Dark Hollow Road by Hopkins Karen Ann

Author:Hopkins, Karen Ann [Hopkins, Karen Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, thriller
Amazon: B09WR9TCLD
Goodreads: 60831659
Published: 2022-10-19T07:00:00+00:00

15

Lucinda

“Can’t I ride my pony?” Sarah asked in a whiny voice that made me clench my teeth.

I turned away from the kitchen sink and crossed my arms. Sarah sat on James’ lap. He was finishing up his last bite of peanut butter pie and not looking in my direction. Phoebe had fallen asleep in her highchair again and her chubby cheek rested in the mashed potatoes on her plate that she hadn’t eaten. Josh sat on the chair in the corner of the room, completely focused on whittling a chunk of cedar wood into the shape of a horse. I gasped when his hand slipped from the wood and the knife nicked him. He was a ten-year-old boy and more than old enough to work with the small knife, but if he cut himself deeply, I would be the one doctoring his wound and cleaning up the blood he spilled.

“Ack, Sarah. Look out the window, will you? The rain may have stopped for the moment, but it could start again at any time.” The sides of Sarah’s mouth dipped and she crossed her arms, mimicking me. “Besides, it’s almost dark. Go on and get your pajamas on. I’ll be in to read you a book once I’ve put Phoebe in her crib.”

James lifted Sarah from his lap. “Go on, girl. Do as your mama tells you. There will be time a plenty for riding in the morning—unless you have so much energy that you want to sweep the kitchen floor?”

Sarah squealed, then took off into the hallway. I hid a smile as I dried the last dish and placed it in the cupboard. “Josh, finish that up. If I’m not mistaken, you have a reading assignment to complete for school.”

Josh was less dramatic as he set the partially finished statue on the shelf and closed his pocketknife. “I don’t see why Miss Rosetta sends work home every night. She doesn’t like us kids very much.”

“To the contrary, Josh. Rosetta challenges you all more than previous teachers have, and I for one am glad for the push.” I wiped down the counter, then hung the cloth over the curved faucet.

“I wish my teachers had made me read more,” James chimed in. He was carefully disengaging Phoebe from her spoon. “You know more words than me and I’m an old man.” James winked at me.

“Yeah, I do know a lot of English words and what they mean,” Josh agreed. After he wiped his hands on the sides of his pants, he jogged out of the room, leaving James, Phoebe, and me alone.

“I’ll clean her up,” James said as he picked the stocky twenty-month-old up.

I nodded, grateful for the break. It took a minute more to clean the highchair and push it back against the wall. As the sun dipped below the hills to the west and the windows darkened, the kitchen seemed to brighten even more. I glanced at the baby blanket that I was knitting where I had tossed it on the couch.

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