The Mother’s Day Garden by Kimberly Cates

Author:Kimberly Cates
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

14

HANNAH CLIMBED OUT of the car, unloading the stroller and snapping its braces into place, praying that her latest attempt to distract herself would prove more successful than the last dozen or so ideas she’d tried. The days since she’d awakened to find Sam bending over her in bed had left her restless and edgy. Made her feel as if her feet were on fire and she couldn’t bear to sit down for more than a moment before images started pouring into her mind, yearnings clamoring for her attention, guilt searing her conscience.

She’d figured things couldn’t get worse in the days after she’d first had her hysterectomy. She’d assured herself that it would get easier to adjust once she got used to Becca being off to school. She’d been certain all she needed to be happy was for Sam to accept Ellie into the family.

But she couldn’t fool herself anymore. Even with Sam letting Ellie into his heart and the prospect of Becca’s visit home to look forward to, Hannah had little hope that she’d finally be able to calm her nerves, silence her doubts, trust that everything would be all right in the end.

The problem wasn’t Becca or Sam or even Tony Blake, in spite of the fact that she seemed to stumble across the man with a frequency that made her want to curse small towns for the first time in her life. The trouble was inside her. Maybe that was why she couldn’t seem to settle down. Whenever she tried to dodge her uneasiness, she carried it with her. Working in her Mother’s Day garden in the backyard, visiting Josie Wilkes’s house for lunch, or taking a quick trip to the post office to mail yet another care package full of cookies and fun pens and new CDs to Becca. A venture, by the way, in which she’d almost tripped over a breathless, windblown Tony Blake on her way out.

Considering her track record, she doubted she’d have much better luck getting things off her mind here in the park. But she’d been too restless not to at least give it a try.

She’d phoned Josie, inviting her and Tommy along on the outing, but Tommy had been wailing in the background. Probably just teething, Josie had explained, but he’d been fussy all night and was running a temperature. There was no sense in taking chances. She didn’t want Ellie catching something if Tommy was contagious.

Hannah had been disappointed, but knew they were only putting the outing off until another day. One of the sweetest changes having Ellie around had made was the fun of spending time with Josie and Tommy. Running to the park and the zoo and having picnics in the backyard had become a delightful part of the week. The babies lying on the quilt Hannah spread on the grass, Ellie gazing out at the world with unfocused eyes while Tommy busied himself by trying to catch ants or grab a single blade of grass.

Hannah had rarely had company when Becca was tiny.

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