Read Online Adding Up to Marriage by Karen Templeton - Free Book Online Page A

in—to come explore.
    Not that she didn’t understand that you couldn’t simply let babies wander off into the woods unsupervised. But the fence seemed so…forbidding. So solid. So be-careful-bad-things-might-happen- if.
    Man, she hated that “if.”
    â€œYou sure you don’t want to wait until your daddy gets home?” Jewel asked, catching up to the boy as he solemnly laid the fish in the hole farthest from the house. Closest to the fence. Like maybe it could swim to the other side. Blond curls quivered as he shook his head, then turned those great big, pine-colored eyes on her, reminding her so much of her step-brother at that age her heart squeezed.
    â€œDaddy gets all weird when people talk about dead stuff.”
    He stood, dusting off his hands, and Jewel wondered ifthe kid had missed the memo that he was only four. Honest to Pete.
    Jewel took up one of the two spades they’d carted over from the small shed a few feet away and started shoveling dirt back into the hole, provoking a pang of misgiving that the fish would be encased for all eternity in his plastic shroud. “Weird, how?”
    â€œLike he doesn’t know what to say. No, Doughboy!” Tad grabbed the stocky dog around the chest—sort of—and gave him an ineffectual shove away from the hole. “Leave it alone!”
    Jowls quivering, the dog trudged right back of course, but he seemed more respectful this time, plopping down with his head between his chunky paws. Undoubtedly biding his time until he could dig the corpse up again, thereby putting certain ecological issues to rest. The hole filled, Tad leaned back on his knees and rubbed his nose, smearing dirt across his face. “You think Harvey’s in heaven?”
    Jewel squatted beside him. “I don’t see why not. In fact, I bet he’s swimming around in this big, beautiful, sunny pond in God’s garden—”
    â€œDoes he have wings?”
    â€œOh. I’m no expert, sugarpie, but I’m guessing not—”
    â€œDo you think Mama’s in heaven? Watching me and Ollie?”
    Jewel stared at the back of Tad’s head as he leaned forward again to smooth the dirt over the tiny grave. Silly her, thinking the hardest thing about the job would be whether to make peanut butter or tuna sandwiches for lunch. She touched his hair. “You know, maybe that’s something you should ask your daddy.”
    â€œI did. Lotsa times.” Tad scooped up a trowel full of extra dirt, letting it dribble onto the ground. “He always finds something else to talk about.”
    Jewel remembered how she’d pestered her mother half to death about her father when she was about Tad’s age, finally able to ask questions at four she hadn’t been able to at two. She supposed that’s what was happening with Tad, only now ready to deal with his mama’s death. However, it was up to Tad’s daddy to dole out answers. Not her.
    Except before she could ask if he’d like her to say something to Silas, cutie patootie jumped up, swiping his filthy hands across his butt, then his nose. “I’m hungry. Can you make more cookies? Then can we give the dog a bath after lunch? ’Cuz he stinks.” He put his grubby hand in hers and led her back toward the house, wriggling and skipping and jumping to the point where he practically yanked her arm out of the socket. “An’ then c’n we play Secret City again? That was so fun!”
    â€œYes to the cookies—although we’ll probably have to go to the store first, I doubt there’s anything to make ’em with—no to the dog and we’ll see about Secret City. Your daddy got kinda…upset when we played it before.”
    â€œBut he won’t find out if we get it all cleaned up before he gets home. Right?”
    Then the kid grinned, and she was lost. Laughing, she grabbed him around the waist to tickle him, reveling