Kelly Masters stood in the doorway and took one long last look at the apartment that had been her home for the past ten years. It was empty now, the furniture and all of the family belongings safely loaded on the moving van and on their way to their new home.

Kelly's heart was even emptier than the apartment she now stood in. Brian had been gone for nine months now. To Kelly, it felt more like nine years. She knew that sometimes life wasn't fair but she never thought in a million years that she would be a widow at the age of thirty-six. A single instant of being in the wrong place at the wrong time had cost her the love of her life.

That one moment in time had also provided her with the memory of finding Brian, lying in the hallway outside their apartment door, bloody and dying and past the point of saving.

Since then, the apartment had been just that--an apartment. Not a home.

One month ago, Kelly had received the call from the lawyer. She had inherited a house and some property from a distant relative that she hadn't known she had. A Great-Aunt named Kate Cochran. What would you like to do with it? the lawyer had asked.

The timing was perfect. The lawyer had forwarded the description of the house and grounds. The estate was called Cottonwood Hill. She was duly impressed. She had never owned a house that had an actual name. Kelly had never owned a house, period. Kelly had put the apartment up for sale immediately.

Her sisters had scolded her. Said she hadn't thought this thing out fully. Said she wasn't thinking with her whole brain. Yet both of them said they would meet her at Cottonwood Hill after she arrived. After all, they had a stake in this too. Kelly was the oldest, so she was in charge of the inheritance, but they too had inherited part of Cottonwood Hill and wanted to see just what it was they now owned.

Kelly had to get away from this apartment, this city and the memory of Brian, lying in a pool of blood just outside the door. It wasn't good for her state of mind to stay here and it surely couldn't be good for Jenna. Too much crime. Too many risks.

Jenna popped through the door as if able to read Kelly's mind. "Mommy, when are we leaving?"

Kelly pulled a smile onto her face and turned. "Right now, Sweet."

"Well, it's about time. I've been waiting," Jenna replied, then flounced back out the door.

Kelly smiled a true smile as she watched Jenna sashay toward the stairs. Six years old and all attitude, the real estate agent had commented the first time he had been exposed to Jenna Rae Masters. He had been right on the money about her, too, Kelly thought.

Kelly pulled the door to the apartment - and their old life - closed behind her and walked away from the terrible memories. Taking Jenna's hand, they headed to the car where it waited down at the curb. They were off on an adventure toward a new life.

A new life in the house on Cottonwood Hill.

It was eight o'clock in the evening by the time they reached the little town of Oak Grove, .Ohio. The light was taking on that sultry sleepiness of early evening and Jenna was tired of being in the car. She wasn't used to riding this far. Kelly rarely used the car in the city, normally taking a cab wherever they had to go.

"Are we there yet?" Jenna asked, her voice taking on the unmistakable whine that meant it was almost time for bed.

Kelly pulled the car over in front of what looked to be a combination market and gas station. "Just a little while longer, Sweet," she said, grabbing her purse. "Come on, let's go get some milk and bread. Then we'll head for the house." Jenna scrunched up her pixie face and got out of the car. Kelly hesitated in front of the car for a moment. It felt delicious to stretch her legs to their full length. She was glad they were almost to Cottonwood Hill. It had been an extremely long drive for her. It had probably been ten times worse for Jenna.

Jenna stood waiting in front of the screen door at the front of the market. Kelly smiled at her, noticing the tiredness around her daughter's eyes. "Come on honey. The house is just a mile or two up the road. It won't be much longer."

They entered the market and were immediately greeted by a friendly face.

"Well, there you are," the woman piped from behind the long wooden counter. She wiped her hands on a cloth and came around the counter faster than Kelly thought a woman of her size and age could move. "We were wondering what was taking you so long. Oh my," the woman continued, clasping her hands at her breast, "look at this little one here."

Jenna moved a step closer to Kelly but didn't try to hide from the woman. Kelly put her arm around Jenna's shoulders. "I didn't know that anyone was expecting us," she said.

The woman--who reminded Kelly of a general-all-around-Gramma--clapped her hands together. "Oh we were expecting you. Soon's we heard someone was coming to take on the old house on Cottonwood Hill, we just couldn't wait to see you." She thrust out her hand toward Kelly. "I'm Josey Jones," she said, grinning.

Kelly smiled and shook Josey's warm hand.

"That one hiding behind the potato chip rack is Johnny," Josey said.

A thin, balding man raised his hand in a wispy wave. "Hi ya."

"It's nice to meet you, Josey. John."

Josey let out a laugh. "Nobody calls me Josey. Just call me Big." She hiked her thumb toward where Johnny had just come out from hiding behind the rack. "Call him Little. People used to call us each 'J.J.', but it got too confusing. So, I'm Big J.J. and he's Little J.J.. We just went right ahead and shortened it to 'Big' and 'Little'. Suits us. We've been married so long, it's like we're one and the same anywho. Ain't that right, Little?"

Little nodded his head and smiled.

Kelly let out a laugh. "That must be why the sign out front says 'Big Little Market'"

Big grinned. "That'd be about right." She looked at Jenna. "What is your name, Sugar?"

"Jenna," she said, "I'm Jenna Rae Masters and I'm six whole years old."

"Well, don't you have a voice," Big said. "Come see what Big's got for you." She took Jenna by the hand and started toward the back of the store. Jenna looked back at Kelly, questioning.

"Go ahead, Jen. It's alright," Kelly reassured her. Jenna wasn't used to being hauled off by the hand by a stranger. She had been taught not to talk to strangers unless Kelly or her father were with her. Kelly watched as the large woman and the little girl stepped through a doorway at the back of the store. Kelly felt a bit nervous about Jenna following the woman but she could still see them through the doorway so she guessed it was all right. Things had to be different here.

"Don't let the woman put you off. Big as she is, she's got a heart to match," Little said, sidling up beside Kelly.

"It's nice that we found someone so friendly right away," Kelly began, "but how did you know about us? How did you know that we were coming?"

Little smiled a slow smile, sending the wrinkles on his face into a dance. "Not a whole lot happens 'round Oak Grove that you don't get wind of it soon enough. Especially if it has to do with Cottonwood Hill."

Kelly could hear Jenna's voice in the back room of the store, talking a mile a minute. Big would probably know everything there was to know about them by the time they came back into the store. "But how did you know that it was us in particular coming to live at Cottonwood Hill?" Kelly asked. She wondered silently about the comment Little had already made about hearing things that had to do with Cottonwood Hill. Was it some sort of famous place in the area?

"Well. You've got New York license plates and Mona over at State Realty said you'd be coming today." Little grinned. "That's why we kept the store open so late. Knew you'd have to stop for some fixin's for breakfast."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to go to any trouble." Kelly was not used to such familiarity from strangers.

"Oh, don't let me hear you talking like that," Big said, making her way back toward the front of the store with Jenna in tow. "That's what neighbors are for. Help each other out."

"You can tell that she came from the city, can't you, Little," a deep voice said from behind Kelly.

She jumped then turned toward the voice. Kelly's heart skipped a beat. He was tall, blond and had a smile that would blind you. He was also wearing a police uniform. "Is there something wrong with being from the city?" she asked. She didn't know why but his comment had felt like an insult. Plus, ever since Brian's death, she had an aversion to police uniforms.

The Deputy placed three cans of soup and a loaf of bread on the counter. "I didn't say there was anything wrong with it. I was just making an observation." He looked her straight in the eye.

Kelly felt as if she was being challenged. If this Good-Ole-boy thought he could intimidate her, standing there in his starched, clean uniform with a sparkle in his eye--eyes that were such a crisp, clear blue that you could drown in them--well he had another think coming.

Little had moved behind the counter and started ringing up the man's purchase. "That be all for you, Glen?"

"Yep," Glen said, still daring Kelly with his eyes. To Kelly, he said, "I'm sorry if you took offense at my comment, Ms. Masters. But, I have found that most people who come from the city are a little suspicious."

"Suspicious? I'm not suspicious." Kelly felt her ire rising. "It's not everyday that people take the time to do something nice for someone that they don't even know."

"That's my point," Glen said. "You can't take it for what it is. Someone doing something nice. Most city people think that if someone does something nice for them, they either have to pay for it or there are other strings attached."

Kelly put a hand on her hip. "I can too take it for what it is."

"Can not."

"Can too." This is ridiculous, Kelly thought.

Glen grinned widely. "Truce?" He stuck out a large hand. "I'm Glen Westfall."

She shook his hand by reflex. His handshake was warm, firm and engulfed her own hand. Her palm tingled at his touch. Thankfully, the handshake didn't last too long. "Kelly Masters."

"Nice to meet you," Glen said, releasing her hand.

"You know," Kelly said, "being neighborly is one thing, imposing is another. Especially when your neighbors have never met you."

Glen lifted his sack of groceries from the counter. "It may take some time, but I think that you'll get used to the neighborly way we live around here. It's definitely not like living in the city. People do things for each other in this neck of the woods." Glen nodded at Little, and headed out the door before Kelly could snap back at him.

Kelly's nerves jangled. What kind of person did Deputy Westfall think she was? She just felt a bit taken aback by the Jones' keeping the store open for her, that's all. Things like that didn't happen where she came from. Kelly would like to give Glen Westfall a piece of her mind. She wiped a hand across her face, feeling the stress of the move creep up her back and into her shoulders.

"Look what Big gave us, Mommy," Jenna said, tugging at Kelly's blouse. She held a small picnic basket that was filled to the top with all sorts of goodies. "I'm hungry."

"You shouldn't have. Here let me pay you..." Kelly started digging in her purse.

"No you don't," Big said. "Just consider this your official welcome. We knew you'd be showing up to an empty house. We just wanted you to feel like Oak Grove is home, you know?"

Kelly flustered. "I don't know what to say."

Big dismissed her with a wave of her pudgy hand. "Don't say anything. And you are not imposing."

"Come on Mom. I want to see the house," Jenna said.

"We really should be going," Kelly said, taking the basket from Jenna. It was heavier than what she thought. "I'll drop the basket off tomorrow, if that's alright?"

"You take your time. You've got your work cut out for you ... taking on Cottonwood Hill. You just bring it back whenever."

Kelly wasn't sure if she liked the sound of that. taking on Cottonwood Hill. "We really must be going. Thank you so much."

"You need anything, you let us know," Big said, walking them to the door.

"It was nice meeting you," Kelly said as she and Jenna got into the car.

Big smiled and crossed her arms over her ample breasts. Little waved. "Don't be strangers," he said.

"We won't," Jenna yelled out the car window.

Kelly pulled back onto the road feeling a bit better about the move.

"Big and Little are sure nice, aren't they, Mom," Jenna said.

"Big and Little?" Kelly asked.

Jenna shrugged. "It's easier to say than Mrs. Jones and Mr. Jones. Besides, Big said it was okay to call her that."

Kelly wondered if all of the people in this area were such characters as Big and Little Jones. And just what did people call Deputy Glen Westfall? Good Ole Country Boy, probably.

Kelly shook her head. Living here was going to be a lot different than what they were used to. Maybe it's a good thing though, Kelly thought. If everyone was as nice as the Jones', she could put up with one Glen Westfall. She squinted into the waning light, trying to make out her turn off. According to the directions from George Stillson, the lawyer who was in charge of all of the paperwork, she was supposed to watch for a tiny roadside park on the right. The lane to Cottonwood Hill would be just past it. She hoped it wasn't too much further. She was ready to get out of this car for the night.

Glen carried his meager bag of groceries out to his pickup and set them in the bed. He had gotten off his shift early and felt like taking a drive along the river through Oak Grove and on down to Independence Dam. Remembering that his cupboards were bare, he had stopped in the Market to pick up a few things before he got to the Dam. He hadn't seen Big and Little for a while and thought it would be good to see them again. He had lucked out. He also had the chance to meet Kelly Masters.

As he drove east toward the Dam, he replayed the conversation with Kelly Masters over in his head. Boy, she sure was touchy about being from the city. Glen grinned as he drove along the tree-lined road. Feisty, that one. Proud, too. He liked the way her eyes flashed when he had made that comment about her being from the New York.

Glen turned into Independence Dam State Park and slowly cruised by the Dam itself, watching the water cascade over the wall. Not too many people out today for being a nice day in June. Those that were out enjoying picnics and such looked to be packing it in for the day. Glen liked driving through the Dam, people watching. The teenagers playing football and frisbee in the grass. Families out hiking, biking, picnicking. The families were nice to watch though Glen had never had an inclination to start one of his own. As he made the turning loop and headed back toward the entrance of the park, his thoughts returned to Kelly Masters.

Her long blond hair lying silkily across her shoulders, her emerald green eyes full of fire. The way her chin tilted up in defiance at his remark about being from the city. She was something. Glen sure got a charge out of her. Even though he had just met her, and only for a few minutes, he knew he had never met a woman like her before. Most of the women that he had dated were soft-spoken and a bit demure. Small town women who always seemed to be looking for a relationship. Glen didn't want a relationship. At least, not right now. With his position as Deputy Sheriff and his exterminating business on the side, he had his hands full just taking care of the dog. Besides, he wasn't ready to settle down into family life. Not yet. Maybe someday.

He pulled back out onto River Road and headed west, back toward Oak Grove and River Bend. He propped his elbow on the open window and let the breeze blow through into the cab of the truck. Jesus, he couldn't get Kelly Masters out of his head. With her being so different--so full of spice--he felt an uncontrollable urge to want to tame her.

Glen had heard that she was a widow and that she had a daughter. News traveled fast in these parts. The daughter had been with her in the Market and she was a pretty little thing. He wondered if she had as much spunk as her mother. Glen liked kids himself, loved his niece and nephews.

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. Wonder if I should ask her out? he thought. He didn't know the circumstances of her husband's death or really how long she had been a widow.

But a date with Kelly Masters was definitely on the agenda.

Oh, yeah.

Glen leaned forward, trying to get a better look at the car ahead of him on the road. It was going awfully slow. As he got closer, he realized that it was Kelly Masters herself. Glen grinned.

Even driving only forty-five miles per hour, Kelly almost missed the park. She hit the brakes and slowed down even more. She checked her rear-view mirror. Sure enough, there was a huge black pick-up truck behind her. Close enough that it looked like it was going to crawl up on the trunk of her car. She tapped the brakes. The truck slowed. And guess who was driving it. Glen Westfall. He smiled and waved through the windshield.

How had he ended up behind her? He had left the little store before she had. Oh well. Kelly ignored him. He's probably thinking 'City Woman Driver', she thought.

Glen Westfall pulled his truck out around her to pass and with a blast of the horn, he moved on up the road.

Kelly wanted to say a few choice words but she bit her tongue. She leaned over the steering wheel. There. A break in the trees. Kelly flicked on her turn signal and turned to the right into the lane.

"Is this it?" Jenna asked.

Kelly frowned. "I'm pretty sure," she said.

The stately cottonwoods that lined the lane were in full leaf, throwing the lane into darkness. Kelly turned on her headlights. The car rumbled up the dirt lane, jarring Kelly's teeth. We'll have to do something about this, she thought. The shocks on the car wouldn't last three months at this rate. The lane continued to climb through the tall trees. Kelly began to wonder exactly where the house was located when suddenly, the lane widened and the headlights threw the three story house into harsh light.

Kelly hit the brakes and stopped the car. All thoughts of the aggravating Glen Westfall flew from her mind.

"Wow. That's one big house," Jenna said, excitement pushing away her sleepiness. "Can I pick my own room?"

"Sure, Sweet," Kelly said, staring at the monstrous house.

Lights glowed through the lower windows, spearing the oncoming darkness with rectangles of light. Mr. Stillson had assured Kelly that he would have the electricity and phone hooked up before they arrived. He also was supposed to have hired someone to come in and do an initial cleaning. When Kelly had questioned him on the cost of hiring someone, Stillson had assured her that there was ample money for the care of the house included in the inheritance.

"Mom ... go," Jenna said anxiously.

Kelly blinked and tried to shake the feeling the house was watching them. It's just the effect of the light shining through the windows. Makes them look like eyes, she told herself. There was the irritation of meeting Glen Westfall jangling her nerves, too. At lease she wouldn't have to deal with him anymore tonight. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to deal with him at all, though he was a very impressive looking man. He had a Hollywood smile and dazzling blue eyes. And a way about him that suggested a controlled power just under the surface. Enough, Kelly told herself. Get him out of your head. Kelly looked up at the house again. She wondered again about Little Jones' comment about 'taking on' Cottonwood Hill. It had sounded so ominous. It'll look better in the morning light, she thought as she parked the car in front of the house. She did like the fact that the house had a circular driveway. At least she wouldn't have to drive through the yard to turn the car around. There was no way she would ever attempt to back down that lane. Not even in broad daylight.

Jenna couldn't get her seatbelt off fast enough. Before Kelly knew it, her daughter had scrambled up the front porch steps and was jiggling the handle on the front door, trying to get inside.

The light was on above the door, illuminating the front steps but it wasn't bright enough to push back the shadows from the length of the porch. Kelly remembered from the description of the house that the porch spanned the whole front of the house and wrapped itself around to the back.

"Where's the key?" Jenna yelled, her voice echoing off the trees in the still June twilight.

"Hold your horses. I'm coming." She started up the steps, carrying everything that she could in her arms. The sound of wings flapping zipped by Kelly's head. She ducked by reflex, trying not to lose her load. "What was that?"

"Looked like a bird. Can I unlock the door?"

Kelly handed Jenna the keys. No fear in this little girl, she thought. Not even scared of a spooky bird in the dark. It still amazed Kelly that Jenna had kept that fearlessness after everything that had happened. Jenna was one strong little girl,that was for sure. "It's the big gold one," Kelly told her.

Jenna wiggled the key into the lock. It issued a loud 'clunk', then Jenna threw open the door. She ran inside, letting the door hit the inside wall.

Good way to start, Kelly thought following Jenna into the foyer. She meant to check the wall behind the heavy wooden door for damage, but the sight of the foyer stopped her in her tracks.

The foyer was huge.

An antique chandelier was suspended from a twenty-foot high ceiling by a heavy brass chain. The light from the bulbs in the chandelier made the heavy crystals that decorated it glow like tiny flames. The wide wooden staircase started up the right side of the entry and curved to the left gracefully at the second floor landing. Kelly could glimpse another set of stairs leading to the third floor in the right corner of the landing. She could swear that the floor she stood on was made of stone. Square pieces set in a mosaic of dusky greens and blues and rust colored squares. The walls looked to be in good shape though the wallpaper was faded with age and spiders had built themselves some pretty intricate homes high up, where you could only reach with a ladder. And that was if you were brave.

A hallway ran toward the back of the house to the left of the stairs. There were no lights on in the back.

Arched doorways opened off each side of the foyer into what looked like twin living rooms. Kelly supposed they were called sitting rooms, or maybe parlors, in their day. Each room was dimly lit and Kelly could see through the doorways that each was fully furnished.

She set her armload of belongings on the tiled floor and took a breath. This house was much more than she had expected.

"Needs some work, but very impressive," she said to herself.

Running footsteps pounded on the second floor. Jenna came running along the landing. "I found my room," she said, stopping at the head of the stairs. "Come see." She took off running back in the direction that she had come from.

Kelly shook her head and sighed wearily. "So much for resting after a long drive," she said, closing the front door against the coming night.

After okaying Jenna's room choice--she had picked one of the second floor rooms on the west side of the house--Kelly raided the picnic basket and got them each a snack. At least it would stave off Jenna's hunger for a little while. Jenna was too excited to go to bed yet so Kelly gave her the duffel bag that contained Jenna's clothes and left her to put them away for herself. Kelly headed for the bedroom that she had picked out for herself.

Kelly's bedroom was also on the west side of the house, but in the back. Still, it was right across the hall from the room Jenna had chosen. Kelly's bedroom was huge compared to what she was used to. Of course, so was the house. While digging through her own duffel bag, Kelly wondered what she was going to do when the moving van arrived tomorrow. Mr. Stillson had told her the house was furnished. She had never imagined something like this, though.

From what she had seen so far, the house was furnished so lavishly that there wasn't going to be room for her own things. Every piece of furniture in Cottonwood Hill was antique. It was a period house--complete. A Victorian mansion in the country. Kelly's style of furniture was not going to fit in with the decor. Not unless she wanted to change the whole look of the house.

Kelly shoved her empty duffel bag under the huge four poster bed. She'd inspect the house first thing in the morning, then decide what to do with their things. After all, she had only seen a few of the rooms so far.

Kelly reached for the nightgown that she had placed on the bed, thinking about a nice hot bath when she heard footsteps on the floor above. She frowned. She had specifically told Jenna not to wander around the house. Not until Kelly herself had checked everything out. The house was old. Its condition was still questionable.

She walked to the bedroom door. "Jenna?" The footsteps stopped.

"Yeah, Mom?"

"Where are you?" Kelly asked, walking out into the hall.

Jenna popped her head around the doorway of her own room. "Right here. What do you want?"

"Were you just upstairs?"

Jenna scrunched up her face. "Huhunh. I've been in my room. Why?"

"Oh, nothing. Go ahead and go back to what you were doing."

Jenna shrugged her shoulders. "Okay." She disappeared back into her bedroom.

Kelly bit her lip. Maybe she was just hearing things. She went back into her bedroom to retrieve her nightgown. She hesitated, staring up at the ceiling.

All was quiet.

She shook her head, amused at herself. She started toward the bathroom. It was on the second floor also but on the east side. She had found it on her way up the stairs when she had went to approve Jenna's choice of bedroom.

Kelly walked across the landing, mumbling to herself. "Not used to a big house. Not used to being in the country." It was too quiet here. She was used to the hushed noise of busy streets through the third floor windows of their apartment. It was a constant white noise that she didn't realize she missed until arriving here in this country quiet. She couldn't even hear a car passing on River Road. The house was set too far back from it for the noise to carry all the way up here. A creak echoed in the stairway, making her jump. Just the house settling, she told herself. Old houses do that. They settle.

She wasn't used to life without Brian yet, either.

Kelly entered the bathroom and smiled at the huge claw-footed tub. Now, this was something that she was sure she'd get used to real fast. She turned on the water to let the tub fill. This, she was going to enjoy. Especially since Sera and Nikki would show up sometime tomorrow. Kelly loved her sisters dearly, but they did tend to get on her nerves after a while. She guessed that was part of being the oldest. The younger two had badgered her terribly when they had all lived at home. But then, being the oldest was what had gotten her this house. And hopefully, a start on a new life along with it.

Sera and Nikki held a quarter interest each but it was Kelly who was to make all of the decisions about Cottonwood Hill. They didn't like the fact that Kelly had decided to move into the house but it wasn't because they owned part of it. It was because they were worried about her, Kelly knew.

So they would show up tomorrow and badger her some more.

But then, you never knew.

Maybe they would like Cottonwood Hill.

Kelly shut off the spigot and slid into the steaming water.

Ah, this is good, she thought. Leaving their old apartment and all of the memories attached to it was a strain. Add to that the long drive, meeting new people ... especially with her strange aversion to Glen Westfall. All the occurrences of the day added to the pressure that Kelly felt. Maybe, she thought, Glen Westfall wasn't as obnoxious as he seemed. Maybe it was just that she was having a trying day. Maybe ... maybe not. Ah well. Kelly wasn't going to worry herself over a man she didn't know. She probably wouldn't run into him again any time soon.

She slid further down into the water, letting it lap over her shoulders. The tension that had settled in her back and neck from the long drive ebbed away. Kelly finally let herself relax.