Page 92 (1/2)

“Uncle Culley!” Cat had noticed him, too, but her call went unheeded She left the car and hurried down the narrow path between the graves to intercept him “Uncle Culley, wait!”

He slowed and finally turned to meet her The cold air had taken soain while she searched his stony fact There was a haunted bleakness about his eyes, the only sign that revealed the extent of his grief She was moved by it

“Will you please co to a child, despite the gray of his hair “A few people ere very close to Mother are stopping by The Homestead for coffee You should be there, too”

“No” He shook his head slowly, his glance sliding briefly past her “I’m not welcome there”

His reason momentarily stunned her “Yes, you are,” Cat insisted “You’ll always be welcome, the same as when Mother was alive”

“Nothing’s the same”

“Please come I knoon a sob “So do I”

Gently, the way someone would caress a delicate petal, he touched her cheek There was a sadly adoring look in his eyes “You look so much like her”

All through the led to hold back the tears, trying to wrap an adult privacy around her grief But at sixteen, she wasn’t as esture of love from a man so lonely and alone as her uncle unleashed the awful ache Without

caring how childish it looked, she threw her ar her face in the war the silent comfort of a pair of arms around her

Culley held her close The ache inside hireat it hurt to breathe Yet there was solace in the way she needed hiie He still had that A faint smile touched the corners of hishim this

But he was also conscious of the couple standing by the car, watching thes that went on around him Gently but firmly he held Cathleen away from him and wiped at the wet trail of her cheeks

“I’ll always be close by if you ever need o now Your brother’s waiting”

She started to turn away, then stopped to plead one last time, “Won’t you come?”

“No I’ with a motion of his hand