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focus on his job, he’ll wind up like his friend.”
    “Focus couldn’t have saved his friend’s life, honey. Nothing could’ve.”
    “I know.” Ashley bit her lip again and thought for a moment about Landon’s friend rushing up the stairs of the south tower of the World Trade Center when the building collapsed that awful Tuesday morning. “You’re right. I’m just saying, Landon’s busy. Otherwise he’d call more.”
    Her mother must have sensed that the conversation was over because she stood and took a sharp breath as she looked at her watch. “Everyone will be here in fifteen minutes. I’m going upstairs to check on Cole.”
    “Okay.” Ashley waited until her mom had left the room; then she rested her head on the sofa back and closed her eyes. God, my attitude’s lousy, but Mom’s right. Why doesn’t Landon call? And how will it ever work out between the two of us with him in New York and me here?
    She pursed her lips and opened her eyes again. What did the pastor say at church last Sunday? God’s timing wasn’t always our own. Ashley had caught her father’s eyes, and the two shared a knowing look. If anyone understood the heartache of waiting, it was her parents.
    Luke had been gone for three months.
    “He’ll be back one day,” her dad said when the church service was over. “All in God’s timing.”
    But Ashley noticed his eyes were damp even as he spoke. The situation with Luke weighed on their parents every day. Since September 11, Luke told Ashley he didn’t believe in God, didn’t expect he ever would again. His relationship with everyone else in the Baxter family was strained if not absent, and her parents bore the brunt of the pain. Yes, her waiting paled in comparison to theirs. But still…
    Landon needed to make a plan, to let her know when he’d be coming back to Bloomington. That way he could tell her if he planned to marry her somewhere down the road—like once he’d met his obligation to the FDNY. That would make the year go more quickly, wouldn’t it?
    Dusk had come and gone, and darkness now fell over the April evening. The cold spring weather didn’t help Ashley’s mood. It only made it hard to get outside and paint. So, rather than be trapped in the house, she was putting in more time at Sunset Hills Adult Care Home. She loved the job, but she was restless, missing something she hadn’t quite been able to figure out.
    Something—or someone.
    Headlights flashed into the driveway, and two cars made their way toward the Baxter house. The party was about to start, and Ashley would do nothing but smile all night. Maybe, after an evening of pretending everything was okay, it actually would be. Even if her happily-ever-after seemed a million years away.

    The announcement came the moment they were seated for dinner, just as Elizabeth Baxter thought it would.
    All eyes were on Kari and Ryan, and beneath the table Elizabeth squeezed her husband’s hand. “This is it,” she whispered.
    John returned the squeeze and leaned close to her ear. “Finally.”
    Seconds felt like hours, and the entire room seemed to hold its breath. Kari and Ryan shared a smile. Then Kari shifted a sleeping little Jessica to her other arm and turned to the family. “We were going to wait until dessert, but—”
    Groans came from each of the other sisters—Brooke and Erin and Ashley. “No way, Kari…” Ashley jabbed a teasing finger in Kari’s direction. “Not after the big buildup.”
    “Yeah, you’re killing us.” Erin’s eyes shone, and she looped her arm through her husband’s.
    Elizabeth caught the exchange, and a wave of gratitude washed over her. Though she didn’t expect Luke to show up, at least the girls were doing well—Erin and Sam, Brooke and Peter, even Ashley.
    “Okay, okay.” Kari held up her hands and giggled. She leaned back against Ryan and waited again until the room was silent. “Ryan and I have been talking about things.” She glanced up at him. “We’ve