Read Online A Turn in the Road by Debbie Macomber - Free Book Online Page A

bit underhanded.
    â€œIf I can, I’d like to ask one thing of you,” Grant said, obviously deciding on a more conciliatory approach. “I’d feel better about the three of you being on the road if you’d call me at least once a day.”
    â€œWe could do that,” Ruth said, eager to make peace with her family.
    â€œWill you? ” Grant posed the question to Bethanne.
    â€œI’m sure Ruth and Annie would be happy to keep in touch,” she said curtly, reluctant to add her name to the list. The idea of calling her ex-husband didn’t sit well with her, despite his unexpected support.
    Grant held her look. “I won’t be able to relax if I don’t know that the three most important women in my life are safe.”
    â€œWe’ll check in,” Bethanne eventually promised.
    â€œThank you.”
    Bethanne drove to the office a few minutes later, but for the rest of that day, she couldn’t get Grant out of her mind. She had to appreciate the fact that he hadn’t joined forces with his sister against them. His concern for Ruth, Annie and her seemed genuine. She’d given him a glimmer of hope that a reconciliation was possible;the idea didn’t seem as repugnant to her as it once had and that, she guessed, was a good sign.
    At her desk, she made all the necessary arrangements to leave the office for a few weeks. She went home at five that afternoon, slightly depressed at the prospect of an empty house, and wondered what it would’ve been like if Grant had been there waiting for her with a glass of wine and a welcoming smile.

Six
    â€œF inally! We’re actually on the road,” Ruth marveled as they reached the summit of Snoqualmie Pass, crossing the Cascade Mountains. They were a little more than an hour outside Seattle, heading due east.
    Ruth had the map supplied by AAA spread out on her lap and acted as navigator while Bethanne drove. Annie had claimed the backseat; she’d been suspiciously quiet since they’d left Seattle. Bethanne knew Vance had deeply hurt and disappointed her daughter. The fact that he’d decided to travel in Europe for a year—and hadn’t bothered to tell her—could only feel like a betrayal. Bethanne hoped that spending these weeks with her grandmother and with her would help. Annie was still young. In time she’d recognize that Vance’s leaving was the best thing that could have happened.
    She remembered when she’d told her parents she wanted to marry Grant. Her family, especially her father, had urged Bethanne to complete her education first. With just one semester to go before she obtained her degree, he’d argued that it made sense to put off the wedding. Bethanne, however, had been unwilling to listen,unwilling to wait a day longer than necessary to be Grant’s wife. And she’d refused to be separated from him; the university was in the town of Pullman in eastern Washington, while he was working in Seattle. She’d finish school later—only she never had.
    In retrospect, it had all worked out, but if she’d had her teaching degree who knows how different her life might have been. One thing was sure; with a career of her own, or at least the qualifications for one, she wouldn’t have felt so completely vulnerable when Grant asked for a divorce.
    Annie’s situation was different to that extent, anyway. She’d graduate the following year with a business degree. She’d gotten practical experience working at Parties and that would serve her well.
    Annie stirred in the backseat, sitting up and yawning. She removed the iPod earbuds and stretched her arms to the side, arching her back. “Where are we?”
    â€œJust over the pass,” Bethanne told her.
    â€œAlready?”
    â€œHave you been asleep?”
    â€œI think I was,” Annie murmured sadly. “I haven’t had much sleep the past few nights.”
    â€œOh, sweetie,