Read Online Cotton Grass Lodge by DeNise Woodbury - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: DeNise Woodbury
Tags: Contemporary, small town
Ads: Link
the feather haired child. “Hey there, little one, I’m sorry. Alice, when did you get here?” Hanna drew back and noticed the woman’s drawn face and dark circled eyes.
“Hanna, I’m so glad to see you,” Alice said.
“Would you take this convention inside?” Charlie said, picking up two bags. He waited for Alice to move into the building.
“Don’t be so grumpy.” Hanna took up the rear and picked up another load of bags.
“It’s my job to be grumpy.” At the door Charlie flipped a switch for the harsh fluorescents and continued, dropping Alice’s bags at the door into the hanger. Once inside the office, he scowled at the large black-board dominating the wall. “I don’t have anything but pizza on the schedule for today.” He turned on Alice. “Don’t I know you?” Before she could answer he puckered his lips and squinted in thought. “Last year, Cotton Grass, you was the little wife of that prick biologist.”
Alice blushed. “Yes, I guess I was or am or—yes.” She swallowed hard and stepped back a foot to get down-range of his smoke-laden breath. “I want to go back to the lake, I need to see Naomi. Is the Shaman still out there? Can you take me?” Her questions came is short frantic bursts vibrating with anxiety.
“You never know where the crazy man is,” Hanna said. “Are they expecting you?”
“No.” Alice stifled a cry. Tears flowed freely down her face. “Can you take me?”
“Aw jeez.” Charlie wrinkled his face as if a bad smell had assaulted him. He poked a finger in Hanna’s general direction, “Good thing you’re on time for a change. You deal with this.”
“I was early.” Hanna shot back. “Give the girl a break.”
“I don’t give anybody a break. Go let Dog in.” He shuffled into the hangar as Hanna swallowed any sharp, fruitless comments she might make to correct his nasty behavior.
“You look beat,” Hanna said. She liked Alice. She’d been sorry to see her leave last fall. She pointed at the broken-down brown sofa. “Go sit down. Sweetie, what’s going on?” This obvious desperation didn’t fit the eager innocent she remembered.
Alice began unwrapping the baby. “This is Emily,” she said introducing the tiny child. Still not making eye contact with Hanna, Alice concentrated on settling Emily into her arm and feeding her from a small bottle. “I’ve had her to several doctors; they all say there isn’t anything wrong, but she isn’t thriving. She’s so small. I—I don’t know what else to do, except Naomi is such a good mother, and she knows so much about babies. I just thought I’d visit and…” Tears started again. “Derrick and his family are sure there isn’t anything wrong, but…” Her fervent face turned toward Hanna. “Wouldn’t you do something? Anything to make your child healthy?”
Having children might not have been on Hanna’s radar, but she understood maternal passion. “I think I would.”
“Derrick is going to be so angry,” Alice whispered. Her lips compressed into a crumpled line, and she covered her mouth. Explosions of restricted sobs shook her body.
“Hey, hey, it’s going to work out.” Hanna said with all the encouragement she could muster, the problem was she knew Derrick. Like Charlie said, he was a prick.
She went to the door and let Dog in. She rinsed the coffee pot in the restroom sink, turned the pot on, and brought a glass of water back to Alice. “You’re going to dehydrate if you don’t stop crying.” The joke worked; Alice smiled weakly.
Half an hour later, Alice lay on one end of the sofa curled around the baby, both were sleeping soundly.
Hanna wanted to leave. Instead, she watched her weekend trickle away in ten minute increments. She called flight service for an update on the weather, but fog clung to the ground forcing her to wait.
Charlie pushed through the door from the hangar. “What’d they say?”
“Not yet, damn it.” Hanna shook her head, annoyed.
Charlie
“Hanna, I’m so glad to see you,” Alice said.
“Would you take this convention inside?” Charlie said, picking up two bags. He waited for Alice to move into the building.
“Don’t be so grumpy.” Hanna took up the rear and picked up another load of bags.
“It’s my job to be grumpy.” At the door Charlie flipped a switch for the harsh fluorescents and continued, dropping Alice’s bags at the door into the hanger. Once inside the office, he scowled at the large black-board dominating the wall. “I don’t have anything but pizza on the schedule for today.” He turned on Alice. “Don’t I know you?” Before she could answer he puckered his lips and squinted in thought. “Last year, Cotton Grass, you was the little wife of that prick biologist.”
Alice blushed. “Yes, I guess I was or am or—yes.” She swallowed hard and stepped back a foot to get down-range of his smoke-laden breath. “I want to go back to the lake, I need to see Naomi. Is the Shaman still out there? Can you take me?” Her questions came is short frantic bursts vibrating with anxiety.
“You never know where the crazy man is,” Hanna said. “Are they expecting you?”
“No.” Alice stifled a cry. Tears flowed freely down her face. “Can you take me?”
“Aw jeez.” Charlie wrinkled his face as if a bad smell had assaulted him. He poked a finger in Hanna’s general direction, “Good thing you’re on time for a change. You deal with this.”
“I was early.” Hanna shot back. “Give the girl a break.”
“I don’t give anybody a break. Go let Dog in.” He shuffled into the hangar as Hanna swallowed any sharp, fruitless comments she might make to correct his nasty behavior.
“You look beat,” Hanna said. She liked Alice. She’d been sorry to see her leave last fall. She pointed at the broken-down brown sofa. “Go sit down. Sweetie, what’s going on?” This obvious desperation didn’t fit the eager innocent she remembered.
Alice began unwrapping the baby. “This is Emily,” she said introducing the tiny child. Still not making eye contact with Hanna, Alice concentrated on settling Emily into her arm and feeding her from a small bottle. “I’ve had her to several doctors; they all say there isn’t anything wrong, but she isn’t thriving. She’s so small. I—I don’t know what else to do, except Naomi is such a good mother, and she knows so much about babies. I just thought I’d visit and…” Tears started again. “Derrick and his family are sure there isn’t anything wrong, but…” Her fervent face turned toward Hanna. “Wouldn’t you do something? Anything to make your child healthy?”
Having children might not have been on Hanna’s radar, but she understood maternal passion. “I think I would.”
“Derrick is going to be so angry,” Alice whispered. Her lips compressed into a crumpled line, and she covered her mouth. Explosions of restricted sobs shook her body.
“Hey, hey, it’s going to work out.” Hanna said with all the encouragement she could muster, the problem was she knew Derrick. Like Charlie said, he was a prick.
She went to the door and let Dog in. She rinsed the coffee pot in the restroom sink, turned the pot on, and brought a glass of water back to Alice. “You’re going to dehydrate if you don’t stop crying.” The joke worked; Alice smiled weakly.
Half an hour later, Alice lay on one end of the sofa curled around the baby, both were sleeping soundly.
Hanna wanted to leave. Instead, she watched her weekend trickle away in ten minute increments. She called flight service for an update on the weather, but fog clung to the ground forcing her to wait.
Charlie pushed through the door from the hangar. “What’d they say?”
“Not yet, damn it.” Hanna shook her head, annoyed.
Charlie
Similar Books
