Read Online The House on Sugar Plum Lane by JUDY DUARTE - Free Book Online Page B

because the caller had offered her hope by saying her husband had been seriously injured but had survived.
    She’d left Joey in her mother’s care that very day and had flown to Honolulu to be at Joseph’s side. She supposed she should be happy that he’d returned from Vietnam, even though he’d been scarred on the right side of his face and still had to use a cane to walk. Many other soldiers and their families hadn’t been so lucky.
    Her mother had implied that Joseph’s injury had been some sort of punishment for Barbara’s rebellion.
    Okay, so she hadn’t actually come out and pointed her finger or said those very words, but Barbara knew her mother better than she knew anyone else in the world. And the accusation had been in her eyes.
    Admittedly, for a while, Barbara’s guilt had nearly consumed her, but she’d rallied; she’d had no choice.
    From that moment on, she’d done everything she could to make things right, to be the best wife she could be, even though her husband had been left partially disabled.
    And she’d succeeded. Hadn’t she been the one to push Joseph to return to college and attend graduate school? To be all that he could be?
    She’d been a devoted mother, too. The fact that she was here now was proof of that, wasn’t it?
    â€œBefore I go,” the minister said, drawing Barbara back to the present, “let’s have a word of prayer.”
    She bristled, not wanting to be drawn to Joey’s bedside and forced to pray. “I’m sorry. I don’t have time for that. I really need to go, honey. I have an appointment and don’t want to be late.”
    Pastor Craig looked at her as if he knew she was uneasy with the religious talk, but it wasn’t as though she was a non-believer. She knew there was a creator, someone at the helm of fate. But it wasn’t anyone she wanted to connect with. At least, not in a group setting.
    â€œOkay, Mom.” Joey cast her a knowing smile. “Thanks for coming by. We’ll pray that you have a good day while we’re at it.”
    â€œYou’re the one who needs strength and healing,” she said.
    Again, the young pastor nailed her with an expression that suggested he could see right through her, which was another reason she hated church and religious people. They seemed to think they had it all figured out, and they didn’t.
    No one did.
    She made her way to her son’s bedside and bent to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Take care of yourself, honey. And give me a call if there’s any news. Or if you need anything at all.”
    Then she turned and walked out of the room as if one of the fallen angels were giving chase.
    Â 
    The next time Amy drove out to the house on Sugar Plum Lane, she took Callie with her. It was easier that way, she’d told herself.
    Who knew when Brandon would show up again and throw off her plans?
    And, quite frankly, she didn’t appreciate his surprise visits.
    â€œYou’re going to that old house again?” Callie asked as Amy secured her in her car seat.
    â€œYes, for a little while. I’m supposed to help the owners pack some things in boxes.” Amy shut the rear door, then climbed behind the wheel and started the ignition.
    She glanced into the rearview mirror before adjusting it and saw Callie fingering the straps of a pink Hello Kitty backpack that rested beside her car seat. The canvas pouch had been carefully packed with a coloring book, crayons, a couple of cartoon movies, and enough small toys to keep a child busy for hours.
    Callie didn’t appear to be eager for the adventure, though.
    â€œIt’ll be fun,” Amy told her. “You’ll see. And on the way home, we’ll stop by Roy’s Burger Roundup for dinner.”
    â€œCan I get chicken sticks and fries?”
    â€œYou bet.”
    Ten minutes later, after parking in the driveway, Amy took Callie and several