There was something wistful in Mrs. Maxwell’s eyes, but she shook her head. “Tom and I really don’t—”
“Hey, there! Did you forget about me?” Alice hurried up to them. “You must be Mrs. Maxwell.”
Annie took her arm, drawing her closer. “This is Alice McFarlane. I’m sorry, but I never did introduce myself. I’m Annie Dawson.”
“Oh, um, yes. I’m sure that’s the name Tom mentioned to me. I’m sorry he wasn’t very welcoming that day, but we don’t get a lot of visitors, and he’d been napping.” Mrs. Maxwell smiled uncertainly. “He’s a good man. Really.”
“Wally says he does a good job.”
“Wally?”
“Wally Carson,” Annie said. “He does most of the odd jobs around Stony Point, but he said if he was busy that we couldn’t go wrong with Tom Maxwell.”
Mrs. Maxwell ducked her head, but there was a pleased expression on her face. “That’s nice of him. I think Tom’s mentioned him, too, come to think of it.”
“You must be quite a gardener.” Annie glanced around the yard again, imagining what it would be like in the spring. “I bet it’s really pretty come April or May. It’s certainly different than it was when I used to come here.”
Again Mrs. Maxwell looked shyly pleased.
“I’ve made a lot of changes since we moved in. The people who lived here before Tom and me didn’t do anything much at all with the yard.”
“It’s nice. And I’ve always liked the house. I love how solid it is, as if it’s been here forever and always will be.”
Mrs. Maxwell smiled a little, and Annie could see now that her eyes were dark blue.
“I’ve always liked it too. I mean, ever since we’ve been here. It’s a real home, not just a place to live.”
“That’s what my friend used to say about it,” Annie said. “I always loved visiting.”
Mrs. Maxwell’s smile faded, and again she shaded her eyes with one hand. “Tom said you knew someone who used to live here.”
“Susan Morris. Her parents are buried over in your cemetery.”
“Yes.”
“You must take care of their graves, of all the graves, for them to look so neat.”
Mrs. Maxwell turned toward the little fenced-in area. “It just seemed right, you know. I guess most of those people lived in the house at one time or other. Someone should look after them.”
“And the house, too, right?”
“The house too.”
“I wonder how much it’s changed since Susan lived here. She always loved the place.”
Annie waited, but Mrs. Maxwell made no reply. She didn’t even turn to face them again.
“I guess gardening takes up a lot of your time,” Alice ventured. “Annie and I both do a lot of crafts, crochet and cross-stitch, and that kind of thing. Do you have any hobbies?”
Mrs. Maxwell finally turned around, but she kept her eyes on the dormant grass at her feet.
“No, I really don’t do any of that. By the time I’ve done the gardening and the housework, I really don’t—”
“Sandy?”
Mrs. Maxwell’s head jerked up, and her eyes got big. “I—I really have to go now.”
“Sandy?” Tom Maxwell came around the side of the house, his large work boots eating up the ground between them in short order. He glanced at Annie and Alice, and then at his wife. “I didn’t know you had company, honey.”
She shrugged a little, and her lips trembled into an uncertain smile. “I was working in the garden, and they just dropped by.”
“We thought we’d take just a minute to introduce ourselves. I know I came at a bad time the other day, but Alice and I—” Annie pulled Alice a little closer to her. “This is Alice McFarlane. She lives next door to me over on Ocean Drive. Anyway, we were just saying that—”
“Look, Mrs. Dawson. That is your name, right?”
Annie nodded.
“Mrs. Dawson, I told you before, my wife and I don’t do much socializing. I’m sure you and your friend mean well, but we like our privacy.” Tom Maxwell fixed his dark eyes on them. “You can understand that, can’t you?”
Annie bit her lip and nodded.
He put his arm around his wife’s slender shoulders. “We like our privacy, don’t we, honey?”
Mrs. Maxwell glanced at Annie and then looked away. “I don’t do any of that needlework stuff you were talking about, Mrs. Dawson. My garden keeps me pretty busy anyway. But thanks for stopping by.”
Her husband squeezed her closer to him. “Is there anything else we can do for you ladies?”