Read Online Time to Heal (Harlequin Heartwarming) by Karen Young - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Karen Young
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good to be true.”
“It’s about time some good things came your way. Right?”
For a second, two pairs of gray eyes met and held. Then Michael said softly, fervently, “I don’t want you to ever be sorry you let me stay.”
Jake reached out and wrapped a hand around his son’s neck, bringing the dark head close. “Nomatter what,” he told Michael, meaning it from the bottom of his heart, “that’ll never happen.”
“No kidding?” The words came out muffled, a little thick.
“It’s a promise.” Jake felt the slight shoulders relax before releasing him. He stood up. “Now. Lights out. You’ve got a big day tomorrow—school, shopping, because you need some new clothes—and you need to check out the neighborhood. I want you to feel at home here.”
Michael scooted down, making himself comfortable. “Will you go with me or Miss Rachel?”
“Me, probably,” Jake replied, looking at him. Smiling faintly, he watched as Michael’s eyes grew heavy. Exhaustion finally overtaking him, his breathing evened out, deepened. Jake reached over and snapped off the aquarium light, plunging the room into total darkness. He wondered how long it had been since Michael had slept in a real bed with a full belly and a sense of security. Looking around, he changed his mind and turned the tank light back on. If his son woke up in the middle of the night, Jake wanted him to see something that made him happy.
F ROM THE PATIO Rachel watched the light go out in Michael’s bedroom, then after only a second or two, come on again. With an impatient sigh, she got out of her chair and began pacing. She wantedthe confrontation with Jake over with. How long did it take to give a kid a T-shirt and explain a few basic points of etiquette? Stopping before a bed of daylilies, she pulled off a few dead blooms, her movements abrupt. It would take a long time if Michael opened up to Jake the way he’d seemed willing to do with her.
She tossed a handful of withered yellow blooms into the flower bed. He was probably full of horror stories from his travels across the country. As shocked as she was at having Michael show up on her doorstep, she couldn’t help but admire him for having the grit to undertake such a quest. Six weeks of searching for a father who was a total stranger living twelve hundred miles away couldn’t have been easy. Nor homelessness. Fortunately for Michael, there had been a happy ending. For Scotty…
Her thoughts scattered with the sound of the patio door opening.
Spotting her in the shadows, Jake closed the door softly. “Michael wanted me to thank you.”
“Whatever for?” she said coolly.
“For taking him in, I suppose,” Jake said, wearily rubbing a hand over his face. “For giving him the first square meal he’s had in six weeks. For treating him decently when you could have refused even to speak to him. He’s well aware that his appearance is a shock.”
“None of this is his fault.”
Jake dropped down in the chair she had just vacated. “I’m happy to hear you say that.”
“I’ll bet you are.” With a hard twist of her wrist, she snapped a flower from its stem.
For a long moment, he studied her rigid back. When he spoke, it was in a soft, almost defeated tone. “Okay, Rachel, let’s get it over with.”
She whirled to face him. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” She kept her voice low, but its very softness underlined her rage and sense of betrayal. “You’d like it if we could have a simple shouting match, just say everything there is to say about what you’ve done and then go on as if nothing’s changed. Well, you can just think again, Jake! A few questions and answers aren’t going to make everything peachy. Whether you think so or not, everything is changed. You were unfaithful. You cheated. You—”
“It was fifteen years ago, Rachel! I’ve already said I was wrong. I made a mistake. We need to—”
“Carry on?” Her tone was heavy with sarcasm.
He drew
“It’s about time some good things came your way. Right?”
For a second, two pairs of gray eyes met and held. Then Michael said softly, fervently, “I don’t want you to ever be sorry you let me stay.”
Jake reached out and wrapped a hand around his son’s neck, bringing the dark head close. “Nomatter what,” he told Michael, meaning it from the bottom of his heart, “that’ll never happen.”
“No kidding?” The words came out muffled, a little thick.
“It’s a promise.” Jake felt the slight shoulders relax before releasing him. He stood up. “Now. Lights out. You’ve got a big day tomorrow—school, shopping, because you need some new clothes—and you need to check out the neighborhood. I want you to feel at home here.”
Michael scooted down, making himself comfortable. “Will you go with me or Miss Rachel?”
“Me, probably,” Jake replied, looking at him. Smiling faintly, he watched as Michael’s eyes grew heavy. Exhaustion finally overtaking him, his breathing evened out, deepened. Jake reached over and snapped off the aquarium light, plunging the room into total darkness. He wondered how long it had been since Michael had slept in a real bed with a full belly and a sense of security. Looking around, he changed his mind and turned the tank light back on. If his son woke up in the middle of the night, Jake wanted him to see something that made him happy.
F ROM THE PATIO Rachel watched the light go out in Michael’s bedroom, then after only a second or two, come on again. With an impatient sigh, she got out of her chair and began pacing. She wantedthe confrontation with Jake over with. How long did it take to give a kid a T-shirt and explain a few basic points of etiquette? Stopping before a bed of daylilies, she pulled off a few dead blooms, her movements abrupt. It would take a long time if Michael opened up to Jake the way he’d seemed willing to do with her.
She tossed a handful of withered yellow blooms into the flower bed. He was probably full of horror stories from his travels across the country. As shocked as she was at having Michael show up on her doorstep, she couldn’t help but admire him for having the grit to undertake such a quest. Six weeks of searching for a father who was a total stranger living twelve hundred miles away couldn’t have been easy. Nor homelessness. Fortunately for Michael, there had been a happy ending. For Scotty…
Her thoughts scattered with the sound of the patio door opening.
Spotting her in the shadows, Jake closed the door softly. “Michael wanted me to thank you.”
“Whatever for?” she said coolly.
“For taking him in, I suppose,” Jake said, wearily rubbing a hand over his face. “For giving him the first square meal he’s had in six weeks. For treating him decently when you could have refused even to speak to him. He’s well aware that his appearance is a shock.”
“None of this is his fault.”
Jake dropped down in the chair she had just vacated. “I’m happy to hear you say that.”
“I’ll bet you are.” With a hard twist of her wrist, she snapped a flower from its stem.
For a long moment, he studied her rigid back. When he spoke, it was in a soft, almost defeated tone. “Okay, Rachel, let’s get it over with.”
She whirled to face him. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” She kept her voice low, but its very softness underlined her rage and sense of betrayal. “You’d like it if we could have a simple shouting match, just say everything there is to say about what you’ve done and then go on as if nothing’s changed. Well, you can just think again, Jake! A few questions and answers aren’t going to make everything peachy. Whether you think so or not, everything is changed. You were unfaithful. You cheated. You—”
“It was fifteen years ago, Rachel! I’ve already said I was wrong. I made a mistake. We need to—”
“Carry on?” Her tone was heavy with sarcasm.
He drew
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