A Family to Come Home To (Saddle Falls) by Sharon De Vita Read Free Book Online Page B

bad hip, Tommy leaned on his wood-carved cane as he lowered himself into one of the rockers his grandson Jared had carved with his own hands for his wife to rock their babes.
    In spite of a bad hip, at eighty, Tommy still had the large, powerful build of the boxer he had once been, a build that had intimidated more than its fair share of stout men over the years.
    Age and infirmity had not stooped his frame, but merely slowly his gait. His hair, which had been a thick mane of coal in his youth, was now a thick shock of white framing his face like an elegant halo. His skin was a rich, deep tan, lined with the experience and memories of his long life.
    His mouth was full and firm and more often than not curved into a grin, as if he had a secret he wasn’t quite ready to share with the world yet. His blue eyes, the color of the deepest sapphires, still twinkled with mischief most of the time, giving him the appearance of a slightly oversize leprechaun.
    There was an air of power and authority radiating from him, the kind that only very successful men possess.
    He was a man who’d been blessed with more luck than any man deserved, more money then he could ever hope to spend and a family he adored more than life itself.
    But interspersed in the joys of his life had been sorrow. A deep, aching sorrow that no amount of joy could erase.
    But today, finally, the ache in his heart would heal, and he and his beloved grandson would be reunited. He’d sent everyone else off for the day, wanting some time alone with the lad, and hoping to ease the way for Jesse so he wouldn’t be overwhelmed.
    “You’re finally coming home, lad,” Tommy whispered to himself, vowing not to let free the tears he’d held so long in his heart. “I’ve waited so long for this day, my boy, so long. It’s a dream come true.” Sniffling, Tommy pulled a large pressed handkerchief from his pocket—just in case—and dabbed briskly at his nose. “You’ll not be dripping tears like a spoiled babe in front of the lad, Tommy boy,” he scolded himself. “’Tis a day for laughter not tears. Aye, it’s a day for the angels to sing and to rejoice.” Tommy paused a moment to wipe his eyes, which were damp with memories and emotion.
    Oh how he wished his only son, Jock, was still alive to see this day. To know that his youngest had finally come home. Jock had died without ever knowing the fate of his youngest son. It was a heartache Jock had never gotten over, and a heartache Tommy had been forced to live with; a pain that had never eased.
    Tommy glanced heavenward. The sky was a clear crystal-blue, and he was fairly certain if he stared long and hard enough, he might be able to see the angels rejoicing. He couldn’t help but smile.
    “Aye, Jock, my boy, you can finally rest easy now,” he whispered to the heavens. “I told you I’d not rest nor meet my maker until I found the lad.” Tommy thumped his cane and nodded his head. “Aye, your Da never made a promise he couldn’t keep. A wise man doesn’t. It took me a good long time, but I’ve kept my promise to you, Jock, and to myself.” Tommy had to pause to swipe at his eyes again. “Our boy Jesse, we’ve found him, Jock. He’s coming home.”
    The sound of a car coming down the hill had Tommy leaning on his cane to stand and stare. His heart began to thud loudly and he found it difficult to take a breath. Shading his eyes with his hand, Tommy’s heart did a slow drumbeat as he watched a large black truck approach, and finally pull slowly into the long winding driveway. With the sun in his eyes, he couldn’t really see the driver.
    Until he got out.
    Then everything inside Tommy Ryan seemed to still as he looked at one of his own.
    He stood immobilized on the front porch, clutching his cane with one strong hand, then laid his other hand to his heart as he watched the young man step slowly, hesitantly, out of the truck.
    There was no mistaking this lad. He had his father’s great height, and