Navajo's Woman by Beverly Barton

Author:Beverly Barton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2001-11-19T16:00:00+00:00

Andi found a sanctuary in the sunroom that faced north. This section of the house was on the opposite side from the wing containing the bedrooms and far enough away from the children’s playroom that it possessed a quiet serenity absent throughout the rest of the busy household. She might have shed a few tears, but she was determined not to cry her heart out. Not over Joe Ornelas’s brusque, inconsiderate treatment. She had allowed his past actions to hurt her more than enough. Hadn’t she learned her lesson five years ago? All she had wanted was to help him, to take care of him and make sure he recovered fully. But was he grateful? No. Did he appreciate anything she’d done for him? No.

“Andi, are you all right?” Joanna Blackwood asked as she entered the secluded room.

“I’m fine. Sorry about that little show Joe and I put on for y’all. Has he calmed down any?”

“I left J.T. with him.” Joanna smiled warmly. “If I’d stayed another minute, I might have given Mr. Joe Ornelas a piece of my mind.”

Andi grinned. “Why does he have to be so stubborn and aggravating?”

“You rub him the wrong way,” Joanna said. “Don’t you know that?”

“Well, the feeling is mutual. He certainly rubs me the wrong way.”

“And why do you suppose that is?”

“If you’re implying that Joe and I are still…that there’s something between us, then you’re wrong. Whatever we had together has been over a long time. The only reason we can even tolerate each other’s presence is because we have a common goal—to rescue Russ and Eddie.”

“I’ll bet that Joe is telling J.T. exactly what you just told me. And I imagine J.T. doesn’t believe him any more than I believe you.”

“I love you dearly, Joanna,” Andi said. “You’re my best friend. But if you think you’re going to finagle some sort of confession out of me, then you’re wrong.”

“I’m not asking you to confess anything to me, but I am asking you to be honest with yourself. What went through your mind when you realized Joe had been shot? How did you feel when you thought he might die?”

No fair! Andi wanted to shout. What I thought and how I felt at those moments have nothing to do with reality. I do not love Joe. He does not love me. And we have no future together.

“All right,” Andi said. “I do still care about Joe. But it doesn’t mean anything. It can’t.”

“Why can’t it? If the two of you could forgive each other for past mistakes and—”

“That’s not possible.” Andi slumped down on the antique green wicker settee that faced the rock garden. “It’s too late for us. And even if it wasn’t…I realized something after Joe left the reservation. Even back then, it would have been impossible for us to have come together as one. Even before my father…before he died, Joe and I were at odds over the differences in our lifestyles. Don’t you see, with the two of us, there would always be something keeping us apart.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.