Winterheart_Captivating women's fiction with a twist of suspense and romance by Terri Tiffany

Author:Terri Tiffany [Tiffany, Terri]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-02-14T05:00:00+00:00

19

The hospital didn’t notify Penny when they moved baby Hope to foster care. She found out when she stopped by with ready arms and a cute knit hat and was blind-sighted. Only the day before the nurses had said Shelly’s baby was improving and would be moved into a regular unit. At least they had let her hold the sweet bundle for what seemed an extra long time, but they hadn’t said a word about the baby leaving.

Oh the bliss as she’d cradled the tiny new life in her arms. Penny’s heart had squeezed when she looked down into the child’s precious face and saw Shelly's pert nose and deep-set eyes gazing up at her. Shelly would have been pleased. She would have kept her baby no matter what.

Now little Hope was gone. Cradled in someone else’s arms.

The following day Penny’s alarm rang at four a.m. She groaned and rolled onto her back. As usual, she ached but tender back muscles weren’t what caused her the most grief. The losses in her life weighed heavily on her heart that a part of her wondered if she could take it another day. The thought of opening the bakery alone again sent shudders creeping into her chest. She shut her eyes tight, letting dismal thoughts flood through her.

The life she lived now was a big fat mistake. How had she ever imagined she could change it—live a life like Marie’s? Quitting her good job had been a foolish decision. An old woman’s dream. Dumb. She reopened her eyes and in the dim moonlight shining through her window, she scanned the room that was now her bedroom. Chipped second hand furniture littered it, standing against dull cream-colored walls. No full-length mirror to check her reflection before she left the house. No comfy arm chair where she could sit and read in her few spare moments. The carpet was spotted with stains from previous tenants and the windows lacked any kind of decent treatment because she didn’t have the funds to decorate.

A dump.

She missed her old house. She missed the shops in Steam Hollow where she spent Saturday mornings picking through racks and counters covered with cute tempting things to buy. She missed Rachel who hadn’t called in days and Penny was too depressed to call her. She missed her old life.

Her stomach growled. Had she eaten dinner last night? She couldn’t remember, nor could she remember if she’d eaten lunch. She laid her hand on her flat belly and wondered how many pounds she’d lost since Shelly’s death. Too many. Doug had invited her out to dinner several times, but she’d always refused. She didn’t want to lead him on and cause more problems.

And Todd—she’d never answered his last email. Another mistake—thinking she could fall in love again. Where would it end? When would she stop making bad decisions? When would her life improve?

Much later than she intended, she pulled herself out of bed, dressed, downed her coffee, and ate a bowl of instant oatmeal.

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