The hearse followed the fire engines. Small American flags fluttered on each front fender. Behind the hearse, the mourners followed. The traffic line stretched a quarter of a mile down the main street, and each car was packed. The first three cars behind the hearse held the family.Jordan sat in the back seat of one of those cars, staring out the window. She was dressed in a black suit, her hair subdued in a low chignon at the back of her neck. High on her cheekbone, a small bandage covered the stitched-up gash inflicted by the falling rubble from the night of the fire. Grace, dressed in a daffodil-yellow ruffled pinafore, squirmed on her lap and sucked her pacifier.Tears brimmed at Jordan’s lashes. She tried to blink them back, but one breached the delicate dam of her soft eye lid and slid down her cheek. She felt a gentle touch to her cheek, brushing the tear away. She turned and smiled at Aiden. He smiled back and took her free hand in his.“Thank you for riding with me today,” she said softly.“I was flattered that Mrs.
