Almost Heaven by Jillian Hart

Author:Jillian Hart
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2004-02-21T23:00:00+00:00

Night wrung the last of twilight from the sky. The last traces of magenta and purple brushed the under-bellies of nimbus clouds and then retreated into darkness.

Kendra tapped a few numbers on the keyboard and double-checked them on the screen to the numbers scribbled in her green columned ledger. She was halfway through her accounts receivable posting, and her eyelids kept drooping.

A yawn nearly split her in two. She hit Save and left the cursor blinking. Steam from her cup of vanilla red tea invited her to take another sweet, spicy sip. Over the top of the rim she could see the twin beams of headlights pulling out of the gravel parking area down below.

Colleen’s pickup, it looked like, ambled a few yards and then hesitated. Was a horse out? Kendra wondered and just as quickly realized a SUV’s dome light flashed on. She recognized the faint profile—Cameron.

Colleen and Cameron were talking. During supper at her small table, Cameron had regaled them with funny tales about his last fishing expedition and the last time he’d been shopping in the mall, how he got lost in a department store he couldn’t get out of. He’d had them laughing too hard to eat.

Had he been trying to charm Colleen? Maybe so. Kendra took another sip and watched as the pickup rolled ahead, lumbering down the roll and bends of the driveway and out of sight.

Cameron’s dome light died. The lights flared on and he drove away into the darkness.

Why did it seem as if something were tugging at her soul? She couldn’t describe the sensation, her protective shields were up and fully functional so she couldn’t feel what was behind those steel walls.

Cameron was a widower. Colleen was alone, too. Maybe it was Providence that had a hand in their coming together. Cameron would be coming often to visit his horse, to take lessons and to ride the trails when he was more accomplished.

Maybe she could make sure that Cameron wound up in Colleen’s classes. Who knew where that would lead? Maybe the two of them would find they had a lot in common. Maybe they’d begin dating. Fall in love.

Wouldn’t that be great for them? Why did that make her ache, when she’d vowed not to feel anything at all?

The hum of the computer fan in its casing sounded noisy. As loud as the window unit in the other room. She set her cup onto the ceramic coaster with a clink that sounded as jarring as a gunshot.

The quiet echoed around her. The emptiness inside her echoed, too. She was tired, that was all. Some nights the solitary life she’d chosen weighed on her heavily.

But it was a safe life, she reminded herself as she gathered the daily checks together, stamped the back of them and tucked them into an envelope for tomorrow’s deposit.

Shadows moved in the gathering darkness outside. Her horses came to check on her before bedtime, crowding together to try to get a look at her through the window.

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