Twenty-Seven.

Harriet's wake was held at Cassie's house to accommodate the large number of mourners. As if by divine intervention, the skies had cleared, and the temperature rose to the low sixties. Gutters overflowed with melting snow as cleverly made snowmen became nothing more than disfigured lumps of carrots and hats in the middle of yards.

She was pleased to see Ed and kissed him on his cheek. He fidgeted awkwardly in his new suit, the result of a shopping trip to Atlanta with Cassie. "I'll be at your hearing next Thursday, and so will Joe and a bunch of other people, to support you."

He flushed, the white skin of his forehead, exposed by a recent haircut, turning a deep red. "I appreciate it, Cassie. Sheriff Adams says that I'll probably just get probation and community service. Plus I'll have to pay restitution to you for the property damage." He blushed deeper and shifted his feet. "I know I'll never really be able to apolo-gize for everything I've put you through, but, well, I thought that as part of my community service I'd like to build a park. I was thinking of putting it over there off of Sycamore Street where the Olsen house used to be. And I'd like to name it the Harriet Madison Warner Memorial Park, if that would be okay with you."

Impulsively, she hugged him and blinked back tears. "I think it's a wonderful idea. Especially a park for children-it would be such a fitting tribute to her. Thank you, Ed. Thank you." She looked around the room for a moment before her gaze rested on her brother-in-law. "I'll let you tell Joe. I know he'll be as thrilled as I am."

Ed nodded and headed toward Joe.

Sam came to stand next to her. "How are you holding up?"

She smiled, feeling shy with him. They hadn't spoken since the night Maddie had run away. It had been as if Sam were giving her time for the words that she had spewed out in the backseat to her niece to sink in. "I'm doing fine. I can almost feel Harriet here with us, celebrating her life with us. When I think that, it's not as hard to . . . to face that she's gone."

He nodded and looked down, a quirky smile on his lips. "Lucinda told me that you'd unpacked your things and put the suitcases in the attic. Like you were planning on staying awhile."

Cassie busied herself by picking up a few paper plates and stacking them. "Well, gosh, I guess I can tell Joe to disconnect his phone service. He won't be needing it anymore, since Lucinda's moving in with him. She's better than a town crier."

He lifted her chin to face him. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

She felt lost for a moment in the blue intensity of his eyes. "Yes. Of course. I just wanted to get the details worked out first."

"Details?" He dropped his hand.

"Yes. It appears that I'm going to be the southern partner of Wallace and Madison. I'll be establishing new accounts in Atlanta and handling them from my home office."

"Home office? As in this house?"

Cassie concentrated on lining up the silverware on top of the dirty plates. "Yep. The one and only."

"Cassie?"

She looked up at him. "Yes?"

"I'm glad."

"Glad?"

His eyes twinkled. "I'm pleased as a pig in mud."

She tried to hide her smile. "Don't be so cocky. I'm not doing this for you."

He raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"I'm doing it for me. And my family."

He took the plates from her and dumped them in the kitchen. When he returned, he joined her, his arm around her shoulders, and they faced the mourners as a unit, accepting condolences and sharing their grief. Maddie, having suffered a sprained ankle during her fall down the embankment, hobbled around on crutches, bending over now and then to take a kiss on the cheek from one of her mother's friends or to hug someone's neck.

Joe still seemed to be in a daze but was surrounded by his and Harriet's friends. They talked about her as if she were still alive, telling stories of her thoughtfulness, her kindness, and her love for her family. Joe smiled, and the aura of unbridled grief that surrounded him lifted slightly. Cassie walked over to where he sat with Harry in his arms and gave him a squeeze. They would get through this. With the help of all those who loved them, they would get through it.

After the last mourner had left, Joe led her outside to the porch. "I have something for you. Harriet asked me to give this to you after she . . . left us." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a square black jewelry box.

With a trembling hand, she took it and slowly opened the lid. Six gold heart charms lay nestled against black velvet, each one winking at her with the sun's reflection. Her other hand went to her mouth. She looked up at him, afraid to speak.

"These are for her children. She wanted you to be the keeper of their hearts." His voice cracked, and neither one could speak. He hugged her while they wept, and when they were done, she drew back and looked at the hearts again.

"I'm going to need a larger chain to hold all these." A small laugh bubbled at her lips as she clutched the small box to her chest.

They sat down on the swing and stayed there until the sun set, its long golden rays waving its last good-bye.

Epilogue.

Time marched slowly in Walton, and Cassie sometimes wondered if it marched at all. She watched the winter of her sister's death pass into the brightness of spring and the heat of summer. And then it was the autumn of the year again, with old leaves falling, shedding their bril-liant plumage, her magnolia still staying resplendent, with its glossy green leaves.

The children grew, lost teeth, and shed tears, and Cassie was there at school plays, cheerleading tryouts, and late-night algebra sessions. Joey lost his first tooth, Harry learned how to crawl, and Knoxie decid-ed she didn't want red hair anymore. Cassie treasured each milestone, each one made more poignant by the memory of the mother who couldn't be there to share them.

Maddie struggled the hardest with the loss of her mother, but Cassie made it clear that her niece would always have a warm shoulder to lean on when she needed it. Cassie looked back on that first year with a mixture of grief and joy, realizing life would always be a mixture of both but also knowing that her little town would give her whatever she would need to cope.

And then it was December again, filled with bittersweet memories. It had been Maddie's idea to hold the wedding at Christmastime, and Cassie had agreed. Harriet had always loved Christmas, and it was now Cassie's duty to bring back happy memories of the season her sister had dearly treasured.

In the confusion and hustle and bustle of Christmas and wedding preparations, Harry's first birthday was almost overlooked. But Cassie remembered and baked the cake herself, following the advice of Mrs. Crandall, who was more than happy to lend a hand.

As if to thank Cassie for her trouble, Harry decided it was time to walk; he took his first steps, landing in the outstretched arms of his beaming aunt. She held him tightly for a moment, silently thanking the woman who had given birth to him.

The ceremony itself was small, with Reverend Beasley officiating. Cassie grinned at his sign in front as she was driven into the parking lot of First United Methodist: Feeling Tired? Rise with the Son. And, below that: Congratulations Sam and Cassie.

Joe and Lucinda left the limousine first, and then Mr. Murphy helped her out, making sure she didn't step on the antique lace train of her gown. She hadn't been crazy about riding in the funeral direc-tor's limousine, but it had either been that or the sheriff 's car if she wanted to arrive at her own wedding in style. Joe grinned, offering his arm, and she took it, trying to ignore the frigid winter weather that had once again descended on their little town and blew up her bil-lowing skirts. Around her neck lay a longer gold chain, now filled with shining gold hearts and one golden key.

Joey, his shirttail hanging out of the back of his tuxedo jacket, proudly bore the rings down the aisle. Following him to the bright thumping of the church's organ, played by Brunelle Thompkins, came Knoxie and Sarah Frances in forest green velvet, dropping white rose petals as they walked. Finally, the wedding march began, and a bright-ly beaming Maddie, as maid of honor, preceded her aunt, glowing in the ivory wedding gown that had been worn by her mother, then packed away with love and hope in the attic of the old house.

As Cassie marched down the aisle on Joe's arm, she wondered if her mother had felt even half the joy that was now coursing through her veins as she approached Sam and contemplated the life that lay before them. An escaped ray of sun peered through the stained-glass win-dow over the altar, and it seemed as if her parents and sister were announcing their presence. Joe kissed her cheek, then handed her over to her groom.

Following the reception, held at the house, Cassie stood on the front porch, her new going-away outfit tucked under a heavy wool coat, and tossed her bouquet into the waiting crowd of women. It landed in Lucinda's outstretched hand, who sniffed it with a coquettish smile. Cassie wondered if anybody else noticed the bright red blush suffusing the sheriff's face.

In a hail of rice, they ran to Sam's waiting truck, brightly decorated with red and green streamers and with beer cans tied to the bumper. They pulled out of the drive, then headed for the cemetery.

Harriet's marker had been placed next to their parents', and both had been decorated with potted poinsettias draped with homemade ornaments from Harriet's children. From her pocket, Cassie took a gold tree ornament in the shape of a heart and tied it securely to a poinsettia. She stood as a chill wind blew down from the north, making her shiver, and Sam put his arms around her.

"I miss her, too," he said.

Cassie nodded and looked up at the graying sky above them, the cloud edges heavy and thick. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say it's going to snow."

Sam followed her gaze and nodded. "I guess you did learn a thing or two while up north."

She elbowed him gently, then rested her head on his wool jacket.

"Do you think Harriet and my parents are watching over us?"

He squeezed her tightly. "Hopefully not all the time." Then, his eyes serious, he kissed her lightly on the lips. "Yes, I do."

As she looked up at him, three snowflakes drifted down from the sky toward them, twirled and buffeted by the whim of the wind before settling on the barren winter grass. Cassie watched them melt, then turned her face to the sky in search of more.

"Snow in Walton for the second year in a row. What's the world coming to?"

Sam laughed, then took her hand and began walking toward his truck.

They drove through town on the way to the interstate, hoping to make it to the airport before everything shut down. Bermuda in December held enormous appeal to Cassie as she flipped the heater in the truck to the max position.

The old oaks on the tree-lined streets bowed over them in greeting, their leaves winking and swaying, as if celebrating a homecoming. Cassie sighed, turning her head to watch a group of bundled children playing tag on the front lawn of the Harden property, her warm breath fogging the window. She touched the gold necklace around her neck, reveling in the abundance of gold hearts, and she smiled. Home no longer seemed like a place where one is born and then outgrows, along with skinned knees and childhood dreams. Instead, it seemed to her, it was a place that lived in one's heart, waiting with open arms to be rediscovered.

They drove through the town slowly, the cans and streamers tittering gently behind them. They passed Madison Lane and the old high school and Principal Purdy's house, the front porch long ago painted a bright pink. They drove past Miss Lena's and found her with Ed, helping her up the porch steps. They'd been at the wedding and reception, with Miss Lena's pink sweater over her Sunday dress, loving the opportunity to talk to so many people about her beloved books. The Dixie Diner and Lucinda's Lingerie, formerly Skirts 'n Such, slid by their window, and two blocks later, the Harriet Madison Warner Memorial Park, its playground equipment hibernating under a kiss of snow.

As Sam and Cassie turned into the town square the flakes fell heavier, dusting the grass and leaves like little blessings from above.

"Stop, Sam."

He pulled the truck over to the curb. "What's wrong?"

"Just a minute." She climbed out of the truck and crunched through the frozen grass to the statue of liberty, her driftwood head now a pale green beneath the smattering of snow. Hoisting herself up onto the base, Cassie stared into the face of Miss Liberty, with her perpetual come-hither look aimed at the Confederate soldier on horseback at the other end of the green.

Taking off her red knit cap, Cassie slipped it onto the crown, then jumped down and returned to the truck.

Sam pulled away with a laugh as she turned around to see the effect of Miss Liberty's new look and grinned broadly. Yes, Cassie Madison had returned. It had taken her fifteen long years, but she had finally found her way home.

end.