The Sugar House by Christine Flynn

Author:Christine Flynn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2005-11-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Jack watched her turn the page. His heart involuntarily turned right with it. Emmy was no longer insisting that what his mother had told him couldn’t be true, and the possibility that he’d told her nothing but the truth had left her without defenses. When she glanced up, she looked fragile enough to shatter.

“Did your mom mention a name?” The hesitation in her voice made it apparent she didn’t know which would be better—having something solid to go on or still being able to doubt. “Or did she say what happened to the child?”

The restlessness Jack had felt moments ago had somehow deserted him. He wanted it back. Irritation and annoyance felt safer around her. Certainly safer than the need he felt to soothe the anxiety he’d so obviously caused.

He knew all about loyalty. All about the duty and need to defend someone a person loved. That need was why she’d lashed out at him last night. That duty was why he had lashed back at her.

The edge refused to stay in his voice. “She didn’t mention either to me. I can ask her,” he offered, ducking his head to catch her glance when it fell. “If you want, I’ll call her when the phone starts working.”

Looking guilty for simply having the questions, she drew a breath, let it shudder out. Because she needed answers, she murmured a faint, “Okay.”

He should go, he thought. He should go shovel snow and leave her to her search until breakfast was ready, then go back and shovel some more.

Watching her thread her fingers through her hair, thinking she looked either lost or overwhelmed or some draining combination of both, he stayed where he was instead. The little bomb that had exploded on her last night was the reason she seemed so terribly uncertain now. But he’d been the one to drop it. And she had been left to deal on her own often enough.

“Are you all right?”

Her hand fell as she met his eyes. “I’m fine,” she said, sounding as if she were willing herself to be. “I’m just… I’m just trying…”

“Trying to what?” he coaxed, when she cut herself off with another shake of her head. He’d been where she was. He knew how hard the struggle could be. “I know what it’s like to have a parent fall from his pedestal, Emmy.” He offered the assurance easily, all too familiar with the conflicted emotions betrayed in her expression. “It hurts like hell. It leaves you questioning and feeling betrayed and wondering who you can trust if you can’t trust one of the two people you’re supposed to be able to believe in.”

His voice dropped. “So what is it you’re trying to do?” he asked, knowing the battle came down to two choices. “Are you trying to let go of the image you had of him…or hang on to it?”

Her eyes flicked hesitantly back to his. If he had to answer for her, he’d have to say she honestly didn’t know.

He

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.