Read Lorraine Heath for Free Online Page B

find her.”
    “How come Uncle Jesse didn’t come home tonight?”
    “He had some things he had to take care of.”
    Aaron scrunched his face in distaste. “Is he gonna bring a wife home tomorrow?”
    Charles smiled. “I don’t think so.”
    Aaron buried himself within the mattress as Charles rearranged the displaced quilts. “Don’t suppose you’d just say good night to Miss Maddie.”
    Aaron looked past his father to the silent woman standing within his room. “ ’Night.”
    “Good night, Aaron.”
    He nodded before rolling over. Shaking his head, Charles stood.
    They stepped out into the hallway. “Give him time,” Charles said quietly.
    “He seems to think the world of your brother.”
    Charles nodded. “Jesse came to live here shortly after Alice died. I had a baby and a three-year-old I was trying to care for. What little time I had for Aaron wasn’t enough. And the time I did find for him …” He shook his head. “We were in the barn, and I was yelling at him about something he’d done wrong. I can’t even remember what it was now. Suddenly, Jesse cleared his throat, and I jumped clear out of my skin.”
    Maddie smiled, and he touched the curved tip of her mouth. “See, you’re not the only one he makes jump. Anyway, there he stood, looking for a place to call home. He gave Aaron the time and attention I couldn’t. Which is good. I’m glad they’re close.”
    They strolled the hall until they stood before the first bedroom. “Why don’t you get ready for bed?” Charles suggested. “I’m going to check downstairs. I’ll be back shortly.”
    “Why hasn’t Jesse come back to the house?”
    Charles averted his gaze. “He had some chores—”
    She slipped her hand into his and brushed her thumb lightly across his discolored knuckles. “You told him, didn’t you?” she asked quietly. “Told him how you met me?”
    “It doesn’t matter, Maddie. Jesse just doesn’t understand. He sees everything as though it’s been painted in black and white. I view things as though they’ve been painted in varying shades of gray. When the light shines on them, you see something different.”
    “I don’t want to come between you two. Family is too important, Charles.”
    “You’re family now, Maddie. Like Aaron, he’ll come to realize that in time. Now, get ready for bed, and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
    She watched her husband descend the stairs before she opened the door to her new bedroom. She’d first seen it that afternoon when they’d brought the children upstairs to receive their gifts. The room spoke eloquently of Charles’s relationship with his first wife.
    Solid walnut furniture was an expression of his masculinity, but the frilled curtains adorning the windows and the handmade quilt covering the bed were evidence of her femininity. Nothing in the room overshadowed anything else, but each item had been specifically chosen to complement the other. The walnut washstand where he would shave in the morning, her delicate mirrored dresser where she would prepare herself for bed at night. Glancing around the room, she knew her husband had indeed shared something special with his wife. She felt a measure of relief knowing she was not competing with the woman for a place in Charles’s heart.
    She changed into her nightgown and wrapper before sitting in the plush velvet-covered chair in front of the mirrored dresser. As she worked the brush vigorously through her hair, she heard the door to her bedroom open. She closed her eyes, dreading what she might see when she opened them, afraid Charles’s trip downstairs to check on things had included whiskey. She felt his hands come to rest on her shoulders and opened her eyes.
    In the reflection of the mirror, he smiled softly. Relief coursed through her, and she smiled back. Reaching around her, he took the brush from her hand and brought it gently down through her honey tresses. Not since her mother had died had anyone brushed her