Read Online Shield My Heart (Heaven Hill Book 9) by Laramie Briscoe - Free Book Online
Authors: Laramie Briscoe
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fuck his world up.
‡
Chapter Ten
S he’d looked beautiful. Pregnancy agreed with her in a lot of ways. Even though he had seen the tension around her face, he’d also noticed the way her T-shirt pulled tight against her breasts, the way her skin glowed in the sun. Dalton wanted nothing more than to follow her as she’d given up her place in the drive-thru line. His hands ached to touch her, his ears wanted to hear her voice again. It’d been weeks since he’d heard her speak, longer than that since he’d touched her. He physically ached with the wanting.
Last night when he’d gotten back into town, a part of him had wanted to be as close to her as he could be. With the dark of night covering him, he’d driven over to her apartment building and watched her window for hours. He’d relived moments they’d shared together in his mind. Memories were the only things that kept him going these days. They kept his head above water and the depression at bay because he was damn tired of wanting something he couldn’t have.
There was an easy way to end all of this. He had to find Samuel and get the money to Calvert before anything happened to his uncle, but truth be told, he was damn tired of chasing a ghost.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he fished it out, holding onto the milkshake he drank.
Got to the trailer and he’s here. I’m keeping him preoccupied until you make it. He won’t lie to you like he will me.
Dalton threw away the milkshake and wanted to scream with joy as he read his brother’s text message. They’d finally found their uncle. Now, hopefully, they could get some answers.
*
Mandy sighed as she parked her car in front of her parents’ house. She hadn’t wanted to go home after her Sonic run, but she hadn’t wanted to be around friends either. The place where she felt safest called to her. Seeing her mom’s car, she smiled. It looked like no one else was home, and that was exactly how she wanted it.
Slowly she took the stairs to the front door, moving cautiously because her stomach didn’t always agree with what she chose to eat. When it felt like she would be okay, she tested the knob, knocking lightly as she walked inside.
“Mom, you here?”
“On the back porch!”
That’s where her mom always was; book in her hand, light blanket over her legs. She loved her afternoons on the back porch. Mandy grinned, her cheeks turning red as she thought about the afternoons she and Dalton had spent there as teenagers. Hopefully no one but them knew about those stolen hours—when they did all kinds of things they weren’t supposed to.
“Hey.” Mandy gave her mom the first genuine smile she’d given anyone in the past few weeks. It felt good to see her and not be alone.
“Hey yourself.” Denise waved from where she sat in her favorite chair.
Suddenly exhaustion gripped Mandy like she’d never felt before. She yawned widely and grabbed a blanket Denise kept over the back of the couch. It was so much more than a back porch. It had been screened in when they came to live here, and it had been where all of them gathered, where her parents had been married, and where many of them had spent long summer nights. This was one of her most cherished places too.
“You tired? Charity said you haven’t been feeling well,” Denise pried, gently. She wanted desperately to know what was going on with her daughter, but at the same time, she recognized Mandy was an adult. She didn’t have to tell her anything she didn’t want to.
Mandy could only guess what Charity had been saying. Primarily because she’d been less than honest with her boss, even less honest with her friend, and even downright lying to her sister-in-law. “I am,” she admitted, closing her eyes against the bright sunlight.
“You looked tired the other night when you came over for dinner.”
They were quiet when Mandy didn’t acknowledge the opening Denise had given her. She was tired, tired of thinking about what
‡
Chapter Ten
S he’d looked beautiful. Pregnancy agreed with her in a lot of ways. Even though he had seen the tension around her face, he’d also noticed the way her T-shirt pulled tight against her breasts, the way her skin glowed in the sun. Dalton wanted nothing more than to follow her as she’d given up her place in the drive-thru line. His hands ached to touch her, his ears wanted to hear her voice again. It’d been weeks since he’d heard her speak, longer than that since he’d touched her. He physically ached with the wanting.
Last night when he’d gotten back into town, a part of him had wanted to be as close to her as he could be. With the dark of night covering him, he’d driven over to her apartment building and watched her window for hours. He’d relived moments they’d shared together in his mind. Memories were the only things that kept him going these days. They kept his head above water and the depression at bay because he was damn tired of wanting something he couldn’t have.
There was an easy way to end all of this. He had to find Samuel and get the money to Calvert before anything happened to his uncle, but truth be told, he was damn tired of chasing a ghost.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he fished it out, holding onto the milkshake he drank.
Got to the trailer and he’s here. I’m keeping him preoccupied until you make it. He won’t lie to you like he will me.
Dalton threw away the milkshake and wanted to scream with joy as he read his brother’s text message. They’d finally found their uncle. Now, hopefully, they could get some answers.
*
Mandy sighed as she parked her car in front of her parents’ house. She hadn’t wanted to go home after her Sonic run, but she hadn’t wanted to be around friends either. The place where she felt safest called to her. Seeing her mom’s car, she smiled. It looked like no one else was home, and that was exactly how she wanted it.
Slowly she took the stairs to the front door, moving cautiously because her stomach didn’t always agree with what she chose to eat. When it felt like she would be okay, she tested the knob, knocking lightly as she walked inside.
“Mom, you here?”
“On the back porch!”
That’s where her mom always was; book in her hand, light blanket over her legs. She loved her afternoons on the back porch. Mandy grinned, her cheeks turning red as she thought about the afternoons she and Dalton had spent there as teenagers. Hopefully no one but them knew about those stolen hours—when they did all kinds of things they weren’t supposed to.
“Hey.” Mandy gave her mom the first genuine smile she’d given anyone in the past few weeks. It felt good to see her and not be alone.
“Hey yourself.” Denise waved from where she sat in her favorite chair.
Suddenly exhaustion gripped Mandy like she’d never felt before. She yawned widely and grabbed a blanket Denise kept over the back of the couch. It was so much more than a back porch. It had been screened in when they came to live here, and it had been where all of them gathered, where her parents had been married, and where many of them had spent long summer nights. This was one of her most cherished places too.
“You tired? Charity said you haven’t been feeling well,” Denise pried, gently. She wanted desperately to know what was going on with her daughter, but at the same time, she recognized Mandy was an adult. She didn’t have to tell her anything she didn’t want to.
Mandy could only guess what Charity had been saying. Primarily because she’d been less than honest with her boss, even less honest with her friend, and even downright lying to her sister-in-law. “I am,” she admitted, closing her eyes against the bright sunlight.
“You looked tired the other night when you came over for dinner.”
They were quiet when Mandy didn’t acknowledge the opening Denise had given her. She was tired, tired of thinking about what
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