A Bravo Homecoming by Christine Rimmer Page A

left along the wide second floor hallway. “Here we are.” She gestured for Sam to go in ahead of her.
    “It’s lovely, thank you,” Sam said, “lovely” being one of those general-purpose polite words she’d picked up from Jonathan. In this case, it was the right word. The room was lovely, painted a sunny yellow, with carved white wood trim and white curtains. The cherry furniture was old and beautiful and her suitcases were waiting at the foot of the four-poster bed, which had old-time acorn finials. There was even a bay window that gave a nice view of the side gardens and provided a small sitting area.
    The door stood open on the room’s private bath. Another door, also open, led to the next room over. That room had blue walls and the furniture was heavier and darker than the pieces in Sam’s room.
    Aleta hovered near the door to the hall. She gestured toward the blue room. “That’s Travis’s room, through there.”
    “Ah,” said Sam, for lack of anything better.
    “Not his room from childhood. We never lived here at the ranch when the children were growing up. We would come, the same as now, for weekends and holidays. The kids took whatever rooms were convenient at the time.”
    “Yes, I know. Travis said you lived in town when he was small.”
    “Davis and I still keep a suite here. But it’s really Luke and Mercy’s house these days.” Aleta waved a slim hand in the direction of the open door to the blue room. “I wasn’t sure. Separate rooms. A shared room. Travis was not…forthcoming.”
    “This is perfect. Really.”
    “Good, then.” Aleta folded her hands together. “Excellent.” Sam thought she would go, but then she sucked in a careful breath. “I wonder if we might talk a little, before I leave you to yourself….”
    Alarm bells went off in Sam’s head. “Uh. Well, sure.”
    “Wonderful.” Aleta shut the door to the upstairs hall.
    Sam reminded herself that she liked this woman. And that she and Travis had agreed she would just be herself. Her new self, yes, but still, she had no deep secrets that Aleta might trip her up with—plus, there was no reason Travis’s mom should even want to trip her up. “Well, um. Have a seat.” There were two small upholstered chairs in the window nook. Aleta took one. Sam sat in the other.
    “Travis has mentioned you often, over the years…”
    “Ah. Well, he’s always been good to me, looked out for me, I guess you could say. Ever since I was a lonely kid living with my dad on our family ranch not far from Sioux Falls.”
    “He always spoke of you fondly.”
    “He’s…a good guy.”
    Aleta smiled. “Yes, he is.”
    “He helped me get my first job. And we’ve always stayed friends. And then, on this most recent project, we ended up working closely together.”
    “I’m glad that you know each other well. It gives you a good foundation to build on.”
    “Yeah. I…think you’re right about that.”
    “You said you were raised by your father?”
    “I was, yes.”
    “And your mother?”
    The old wound throbbed a little, a scar long-healed but still sensitive if you poked at it. “My mom left us when I was three. She didn’t much care for ranch life.”
    Real sympathy shone in Aleta’s clear blue eyes. “You’ve never seen her since?”
    “I have, yes. I used to visit her, now and then, in Minneapolis, where she worked as a secretary. But that was in those first few years after she left. When I was nine, she married her boss. He isn’t a bad guy, but he’s kind of shy, I guess you could say. I never had much in common with him. They had two daughters eventually—twins. I didn’t ever fit in there. It just got easier for everyone if I stayed at the ranch with my dad.”
    “Easier? But you’re her child. ”
    Sam could see where Travis got his tender, protective streak. “The truth is, we never got along, my mom and me. I made it more than clear that I didn’t want to be with her, even for a visit. I was pretty young,