Her Wedding Wish by Jillian Hart Read Free Book Online

the door, leaving it unlocked so Spence could find his way in after his mowing. She remembered the kitchen work awaiting her. She wanted to get it done so that her mom didn’t have any choice; she couldn’t help with dinner because it would already be done. Mom had done more than her share already.
    It was Jonas’s voice, low and sonorous, that made her stop halfway to the kitchen. Seeing him so changed still hit her hard every time.
    “Is that right, John? Yellowstone, you say?”
    “Yep,” Dad was saying. Always brief on words but long on heart. “You said the RV drove real fine. Yep, real fine.”
    “I’m sure it did. Don’t remember it.”
    “Well, it did.”
    Jonas noticed her standing there and it was hard to tell by the look on his face if he was glad to see her or not. When he looked at her, he had to feel more pressure to remember. And that was the last thing she wanted. He had pressure enough.
    “Dani.” Dad turned in the chair and winked at her. “I’m gonna take Jonas with me.”
    “What? Where?” Jonas looked confused. Maybe a little panicked.
    He might not remember that she was always on his side. That she would never forsake him, even when it came to her own family. “Dad, Jonas might not be up to working with tools yet.”
    “Tools?” Jonas’s eyes widened in surprise.
    He could not know that it was a family thing, he and Dad and Spence, always eager to fix what was broken. He would not remember how it used to be, that when Dad assumed Jonas’s help in all kinds of family construction projects, Jonas would find a moment to come up to her and lean close so that only she could hear. He would say in that affable way of his, “I don’t remember getting my draft notice.”
    No, Jonas did not have any idea how they would chuckle quietly together before he would go off to help her dad.
    Now, Jonas seemed uncertain, but when he looked down at his hands she realized why. After so much nerve damage, he could not handle carpenter tools. What could she do to reassure him? “Dad, you give Jonas a rest on this one. He’s recuperating. He can watch if he wants to and keep you company, but it might be better if he rests.”
    “Yep. Gotcha.” Dad nodded once and rose to his feet as if that were settled. “Well, what do you say, Jonas? You want to come keep an eye on me?”
    “You need it.” Humor glinted in his hazel eyes, and his lopsided grin could not be dearer.
    Danielle felt hope buoy her. “I’ll bring back some tea for both of you.”
    “Thanks, missy.” Dad scooted Jonas’s walker closer within reach. “C’mon, son, we’ve got work to do.”
    “Yes, sir.” Jonas struggled to his feet and winked at her over the top of her dad’s head.
    Danielle practically floated to the kitchen, full of gratitude that her whole family was together again.

Chapter Four
    O ver the noise at the dinner table, Danielle heard her grandmother lean over to Jonas and say, “How is it that you are still so handsome?”
    A blush pinkened his cheeks, making him even more good-looking. “Just luck.”
    That made Gran chuckle in that light, joyful way of hers.
    Danielle looked up from cutting Madison’s hot dog, and her pulse turned heavy, as if she had peanut butter in her veins. Could he be remembering? Just luck. That was what Jonas always used to say whenever Gran would ask that question. Wouldn’t that be perfect if he did remember? If he did defy the doctors’ dim prognoses for his memory loss, too?
    “Mommy?” Madison tugged on her sleeve to get her attention. “I wanna biiig piece of cake. Pleeeease?”
    “No, not yet and you know it, princess.” Danielle scooped a generous spoonful of the potatoes au gratin that Katherine had brought. “I know you want these.”
    “Taters!” The little girl agreed cheerfully and flashed her dimples, confident that she was adorable and had more than one person’s attention at the table.
    Katherine peered around Madison’s head on her other side. “Let