Read Time to Heal (Harlequin Heartwarming) for Free Online Page A

clothes to see if I’ve got the kind of things you wear to an office.”
    She hadn’t spoken so many words with so much zest in ages. “What are your hours?”
    “Just regular office hours. I told Ron I didn’t think I’d like the midnight hours and, of course, the evening shift—three to eleven, you know—means we’d hardly see each other.”
    “And would that have mattered?”
    She looked at him, then turned away, taking her wine with her. “Yes, it would have mattered, Jake. I feel that I turned a corner somehow today. I don’t know if getting out of the house and into a job or if testing myself in some capacity other than as an extension of Sheriff Jake McAdam will change anything, but for the first time since…it happened, I feel hopeful. I’m going to do this. My mind’s made up. I hope you understand. If you don’t…”
    Jake looked down at the whiskey in his hand. He didn’t want to hear the end of that statement. He’d waited weeks—months—for Rachel to decide she wanted to keep on living, and now it had happened. She had color in her cheeks, hope in her heart. Both would be wiped out when she heard what he had to tell her. Why today? Why not sixmonths ago? Or six months in the future? He drew in a deep breath.
    “Rachel, we need to talk.”
    “Oh, Jake, don’t ruin this for me! Why can’t you understand that—”
    “It isn’t about your job, Rachel.”
    She looked at him. “Then what is it?”
    “Come on, let’s sit over here.” He walked to the couch and stood waiting. After a moment, Rachel moved toward him. With her eyes on him, she sat down slowly.
    “Something happened today, Rachel.” He turned his head and stared out the window he’d planned so carefully. It overlooked the patio and lawn to the pool beyond. The whole backyard area could be seen from the family room. There was no sign of Michael. He was keeping out of sight. Jake wasn’t sure how he knew, but he did. His heart twisted at the emotions that must be eating at Michael as he waited. He moved to the windows.
    With his back to her, he asked quietly, “Do you remember the time in Miami when you left me?”
    “What?”
    “It was over fifteen years ago.”
    “Yes, I remember. Of course, I remember. How could I forget?” Frowning, Rachel studied the rigid line of his shoulders. “Jake, what—”
    “I was working a case, a big one. Ramirez, the Colombian Connection, Rick called it.”
    “All I remember is you almost got killed.”
    He turned then and looked at her. “I was never sure about something, Rachel. If I hadn’t been shot, would you have come back to me?”
    She stood and went to the bar. The stem of the wineglass almost shattered as she set it down. “Why are you bringing all that up now, Jake? It was a hundred years ago. I did come back, so what else is there to say?”
    She hadn’t answered his question, and both of them knew it.
    “I didn’t force you to leave the DEA. You decided it without a word to me.” Her mouth thinned. “Par for the course. In those days you made all the decisions.”
    “Deciding to stay married was a big decision, and you made that one.”
    “That was a difficult time for me,” she said quietly. “When you announced you were leaving the DEA, I thought of it as a second chance for us, for our marriage. Whether I loved you was never in question. I did. I do. That lifestyle was one I never felt I’d chosen. I think that was a major part of the problem.”
    He took a deep breath, wondering if his next words would mark the end of their marriage once and for all. Being forced to accept choices she hated had almost driven her away once.
    “I had a visitor today. A boy.”
    The color drained from her face. Reaching for support, she put her hand on the bar. “Scotty,” she whispered. “You’ve heard something about Scotty.”
    “No. Rachel—” He went to her, pulled her against him, groaning as he felt the shudders that racked her body. He rubbed her back and