Harlequin Special Edition May 2021--Box Set 1 of 2 by Susan Mallery

Author:Susan Mallery
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

A loud banging noise woke Collin from sleep. Years of instinct and situational awareness kicked in, and he quickly oriented himself. Throwing back the covers, he ran down the hall toward his father’s room.

Another crash sounded, and he rushed even faster to get there.

A rim of light peeked from around the closed door that he flung open.

Startled, his father, dressed in his blue striped pajamas, raised his cane as if planning to whack him with it.

Seeing Collin in the doorway, he wheezed out a breath of relief and a cough as his shoulders sagged. “You scared the hell out of me. Why are you busting down the door?”

“What are you doing up? I heard a crash. I thought you’d fallen or that we had an intruder in the house.” He followed his father’s gaze to the photos scattered on the floor and to the album at his father’s feet. “What were you doing?”

“I finally remembered where this photo album was. It was so far back on the shelf, we missed it when we were packing. I was trying to get it down.” His father leaned over, holding his cane with one hand and trying to snag the album with the other.

“I’ve got it.” Collin picked up the album and handed it to his father.

Sam cradled it to his chest and sat on the side of the bed. He sighed. “I’ve made a mess of it. I hope I can figure out where all these pictures went.”

As Collin gathered the photos from the floor, he noticed that they were pictures of his father and mother with people he didn’t recognize. Based on the age of his parents and the clothing they and other people had on, he’d guess they were taken in the ’80s.

So his father hadn’t thrown away everything that reminded him of Collin’s mother, Beth.

He handed the photos to his father and got the ones that had scattered under the side chair. Another had made it all the way under the bed. “I’ll help you put the album back together, but can we tackle it in the morning? It’s late.”

“I guess so.” His father looked through the pictures he’d just given him.

Collin got on his knees near his father and stretched his arm under the bed, but he couldn’t snag the photo. “Can you hand me your cane? This one’s too far under here for me to reach.” Still looking under the bed, he held up his hand for the cane, but Sam didn’t hand it to him or respond.

Collin rose.

His father held the album on his lap and was staring misty eyed at a photo.

“Dad, you okay?”

As Sam stroked his finger over the photo, his chest deflated with a long breath. “I’d forgotten how beautiful your mom was, especially on our wedding day.”

Collin glanced at the photo. It was one he’d seen before. It was of his mother, slim and elegant-looking in a white lace and satin dress with flowers on one side of her hair, carrying a bouquet of white, purple and pink flowers.

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