Another Dawn Read Online Free Page A

parents’ room—assaulted me. I missed my mother every bit as much now as I did when she died seven years ago. Maybe more. I wanted to share the joys of motherhood with her, ask her opinions, enjoy the cute stories that only a mother can truly appreciate. When I got to the top of the stairs, the bedroom door was open. I heard my father’s voice. “He seems pretty whiny, and until y’all got here he was holding on to a stuffed bear, like a girl with a doll or something. I hope she’s not turning that boy into a fraidycat sissy. I mean, look at that hair. He looks like a girl; it’s no wonder. Maybe you can try to talk a little sense into her.”
    I stopped just short of the bedroom door, holding my breath and waiting for Jana’s reply. “Oh, Dad, I wouldn’t go that far.”
    This was not exactly the defense I had hoped for from my sister. From any reasonable mother, for that matter. At this point I’d heard more than enough. I retraced a couple of steps, then walked noisily toward the door and walked through as if I’d just arrived and hadn’t heard a thing. “Hey, you two. How’s the suitcase look?”
    Several wavy wisps of Jana’s hair had come loose from her ponytail as she’d bent over Dad’s suitcase. She straightened up, looking a bit embarrassed, I thought, brushed them out of the way, and shook her head. “All I can say is, it’s a good thing I checked.”
    “Hmph.”
    “You’ll thank me later.”
    “Right.”
    The three of us made our way back down the stairs, Dad taking one at a time. We found Dylan on the blanket beside Hannah, tickling her chin with his finger.
    “Hey, Grace and Dylan, I’m working in Hannah’s class tomorrow at church,” Jana said. “Do you two want to help me? We could spend some time together, just hanging out.”
    Rob looked up. “Tomorrow’s a good day for it, too. Our pastor is out of town and Deacon Ross is doing the preaching.” He scratched his chin. “Maybe I’ll help in the nursery, too.” Rob tickled Hannah’s tummy and she giggled.
    “Let me try, Uncle Rob.” Dylan reached over to his cousin’s stomach and soon she was giggling and snorting. In spite of the cuteness of the moment, my earlier optimism about somehow rebuilding this family had started to fade.
    Jana was watching me with expectant eyes. If taking care of Dad was the first test, going to church seemed like the second. I wondered briefly how many more she would arrange for me. How many times I’d need to prove myself to her.
    “We’ll be there,” I said.
    The prodigal sister returned.

Chapter 3
    “Look at me, Hannah Rose.” Dylan’s voice bounced off the pink-and-blue-striped wallpaper of the church nursery. He made a face, turned a somersault, then made another face—anything he thought might get a giggle out of his baby cousin. He was proving rather successful.
    “Da da da da,” Hannah gurgled.
    “Hey, Mama, I think she’s trying to say Dylan,” he called over to me.
    Jana grinned down from the rocker where she sat giving Kelsey Whyte a bottle. “You know what? I think so, too. It’s amazing.” She waited until Dylan turned away before she whispered to me, “Better not tell Rob that Da-da is actually Dylan. I think he’d be upset.”
    I laughed. “Yeah, the truth hurts sometimes.” I watched Dylan’s animated antics around the blanket. “I’ve never seen him like this. When he’s around Hannah it’s like a new, confident Dylan emerges from beneath his usual shy self.”
    “Thanks for helping me in the nursery today.”
    “I’m glad you asked.” All morning long I’d been trying to get the courage to start a deeper conversation but hadn’t yet found it. Until the phone call a couple of days ago, it had never entered my mind how Jana felt. But for now, we were doing what my family tended to do . . . carrying on surface conversations, pretending like nothing had happened. Jana and I would have lots of time to talk next week while Dad was in the