A Maverick for the Holidays. Leanne Banks

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СКАЧАТЬ basketball every now and then. He’s a little on the skinny side, so I think he tries to act all tough.” She sighed. “We had a dog for a while and Joey really liked him, but my dad made us give him away.”

      “Hmm,” Angie murmured, her mind working. “What about working at the animal shelter? We have a group that volunteers there twice a month. If he really likes it, he could go more often on his own. In the meantime, if he goes with the ROOTS group, he’ll be exposed to some different kids and maybe make some better friends.”

      “That’s a great idea,” Lilly said. “If we can just figure out how to get him to go.”

      “If you want, I can have one of the ROOTS shelter volunteers give him a call. I can call him, too.”

      “That might help, but he still could turn you down. Joey can be stubborn.”

      “We’ll wear him down,” Angie said. “I’ll have the ROOTS coordinator contact him first.”

      Lilly sighed. “Thanks. I’m really worried about him.”

      “We’ll give this a try and see how it works. Make sure you’re keeping your mother up to speed, and if she needs extra help, we’re in touch with some wonderful counselors. Some of them even offer a couple free sessions.”

      Lilly impulsively threw her arms around Angie and Angie hugged her in return. “Remember you’re not alone, here,” Angie said and gave the teen a reassuring squeeze. Her heart broke for the trauma Lilly had experienced during the last few years. It was hard always being the strong one. Angie was so grateful that Lilly trusted her enough to talk to her.

      After her shift, Angie left ROOTS and walked into her empty home. Since her brother Austin and sister Haley had left, she was all alone. Angie spent as little time at home as possible. She knew she was fortunate to have a rent-free home, but the silence that welcomed her every night disturbed her. After today, she had a feeling she might not be alone forever. She had a very strong feeling about Forrest Traub. So strong she couldn’t keep it to herself.

      Even though she could have called Haley earlier when she was at ROOTS, Angie had held off. But now she couldn’t. She dialed her sister’s cell and waited, her heart racing.

      “Hey,” Haley said. “How are you doing?”

      “Great,” Angie said and took a deep breath. “And I’ve just met the most amazing man today. His name is Forrest Traub. He’s a veteran and he’s the man of my dreams.”

      Haley chuckled. “And you know this after one meeting?” she asked.

      “I do,” Angie said, wandering around the den. “He’s everything I’ve ever wanted. He’s the man I always wanted without knowing that I wanted him. Haley, he’s not a boy. He’s a man and he’s strong and he has a good heart. You should have seen him with that therapy dog.”

      “Therapy dog?” Haley echoed.

      “He was taking Annabel’s dog Smiley for a walk. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he’s hot. But I can tell there’s much more to him.”

      “If you say so,” Haley said.

      “I do,” Angie insisted.

      “Okay, that’s exciting,” Haley said.

      Angie could hear Haley’s disbelief and it bothered her. “You’re patronizing me,” Angie said.

      “I’m not,” Haley said. “Give me a chance. I haven’t met the guy.”

      Angie sighed. “Okay. Fair enough.”

      “Good,” Haley said. “Are you doing okay?”

      Angie glanced around the den of the house and fought the sense of loneliness. “I’m good. Keeping busy,” she said as she paced.

      “You should come to visit us for dinner more often,” Haley said.

      “You’re a newlywed. I don’t want to intrude,” Angie said.

      “It’s not an intrusion,” Haley countered.

      “Seems like it to me. I don’t want to crash a honeymoon,” Angie said.

      Haley chuckled. “Just give us a few minutes’ notice and we’re good.”

      “I feel so much better,” Angie teased.

      Silence followed. “Sweetie, you know we are here for you.”

      “Yeah, I know,” Angie said.

      “We love you,” Haley said.

      “Love you, too,” Angie returned and hung up her phone.

      Taking a deep breath, she meandered from the doorway to the kitchen. A dozen memories flashed through her mind. Her brother making pancakes for her breakfast. Haley helping her get ready for prom.

      Angie knew that Haley and Austin had worked their butts off to make up for the fact that their father had left soon after she’d been born and her mother had died during her early teens.

      The great blessing had been that both her sister and brother had found true love. They’d moved out of the house to make their new lives with their loves. Angie couldn’t be happier, except for the fact that she was now alone. And she didn’t always quite know what to do with herself.

      Austin and Haley checked in on her frequently, but Angie didn’t want to be a burden. After all, she was twenty-three. She should be fully capable of managing her life.

      But the house felt so silent. It was too quiet. Stalking into the den, she grabbed the remote for the television and turned it on. She didn’t care about the program. She just wanted the sound of human voices. Returning to the kitchen, she pulled out a frozen dinner, zapped it in the microwave and took it with her into the den.

      She sank onto the sofa and pulled out the notebook she kept for her charity projects. With the holidays approaching, she knew her schedule would get busier. Somehow more kids seemed to show up at ROOTS during the holidays, which meant the youth center needed more adults manning different shifts. She would juggle that with working several holiday dinners and parties for the catering company that kept her bank account healthy.

      Angie had also learned from her sister, Haley, that helping other people made her less likely to feel sorry for herself. That was why she liked to get the ROOTS kids to contribute to a charity activity. It didn’t have to require money, just some time and effort. The kids learned that it was rewarding to give of themselves.

      Her mind turned to thoughts of Forrest Traub as she jotted thoughts in her notebook. She drew a military emblem. She wondered how he had survived the attack. It sounded like it must have been horrible. Yet, she could tell he was no quitter. He was the type of man determined to make the best of his situation. She suspected he was the kind to surpass everyone’s expectations.

      An idea fluttered through her mind. Maybe the ROOTS group could do something to benefit the military. But what?

      The next morning, Forrest woke up early. Too early. He turned to one of the few things that brought him solace—working out. Exercise made his СКАЧАТЬ