Read Online What the Heart Knows by Margaret Daley - Free Book Online

odd jobs and has gotten three of them besides yours. She’s going to be busy for the next few weeks.”
    â€œHas she started baby-sitting yet?”
    â€œI want her to take the Red Cross course first, then maybe she can sit during the daytime. She needs to be a little older for baby-sitting at night.”
    â€œI was thirteen. When’s the course being taught?”
    â€œIn two weeks at the high school. Now she has Terry looking for ways to earn money. My neighbors don’t know what hit them with both my children soliciting odd jobs.”
    â€œMaybe I can come up with something for Terry, too.”
    â€œI don’t want you to go to any extra trouble. You’ve already done so much.”
    Kathleen came to a stop on the trail and faced him. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she looked at him. “What are friends for? Helping each other is part of that. Your children are wonderful.” And this feeling of helping him made their friendship feel more equal, as if she wasn’t always depending on him. That was important to her.
    A couple of the teenagers passed them on the path. Jared observed them walk ahead, then started forward, taking up the rear. “I think they are, but then I’m partial. I just want their lives to be as normal as possible. The last few years with Alice were very hard on the family.” Tension took hold of his expression, firming his jawline, sharpening his eyes.
    Every time he mentioned his deceased wife, Jared grew taut, stress swirling around him. Kathleen wasn’t even sure he realized it. She suspected it was automatic with him. What little he had told her grieved her. Her marriage had been so different, a true partnership. “Children can often bounce back faster than adults.”
    â€œI’d have to agree with you on that. I don’t know if I’ll ever recover. Watching someone destroy herself and not being able to do anything about it was something I don’t ever want to go through again.”
    Kathleen thought of Mark and his behavior lately. Maybe that was the real reason she’d returned home. She didn’t know if she could deal with her son byherself anymore. It was times like this when she missed John the most, and yet the man beside her made her hope that there was a reason behind her son’s changes and they would discover what it was.
    The nearest teenager disappeared around a bend. Jared halted his progress and placed a hand on Kathleen’s arm, stilling her movement. His warm touch comforted her, a connection to another who was rapidly becoming important to her.
    â€œI’m glad you could talk Mark into coming today. It’ll give me another chance to see how he behaves with the others.” Jared slid his palm down her arm to grasp her hand. “On the ride in the van he was pretty quiet.”
    â€œI don’t think he said one word.” He linked their fingers together, and Kathleen felt the bond pierce defenses created after John’s sudden death. That scared her. She needed those defenses. When she’d lost John, her life had fallen apart. That wasn’t something she could go through again.
    â€œBut then with Shane and Connie monopolizing the whole conversation that would be hard. I don’t think I said much.” Jared held their clasped hands up between them, looking deep into her eyes.
    Drawn to him, she leaned closer. Again his distinctive scent surrounded her. “I didn’t notice. I was enjoying the beautiful scenery.” Her words came out in a husky stream while a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach expanded.
    â€œAre you two coming?”
    Shane’s loud booming voice split the air and parted Kathleen and Jared. Standing on the trail upahead were six teenagers all staring at them with broad smiles on their faces. Kathleen hurried forward, her cheeks flaming. She wished she could attribute it to the sun, but she couldn’t, and the kids knew it. In