex won't be here, I divorced him years ago. He's living in California in a condo where he doesn't have to take care of anything but himself,' Jody said.

Micah gave her another quick hug. 'I'm sorry, Aunt Jody.'

She hugged him and then grinned. 'It's okay, Mike. I've never been happier.'

He grinned back, and I found myself joining in the grin-fest, because there was just something about Jody that had that effect. 'I'm glad,' he said.

'Me, too,' she said, 'and Juliet and her husband are wonderful. Another generation that wants to stay on the farm.'

Bobbie gave a mock shudder. 'No thank you, I am a city girl.' Then she grinned and you could see the same joy in her face as her sister. She took her sister's hand and said, 'I told you when I had Juliet that she was part yours; little did I know you'd make a farmer out of her.'

Jody smiled back at her sister and there was a history and a closeness there that was just good to see. 'Hey, we have a grandchild apiece.'

Bobbie smiled again. 'That we do.'

Juliet smiled at them both and I knew I was missing something, but it was a good something that had formed a bond; maybe it was a twin thing, or maybe not. I'd ask Micah later.

The second girl had drifted back to hug the wall, as if she weren't a part of the happy family moment. Bea called, 'Esther, you remember Mike.'

The girl stepped away from the wall slowly, as if she weren't sure what to do. 'Hi, Mike.' It was almost a whisper.

'How are you doing, Essie?' he asked, his voice soft as if there had always been something fragile, or wrong, with this cousin.

She gave a shy smile. 'You and Beth are the only ones who still call me Essie.'

'I'm going by Micah now; do you prefer Esther?' he asked.

'No, I always liked you calling me Essie,' she said quickly, looking up with big, startled blue-gray eyes that were so like Bea's that I knew which side this cousin was on, which meant she had to be Aunt Bertie and Uncle Jamie's daughter. Poor kid, though she was probably in her early twenties, so not a kid, just ... she seemed much younger than she looked; maybe it was the awful clothes and glasses?

I heard Dev say, 'Not these guys again.'

It made me look up, but my view was blocked. Ty at six feet plus could see farther and he swore softly under his breath. Bea chastised him, 'Not in front of the kids,' as if we were all five.

'It's your sister and her husband,' he said.

She said, 'Shi ... Shotgun! I can't take much more of them today.'

I looked at Micah and mouthed, Shotgun?

'If you meet my grandparents you'll understand why she doesn't cuss,' he said.

I gave him wide eyes.

Aunt Bertie and Uncle Jamie were being trailed by Al. I heard him say, 'Now, Bertie, it's enough for one night, with Rush hurt like this.'

'Rush knows he's outside God's grace,' Jamie said.

I wasn't sure what that meant, but nothing good. 'What do they want?' I asked.

'To save our souls,' Micah said, and he sounded tired.

'My soul is fine,' I said.

'I know,' he said.

Nicky and Dev looked at us. 'Come on, let us keep them out of the room,' Dev said.

Micah shook his head.

'Sorry, no,' I said.

'Pleeeassse,' Dev said, drawing out the word as if he were three instead of twenty-three.

'Tempting,' I said.

'So tempting,' Micah agreed, 'but let them through.'

Nicky watched the couple pass between him and Dev like he was watching a couple of wounded antelopes and it was just a matter of time.

Al spoke over their heads as they entered the room. 'I'm sorry, I couldn't distract them enough. Apparently, I'm not sinful enough to interest them.'

'You're a good boy,' Bertie said, patting his arm.

Al shrugged. 'Sorry, Mike.'