Caribou Crossing by Susan Fox

Author:Susan Fox
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Western, Contemporary, Fiction
ISBN: 9781420133363
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2013-06-25T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

July 1995

Miriam rested her forearms on the handle of the grocery cart and studied the shopping list again. Last year, she’d have had a mental list of what they needed and remembered everything. Now, even a written list was confusing.

She’d bought milk, now she was way over in the produce aisle, and the next thing on the list was butter, which was back near the milk. Oh well, she’d get it later. The next item read “desserts.” Like a dim memory, Miriam recalled bustling about the kitchen, kneading pastry dough, blending cream and sugar, spreading chocolate frosting. Sneaking a taste, imagining the pleasure on her husband’s and daughter’s faces as they ate the treats she baked.

The idea of making a pie or cake seemed as impossible as . . .

Well, sometimes just the thought of making it through the day seemed impossible.

She refocused on the list. Dessert. She’d buy ice cream and cookies.

“Miriam!” A female voice made her turn to see Connie Bradshaw, bright and pretty in denim shorts and a pink tank top, holding a bag of peaches. A kindergarten teacher, this was summer holiday for her.

“Hi, Connie.” Belatedly, she remembered to smile at her old friend.

“I haven’t seen you in ages.” The petite brunette cast a quick up-and-down gaze over Miriam, making her realize that she hadn’t changed out of the sweats she often wore at home.

“No, it’s been a while.”

“I called, but . . .”

Connie’d left messages. Other friends had, too. “Sorry, I’ve been busy,” Miriam said.

“It’s okay.” There was concern, a question, in Connie’s eyes.

Now that Miriam was coming into town again to shop, she of course ran into people she knew. Some mentioned the miscarriage, but others didn’t, probably figuring it best they didn’t remind her of it.

As if it wasn’t the single biggest thing in her life, the heavy dark blanket that weighed her down so that she could barely manage to get through each day.

“I’m meeting Jane and Frances for lunch,” Connie said. “Why don’t you come?”

Lunch. She used to do that when she was working at the vet’s office. Meet up with girlfriends for lunch. She was supposed to be doing the things she used to, supposed to be getting back to normal life. That was what the doctor said, and her mom, who called every day from Winnipeg, and Wade. They were always nagging her to do things, to try harder, to heal faster. Even Jessica, always at her to come see her foal, to read a story together at bedtime. So much pressure.

But she loved Wade, Jessica, her mom. She tried to do what they wanted, even though it felt like she was plodding through quicksand every day, trying to make it all the way to bedtime without sinking. Then she could take the pills the doctor had prescribed and sink into blissful oblivion.

“Miriam? Come on, join us for lunch.”

If she did, she could tell Wade and her mom. It would make them happy. “Okay.” She began to push her cart toward the checkout.

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