Read Online Healing Her Spirit (Serenity Springs Book 2) by Dawn Sullivan - Free Book Online
Authors: Dawn Sullivan
Ads: Link
had been saddled and waiting. Lacey stared after him in shock before the realization hit her that she may have just lost the brother she had been missing for so many years. The only family she had besides her son. Falling to her knees, she wrapped her arms around her body and cried.
“Oh, sweet child,” Cara murmured as she knelt beside Lacey and pulled her into her arms. “Just give that stubborn son of mine some time. He will come around.” Unable to answer, Lacey leaned into her and sobbed.
Finally, when she felt like she could cry no more, Lacey pulled away from Cara and struggled to her feet. As Charles helped Cara up, Lacey avoided looking at any of them directly. “I need to get to work,” she muttered as she ran a hand over her tear-stained face. “Thank you all for everything you have done for me and my son. I really appreciate it.”
“Lacey,” Charles’s deep voice broke through her fog of pain, “we will always be here for you. Justice is going through a lot right now. Please, let him sort this out his own way. He will come around.”
Afraid to get her hopes up, Lacey thanked them quietly before leaving the ranch. Instead of going to her office, fifteen minutes later she found herself standing in front of Clint’s door. When it opened after the second knock, she fell into his arms, the tears flowing once again. Her world was crumbling down around her, and he was the only one she wanted to turn to.
Lacey was aware of Clint shutting the door behind her and then he was holding her close, gently stroking a hand down her back as he murmured softly to her. She cried out in dismay when he tried to pull back from her. “Hush, baby,” he whispered soothingly as he kissed her softly on the temple. “I just want to sit on the couch with you. I can’t carry you right now.”
When he tried to back away again, Lacey protested, softly, “No, Clint. Please, don’t go. I need you.”
“I’m right here,” he promised as he wrapped his arms around her again and held her. “Come sit down with me and tell me what happened.”
Finally allowing Clint to guide her over to the couch, Lacey sat close to him, unwilling to move away from his gentle touch. She needed to feel his hands on her. It grounded her, made her feel like there was hope. After several minutes, Lacey was able to calm down enough to tell Clint what had happened with Justice. “He just walked away from me,” she whispered raggedly. “He walked away and didn’t look back.” Shaking her head dejectedly she said, “I can’t really blame him. We left him on the front steps of a church, Clint. My mom just drove away and moved on like she’d never even had a son.”
“That was your mother, Lacey,” Clint ground out, “not you. You were a child. What the hell did he expect you to do?”
Shrugging, Lacey murmured, “He’s right. I should have fought harder for him. I should have made Mom go back. I should have called the cops. I should have done something !”
Tilting her head back to look in her eyes, Clint said, “There was nothing you could do, baby. You were nine years old. You are not responsible for your mother’s actions. You have been looking for Justice for years. Not once did you ever forget about him. It may have taken you awhile to find him, but you are here.”
Lowering her gaze in shame, Lacey muttered, “Yeah, I’m here. But Justice wants nothing to do with me. He won’t even let me show him how much I love him.”
“You love the little boy he used to be, Lace,” Clint warned softly, “you know nothing about the man he is now.”
“That’s not true,” Lacey declared, shaking her head. “I may not know him personally, but I have learned so much about Justice this past year. I know he is a good man, an honorable man. He would die for his country, do anything for his family. I am so proud of him and the person he
“Oh, sweet child,” Cara murmured as she knelt beside Lacey and pulled her into her arms. “Just give that stubborn son of mine some time. He will come around.” Unable to answer, Lacey leaned into her and sobbed.
Finally, when she felt like she could cry no more, Lacey pulled away from Cara and struggled to her feet. As Charles helped Cara up, Lacey avoided looking at any of them directly. “I need to get to work,” she muttered as she ran a hand over her tear-stained face. “Thank you all for everything you have done for me and my son. I really appreciate it.”
“Lacey,” Charles’s deep voice broke through her fog of pain, “we will always be here for you. Justice is going through a lot right now. Please, let him sort this out his own way. He will come around.”
Afraid to get her hopes up, Lacey thanked them quietly before leaving the ranch. Instead of going to her office, fifteen minutes later she found herself standing in front of Clint’s door. When it opened after the second knock, she fell into his arms, the tears flowing once again. Her world was crumbling down around her, and he was the only one she wanted to turn to.
Lacey was aware of Clint shutting the door behind her and then he was holding her close, gently stroking a hand down her back as he murmured softly to her. She cried out in dismay when he tried to pull back from her. “Hush, baby,” he whispered soothingly as he kissed her softly on the temple. “I just want to sit on the couch with you. I can’t carry you right now.”
When he tried to back away again, Lacey protested, softly, “No, Clint. Please, don’t go. I need you.”
“I’m right here,” he promised as he wrapped his arms around her again and held her. “Come sit down with me and tell me what happened.”
Finally allowing Clint to guide her over to the couch, Lacey sat close to him, unwilling to move away from his gentle touch. She needed to feel his hands on her. It grounded her, made her feel like there was hope. After several minutes, Lacey was able to calm down enough to tell Clint what had happened with Justice. “He just walked away from me,” she whispered raggedly. “He walked away and didn’t look back.” Shaking her head dejectedly she said, “I can’t really blame him. We left him on the front steps of a church, Clint. My mom just drove away and moved on like she’d never even had a son.”
“That was your mother, Lacey,” Clint ground out, “not you. You were a child. What the hell did he expect you to do?”
Shrugging, Lacey murmured, “He’s right. I should have fought harder for him. I should have made Mom go back. I should have called the cops. I should have done something !”
Tilting her head back to look in her eyes, Clint said, “There was nothing you could do, baby. You were nine years old. You are not responsible for your mother’s actions. You have been looking for Justice for years. Not once did you ever forget about him. It may have taken you awhile to find him, but you are here.”
Lowering her gaze in shame, Lacey muttered, “Yeah, I’m here. But Justice wants nothing to do with me. He won’t even let me show him how much I love him.”
“You love the little boy he used to be, Lace,” Clint warned softly, “you know nothing about the man he is now.”
“That’s not true,” Lacey declared, shaking her head. “I may not know him personally, but I have learned so much about Justice this past year. I know he is a good man, an honorable man. He would die for his country, do anything for his family. I am so proud of him and the person he
Similar Books
