River's End (9781426761140) by Carlson Melody

Author:Carlson, Melody
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abingdon Pr
Published: 2012-09-10T04:00:00+00:00

17

It was early October, one of those flawless autumn afternoons when the river ran blue as topaz and the sunlight felt rich and pure, and Anna was carrying a fragrant basket of Northern Spy apples to Hazel’s cabin with the plan of peeling and paring them into pie filling for tonight’s dessert. But Hazel, who had been surprisingly energetic these past few days, now appeared to be sleeping. Leaned back in the old wicker rocker in front of her cabin, a well-worn and faded quilt draped over her lap, one sewn by Anna’s mother and dear friend Babette, Hazel looked perfectly peaceful . . . and still. Very, very still.

Anna set the basket on the porch step and touched Hazel’s pale cheek to find that it was cold . . . and she knew . . . Hazel was gone. Pulling a straight-backed chair next to the rocker with a loud scrape, Anna eased herself into it, bent over, placing her head in her hands, and quietly wept. This was how Clark found her . . . found them. Being Clark and a natural caretaker, he gathered Anna in his arms then walked her back to the house and to their room.

As she lay on the bed, still crying softly, she could hear him using the phone in the office, calling someone in town, making arrangements. Thankful for his strength, Anna allowed her tears to flow. She knew that death was simply a part of life . . . and that Hazel had lived a good one . . . but it was still hard to say good-bye. It always had been. Perhaps even more so as Anna felt the years accumulating in her own life . . . her own mortality looming nearer with each passing year. These were the times when Anna drew near to God . . . and when she felt him drawing near to her.

Clark was no longer in the house when Anna rose from her bed and washed her face with cool water. She smoothed her graying hair back into the French twist she’d made this morning then went outside just in time to see Greeley’s delivery boat slipping into their dock. Johnny Johnson’s boat was already docked there, and Anna suspected that Clark had called him to help. Johnny had become something of a regular at Shining Waters, and Clark and he were forging what seemed like a solid friendship. Anna watched from the stairs as Bobby Greeley and another young man were met by Clark and Johnny, and together, the four of them removed a simple pine box, unloading it onto the dock.

Blinking back fresh tears, Anna turned and went back into the house, and, closing the door, she noticed the basket of Northern Spies on the dining room table. Clark must’ve brought it in. She carried the basket into the kitchen where she stood by the sink and began to peel an apple. She was just finishing the last one when Jewel came in.

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.