Read Online Home to Sparrow Lake (Harlequin Heartwarming) by Lynn Patrick - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Lynn Patrick
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Kristen’s stomach did a little somersault. “I can ring up purchases, but I don’t know how to help customers find what they want.”
“Gloria is here now. Louise will be here shortly. Whatever you can do to help them will be fine. And if you have a problem, just call me.”
“Okay.” Hopefully there wouldn’t be a problem and everything would go smoothly.
“Thanks.” Heather sighed and waved Addison over. “Let’s go get Taylor.”
“Bye, Aunt Kristen.” Addison held her arms up for a hug.
Kristen pulled the little girl to her and kissed her cheek. Then Addison ran off ahead of Heather to her twin.
“C’mon, we’re going home!”
“No! I wanna stay here!”
“Taylor, you have a choice,” Heather said in an unbelievably calm voice. “You can either stay here until tomorrow morning, or you can home with us and relax with your stuffed animals. Which do you want to do? It’s your choice.”
Surprised by her sister’s ultimatum—would Heather actually leave the store without Taylor?—Kristen waited as the little girl thought it over, kicked her legs, then stood up. Apparently, Heather knew exactly how to handle the twins. Then again, Kristen had always known her sister was a great mom.
As they left by the back door, Heather waved with a relieved expression. Her sister had too much responsibility for a twenty-three-year-old, Kristen thought. If only Scott hadn’t died in Iraq. Heather and Scott had been crazy about each other from the first time they’d met in high school. Heather had been a freshman, Scott a junior. By the time Heather had learned she was pregnant, Scott was in the Army. They’d gotten married just a week before he’d been shipped off to Iraq. He’d come home from his first tour, but unfortunately, he’d been sent back, never to return.
Kristen thought about her short-lived discussion about relationships with Alex. Even when two people were madly in love and right for each other, there were no guarantees for the future.
* * *
“I HAVE A PLAN ,” Brian said. “You know that big old house with the wraparound porch and the gigantic garden a block east of Main Street?”
“Sure do,” answered Andy Eccles, a grin splitting his freckled face.
Brian walked along the lake path with his buddies as they did every chance they could late at night. He’d sneaked out after Aunt Margaret and Kristen had gone to bed.
The biggest of the boys, tall with a little extra bulk around the middle from too much food and general lack of activity, Matt Stapleton asked, “You mean the one with the stupid garden statues?” He shuffled along, puffing, as if just walking was too much of an exertion for him.
“A bazillion of them.” Matt’s complete opposite, Andy danced as if hip-hop music played constantly in his head under that mop of curly red hair. He was a scrawny kid, and his raggedy clothes threatened to fall off him.
“What if we move them around?” Brian mused. “You know, like put the deer statues on the other side of the house. And take all those rabbits and frogs and squirrels out of the garden and put them in a big circle on the flattest part of the lawn. What do you think, guys?”
In reality, the idea was as stupid as most of the pranks they’d pulled. Not that they’d actually harmed anyone’s property.
As usual, both boys were looking to him for guidance. Andy and Matt were both about to be seniors in high school. They were practically the only kids around this summer that he knew from before he got moved to California because of his stepfather’s job. For whatever reason, the duo saw him as a leader, and he liked the feeling of having some say in things again. No one else had listened to his opinions in the past four years.
“Woo-oo!” Andy danced some more. “What are we waiting for?”
They set off toward Main Street, Andy making sounds as if he was singing. More like howling, Brian thought. As usual, Matt followed—he was highly influenced by his
“Gloria is here now. Louise will be here shortly. Whatever you can do to help them will be fine. And if you have a problem, just call me.”
“Okay.” Hopefully there wouldn’t be a problem and everything would go smoothly.
“Thanks.” Heather sighed and waved Addison over. “Let’s go get Taylor.”
“Bye, Aunt Kristen.” Addison held her arms up for a hug.
Kristen pulled the little girl to her and kissed her cheek. Then Addison ran off ahead of Heather to her twin.
“C’mon, we’re going home!”
“No! I wanna stay here!”
“Taylor, you have a choice,” Heather said in an unbelievably calm voice. “You can either stay here until tomorrow morning, or you can home with us and relax with your stuffed animals. Which do you want to do? It’s your choice.”
Surprised by her sister’s ultimatum—would Heather actually leave the store without Taylor?—Kristen waited as the little girl thought it over, kicked her legs, then stood up. Apparently, Heather knew exactly how to handle the twins. Then again, Kristen had always known her sister was a great mom.
As they left by the back door, Heather waved with a relieved expression. Her sister had too much responsibility for a twenty-three-year-old, Kristen thought. If only Scott hadn’t died in Iraq. Heather and Scott had been crazy about each other from the first time they’d met in high school. Heather had been a freshman, Scott a junior. By the time Heather had learned she was pregnant, Scott was in the Army. They’d gotten married just a week before he’d been shipped off to Iraq. He’d come home from his first tour, but unfortunately, he’d been sent back, never to return.
Kristen thought about her short-lived discussion about relationships with Alex. Even when two people were madly in love and right for each other, there were no guarantees for the future.
* * *
“I HAVE A PLAN ,” Brian said. “You know that big old house with the wraparound porch and the gigantic garden a block east of Main Street?”
“Sure do,” answered Andy Eccles, a grin splitting his freckled face.
Brian walked along the lake path with his buddies as they did every chance they could late at night. He’d sneaked out after Aunt Margaret and Kristen had gone to bed.
The biggest of the boys, tall with a little extra bulk around the middle from too much food and general lack of activity, Matt Stapleton asked, “You mean the one with the stupid garden statues?” He shuffled along, puffing, as if just walking was too much of an exertion for him.
“A bazillion of them.” Matt’s complete opposite, Andy danced as if hip-hop music played constantly in his head under that mop of curly red hair. He was a scrawny kid, and his raggedy clothes threatened to fall off him.
“What if we move them around?” Brian mused. “You know, like put the deer statues on the other side of the house. And take all those rabbits and frogs and squirrels out of the garden and put them in a big circle on the flattest part of the lawn. What do you think, guys?”
In reality, the idea was as stupid as most of the pranks they’d pulled. Not that they’d actually harmed anyone’s property.
As usual, both boys were looking to him for guidance. Andy and Matt were both about to be seniors in high school. They were practically the only kids around this summer that he knew from before he got moved to California because of his stepfather’s job. For whatever reason, the duo saw him as a leader, and he liked the feeling of having some say in things again. No one else had listened to his opinions in the past four years.
“Woo-oo!” Andy danced some more. “What are we waiting for?”
They set off toward Main Street, Andy making sounds as if he was singing. More like howling, Brian thought. As usual, Matt followed—he was highly influenced by his
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