Read Online The Outer Edge of Heaven by Jaclyn M. Hawkes - Free Book Online
Authors: Jaclyn M. Hawkes
Tags: Romance
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on a very small child. I’m sure he’ll dump her once they’re older and can understand better. Otherwise, he’d just be teaching them that her escapades are acceptable. As it is, I’m pretty sure she won’t be entertaining any more men in our own pool, or drink around here either. He threatened to cut off her funds.”
“Good for him.”
They caught up with the children and Luke asked, “Aren't you even going to ask where we're going?"
"Nope. It doesn't matter. It's all joy."
"There's a new litter of pigs."
"Really? Cool! That’s a wonderful change of subject! Now I'm excited!"
"Just plan to be careful. The mother would eat these guys if she could. Literally." He nodded at the children. "Don't ever let them come out here by themselves."
"She truly would? That's horrible!"
He scooped Jamie up and lifted him to his shoulders. "The babies are cute, but pigs aren't pretty. They're big and mean and dangerous."
She took both of the little girls by the hand as they entered the barn. The smell was every bit as big and mean as Luke claimed the mother pig was, but when they got a glimpse of the babies they forgot all about the pungent odor. Luke was right. The babies were adorable and Charlie could see why Charlotte had been so enamored in the movie.
Luke tossed some feed into the trough and then leaned in and scooped up one of the babies. He handed it squealing to Charlie and then leaned in and snagged another one. They helped the little ones hold the piglets for several minutes and then put them back in and watched from outside the pen for a while longer. There were ten of them and they were fascinating as they rooted around their mother.
Just like in Charlotte's Web, there was one that was smaller than the rest. Charlie looked up at Luke. "Will that little one be okay? Will it be able to compete with the others?"
He hesitated. "We'll simply have to see. I can't do anything about it if it doesn't do well. There's no way I could take on an orphan piglet right now. Reality isn't like the cartoons, you know."
"No. I suppose not. We'll have to pray for it, -that the momma will be able to take care of it just fine."
He smiled down at her. "Pray away Charlie. God loves baby pigs."
****
She ended up on her front porch rockers again that night with Fo and Luke. She wondered out loud why he never brought Lindie with him when they hung out like this. He was somewhat hesitant when he replied, "The baby makes her really tired. By this time of night she's pretty beat."
Charlie decided to level with him. "Lindie told me the baby was Chase's."
There was no hiding his bitterness when Luke replied into the dark, "Chase told her he'd always loved her. She trusted him and made some poor choices she'll have to live with forever now."
"He's twenty-seven years old, Luke. You can't change him unless he wants to change. He's another one that all we can do is pray over."
"I know that. Although, there have been a few times that I’ve done a lot more to him than just pray for him. There’s no way I can stand by and watch him disrespect women, or Dad without doing something about it. Still, I can't help being thoroughly disgusted that he can hurt people so deeply without a second thought about it. Until the day I die, I'll never be able to understand the way he thinks."
"Be grateful for that. It's a good thing. A truly good thing."
****
The next morning, before they'd even eaten breakfast the three little ones wanted to head straight out to the pig pen again. Charlie was having a time convincing them that they should eat first until Luke showed up. He quietly said they had to eat first or no pigs and the kids didn't even try to argue with him.
When they were through and it was cleaned up, he came with them to see the babies again. By the time they made it to the pig shed, Evie was getting a piggy back from him, Elsa was on his shoulders and Jamie wouldn't rest until he was seated right on top of Luke's head.
Charlie took pity
“Good for him.”
They caught up with the children and Luke asked, “Aren't you even going to ask where we're going?"
"Nope. It doesn't matter. It's all joy."
"There's a new litter of pigs."
"Really? Cool! That’s a wonderful change of subject! Now I'm excited!"
"Just plan to be careful. The mother would eat these guys if she could. Literally." He nodded at the children. "Don't ever let them come out here by themselves."
"She truly would? That's horrible!"
He scooped Jamie up and lifted him to his shoulders. "The babies are cute, but pigs aren't pretty. They're big and mean and dangerous."
She took both of the little girls by the hand as they entered the barn. The smell was every bit as big and mean as Luke claimed the mother pig was, but when they got a glimpse of the babies they forgot all about the pungent odor. Luke was right. The babies were adorable and Charlie could see why Charlotte had been so enamored in the movie.
Luke tossed some feed into the trough and then leaned in and scooped up one of the babies. He handed it squealing to Charlie and then leaned in and snagged another one. They helped the little ones hold the piglets for several minutes and then put them back in and watched from outside the pen for a while longer. There were ten of them and they were fascinating as they rooted around their mother.
Just like in Charlotte's Web, there was one that was smaller than the rest. Charlie looked up at Luke. "Will that little one be okay? Will it be able to compete with the others?"
He hesitated. "We'll simply have to see. I can't do anything about it if it doesn't do well. There's no way I could take on an orphan piglet right now. Reality isn't like the cartoons, you know."
"No. I suppose not. We'll have to pray for it, -that the momma will be able to take care of it just fine."
He smiled down at her. "Pray away Charlie. God loves baby pigs."
****
She ended up on her front porch rockers again that night with Fo and Luke. She wondered out loud why he never brought Lindie with him when they hung out like this. He was somewhat hesitant when he replied, "The baby makes her really tired. By this time of night she's pretty beat."
Charlie decided to level with him. "Lindie told me the baby was Chase's."
There was no hiding his bitterness when Luke replied into the dark, "Chase told her he'd always loved her. She trusted him and made some poor choices she'll have to live with forever now."
"He's twenty-seven years old, Luke. You can't change him unless he wants to change. He's another one that all we can do is pray over."
"I know that. Although, there have been a few times that I’ve done a lot more to him than just pray for him. There’s no way I can stand by and watch him disrespect women, or Dad without doing something about it. Still, I can't help being thoroughly disgusted that he can hurt people so deeply without a second thought about it. Until the day I die, I'll never be able to understand the way he thinks."
"Be grateful for that. It's a good thing. A truly good thing."
****
The next morning, before they'd even eaten breakfast the three little ones wanted to head straight out to the pig pen again. Charlie was having a time convincing them that they should eat first until Luke showed up. He quietly said they had to eat first or no pigs and the kids didn't even try to argue with him.
When they were through and it was cleaned up, he came with them to see the babies again. By the time they made it to the pig shed, Evie was getting a piggy back from him, Elsa was on his shoulders and Jamie wouldn't rest until he was seated right on top of Luke's head.
Charlie took pity
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