As she stood there looking at the mission a knot formed in her stomach. She was finally coming home to Cutter Gap but she was so afraid of what was about to happen. As she was gathering the courage to go to the door, a friendly face opened the door of a bunkhouse near the barn. He was a tall attractive young man who hastily made his way to her.

"Hello, my name is David Grantland. I'm the minister in Cutter Gap. Can I help you?" he said with a smile, but puzzled look on his face.

"Yes, My name is Kathryn MacNeil. I was looking for Ms. Alice Henderson."

"She's right inside. I'll take you to her." David said with amazement. Had she said MacNeil? He was quite intrigued by this and was eager to find out more.

"Thank you Rev. Grantland."

He took her inside and led her into the parlor and quickly left to get Ms. Alice. She could hear voices coming from the other room and then suddenly heard a crash. It sounded as if someone had dropped a dish. Then suddenly Alice burst into the room with tears in her eyes and a look of disbelief both hands covering her mouth. Her face was as white as a sheet. Christy followed in curiosity. Kathryn turned around and saw the loving face of her grandmother that she had longed to see.

"Katie is it really thee?"

Kathryn smiled to hear her nickname again and with tears in her eyes she walked over and gave her Alice a hug as she said, "Yes, grandmother. It's me. I've come home."

"Thank thee Lord. Oh Katie, when we couldn't find thee or thy mother we thought thee both were dead. It was I who told thy father to stop searching. I lost faith. I'm so sorry. Can thee ever forgive me?"

"Oh grandmother. I should be asking for forgiveness. I had no idea that you and father thought we were dead. Mother just said that we had to leave, that you and father didn't want us here anymore. I knew that there had to be something wrong, that you and father would never say that. We left early that morning for El Pano and then took the train to Atlanta. Mother then took me to the orphanage and said that I had to be a good girl and that she had to go away for a while but that she would come back for me soon. I always thought she would she never came back and a man named Doctor Porter and his wife adopted me. They were so kind to me and I was able to attend a fine school. I helped him at his office in the afternoons and summer; he even trained me to be a nurse. They were wonderful people but I couldn't help but think about you and father. I knew I had to come back to you. I wanted to come back home, but I had to find mother first."

"Did thee find her, Katie?" Alice asked through teary eyes.

" Strangely enough, mother came to Dr. Porter's office one day; she didn't even recognize me at first. I asked her why she didn't come back for me like she promised but she never answered. I asked many questions about home and you and father but she never wanted to talk about it. I had to come back and see if it was true. Oh grandmother she's not the same person at all."

As Alice listened to what Kathryn was saying she couldn't believe that Margaret could do such a thing to her own child. When she finished tears were flowing in both their eyes.

"Oh Katie thee does not have to ask for forgiveness. Yes, thy mother turned into a very deceitful woman. I'm so sorry that thee had to go through all of this, but thee is now with us and I am so thankful to have thee back in my life."

"I'm so glad to be back grandmother, it has been far too long."

Alice turned around and took Kathryn by the hand and led her over to Christy and David.

"Miss. Huddleston, David, I would like to introduce thee to my granddaughter. Kathryn Elizabeth MacNeil."

"I'm so pleased to meet you both. Mr. Pentland has told me a lot about you." She shook hands with them.

Alice took on a serious tone and asked, "Katie, where is thy mother now."

Kathryn looked down at the not sure what to say as tears formed in her eyes. "When mother came to see Dr. Porter, she was very ill."

"Yes she came here one time and told me of the tuberculosis. I begged her to let me come with her, to help her get treatment, but she refused. She told me you had died in that storm and that she couldn't stay in Cutter Gap after that. She told me she felt responsible and couldn't face us."

"She came here?" her heart sunk. Her mother had come back and never told them that she was really alive. "Well then you know how bad her condition was. There was little that could be done." she paused a moment unsure of what to say. "Mother died shortly before I came."

Alice grew pale and began to cry, she was so hurt when Margaret left and now her only child was gone forever.

"I'm so sorry grandmother, I tried so hard to help her."

"I'm sure thee did all thee could. We all tried to help her, but she never wanted our help. Please stay the night here at the mission. I'm so happy that thee are here." Alice smiled as she dried her tears, stood up and led Kathryn to the dining room.

While at dinner they talked, as Kathryn was full of questions about the cove and her childhood friends. She learned of Christy's work with the school and the children. Kathryn was so happy for the children that they had such a kind and caring teacher as Christy. As Kathryn talked Alice seemed to notice two rings on Kathryn's hands. On the right she wore a silver ring, a woven band of Celtic knot work. Alice had seen this ring before, it was one that Neil had given her when she was younger just before she and Margaret had left. It had belonged to his mother and he had passed it on to Kathryn. On her left hand she wore a diamond ring, a gold band with the stone set in silver. It was a small ring but fit her delicate hands just right. It seemed to be an engagement ring. Alice was intrigued and bit concerned by the thought that her seventeen-year-old granddaughter could be engaged.

"Katie, I see thee still have the ring thy father gave thee."

"Yes, I've never taken it off. I wore it to remind me of him. He had said that the knot work on the band was connected, it had no ending; like his love for me. I guess that's why I couldn't ever believe that father had stopped loving me."

Christy smiled. She could tell that Neil had loved her very much. Even though he was a rough man, she knew that he was very loving.

"And thee also has a very lovely ring on thy left hand."

Katie looked down at the ring that had held so much love. She felt a lump form in her throat as she thought of Peter.

"Yes, I had been somewhat engaged to a fine young man named Peter Johnson. He was apprenticed to Dr. Porter before he began medical school. That's how we met. He graduated at the top of his class. He was always so smart. The ring was more of a promise ring. We always said that we would get married someday, when he was out of medical school and had established his practice." She was fighting the tears that threatened to fall.

Kathryn looked down at the table in an attempt to hold back her tears until she could explain. She cleared her throat and continued.

"Peter died a month ago, but I just can't bring myself to take the ring off quite yet. I had loved him so much. We were going to open our own clinic and I was going to be his nurse. He and Dr. Porter would go on weekly visits to the orphanage to tend to the children; the same one that I was adopted from. There was an outbreak of scarlet fever. I wanted to help but they had quarantined the building and Peter refused to let me come in. He was always trying to protect me. They got through it without losing too many children but Peter came down with it the day they lifted the quarantine. Despite what Doctor Porter said I wouldn't leave his side. He seemed like he was getting better, but then he took a turn for the worse and just couldn't fight it any longer. It's the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. I feel so lost without Peter. There will never be another like him." She couldn't take it any longer. The tears were freely falling now. She quickly excused herself and left the table.

Christy and Alice both had tears in there eyes after listening to Kathryn.

"She's had such terrible things happen to her. Can't she ever find some happiness in her life." Christy said.

"I think that is why she came back home. She seems to have been happy in her life in Atlanta but she needed to come home." Alice explained.