Some Like It Hotter by Deb Stover

Author:Deb Stover [Stover, Deb]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Deb Stover

Morning came too slowly, Abigail decided as she threw back the quilt and stood. The first rays of sunshine were barely visible by the time she crossed the room and opened the curtains. She hadn't slept well in weeks—not since Major Thiel's visit to Elysium. Though he hadn't returned, she couldn't help but wonder if—no, when—he would.

Her gaze wandered across the countryside as the sky unfolded before her eyes, slowly illuminating the world for a new day. Would today be any better than yesterday?

Dawn gave promise of summer warmth. The weed-choked fields that had once boasted acres and acres of cotton, mocked the sunshine and reminded Abigail of her family's predicament.

And the waiting.

How much longer would it be before she received a response to her letter? Or would she? Again, she had to face the possibility that her son's father—how she hated giving that title to him—wanted nothing to do with either of them.

One part of her wanted to sing out in relief that she might never have to face that despicable man again, while another more practical side wondered what would become of them if he failed to respond. The sale of Elysium was less than two weeks away.

They were about to lose their home.

She went to her bed and reached behind it to retrieve the worn silk purse from its hiding place. The nail protruding from the back of her headboard seemed a godsend for this purpose. Surely no one would ever find her precious cache there.

Carefully, she opened the purse and poured the coins onto her bed. The equipment Mike had repaired and sold had brought some money, but would it be enough to start a new life?

And where would they go?

West.

The answer struck with such certainty, it stunned her. She sat on the edge of her bed with the coins clutched in her hand. West.

But Denver was west.

Her stomach knotted and she squeezed her eyes shut. When she reopened them, she spread her hand flat and stared at the coins. This was their future.

If she had more money, she could forget about Denver and the letter and the man. Forever. But this paltry sum wasn't enough to allow her that luxury, though it might very well have to be.

Biting her lower lip, she reached her decision. If she didn't receive a response to her letter by the sale date, she would move her family west—as far as this money would take them.

How she wished she could make it multiply right here in the palm of her hand, but such whimsy wouldn't feed and clothe Wade, let alone keep a roof over his head. She had to be realistic.

Closing her eyes again, she remembered his agonizing cries as a hungry infant. Watching her tiny baby nurse frantically for her meager milk had been heartbreaking. The guilt of being unable to feed her own child returned to twist itself through her heart like a knife.

Wincing, Abigail opened her eyes, then forced herself to look at the money again. She couldn't let Wade be hungry again.

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