Read Online McFarlane's Perfect Bride by Christine Rimmer - Free Book Online

Canyon Resort and throw a bunch of people out of work. “No, really. Thank you.”
    â€œAre you in trouble?”
    â€œNo. Don’t worry, please. It’s not about me. I’m perfectly okay. And I’ll explain it all later. Right now, I have to go.”
    â€œCall me. As soon as you can. I mean it.”
    â€œYes. All right. I’ll call this evening. I promise.” She said a hurried goodbye and then rushed out to join and Jerilyn and Sherwood in his rental car.
    Â 
    Jerilyn lived in a small, run-down house in a South New Town neighborhood that had seen better days. The siding needed fresh paint and the porch boards creaked.
    Inside, they found Butch Doolin sitting at the cluttered kitchen table in a T-shirt and a ragged pair of sweatpants. His bloodshot eyes were puffy from too much alcohol the day before and he sported a couple of days’ worth of dark beard.
    But he had a cup of coffee in front of him—no liquor in sight. He looked hungover, but sober.
    And more than a little surprised to see Jerilyn, her teacher and some man he’d never met before standingin the doorway to his living room. “Jerilyn? What’s going on?”
    Tori’s dad stepped right up. “I’m Sherwood Jones, Mr. Doolin. We’re here to see if we can help.”
    Butch frowned. “Help?” And then he slowly shook his head. He turned to Jerilyn and spoke with weary resignation. “Sweet girl, what have you been up to?”
    Jerilyn put her hand over her mouth, swallowed hard, and then let her hand drop. “Daddy. I saw that warning letter. You’re going to lose your job. I had to do something. You can’t keep on like this.”
    Tori had never seen a man so shamed as Butch Doolin was right then. He hung his head. “Sweet girl, I’m so sorry. So damn sorry. I don’t know what to do, how to keep going. Without your mother, it all seems so pointless…” His big shoulders shook.
    Jerilyn would have gone to him. But Tori’s dad stopped her. He tipped his head back the way they had come. “You two go ahead,” he said low. “Let me talk to him for a while.” He tossed Tori the keys to the rental car. “I’ll call you…”
    Tori took Jerilyn’s hand and led her back out through the small, dim living room. They returned to Tori’s house to wait. Time crawled by. Tori offered dinner, but Jerilyn only shook her head.
    Finally, at a little after seven, Tori’s dad called for them to come and get him. Sherwood Jones was waiting for them out in front when they got to Jerilyn’s again.
    Jerilyn jumped out. “My dad? Is he…?”
    Tori got out, too, and came around to join them on the cracked sidewalk.
    â€œYour dad is okay. And I think he’s going to be a lot better, Jerilyn,” Tori’s dad said. “I think he’s ready toget help. We talked for a long time. He poured out all the booze in the house and he’ll be going to regular AA meetings. Plus I’ve given him the names of a few good counselors he can choose from, as well as a local grief recovery group. And he has my number. I’m always available to him if he needs me.” He gave Jerilyn a card. “And I’m available for you, as well. You can call me here, directly, if there’s anything you want to ask me. And especially if you find yourself worried about him again.”
    â€œYou really think he’s going to get better?”
    â€œI do. Sincerely. It’s not going to be easy, but I think you’ll see a definite improvement now.”
    Jerilyn let out a low cry and grabbed Tori’s father in a hug. “Thank you, oh, thank you.”
    He hugged her back. “Call me if you need help. I mean that.”
    Then Tori offered Jerilyn that dinner she hadn’t accepted before, but she was eager to go in, to talk to her dad. She grabbed Tori close, quickly let her go and turned for the