Read Online Light This Candle (Harlequin More Than Words) by Cindy Dees - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Cindy Dees
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blame her—even if he did want to grab her
and shake some sense into her. He’d seen her suffering up close and personal,
though. An impossible ache in his chest, he headed for the door. “Then I guess
that’s it.”
He paused in the doorway only long enough to say, “Good luck
with Cody. He’s a great kid.”
* * *
Cassidy fell onto the couch, stunned. How had things
gone so wrong so fast? One second the two of them had been chatting like an old
married couple, the next they’d been yelling at each other and he’d stormed
out.
An unwelcome voice said quietly from the doorway, “Mind if I
come in?”
Cassidy really didn’t want to talk to Rose, but the woman had
been there for her so many times before, staying late into the night to mop up
her tears, that she couldn’t very well turn the social worker away now. She
sighed. “Come on in.”
Rose sat down on the other end of the couch and studied her
quietly.
“I suppose you heard some of that?” Cassidy asked
reluctantly.
“Yup.”
“And?”
Rose turned an innocent stare on her, which didn’t fool Cassidy
for a second. “And what?”
“C’mon, Rose. You know you want to say something about my fight
with Mitch.”
“I only wanted to remind you that sometimes, when people are
under great pressure, they have to vent some steam. I wouldn’t give up on him
just because the two of you had a spat in the middle of what must be one of the
most stressful moments of your life.”
“It was more than a spat,” Cassidy got out before the tears
came. And once they started flowing, it didn’t seem as if they were ever going
to stop. Things had been so good for the past few weeks, which made tonight just
that much more painful.
Rose held out her arms and Cassidy curled up against the
woman’s motherly bosom like a little girl. She cried her heart out. For Jimmy.
For Cody. For herself.
And then it dawned on her she was crying for Mitch too. It had
hurt her so much to watch him walk out that door. Out of her life. He’d looked
as if it must have been just as painful for him.
“I think I’ve made a terrible mistake, Rose.”
“How’s that, baby girl?”
“I just threw Mitch out of my life for good.”
“Oh, I’m sure it’s not as final as all that,” the woman
soothed.
“I don’t know. He was pretty upset. I said some awful things to
him. I told him I hated the military, and if he’s in the military, then I pretty
much hate him, too.”
“Do you hate him?”
“No!” she cried. “I lo—” She stopped, shocked. She’d been about
to say that she loved him. No way. Not after only a matter of weeks. It was just
a slip of the tongue, her mind reaching for the opposite of hate. She couldn’t
possibly love him even a little. But...
“I dunno,” Rose was saying. “The man who walked past me just
now didn’t look angry at all. He looked like he’d had his heart broken.”
“Really?” A momentary spark of hope flared in her breast, but
at the memory of the hurtful words she’d flung at him, it flickered and
died.
“Why don’t we worry about that later? I came to tell you that
the transplant team says Cody’s a match. They might have some news about the
condition of the child in Columbus on the hour. That’s in a few minutes. Why
don’t we go check on your kiddo and see what the docs have to say?”
Effectively distracted, Cassidy nodded. She blew her nose
obediently when Rose passed her a tissue, and the two women headed for Cody’s
room. Thankfully, her son was still sleeping.
A doctor she’d never met before approached her after she
slipped out of Cody’s darkened room. “The transplant team in Columbus thinks
we’ll have a heart sometime tomorrow. We’re going to spend the rest of the night
working at stabilizing your son a little more in hopes that he’ll come through
the surgery stronger. In the meantime, I suggest you go home and get a good
night’s sleep. Tomorrow could be a very long day.”
She nodded and
and shake some sense into her. He’d seen her suffering up close and personal,
though. An impossible ache in his chest, he headed for the door. “Then I guess
that’s it.”
He paused in the doorway only long enough to say, “Good luck
with Cody. He’s a great kid.”
* * *
Cassidy fell onto the couch, stunned. How had things
gone so wrong so fast? One second the two of them had been chatting like an old
married couple, the next they’d been yelling at each other and he’d stormed
out.
An unwelcome voice said quietly from the doorway, “Mind if I
come in?”
Cassidy really didn’t want to talk to Rose, but the woman had
been there for her so many times before, staying late into the night to mop up
her tears, that she couldn’t very well turn the social worker away now. She
sighed. “Come on in.”
Rose sat down on the other end of the couch and studied her
quietly.
“I suppose you heard some of that?” Cassidy asked
reluctantly.
“Yup.”
“And?”
Rose turned an innocent stare on her, which didn’t fool Cassidy
for a second. “And what?”
“C’mon, Rose. You know you want to say something about my fight
with Mitch.”
“I only wanted to remind you that sometimes, when people are
under great pressure, they have to vent some steam. I wouldn’t give up on him
just because the two of you had a spat in the middle of what must be one of the
most stressful moments of your life.”
“It was more than a spat,” Cassidy got out before the tears
came. And once they started flowing, it didn’t seem as if they were ever going
to stop. Things had been so good for the past few weeks, which made tonight just
that much more painful.
Rose held out her arms and Cassidy curled up against the
woman’s motherly bosom like a little girl. She cried her heart out. For Jimmy.
For Cody. For herself.
And then it dawned on her she was crying for Mitch too. It had
hurt her so much to watch him walk out that door. Out of her life. He’d looked
as if it must have been just as painful for him.
“I think I’ve made a terrible mistake, Rose.”
“How’s that, baby girl?”
“I just threw Mitch out of my life for good.”
“Oh, I’m sure it’s not as final as all that,” the woman
soothed.
“I don’t know. He was pretty upset. I said some awful things to
him. I told him I hated the military, and if he’s in the military, then I pretty
much hate him, too.”
“Do you hate him?”
“No!” she cried. “I lo—” She stopped, shocked. She’d been about
to say that she loved him. No way. Not after only a matter of weeks. It was just
a slip of the tongue, her mind reaching for the opposite of hate. She couldn’t
possibly love him even a little. But...
“I dunno,” Rose was saying. “The man who walked past me just
now didn’t look angry at all. He looked like he’d had his heart broken.”
“Really?” A momentary spark of hope flared in her breast, but
at the memory of the hurtful words she’d flung at him, it flickered and
died.
“Why don’t we worry about that later? I came to tell you that
the transplant team says Cody’s a match. They might have some news about the
condition of the child in Columbus on the hour. That’s in a few minutes. Why
don’t we go check on your kiddo and see what the docs have to say?”
Effectively distracted, Cassidy nodded. She blew her nose
obediently when Rose passed her a tissue, and the two women headed for Cody’s
room. Thankfully, her son was still sleeping.
A doctor she’d never met before approached her after she
slipped out of Cody’s darkened room. “The transplant team in Columbus thinks
we’ll have a heart sometime tomorrow. We’re going to spend the rest of the night
working at stabilizing your son a little more in hopes that he’ll come through
the surgery stronger. In the meantime, I suggest you go home and get a good
night’s sleep. Tomorrow could be a very long day.”
She nodded and
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