Read Online The Way of Women by Lauraine Snelling - Free Book Online Page B

He thought back to the conversation with his two women the night before. Lissa, holding her own for a change, bragged about the two pounds she’d gained. “And I have a new stuffed rabbit, Daddy,” she giggled. “Guess what I named him.”
    “What, baby?” Harv thrilled to hear the joy in her voice.
    “Harvey.” She waited for his response.
    “Harvey? Whatever happened to Peter or Bugs Bunny?”
    “Daddy.” He could hear the exasperation in her voice. “He’s all white with pink ears. Those others are gray. And besides …” She paused.
    “Besides?” Harv waited for her punch line.
    “Harvey’s a magic rabbit and …”
    “And?” Harv loved the way she explained things to him, always so definite and particular.
    “Harvey’s your name,” she crowed. “You’re a magic rabbit.” Her giggle brought tears to his eyes and lodged emotion in his throat.
    Oh, God. If only I were magic, what I would do for you
. “Well, you hug that Harvey hard tonight, and I’ll be home to see you soon. Put Mommy back on the phone, okay?”
    “Okay, Daddy. I love you.” She giggled again. “Harvey.”
    “Goodnight, baby.” He scrubbed the back of his hand over his eyes.
God above, how precious she is
.
    “Harv?” Mellie’s soft voice filled his ear. He leaned against the phone booth wall. A drizzle had begun, and the chill wind sneaking in under the door caused him to shiver. He wasn’t used to standing still this long.
    “Yes? Mel, she sounds wonderful.”
    “When are you coming home?”
    “Soon. I promise you. I just can’t turn down any extra time they offer me. We’ve been driving right through the weekends since the rollback. Scuttlebutt says we’ll be off the weekend of the twenty-fifth. That’s less than two weeks away.”
    “Oh, Harv, I miss you so. The final precheckup is the twenty-sixth. Do you think you can stay through for that? Then maybe we’ll know the actual beginning date.”
    “I don’t know. I’ll ask. But I hate like anything to miss a day. You need every penny.”
    “We need you more.”
    He couldn’t argue with her. By that time it would all be over. He closed his eyes against the pain.
If only I could see them one more time
. “I know. I know. I’ll see what I can do. Goodnight, Mellie. Hug each other from me.” He hung the receiver back in its cradle.
    Harv snapped himself back to the present. The rain on the windshield and the tears that soaked his eyes and soul blurred the curving road. He tapped the brakes; the corner ahead was coming up much too fast. He slammed the gears downward, double clutching and pumping the brake at the same time. The cab skidded. Eighteen tires screamed out their fury. “No!” Hismind echoed the screaming tires. “Not yet!” He hit the gas at the last moment. His back and shoulder muscles corded with strain against the buck of the wheel.
    He manhandled the rig around the curve, the trailer fishtailing behind him.
Thank you, God, that no one was coming
. He’d been all over the road, including both shoulders. He eased the vehicle down until he could stop by the side.
    Fear’s acrid stench filled the cab. Harvey wiped his sweaty palms on the front of his flannel shirt. His heart pounded. The blood pulsating around his skull and the rasp of his breathing drowned out the engine at rest. He slumped with his forehead resting on his hands at the top of the steering wheel. Would he be able to overcome his body’s instinct to survive?
    Blast if he knew.
    He shook his head as though the weight was more than he could bear.
    I have no choice
.

M AY 16, 1980
    B ut, David, you know going up on Mount St. Helens is against the law.”
    “I know.”
    The weariness in his voice and the slump of his shoulders drew her to him. Katheryn Sommers knew from long years of experience that her man was near the end of his tether. She pulled out a kitchen chair and gently pushed him into it. Her strong fingers massaged his rigid muscles. She tried again. “I know