Read Online Rebecca's Bouquet by Lisa Jones Baker - Free Book Online

things are good, people don’t realize what they have. I guess you could compare life to a car. When it’s up and running, you don’t give it much thought. But when the battery goes dead . . .”
    Rebecca considered the statement.
    Beth laughed a little and raised a hand in apology. “Forgive me. For a moment, I forgot that you wouldn’t know about vehicles.”
    â€œIt’s okay.”
    â€œI guess what I’m getting at is that now I realize the small problems I fretted over should never have made even a small dent in my life. Car repairs. Electric bills. Things that can be easily fixed. We had it all, Rebecca. Daniel’s heart condition has given me a loud wake-up call. I never dreamed how my life could change.”
    As she walked to the window and looked out, her heels made a light clicking noise against the oversized mauve tiles. Several moments later, Rebecca joined her. Beth turned and motioned to the four corners of the room. “Look at all of this. It’s wonderful.” She paused. “But I can live without it. I’ve never considered myself materialistic, but now that I’m faced with keeping Daniel alive, I realize I’ve placed too much importance on the house.”
    Tears welled in Beth’s eyes. “I’d give up everything with a snap of the fingers to have Daniel well. In fact, the only thing I care about is his recovery, Rebecca. He’s all that matters. Because without the man I love”—she lowered her voice so that Rebecca barely heard her—“none of this matters. He’s my life. And I’m so scared of losing him.”
    Before Rebecca could respond, Beth broke down and cried. As she threw her head back, tears rolled down both cheeks like a waterfall. She pressed her fingers to her face.
    Rebecca took her hand and led her back to her chair. “Here. Sit down.”
    Beth did so. Rebecca pulled up a chair next to her. She wanted to let Beth know her husband would be fine. That he would recover and that they would spend many more years together. As Beth cried for Daniel, Rebecca struggled to think of something to say.
    She patted her on the back. “You’ll be okay. Please don’t cry.” But Beth’s tears continued. Certainly, Rebecca was short on experience in this field. How could she console William’s step-mamma? As she listened to Beth mumble something between sobs, Rebecca knew she had to say something. But what? She decided to use her reasoning skills. She’d learned a lot from Old Sam. And her schoolteachers had always told her she possessed good common sense. Where was it when she needed it?
    Finally, an idea hit her. She leaned forward to grasp Beth’s shoulders. “Beth.” Rebecca’s voice was gentle but firm. Beth met her gaze.
    â€œWhen I used to have problems, Mamma always told me there’s nothing that can comfort a person like the outdoors.”
    She released her hold on Beth and stood in front of her, lending a friendly hand. “Let’s go outside.”
    Beth didn’t respond.
    Rebecca nudged her arm. “Come on. We’re going to breathe in some fresh air and between the two of us, we can surely figure out how to cope with Daniel’s health.”
    Without arguing, Beth let Rebecca lead her to the front door. They left the house and proceeded across the vast yard of velvety grass to the quiet blacktop country road.
    The warm, balmy breeze rustled the leaves on the tall oaks. Above, large clouds that looked like fluffy mashed potatoes floated lazily in the light June sky like life rafts on an ocean.
    Rebecca raised a confident chin. “I’ve never been in your situation, so I can’t speak from experience. But if I were in your shoes, here’s what I think I would do.”
    Letting out a breath, Beth dabbed a tissue over both eyes and straightened her shoulders. She cleared her throat. When she glanced at Rebecca, the lost