Desolate by A.M. Guilliams Read Free Book Online Page A

lived here since then and I only had Clyde doing the bare minimum with the upkeep of the house. He had too much to do when it came to the grounds to have to handle that as well. The mountains that were directly behind the house looked as if they would swallow me whole, but I welcomed them. I couldn’t wait for the first snowfall. The mountains were beautiful in the winter, but that was months away. For now, I’d enjoy the blooms on the flowers and the crisp mountain air.
    I grabbed my purse and one suitcase from the back and walked toward the house. Clyde had told me he’d be here today, but there were hundreds of acres he could be on. There was no way I could search them all and cell phone reception here wasn’t all that great. Hopefully, he remembered to leave the door unlocked or the key under the mat. I checked the knob and it was unlocked, so I walked right on in. The short hallway off of the back led to the kitchen, which seemed to have been cleaned recently.
    “Hello? Anyone home?” I called out while taking in the space. The cabinets were dark cherry, but were outdated along with the appliances. Nothing that wasn’t easily replaced, but I wanted to stick to the feel of the house. Decorating was going to give me something to keep my mind busy. Just what I needed.
    When I hadn’t heard anything, I went from room to room. All of the furniture was covered with sheets or throw covers, and the mounds of dust showed just how long the space hadn’t been lived in. I realized that this place could be my saving grace if I let it. Daily the emotions took hold of me and threatened to choke the rest of my life out of me. I had to figure out a way to turn them off. Shut them out permanently. If I could do that, I’d be able to live some sort of a life.
    I was going through the final room upstairs when I heard the screen door bang shut. I bounced down the stairs, all of the possibilities running through my brain at once on what I wanted each room to look like.
    “Hello,” I shouted from the bottom of the stairs.
    “Magdalena. Is that you, sweetheart?” someone asked from the other end of the house. That had to be Clyde. No one else knew I was coming. I rounded the corner into the kitchen and the jolly old man I came face to face with reminded me of my grandfather. His peppered gray hair and beard showed his age, but the smile on his face was infectious. He had on a pair of overalls and straw cap with a pair of work boots.
    “Clyde?” I hadn’t seen him in years, and my memory couldn’t place what he looked like before.
    “Yes, my dear. I’m so glad you made it. This house needs some love, and it’ll be the perfect place for you to pick up the pieces.” I hoped he was right. This was my only hope of surviving the grief.
    “I couldn’t agree more. How are things with the land? Did you find the horse I asked you about?” When I had decided to move here, I asked Clyde if there were still horses on the land. Sadly, there weren’t. I couldn’t have that. I remembered how much I enjoyed riding when I was a child, and I wanted to feel that way again. Free.
    “I did. She’s a beauty, too. Have you had a chance to unpack yet? I see that you got the trailer instead of letting me go get your things with one of the trucks.”
    “There was no need in you driving there when I had to come here anyways. Don’t you worry. I had help loading the boxes,” I reassured him. He’d been so helpful since I had called.
    “Good. Now how about we go get them unloaded so you can meet the beauty and give her a name. She just arrived yesterday. Just in time for your arrival,” he beamed. He seemed all too excited about my arrival, which was refreshing for a change. He didn’t treat me like I was breakable unlike everyone else from back home. They all kept the kid gloves on when I was around. It was sickening.
    “Sounds like a plan,” I replied as I walked toward the back door. The quicker I got to unloading the trailer, the