Read Online Dorothy Garlock - [Tucker Family] by Come a Little Closer - Free Book Online Page A

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    But Christina hadn’t reacted that way.
    Picking his way through the piles of books that littered the floor, Holden looked at himself in the mirror that hung over his dresser. On most days, he couldn’t recognize the man who now looked back at him. The man he remembered, the one he had once been, was hidden, lost, and all that remained were memories. Running a hand over his stubble, Holden wondered what it was Christina had seen before turning away in disgust. He was afraid that he knew the answer.
       
    As she walked, Christina shivered. The wind seemed to pick up with her every step. Boughs bent and leaves whistled. Occasionally, a strong gust tugged insistently at the hem of her skirt. It was quite cold for June, as cold a night as any she could remember this time of year. She regretted not bringing a sweater.
    To distract herself from her discomfort, Christina concentrated on her new surroundings. Lights shone in nearly every house she passed, revealing families sitting around their dinner tables, older couples reading silently, and young children laughing loudly as the sounds of that evening’s radio program drifted out an open window.
    Flower gardens were plentiful, though none as lovely as Clara Sutter’s. Row after row of tulips, roses, and other varieties glistened in the moonlight. Occasionally, a dog barked at Christina until she was out of sight.
    But try as she might, Christina’s thoughts kept returning to Holden.
    Over and over she replayed the things he had said to her, the way he had looked, searching for something she could have done differently, for a way in which she might have reached him, but nothing revealed itself. The whole encounter had been a disaster.
    “Why did he have to be so resistant?” she asked aloud.
    Thankfully, the day hadn’t been a complete loss. Recalling the way she and Dr. Barlow had helped the Simmons family gave her a tremendous sense of accomplishment. She was concerned over whether, at that moment, they had a roof over their heads. In particular, she worried about little Sally. She hoped that the girl was warmer than she was.
    Lost in her thoughts, Christina was startled by the sudden honk of a horn.
    Quickly, she turned to see a car creeping along behind her. The glare of the headlights made it impossible to see clearly. She had no idea who was behind the wheel, or even if the driver was a man or woman. She’d been so distracted by her own thoughts that she hadn’t heard it approach.
    While she looked, there was another playful honk. The more she stared, the more certain Christina was that it wasn’t the doctor’s car.
    Leave me alone! she insisted silently, turning away and hurrying her step. Over the clicking of her shoes on the sidewalk she could hear the car just behind, the driver increasing his speed to follow.
    “Don’t you want a ride?” a man’s voice asked into the night.
    “No!” Christina shouted, suddenly growing fearful. Her instincts were to run, heading either down the street or off into someone’s yard. If she screamed, surely someone would hear her and come to her aid.
    “Jeez!” The man chuckled. “Was I that big a jerk at dinner?”
    Christina came to a sudden halt as the car slowly idled up to stop just beside her. Through the open passenger’s window she recognized Tyler Sutter sitting behind the wheel, a mischievous grin on his face.
    “I suppose you think you were being funny,” she said, annoyed.
    “What are you talking about?” he replied, wounded.
    “Stop acting as if you don’t know what I’m talking about, coming up behind me and honking like that! It scared me half to death! You’re lucky I didn’t start screaming for someone to call the police!”
    “A lot of good that would have done you.” Tyler laughed. “Most of the police in these parts can’t catch a cold!”
    At that, Christina had had enough. With the memory of how one of the Sutter brothers had treated her still fresh in her mind, she began