Mending The Widow's Heart. Mia Ross

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СКАЧАТЬ world even though it was only a few hours away by plane. Those were the times when she seriously considered moving back to the only place that had ever really felt like home to her.

      Brady had never wanted her to follow him from station to station, so she’d remained in Boston, counting the days from one of his leaves to the next. Enjoying her small circle of friends, she’d been happy enough there, even more so after Chase came along.

      Then Brady returned, and their once-vibrant existence shriveled away to nothing. For Chase’s sake, she’d done her best to adjust and remain as upbeat as possible. After trudging along that way for a couple of years, she’d finally come to the conclusion that Brady’s condition had plateaued and the chances of him improving any further dwindled by the month.

      So she cared for him as well as she could while creating a life for herself and Chase that included desperately needed friends and playdates. They’d been her salvation, giving her something beyond the confining four walls of their apartment.

      Tragically, they’d also given Brady the opening he needed to end his life. For months afterward, she’d blamed herself for not being there when he needed her most, to remind him that she loved him and would never give up on him, no matter how bad things got. The vows she’d spoken on their wedding day before God and their families were sacred to her, and she was as committed to them at the end as she’d been in church that warm, sunny day that had held such promise.

      It felt like a lifetime ago, she thought sadly. Every night, Chase included Brady in the prayers he said before bedtime, asking God to take good care of him. Because she felt he was too young to understand, Holly hadn’t yet devised a way to tell her son the details of his father’s untimely death.

      She barely understood it herself, but she recognized that someday she’d have to tell Chase the truth. She prayed that when the time came, God would help her find the words.

      And that somehow, her son would find a way to accept that the father he loved had chosen to leave him behind.

      * * *

      Later that morning, Sam stopped outside the kitchen door to find Holly and Chase with their heads together over a coloring book. He didn’t think kids did that kind of thing anymore, and the cozy scene made him smile. “I’m headed into town for a fresh saw blade. Do you need anything while I’m there?”

      Holly glanced over at her son and grinned. “I don’t suppose y’all have a barber with a pair of hedge trimmers and a good sense of humor?”

      “Aw, Mom,” Chase whined. “My hair’s fine.”

      “I can hardly see your eyes,” she informed him in the kind of no-nonsense tone Sam recognized from his own mother. “Besides, it’ll be getting warmer soon and shorter hair will be a lot more comfortable.”

      “Okay,” the boy relented with a sigh. “Let’s go.”

      They left the kitchen, and he waited on the landing with Sam while she locked the door. Then Holly took Chase’s hand and they headed down the wide steps. When Chase reached out for Sam’s hand, too, Sam was so stunned, he accepted the trusting gesture and followed along. That the boy would be openly affectionate with his mother was understandable. That he would think to include someone he’d known such a short time was surprising, to say the least. Their quick connection baffled him, but Sam decided that any problem he sensed was all in his mind.

      His heart was overjoyed to know that the fatherless boy had taken to him so quickly. Maybe he wasn’t as far gone as he’d feared, after all.

      “So, is this barber good with kids?” Holly asked, giving her son’s hair a fond ruffling. “This jack-in-the-box isn’t great at sitting still while people fuss over him.”

      “Except when I was in the service, Hal’s given me all my haircuts since I was five.” She raised a suspicious brow, and he laughed. Since meeting the Andrewses, he’d been doing that more than he had in ages, and he had to admit it felt a lot better than brooding all the time. “I know I’m not much of an advertisement right now, but he’s really good. He’s got a grandson Chase’s age, along with seven others, so he’s great with kids and they love him.”

      “That sounds reassuring,” she commented as they stopped beside her car.

      To Chase, he said, “Cody, the one who’s your age, came up with the idea of keeping a video game console and snack bar in the waiting room at the shop. I don’t know who likes it more—the kids or their parents.”

      “What a fabulous idea,” Holly said. “That’s one smart kid.”

      “I wouldn’t mind meeting him sometime,” Chase said. “It’d be fun to have a friend to hang out with.”

      Remorse dimmed Holly’s features, and she frowned. “I know you miss your old crew, bud. I wish we could’ve brought them with us.”

      “It’s not your fault, Mom. I’ll just make new friends.”

      After making sure she smiled, he grinned and climbed into the back seat of her car. Holly closed the door behind him and stared in at him with a pensive expression.

      “That’s one amazing kid you’ve got there,” Sam commented.

      Pulling her gaze away, she looked up at Sam. “He is, isn’t he? I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

      “I’m thinking he gets all that spunk from you.”

      Tilting her head, she gave him a long, penetrating look. “You think I’m spunky?”

      He wasn’t sure what was going on in that mind of hers, but he saw no harm in being up front with her. “Sure do. Considering all you’ve been through, you wouldn’t have gotten this far without it.”

      “God had a lot to do with that.”

      Sweet and simple, the sentiment that comforted so many people made Sam’s skin crawl, and he struggled to mask his reaction to her unexpected confession. He didn’t quite manage it, though, and she frowned. “Did I say something wrong?”

      “No.”

      “You look like I just sucker punched you.” He didn’t say anything, and after a few moments, understanding dawned in those expressive eyes. “You’re not religious, are you?”

      “Not anymore.”

      He waited for her to ask him why, but again this beautiful, perplexing woman surprised him. “So, where do I find this barbershop-slash-video-arcade?”

      “If you want, you can follow me into town, and I’ll introduce you to Hal.”

      “That sounds perfect. Thanks.”

      “No problem.”

      She flashed him the kind of smile that made him more than happy to interrupt his day and give her a hand. The midmorning traffic was lighter than usual, and they found two spots right next to a single-story brick building whose swinging sign out front said Hal’s Barbershop. In the large windows, the owner had displayed posters of various hairstyles through the generations.

      After commenting on the more humorous ones, the three of them headed inside. Bells over the door announced СКАЧАТЬ