Read Online Living With Lies Trilogy (Books 1, 2, and 3 of The Dancing Moon Ranch Series) by Patricia Watters - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Patricia Watters
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surgery they found out the cancer had gone to his liver and pancreas. He died a few weeks later. It took almost two years for me to decide to have his child. The sperm was there waiting, and our child would give me something of Marc, so his life wouldn't be in vain."
"And now you have nothing of him," Jack said, looking up from the rings, "And Susan has the child that should have been yours. How desperate does that make you feel?"
Grace looked at Jack, surprised at the wording of his question. She'd already told him how much she wanted his baby. "I don't feel desperate at all," she said, "only very sad. I wanted to have Marc's baby. But I want this baby just as much. Would you like to listen to his heart? He's curled just beneath my skin, probably sucking his thumb right now." She patted the bed. "Come sit here and get acquainted with your son."
Jack sat on the bed and placed his hand on her belly, his eyes staring off as he waited for movement, then he smiled slightly, as if he'd felt a kick. But after that he stood abruptly, and said, "I need to get back to the stable," and left.
Grace stared at the empty chair, wondering about his abrupt exit. But while Jack was awaiting the arrival of a son, she was struggling to hold onto the memory of a man's face that was becoming less clear. Blond hair and blue eyes kept morphing into shades of browns.
***
The following day a van from Northwest Hospital Supply delivered a motorized wheelchair. Two men brought it into the lodge and showed Grace how to operate it. After they had her try it out, while watching her motor around the great room, they left. The first thing Grace noticed, after the delivery van was driving off, was Mei Ling perched on the mantelpiece of the big stone fireplace, gazing down at her. She had no idea when Mei Ling sneaked out of the bedroom, but she was sitting like a mantelpiece statue, tail wrapped around her paws, enjoying the warmth of a fire rising from the hearth as flames licked up, crackling and popping from pitch in the logs.
Deciding to try her new wheels, Grace motored into the bedroom and returned with a small bowl of cat chow and one of Mei Ling's beds, which she set by the fire in an effort to get Mei Ling down and figure out a way to return her to the bedroom before Flo noticed. It wasn't long before the big gray cat left her perch on the mantle to check out the chow, and after that, she curled up in the cat bed. Deciding she could do nothing until Jack came in, Grace angled the wheelchair, blocking any view of Mei Ling in her bed from the direction of the kitchen, then pulled out the book on knitting that she'd tucked in beside her, and started reading.
After a while, the sound of the softly hissing fire and the quiet burrs of Mei Ling purring in her bed made Grace drowsy, and before long, she drifted off…
Some time later, Grace awakened feeling something on her belly. She opened her eyes to find a boy, about three, staring at her. From his features, he could be Jack's son, though she knew it was Ricky. As she looked at the silent boy, she could imagine the face of the child growing inside her. a very appealing face, with the biggest, blackest eyes she'd ever seen, a perfect button nose, lips with a slight droop, and a crop of dark wavy hair, like Jack's.
His small hand patted her tummy, as he said, "My baby."
The two words uttered by this small boy gave Grace a start. Did he know she was carrying a baby that could make him well? But surely no one told him such a thing. She took his hand in hers, and said, "This is my baby, but you'll be getting a baby brother soon. He's growing inside your Mommy." She immediately wanted to retract her words. If Susan didn't want to keep Marc's baby after he was born, Ricky would never understand what happened to him. Or worse, if Susan decided to abort the baby. She was a very troubled woman, and there was no question, the mother-child bond severed when she learned she wasn't carrying Jack's
"And now you have nothing of him," Jack said, looking up from the rings, "And Susan has the child that should have been yours. How desperate does that make you feel?"
Grace looked at Jack, surprised at the wording of his question. She'd already told him how much she wanted his baby. "I don't feel desperate at all," she said, "only very sad. I wanted to have Marc's baby. But I want this baby just as much. Would you like to listen to his heart? He's curled just beneath my skin, probably sucking his thumb right now." She patted the bed. "Come sit here and get acquainted with your son."
Jack sat on the bed and placed his hand on her belly, his eyes staring off as he waited for movement, then he smiled slightly, as if he'd felt a kick. But after that he stood abruptly, and said, "I need to get back to the stable," and left.
Grace stared at the empty chair, wondering about his abrupt exit. But while Jack was awaiting the arrival of a son, she was struggling to hold onto the memory of a man's face that was becoming less clear. Blond hair and blue eyes kept morphing into shades of browns.
***
The following day a van from Northwest Hospital Supply delivered a motorized wheelchair. Two men brought it into the lodge and showed Grace how to operate it. After they had her try it out, while watching her motor around the great room, they left. The first thing Grace noticed, after the delivery van was driving off, was Mei Ling perched on the mantelpiece of the big stone fireplace, gazing down at her. She had no idea when Mei Ling sneaked out of the bedroom, but she was sitting like a mantelpiece statue, tail wrapped around her paws, enjoying the warmth of a fire rising from the hearth as flames licked up, crackling and popping from pitch in the logs.
Deciding to try her new wheels, Grace motored into the bedroom and returned with a small bowl of cat chow and one of Mei Ling's beds, which she set by the fire in an effort to get Mei Ling down and figure out a way to return her to the bedroom before Flo noticed. It wasn't long before the big gray cat left her perch on the mantle to check out the chow, and after that, she curled up in the cat bed. Deciding she could do nothing until Jack came in, Grace angled the wheelchair, blocking any view of Mei Ling in her bed from the direction of the kitchen, then pulled out the book on knitting that she'd tucked in beside her, and started reading.
After a while, the sound of the softly hissing fire and the quiet burrs of Mei Ling purring in her bed made Grace drowsy, and before long, she drifted off…
Some time later, Grace awakened feeling something on her belly. She opened her eyes to find a boy, about three, staring at her. From his features, he could be Jack's son, though she knew it was Ricky. As she looked at the silent boy, she could imagine the face of the child growing inside her. a very appealing face, with the biggest, blackest eyes she'd ever seen, a perfect button nose, lips with a slight droop, and a crop of dark wavy hair, like Jack's.
His small hand patted her tummy, as he said, "My baby."
The two words uttered by this small boy gave Grace a start. Did he know she was carrying a baby that could make him well? But surely no one told him such a thing. She took his hand in hers, and said, "This is my baby, but you'll be getting a baby brother soon. He's growing inside your Mommy." She immediately wanted to retract her words. If Susan didn't want to keep Marc's baby after he was born, Ricky would never understand what happened to him. Or worse, if Susan decided to abort the baby. She was a very troubled woman, and there was no question, the mother-child bond severed when she learned she wasn't carrying Jack's
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