Blue Skies Tomorrow by Sarah Sundin Read Free Book Online Page B

Maybe Grandpa had done him a favor.
    Helen coaxed Jay-Jay out of the barn with the promise of more farm animals, and they sauntered along the pasture fence. Jay-Jay mooed at old Flossie the cow and hee-hawed at Sahara Sue, the black Arab donkey Jack had shipped back from a mission to Tunisia.
    Ray scooped up Jay-Jay, arched an eyebrow at Helen, and ducked behind the little boy’s head. “Tell me a story, Mommy.”
    She laughed. “Put him down so he can run off some energy.”
    He complied. “How’d I end up in your stories?”
    “After the bike accident when I was ten, I had a crush on you.” Her skirt swished around her knees as she walked.
    More and more intriguing. Ray nudged her with his shoulder. “Story time.”
    She gave him a sidelong glance. “Nothing original. Sir Raymond rode to rescue Princess Helene from dragons, tall towers, and raging rivers. Typical schoolgirl drivel.”
    “A knight in shining armor.” It always came to that. To please Dolores, Ray had joined the Army Air Corps rather than the chaplaincy, but the uniform wasn’t enough. She wanted a dashing dogfighter. She’d had several.
    “Come on, Ray. Rescue me.” Helen climbed the pasture fence, sat on the top rail, and grinned through the blonde hair blowing in her face. “Just like Saint George rode in with his faithful lance to slay the dragon and save the princess.”
    Ray walked up to her. He thought she was different. If she didn’t respect him as he was, he needed to know now.
    She pushed the hair off her face, and her grin fell.
    He stood in front of her. “I’m not a hero. I just want to preach God’s Word. If you’re looking for a hero, I’m not your man.”
    Helen’s eyes rounded. “I didn’t mean—they’re just stories. You—you were a hero to me. You were kind to me, talked to me like a person, not a cripple girl. That’s why I fell for you.”
    Something in her eyes said she’d fall for him again if he didn’t blow it. He sighed and set his hands on her waist. “Come on down. You don’t need a hero to rescue you. A gentleman will do.”
    She draped her arms around his neck, a twinkle in her eye. “Any gentlemen around?”
    He laughed and swung her down. Then he gathered her hand in his and led her over the shoulder of the hill separating the pasture from the orchard. “Any chance that crush will return?”
    Helen gazed at their clasped hands, and her eyelashes fluttered. “Was your grandfather right? Are you . . . are you . . .”
    “Very much.” The rumble in his voice revealed more than his words.
    She nodded and leaned into his shoulder.
    Boy, did he want to pull her close and kiss her, but they’d already taken one big whopping step. He had to slow down. “How long did that crush last?” he asked in a teasing voice. “Until Jim stopped knocking you off your bike and knocked me off my trusty steed?”
    Helen’s gaze jerked up to him. “He never did that.”
    Ray chuckled. “I was there. I saw you beat him in that bike race, saw him thrust that stick into your spokes.”
    “He wouldn’t. He didn’t.” Her hand stiffened. “It was an accident. I fell.”
    Ray frowned. He’d never forget the furious look on Jim’s face. But then, love did funny things to your memory.
    Helen’s cheeks twitched, and she drew back her hand.
    “Hey, now.” Ray faced her, took her hand, and waited until she looked him in the eye. “I’ve been in love three times, three serious girlfriends. I was engaged twice. All three women dumped me. It’s part of who I am, and I can’t change that.”
    Her gaze softened.
    “You loved Jim a long time. You married him, you bore him a son, you lost him, and you’ve mourned him. Jim is part of who you are. I can’t change that and I don’t want to. I won’t make you deny your past in order to have a future.”
    Her eyes widened, warm tea speckled with gold. Hair blew across her face. With a nervous laugh, she tried to shake it off.
    Ray dropped one of her hands