Read Online Reclaim My Heart by Donna Fasano - Free Book Online Page B

truth.
    The unhappy adolescent she had once been continued to haunt her. The passionate teenager who had surrendered herself—mind and body, heart and soul—to Lucas still lived deep inside. The young woman who had been forced to leave town in disgrace was coming out of hiding. She thought she’d dealt with all the hurts, bandaged all the wounds that had been inflicted on her so many years ago. But merely being in Lucas’s presence forced her to see that, beneath the makeshift dressings, she was still raw and aching. Bitter. And furious.
    “Zach and I will be right back.”
    Tyne and Lucas turned at the sound of Jasper’s voice.
    Jasper stood with Zach at the threshold of the hallway that led to the back of the shop.
    “We’re going upstairs for some goldenseal salve,” Jasper said. “For Zach’s blisters.”
    Lucas straightened. “I found the bow you made for me at the house.”
    Jasper nodded.
    “I heard that you used to win the archery competition at every pow-wow,” Zach said to Jasper. “Will you shoot with us one day while we’re here?”
    “I am out of practice.” The elderly man directed his keen black gaze at Lucas. “There haven’t been archery competitions for years.”
    “What?” Lucas’s head tilted the tiniest bit. “But why?”
    Jasper lifted one hand, palm out, fingers splayene ngers sd. “Lack of interest.” He glanced at Zach. “Come with me. I want to put some salve on those fingers so they don’t get infected.”
    The two of them disappeared down the hall.
    “Hold on just one darn second here,” Tyne said. “Just a few minutes ago you were bragging to me about how Wikweko has grown. ‘We have our own post office,’ you said. ‘We have a newspaper.’ We .” She emphasized the pronoun with a small, derisive wobble of her head. “You talked like you share some kind of kindred spirit with these people, this community. But it sounds like you haven’t been back, Lucas. How long has it been? You haven’t even come home for pow-wows? That’s a big deal to the people here. I know it is.”
    She waited for him to answer, and when he didn’t, she let loose a sharp sigh. “Admit it. You share about as much spirit with Wikweko as I do.”
    “I care enough to subscribe to the paper.” He leaned his hip against a display case. “So I can read up on what’s happening. I don’t think you have any right to give me grief. Your son didn’t even know you were born and raised here.”
    She chose to ignore that comment completely. “Why haven’t you been back, Lucas? You and Jasper were as close as father and son. What happened?”
    He studied her face for a moment. Finally, he said. “Nothing happened, Tyne.”
    Sunlight drilled through the window behind her, heating the spot directly between her shoulder blades. “I don’t believe that. I saw the two of you together. Awkward doesn’t begin to describe what I saw when the two of you greeted each other.”
    He shook his head. “Look, it’s nothing, okay? My job comes with a great deal of responsibility. It’s hard for me to leave Philadelphia. As soon as Uncle Jasper and I spend a little time together our relationship will smooth out.”
    Tyne stood there frowning at him. He’d missed holidays with his uncle. Lots of them. Years’ worth of them from the sound of it. He hadn’t been to pow-wow. Those gatherings were sacred to the Lenape of Wikweko.
    As a teen, she’d been fascinated by the rituals, the legends passed on to the younger generations, the large, smoky bonfire, the delicious food, the games of skill, the camaraderie. Lucas had taken her to several of the celebrations while they were dating, and people had come from all over the country, some of them traveling thousands of miles, to attend. Tyne couldn’t fathom Lucas missing even one of these very special events. Especially when he lived less than two hours away.
    “Lucas—”
    “Give it a rest, Tyne. Everything will be fine between me and my uncle.