small fortune. They knew her so well. The
walls had been painted in a subtle cream with
rich brown boarders. The deep chocolate
comforter matched the walls. She wondered
when the gas fireplace had been installed. Had
her parents added that for their comfort, or
hers? She loved them so much and knew she
was going to miss them terribly. It felt so
strange to live in Hidden Lakes without her
parents. It would be just as strange to walk
into her father’s old hardware store and know
he wouldn’t be fussing over the books or
unloading boxes.
She took several deep breaths, brushed
away the tears and headed back to the car. She
needed to get unpacked and settled in for the
night. Tomorrow she and Jeremy would begin
their new life. Hopefully, with time, it would be
a good one. An image of Shane Chandler
instantly popped into her head. How could it
be good when Shane still lived a few miles out
of town? Seeing him with Kristy and their little
fami ly was going to kill her. Did they only have
one child, or did they have the American dream
of two and a half kids and a dog? With any
luck, she’d have time to get settled before she
had to deal with that unpleasant encounter.
“Hey, sport.” Melissa said, brushing her
son’s dark locks away from his face. “We’re
here.” She reached in and smoothly untangled
the seatbelt. “Let’s get you into bed.”
Jeremy rubbed his eyes and moaned. Then
he slid from the car and zombie walked into the
house.
Melissa smiled. She knew her little man
was only half awake. Once the kid went down,
he was out for the count. Jer played hard and
slept hard, another thing he inherited from his
father. Melissa tried to push the thought from
her mind, but couldn’t. The older Jeremy got,
the more he took on the rugged, good looks of
his dad. She knew he was going to be a heart
breaker. She just hoped that between her and
Mitch they’d taught him enough compassion to
let the girls down easy. Mitch had been the
perfect gentleman, always opening her door
and bringing her flowers.
Fortunately, he had passed that knowledge
on to Jeremy. Melissa knew she’d been lucky
to find such an honorable, caring man. And
Jeremy had been blessed to have Mitch as a
role model. Her son was a quick learner. By
the time he was three, he was emulating
Mitch’s every move. She’d lost track of the
number of times Jer had stopped to pick wild
flowers on his way home from school this past
year. He had tried so hard to fill Mitch’s shoes
in his absence. Maybe now that they were here,
in a new house, in a small town, away from all
the memories, she’d be able to move forward
and Jeremy could just be a carefree kid again.
Melissa stripped off Jeremy’s sweatshirt
and jeans then slipped on his PJ’s. Normally
she’d insist he brush his teeth, but after the
long ride, she decided he could skip it just this
once. She watched as Jeremy climbed into bed
and immediately slipped into a deep sleep.
How she wished she could relax as quickly and
completely as her son. Her thoughts shifted to
another man, one who could also fall asleep in
a matter of minutes.
She immediately
slammed the door on those memories.
Thinking about Shane Chandler, remembering
their time together, would bring her nothing
but heartache. Melissa returned to the car and
gathered up the essentials. The rest of their
things could wait until morning. She locked up
and headed for her new room. She thought it
would be another night of restlessness, tossing
and turning until the sun came up, but almost
the instant her head hit the pillow she was out.
****
Shane finished the last swallow of coffee
and headed outside. The morning air was crisp
and cool, but fresh. Spring had definitely
arrived. Mornings like this made all the hard
work and effort worth it. He leaned against
the sturdy porch rail and took in the beauty.
He loved watching the sun rise over his land.
The vibrant yellow rays danced across the
creek making the water shimmer with life.
There was a slight breeze ruffling the remnants
of last year’s alfalfa field reminding him it was
almost time to plow the field and rotate the
crop. This morning everything was covered in
a slight, mystic fog. Every season had its
beauty but Shane loved spring the most. The
ranch seemed to come alive in the springtime.
He pivoted as he heard the screen door
creek open and saw his daughter standing bare
foot in the opening. He took two large steps