All Roads Lead Home. Christine Johnson
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Название: All Roads Lead Home
Автор: Christine Johnson
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Исторические любовные романы
isbn: 9781408978047
isbn:
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Anna exclaimed after handing Mariah the last pan. She stretched and spun around to take it all in.
Mariah didn’t consider an Illinois roadside beautiful. High clouds streaked the sky, but the grass and corn didn’t provide much of a view. Forty feet away, Hendrick bent over the rear tire on the far side of the car. He couldn’t possibly hear what they were saying. That gave her a chance to ask Anna something that had been bothering her since they left, something that the girl’s disappearance that afternoon had highlighted.
“Anna?” Mariah touched the girl’s arm to capture her attention. “Could I ask a favor of you?”
The girl stopped spinning. “Of me?”
There was no easy way to say this. “I don’t have anything against your brother. He’s a fine and honorable man. It’s purely about propriety. As a single woman…” She let her voice trail off for emphasis. “I shouldn’t be alone with an unmarried man, especially after dark. Could you ensure we’re never alone together?”
Anna shrugged her shoulders. “If you want.”
“Thank you,” Mariah breathed, relieved that Anna had agreed so readily. There’d be no repeat of the episode at the beach, no teasing of her emotions and no chance he’d fall in love with her again.
With that worry gone, she could enjoy the sunset. Mariah stacked the dried dishes and carried them back to the campsite where Anna helped her put them back in the canvas bag. Then the three of them settled on the grass. At first they chatted about what they’d seen that day, but as the sun streaked the undersides of the clouds pink, all conversation stopped. Anna swatted at a cloud of gnats while Hendrick pulled out a stalk of wheatlike grass and nibbled on the end. Mariah remembered doing that as a child. How long had it been since she saw the world with fresh eyes? Even while caring for Luke two summers ago, she’d bustled about doing chores, never stopping to experience his world.
She plucked a stalk of grass and tasted its tender, sweet end, rich with the promise of summer. God’s golden sunlight had seeped into the earth where the plants drank it up. Tonight that light shimmered in the air and streaked the sky in hues of pink and red and violet.
“Nothing can top the Lord’s paintbrush,” she said softly.
Anna murmured agreement, but Hendrick gave her a look that swept over her like gale-driven waves. Both pain and longing and something else. Was it hope or despair?
This trip must be difficult for him. His presence certainly upset her composure. Suddenly, she had to consider his feelings. It wasn’t just what she wanted. He was there, always there, within arm’s reach. And his thoughts were so transparent. She hoped he didn’t read her so easily.
He tossed away his stalk of grass. “What are you going to do once we get to Montana?”
“Get Mr. Gillard to sign the termination-of-parental-rights papers.” The memory of Luke playing Geronimo made her voice catch. “I can’t risk Luke’s happiness.”
Anna rolled onto her stomach, chin propped on her hands. “Who is Mr. Gillard, and what does he have to do with Luke?”
Mariah realized that she’d never filled in Anna and Hendrick. They were far from Felicity and Luke now. She took a deep breath. “Frank Gillard claims he’s Luke’s father, and says he wants his son back.”
Her eyes widened, the pupils black in the declining light. “You don’t think he really is Luke’s father?”
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