Read Online Forbidden Falls by Robyn Carr - Free Book Online

the time than I did in that club. The people were usually nice, the customers didn’t give us any trouble. ’Course, we had a plus-size bouncer, just in case. It was just work. It paid the bills. It’s not something I wanted to do forever. I was always on the lookout for something better.”
    “You shouldn’t have lost your kids over that job,” he said. “Worst case, they should have been left with you with visits from Child Welfare. They would have seen in no time that the job wasn’t damaging to the children. That was crap, what happened to you.”
    She just looked at him for a long moment. Then very quietly she said, “Thanks. I guess coming from you, that’s saying something.”
    “Coming from me?” he said, lifting one dark brow.
    “You being a minister, and everything. I know you don’t approve of that kind of place—or of the women in it.”
    He gave a shrug. “Ellie, I don’t have an opinion about your last job. There’s plenty about it to admire,” he said.
    “Like?”
    “Like a mother who would do just about anything to take care of her kids.”
    “Well, be real clear about that, Rev. If I hadn’t lucked into that job, I would have done just about anything. When it comes to the kids, I’m all out of false pride.”
    Soon, he thought, I’m going to see her kids. And I bet I see something remarkable.
    “Do you ever want kids?” she asked.
    “I did,” he said quietly. A bunch of them, if possible. And so did Merry—she wanted them right away. “I think this little town church is going to be my kid for a while.”
    “Sometimes I think the deal I got with Arnie was just what I deserved. I married him because I thought he was safe for me and the kids. He seemed all right, he made a decent living, he was okay that I had children while a lot of guys run for their lives when they find out you come with kids. I wasn’t attracted to him, I wasn’t in love with him. So maybe that’s what I deserved, huh?”
    Noah didn’t have to consider it. “Never think that,” he said. “No one deserves cruelty of any kind. Not on their worst day.”
    Just then, the door opened and Mel came into the bar. She went first to Jack, lifting herself up to lean over the bar and give him a kiss. Then she turned and looked at Noah and Ellie. “Mel,” Noah called. “Got a minute?”
    She walked over to their table. “Mel Sheridan, this is Ellie Baldwin. She’s helping out in the church for a while.”
    “Nice to meet you,” Mel said, putting out her hand. “Jack said there was someone new in town. How’s it going over there?”
    “It’s my first day, so it’s looking pretty ugly,” Ellie said honestly.
    “Well, it’s not my first day, but Ellie got more done this morning than I’ve managed in the last week. She’s a whirlwind.”
    “Good for you. Very cute top, by the way.”
    Ellie looked down, then lifted an eyebrow toward Noah before she said, “Thanks. Target. Under twenty bucks.”
    “Really? I need to get over there one of these days. They usually have good buys. So, Ellie—where do you live?”
    “I’m in Eureka now, but I have to find something closer—I can’t afford the gas. Would you happen to know of anything? Nearby?”
    Mel pulled up a chair. “I can sure ask around. What are you looking for?”
    “My kids are with my ex-husband right now, so all I need is a bed and a roof. Really, one room would do it for me. Something cheap, but not scary. His Holiness here doesn’t exactly pay a lot.”
    Mel laughed. “I know one thing that qualifies as cheap and real nice, but I think it might flunk the scary test. Right at the end of the block, nicest house down there, Jo Ellen and Nick Fitch have a great one-room efficiency over the garage. I don’t think they’ve rented it out in a long time. Jo Ellen’s a doll, a very nice lady. But she’s married to a groper.”
    “Is that so? How serious a groper?” Ellie asked.
    “The first time I met him, he treated me to a major butt