The Coltons: Fisher, Ryder & Quinn: Soldier's Secret Child. Caridad Pineiro

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СКАЧАТЬ on his way to the Army, although he hadn’t decided whether it would be to another tour of duty in the Middle East or the instructor’s position at West Point.

      The former was familiar, but he understood the importance of the latter. Even acknowledged how it could be a new adventure for him. A different mission.

      Teaching up and coming officers was as significant as being out in the field with his men. After all, the nation needed excellent military men to lead and his many years of experience could help those cadets become better officers and save lives.

      But as Fisher walked to his bedroom—the same one in which he’d slept as a child—he wondered if he would grow bored with living in one place and having the same basic daily routine. For nearly eighteen years he’d avoided that and he couldn’t imagine changing now unless…

      It would take something really special for that kind of change, he realized as he stared at his cold and lonely single bed.

      Fisher drove from his mind the picture of Macy waiting for him in that bed because he feared that maybe Macy could be that something really special to change his life.

      As he undressed and slipped beneath the chilly sheets, he reminded himself that Macy needed more than a man in her life. Her son needed a father figure and once again it occurred to him that he wasn’t the right man for that job.

      But as he drifted off to sleep, visions of her seeped into his dreams, reminding him of just how much he was missing in life.

       Chapter 9

      Macy awoke tired and grumpy. Her night’s sleep—or lack of—had been dominated by thoughts of both Fisher and T.J.

      None of her deliberations had been good, she thought as she and T.J. drove to the ranch. But then blushed as she remembered her dreams of making love with Fisher.

      Of course, any pleasure had been wiped out by her son’s surly mood. That morning he had complained about how hard he and Joe had worked the day before until she had pointedly reminded him of how much it had cost for the speeding ticket and repairs.

      His cold silence had replaced the complaints during the short ride to the ranch.

      When they entered the house to share breakfast with the others, he became slightly more animated, taking a spot by Joe and Sara and striking up a conversation with them.

      She watched their camaraderie and was more convinced than ever that Sara had something to do with the speeding and accident.

      Her intuition was confirmed when she sat with Ana and Jewel and her boss leaned over and said, “Some of the kids mentioned that they thought Sara wasn’t home when the Sheriff phoned about the accident.”

      “She was with the boys?” Ana asked softly, keeping her tone low so that the conversation would remain with them.

      “I thought so. Boys, cars and girls just seem to create problems when you mix them together,” Jewel replied and took a sip of her coffee.

      Macy ran a finger along the rim of her cup as she considered Jewel’s words, so similar to the thoughts she’d had herself. T.J. had been working hard on restoring the muscle car and quite proud of not only the vehicle’s looks, but the power beneath the hood. And even though she had thought that, she also sensed there was more to it.

      Meeting her boss’s gaze, she said, “That may be true, but I would feel a lot more comfortable if we knew more about Sara. About why she’s here and why all three of them would be lying about her being with them that night.”

      Jewel paused with her mug in midair, then slowly lowered it to the table. “You know the Hopechest policy. We offer refuge without qualification. Without making any demands that our residents reveal anything.”

      She was well aware of the Hopechest policy. They had taken in each of the children and even Ana without question.

      She nodded and said nothing else of it as they finished breakfast, instead turning to a discussion of what Jewel wanted them to do that day with the children. As she had done the day before, her boss piled on a load of chores for the two boys and after breakfast, they all went their separate ways.

      Despite the work assigned to them, she noticed that the two boys managed to spend their free time with Sara. At the midday lunch break and then again during the afternoon rides at the corral, T.J. and Joe were engaged with Sara, their heads bent together in discussion.

      She had hoped to speak to T.J. about it on their way home, but he was exhausted and irritated once again, not to mention smelly from mucking out the mare’s stall. Wrinkling her nose, she said, “Please shower while I make dinner.”

      He yanked one iPod earpiece out and angry music blared from it as he faced her. “What if I’m not hungry?”

      Considering how hard he had been working, she couldn’t imagine him not needing to refuel his growing body, but she wouldn’t get into a war of words with him.

      “Then I’ll eat alone.”

      His mouth flopped up and down like that of one of the sunfish they used to pull out of the small pond behind the high school, but he said nothing else.

      He did shower as she had asked and met her at the dinner table where he silently shoveled in the burger and fries she had made. He even deigned to sit with her for a slice of a home-baked apple pie, à la mode of course.

      But after that, he excused himself, saying that he was tired and planned on going to bed early.

      She didn’t argue with him, recognizing that the space might help him get over his pique.

      After he left the kitchen, she turned on the small television tucked into a corner cabinet and took her time cleaning up. Washing the pans and dishes by hand, slowly and methodically since she found the simple work relieved her mind of thinking of more complex things.

      It was barely eight when she finished, went up the stairs and passed by the door of T.J.’s room. His door was ajar and she peered within. As her son had said, he was in bed and asleep.

      Relieved at the momentary peace that his slumber brought, she retired to her room where she changed into her pajamas, slipped beneath the covers and grabbed her book, intending to finish it.

      A few hours passed and she was near the end of the novel when she thought she heard a noise.

      T.J.? she wondered and eased from her bed to check on him.

      He was still tucked safely in bed and she returned to her own, finished off the last few pages, smiling at the ending.

      It was with those happy thoughts that she turned off her light and lay down to sleep.

      She drifted off in that blissful state, her mind turning to thoughts of happier times. With T.J. and her husband Tim before the cancer had robbed him of life. With Fisher on the one night that had forever changed her destiny.

      Her memories muddled together in dreams, becoming ones of her, Fisher and T.J. together until the phone rang beside her, rudely pulling her from her dreams.

      Barely СКАЧАТЬ