The Perfect Match (Blue Heron #2)(100)

“Oh, I don’t think so, Daddy.”

“You two kids should take the house, and Mrs. J. and I will stay in her apartment. It’s perfect for two, and you and Tom will be having babies soon enough. Right? I’d love more grandchildren. Besides, the New House is where you belong.

She smiled. “I’ll talk to him about it.”

Because that image of her and Tom, and a kid or two...it was a lot easier to picture these days.

* * *

AN HOUR LATER, as the sliver of the new moon rose on the horizon, every member of the Holland family, plus Tom and Charlie, gathered up near the cemetery.

The sowing ceremony took place on the rise of the first new moon of April. The origins of the ceremony were unclear, but tradition was tradition.

Tom came up next to Honor, smelling of soap from his shower, and kissed her on the cheek. Abby and Charlie were snickering, Levi was on the phone with his sister, growling to her about something, then passing the phone to Ned (and not looking too happy about it, either). Pru and Carl had their arms around each other, Goggy was fussing with the refreshments, which were laid out on a blanket in the back of Dad’s red pickup truck. She tut-tutted as Mrs. Johnson tried to help, and Mrs. J. tut-tutted back. Dad and Jack were talking pH levels in the latest batch of Riesling, and Faith sat on the ground next to Mom’s headstone, her face dreamy and sweet.

“So what’s this about, then?” Tom asked.

“It’s a blessing for the crops,” Honor said. “We’ve done it for generations.”

“Gather around, everyone,” Pops said, and the family made a semicircle around the little cemetery. Pops stood a little straighter and took Goggy’s hand. “All right, then,” he said. “As father, grandfather and great-grandfather—

“And as mother, grandmother and great-grandmother,” said Goggy. “We welcome you tonight.”

“De liefde van God zij met u.” the rest of them chorused.

“That means ‘God’s love be with you,’” Honor told Tom and Charlie.

“Tonight, we ask for God’s blessing on the year to come. We pray that the rain will fall softly on the fields, that the sun will shine warmly, that the food we grow will provide for our family, this year and in all the years to come.”

“Amen,” they said.

Goggy handed the first bottle of wine to Pops.

“That’s a wine we make only for the family,” Honor explained as Pops wielded one of his many corkscrews. “We call it the blessing wine and only use it for weddings, christenings and the sowing ceremony.”

Tom glanced at her, and she felt a prickle of heat in her cheeks. They’d be drinking the blessing wine again soon, both at Dad’s wedding, and then again at theirs.

And maybe, in a year or so, at the christening of their baby.

“Cool,” Charlie said, watching as Pops deftly uncorked that bottle, then two more.

“First we take a drink, then pour some on the ground,” Honor explained as Pops took the first drink. “That way, we honor the family who came before us, and the soil that provides for us now.”

“Lovely,” Tom said. “I wish my dad could see this. He’d love it.”

“Maybe next year,” she said, and he flashed that grin.

Oh, yes, she loved him so much her heart hurt in a wonderfully sharp ache.

Faith passed the bottle to her, and Honor took a sip. Funny, all the ceremony over the opening and aeration of wine, assessing the bouquet and texture, the myriad flavors...but not tonight. Tonight, they chugged from the bottle, and it was the wine Honor loved most of all, sweet and smoky. One swallow, one slosh on the ground, a little prayer for the well-being of her family. And Tom. And Charlie.

She passed the bottle to the boy, who’d be her unofficial stepson, too, soon enough, whatever her real title might be. He gave Tom a questioning look; Tom nodded, and Charlie took a little sip, grimaced, then swallowed and poured some wine on the ground.

“Good job,” she said. He smiled back at her, then passed the bottle to Tom, who did his part.

When everyone had had a sip, Pops took a box of matches from his shirt pocket and lit the fire Ned had laid earlier that day. As the wood began to crackle and the fire bathed all their faces in a warm glow, Tom took her hand. “I’m very glad I met you, Miss Holland,” he said.

The words were ordinary; the feeling anything but.

“Tom, darling,” Goggy said, “you have to do one thing for us. Since you’re the newest member of the family.”

“Wouldn’t that be Charlie?” Abby said with a wicked grin.

“Well, Charlie and Tom, then,” Goggy said. “Here you go, dears.”

She passed them a plate. “What is that?” Charlie said. “Oh, man, you gotta be kidding me.”

Honor grinned. “It’s tradition, Charlie. Newest family members and all.”

“What is this, love?” Tom asked, tilting his head to look at the traditional Dutch dish.

“It’s raw herring and onions,” Honor said. “Eat up, boys.” Ah, the Dutch. Who else loved what was essentially cat food? She herself hated herring; just the sight of it made her stomach flip. Faith shared the sentiment and gave a subtle dry heave.

“You know, I’m not technically part of the family,” Charlie said. “Tom’s marrying you, but I’m kind of unofficial here.”