A Mother's Heart (Sweet Hearts of Sweet Creek Book 6) by Carolyne Aarsen

Author:Carolyne Aarsen [Aarsen, Carolyne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Misty Ridge Publishing
Published: 2018-04-23T16:00:00+00:00

A door slammed upstairs, and Claire jumped away from Nik.

“I think that’s Emma,” Claire said, her voice trembling with the emotions that still raced through her.

She got up, smoothing her hair, struggling with a guilt she didn’t want to feel.

“Mommy,” Emma called out. “I’m thirsty.”

“Just stay up there. I’ll bring you some water,” Claire returned hoping her cheeks weren’t as red as they felt. She shot Nik a warning glance. But his head was down, and she hesitated, wondering what he was thinking.

As she walked past him to the kitchen, she blamed her impulse on loneliness, and the fact that a man had broken down in front of her. Had shown weakness. Had shed tears.

That had never happened to her before. And even though she had felt sad for him, that emotion shifted to a whole different one as he kissed her.

She pressed her hands to her heated cheeks, then opened a packing box on the table and pulled a glass out. She hadn’t wanted to put too many things in the cupboard, knowing she would have to pack up again once she found a place to stay. Though it had only been a couple of days, living out of the boxes was getting boring. And a stark reminder of how tenuous her life was. No house to buy, no apartment to return to. The future was a foggy place of uncertainty.

She fought down a beat of fear as she filled Emma’s glass from a pitcher in the fridge.

Dear Lord, please let me trust in you. Please let me know you are watching over us. Help me to trust you will get us through this.

Her parents had always taught her to bring everything to God in prayer. This was how she got through those dark days after Andy left her high and dry with a three-month-old baby and she had to find a way to make it on her own. But lately it seemed even her prayers were agitated, creating more ambivalence than comfort.

She took a deep breath and turned.

“I always get thirsty when I’m lying in bed,” Claire heard Emma say.

The little stinker had come downstairs anyways.

Claire walked into the living room and sure enough there was Emma, perched on the edge of the coffee table, her hands on her hips in her I’m-so-cool pose.

“I heard Mr. Nik talking, and I wanted to say hello,” Emma said, her eyes wide, the picture of innocence.

“Well, you’ve said hello, now I want you to scoot back upstairs,” Claire said, her tone firm.

“Are you coming to the church picnic on Saturday?” Emma asked, ignoring her mother, eyes focused on Nik.

It was as if she knew she held power and was wielding it.

“I didn’t know there was a church picnic,” Nik said. He leaned back in his seat, one ankle rested on his knee, looking surprisingly comfortable considering what had just happened. He was smiling.

“It will be so fun,” Emma said. “We’re having races, and contests. I baked some cookies for it, even.”

“Oh, and here I thought they were for me,” Nik said with a laugh.

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