A Long, Sweet Ride by Cindi Myers

Author:Cindi Myers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cindi Myers
Published: 2014-11-12T00:00:00+00:00

Diana ran her thumb along the links of the carved chain. The wood was smooth in places, rough in others, like the man who had made it. He was such a puzzle to her. Why had his family kicked him out when he was only fifteen? What could a boy that age have done to make his parents – especially his mother – never want to see him again? What could he have done that made Corey believe they were right to make him leave?

She studied the heart at the end of the chain. It was plump and round, perfectly proportioned. The whole chain was a marvel, carved of a single piece of wood. Corey must have spent hours working on it. He could probably have sold it even, at one of the souvenir booths outside the arena. So why had he given it to her?

She could count on the fingers of one hand the gifts she’d received in her life. Oh, there might have been a hair ribbon from her father on her birthday, or an orange and some candy at Christmas, but nothing more.

Maddie’s father had been the last man who had given Diana anything. She swallowed hard and looked at the chain in her hand. None of his gifts had been like this, something made with his own hands. Surely Corey’s present didn’t mean the same thing those long-ago gifts had.

But they were having the same effect on her emotions. If anything, this simple carved chain moved her more than the bottles of cheap scent or boxed candy Maddie’s father had given her. She folded her hand around the heart and felt the tip dig into her palm. She wasn’t a foolish seventeen year old anymore. She couldn’t afford to let her emotions run away with her. She had to take care of Maddie.

In three more days she’d receive her first paycheck from the show. Sixty whole dollars. She’d buy a few necessities, and maybe a treat for Maddie, but she’d save the rest. By the time Maddie was old enough to go to school, Diana would have saved enough.

Her heart ached whenever she thought about sending Maddie away. But in the long run, it was the only way. She’d never learn what she needed to know if she stayed with Diana. And Diana couldn’t go east with her, because she’d need to keep working and earning the money to pay for more schooling.

It was a hard choice, but then, had she ever known any other kind? She looked at the carved chain in her hand. She had to put Maddie first, and not think of her own emotions now. She couldn’t let her feelings lead her into the same kind of trap Maddie’s father had laid for her.

She pushed back the flap of her tent, and was surprised to see Astrid seated on the edge of her bed. “Oh, I am so glad you are come at last.” Astrid hopped off the bed and rushed to her.

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