His Wife by Muriel Jensen

Author:Muriel Jensen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

“This is my soldier collecshun…” Eddie opened what looked like an old 51/4 diskette box filled with green plastic soldiers. Sawyer was on a privately conducted tour of Eddie’s and Emma’s bedrooms. “My dinosaur collecshun…” He shook out the contents of an old oatmeal drum on which someone had pasted stickers of dinosaurs. The farm-theme bedspread was covered with plastic prehistoric animals in bright colors. Emma hung over them, pointing out different species. Eddie yelled at her not to touch. She took a step back, apparently accustomed to and unoffended by that directive.

“And my picture collecshun.” Eddie opened a small photo album with school photos of his sisters and what appeared to be his mother’s wedding picture.

Eddie pointed to the handsome, smiling man in the photo. “That’s my dad. He died. And he wasn’t very nice.”

“Do you remember him?”

“Just a little. Mostly I remember him yelling.”

Sawyer touched his back in sympathy. “Your mom looks very pretty.”

“She doesn’t yell,” Eddie said, putting his things back under his bed. “Unless she’s on her last nerve. Then she yells and send us all to our room and goes into the bathtub.”

Sawyer smiled at how quotable Sophie’s children found her. She’d probably be gratified to know they really listened to her.

“But just ’cause somebody had a bad dad,” Eddie said, sitting down beside Sawyer on the edge of the bed, “that doesn’t mean he can’t have another one that’ll be good, does it?”

“Absolutely not.”

Eddie made a face. “But nobody likes it when you try to pick out your own.”

Sawyer was saved from having to respond to that by Emma, who grabbed his hand. He pretended to have to struggle against her strength.

“I have ballerinas in my room!” she exclaimed, dragging him into a pink-and-lavender bastion of femininity. There were dolls and teddy bears everywhere, and ballerinas on her bedspread and curtains.

Eddie rolled his eyes at Sawyer. “Boring, but I have to be nice to her ’cause she’s my sister.”

“And she did seem to appreciate your soldiers and your dinosaurs.”

“Well, yeah. They’re cool!”

Sawyer was introduced to each doll and bear and duly admired every one. Then a solemn-faced Gracie appeared in the doorway to tell them dinner was ready.

“This is a shortcut,” Eddie said, taking him by the hand and leading him through a laundry room piled high with clothes. “The washer’s broken,” he explained. “Mom’s called the repairman three times, but he still hasn’t come.”

When they emerged from a small hallway into the kitchen, Sophie groaned. “Eddie, you didn’t walk him through the laundry room!” To Sawyer she said, “I’m sorry. It isn’t usually that awful. I’m going to have to break down and go to the Laundromat.”

“What’s wrong with the washer?”

She shrugged as she carried a basket of bread to the table. “Haven’t a clue. It hums and whirrs and fills with water, then nothing happens.”

“Who’d you call?”

“Ah…” She consulted a note stuck to the refrigerator with a photo magnet of the three children. “Amos’s Appliance Repair.”

He pointed to the wall phone above a small desk at the end of the counter.

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