Read Online Montana Skies (You, Me and the Kids) (Harlequin Superromance, No 1395) by Kay Stockham - Free Book Online Page A

they ever dreamed possible. They just needsomeone to—” she shrugged “—push them a little. Give them a shoulder when they need it or…just be a friend.”
    â€œWell, if I can help while I’m here, let me know, okay?”
    Grace laughed softly. “Thanks for the offer, Rissa, but right now I think you’ve got enough going on.”
    â€œAhh, yeah, probably so.” She gave Grace a weary smile. “Um…Maura also mentioned you sometimes need help around the gym with your physical therapy sessions?”
    â€œTrue, so how about I ask Skylar?”
    â€œPretty obvious, aren’t I?”
    Grace climbed the last two stair treads. “Yes, but I understand why. And it’s not a problem at all. The extra pair of hands would help.”
    Rissa was humbled by her friend’s quick acceptance. “I guess I didn’t expect it to be this easy. In the past year, people have taken one look at her and immediately written her off as a lost cause.”
    â€œNot here. Rissa, you’re not alone. That’s what family—even extended family—is for,” Grace murmured, the lights from the house revealing her warm expression. “I’m happy to try talking to her in the downtime between patients, but please remember I can’t make any promises. I’m not an expert by any means.”
    â€œNo, I—I don’t expect any.” Her gaze found Skylar again and she noted the way her daughter’s face had softened now that she looked into the drowsy eyes of the baby staring up at her. She remembered holding Skylar the same way. “But maybe she’ll talk to you…give you some clue… Grace, I’m getting desperate. I need to know what happened to my little girl.”
    Grace wrapped her arms around her and hugged her briefly. “I know you do. Just hang in there and remember you can talk to me and Maura anytime, all right?”
    She nodded, said a quick prayer and thanked God above for her friends. Right now they were the glue holding her together.
    Â 
    T UESDAY EVENING Skylar glared at her mother. Two days of detention down, three to go.
    It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Sitting there staring at the walls for two hours with the assistant coach watching her every move sucked, but both days he’d come by. Turned out Marcus-the-shit-shoveler was a football player.
    â€œWhat am I going to do for five hours?”
    â€œHomework?” Her mom turned onto the main road into town. “Use the time to get your grades up.”
    â€œWho cares what my grades are?”
    â€œ I do. And so did you at one point.”
    Her mom stopped at a red light, the first of six until they reached the diner. What kind of town only had six stoplights?
    â€œProve to me you can make A’s like you used to.”
    â€œFor what? What do I get out of it?”
    Her mom muttered something under her breath. “Skylar, I’m not going to reward you for doing something you ought to already be doing.”
    â€œJust asking.” She straightened the skull-and-cross-bones ring on her right hand. “But I’m not sitting in the car for five hours.”
    â€œI don’t expect you to,” her mother said as she accelerated the second after the light turned green. “The library is directly across the street from the diner. You can stay there until it closes. I went inside Saturday evening on my break. There’s a seating area in front of the windows to the left of the door. Plant yourself thereand stay there, except to go to the bathroom. Read, listen to music. Play on the computers. I don’t care, but stay there. When the library closes, come to the diner. It’s pretty dead after eight o’clock so you can sit in a back booth until we close up.”
    â€œYour boss won’t like it.”
    â€œHe’ll be fine if you behave yourself.”
    Skylar tapped the window with her rings.