Read Online Never Let You Down: The Connaghers, Book 4 by Joely Sue Burkhart - Free Book Online

stony and furious. It wasn’t her daughter’s fault that she saw a foreign woman in the mirror. “You’re young. You have your whole life ahead of you. Of course you ought to dress up and go out for a night on the town looking your best.”
    “And you shouldn’t? Don’t be ridiculous, Mama.”
    “My time is done.”
    “You’re not dead yet,” Vicki retorted, “so don’t stop living.”
    Virginia flinched, the words cutting her as sharply as a vicious slap to the face.
    “I’m sorry, Mama.” Vicki reached out a shaking hand but didn’t touch her, as though afraid she might retaliate. “We almost lost you in that accident, but we didn’t. You’re still alive. You’re healthy except for your arm. A few weeks of physical therapy and you’re going to be as good as new. But don’t you wonder if it wasn’t a sign? A wake-up call?”
    “For what? That I’m alone?”
    Her words sounded bitter to her ears. Harsh and strident and angry.
    Yeah, I’m angry. I’ve been angry for twelve years.
    “You don’t have to be. Look at yourself, Mama. You’re beautiful and Mr. Garrett is a nice, attractive man. He’s not younger than you. He’s someone you know. Weren’t those your requirements?”
    Virginia stared at herself in the mirror, her eyes burning hot and dry. “I wish to hell I didn’t know him. That I’d never known him.”
    “Why? Mama, please, talk to me. You helped me so much when Elias and I were going through hell. Why can’t I help you now?”
    “You have no idea what it’s like.”
    “What, Mama? I know you’ve been lonely all these years—anyone would be. I just didn’t know why. I mean, when I was younger I would have been jealous and upset if you’d started dating soon after Daddy’s death, but there’s no reason for you not to have some enjoyment in life. You deserve a good man who’ll take care of you and make sure you’re happy.”
    Virginia closed her eyes a minute, trying to decide whether she dared tell anyone the truth. Let alone her daughter. No one knew. Except Jebadiah Garrett. Well, Miss Belle would claim that her supposed psychic ability had revealed the truth to her, when in reality she’d probably been spying on her teenaged daughter all those years ago.
    “It was a long time ago.” She waited, hoping Vicki would say something, or at least demand an answer that she could take as a challenge or twist into an argument. Maybe Vicki had finally grown up, though, because she waited in silence with a painful look of encouragement on her face. Virginia sighed heavily and turned away from the burning image in the mirror. “In all the years I was in a relationship with your father, including the years before we were officially married, I was never unfaithful in any way, except once.”
    Vicki gasped. “With Mr. Garrett?”
    “Like I said, it was a long time ago and before I even married your daddy. We were engaged except for the ring. Ty wouldn’t put a ring on my finger until he had the ranch I wanted and he was working himself nigh to death to raise the money as quickly as possible. I was helping him any way I could, but his pride was a treacherous thing. He wouldn’t take any money from me or Daddy, but I could use our connections in town to make sure he got the best pay for his side jobs and the lowest prices on everything else. Jeb was away most of the time at Texas A&M and I don’t even know for sure how he found out about it. He got his sister to promise I’d come to the Texas A&M orientation that spring break, even though I’d already decided I wasn’t going to college. It wasn’t even a huge secret—I told Ty right away. Yet the very next day, they were both marked and bruised as if they’d beaten the tar out of each other.”
    “Who won?”
    “Who do you think? Though Jeb must have put up a pretty good fight. I expected them to avoid each other like the plague, but they continued to be friendly for the most part. Ty never said a negative word about