Lib Novel Page 56
Something in her heart stirred and a little voice began to whisper in the back of her head.
Was she making a mistake by pushing Jared away?
She had been worried about Sylvester, but was she making things even worse for him by trying to shield him?
“I’m going to check on the cookies,” she told Sylvester, squeezing his shoulder lightly before she got up.
She slipped into the kitchen and pulled her phone from her pocket, typing out a message and then retyping, trying to put what was in her heart onto the little screen, and then giving up and just trying to be straightforward.
Finally, she landed on a simple message. She tapped send before she could change her mind.
It’s okay for you to come by and put a gate in the fence. We can talk afterward.
She wanted so badly to say more, but she knew it was best for her own heart and for Sylvester’s to hold back just a little.
Maybe she and Jared could have a conversation and she could explain her fears. He had said he was ready to talk whenever she was. She had no idea if the big cowboy was willing to try to change his ways for Sylvester’s sake, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt ask.
She paced a little, wanting to pull herself together before she returned to her son. But she felt so lost and uncertain, with warring emotions tearing at her heart.
Cora usually didn’t allow herself to speak to her husband, though she often longed to, especially in the beginning. He was in a better place now, and she knew he couldn’t hear her. There was no point pretending differently, no matter how much she wanted it to be so.
But tonight, she wanted so badly to hear from the person who knew their son best—the only other person who could help her weigh the risk against the reward, and the only person she needed to think about before letting another man into their lives, in the way she knew Jared wanted to be with them.
Please tell me if this is wrong, Arthur, she begged inwardly. Please tell me if this is what our son needs, if it’s what you would have wanted for both of us.
But of course he couldn’t answer her. Cora had never felt more alone and responsible.
Her message to Jared hadn’t been specific about timing, but if she knew Jared, he would be here today if he could. He missed them too. She could feel it in her bones.
She paced a little more, wondering what she was going to say to him when he arrived.
She had never been an impulsive person, never been one to go with her gut. But today, Cora Davies might just have to improvise.
22
JARED
Jared was standing in the woods after another long hike, gazing at the frosty branches overhanging the creek when his cell phone buzzed.
Cora
It’s okay for you to come by and put a gate in the fence. We can talk afterward.
His heart thundered and his hands shook as he held the phone, reading and rereading her message.
She was ready to talk to him after he put a gate in her fence. But there was no indication here if the talk would be a good one or a bad one.
Panic struck and he glanced at his phone again. The sun would be setting in a few hours, and it was two days before Christmas.
He needed to buy hardware to make that gate and he had no idea if Michael, who owned the hardware store in Trinity Falls village, had already closed up shop for the holiday. Michael usually opened up so early that sometimes he decided to close after lunch.
Jogging back through the woods toward the house, Jared tried calling the hardware store. But no one picked up.
That could mean that Michael had closed up, or that he was with a customer, or even that he hadn’t heard the phone over the radio playing and the chatter of customers. The man ran an incredible shop, but he wasn’t online and he didn’t have a cell phone.
“Please pick up,” Jared mumbled as he started his truck.
In addition to wanting to support the local hardware store, Jared knew Michael would know exactly what he needed for the project since the contractor had probably purchased the materials for the fence job from him in the first place.