Love’s Journey Home by Kelly Irvin Read Free Book Online Page A

Edmond. Even then he’d
     stumbled. But the Englisch world was different. In that world, Christopher was still
     a young boy with years of schooling ahead of him. “I’ll speak with Edmond. He won’t
     bother Christopher again.”
    “Fat lot of good that’ll do him with this underage drinking and public intoxication.
     I’ve hired an excellent lawyer for him.” The mayor rooted around in a black leather
     bag that hung from her shoulder and produced a check. “Here’s the cashier’s check
     you requested, Chief Parker. I’ll be taking him home now.”
    Chief Parker took the check, studied it, and then paper clipped it to a folder. He
     proceeded to write a receipt and hand it to the mayor in unhurried movements. “You’ll
     receive notification when he’s to appear in court.”
    Keys in hand, he rose. “Mrs. Crouch, if you want to work on getting together the cash,
     that’s fine. I’ll stay here as long as necessary. My officer doesn’t come in to relieve
     me until midnight anyway. Come back as soon as you have it and we’ll get Edmond home
     tonight.”
    The kindness in his voice nearly undid her. She nodded, afraid to speak for fear her
     voice would crack. Thomas saved her. “We’ll be back.”
    As soon as they came up with five hundred dollars.

Chapter 5
    H elen snatched the teakettle from the side cupboard and plopped it on the gas burner.
     A cup of tea—even in July—might calm her mind enough to let her sleep. Tugging her
     robe tightly over her nightgown, she stared out the window over the counter as jagged
     lightning split the sky and lit up the night. The wind howled and whistled through
     the eaves overhead. Tree branches dipped and bowed in a violent dance. Not even tea
     would get her to sleep in all this noise. As if to underline the truth of this statement,
     hail began to pound the roof again.
    She sighed and pulled a brown ceramic mug from the shelf, then shook out a tea bag.
     Even after all these years, she hated sleeping alone during a thunderstorm. Silly
     thing for a grown woman. She couldn’t help it. George loved a good storm. He’d sit
     in his rocking chair next to the bed, little Betsy in his arms, and hum. He didn’t
     sing outright, although he had a strong baritone, but he hummed the tune of some old,
     familiar hymn that comforted not only the baby, but Helen.
    Of course, it wasn’t just the storm that kept her eyes open, gaze staring into the
     black night in her empty bedroom. The memory of her brother Tobias’s face when she’d
     arrived at his door to ask for his help with the bond looped round and round inside
     her head. It had woven itself together with the other memories: Thomas handing her
     half the money to match Tobias’s. Edmond’s pale face behind bars. Gabriel Gless’s
     headlong flight across the street to save his small daughter from being crushed under
     the hooves of an out-of-control horse. Gabriel Gless, period. In the dark of night,
     she turned this memory over in her head. Something about Gabriel. His dark, sad eyes,
     his lined face, his callused hands, his broad shoulders still thrust back despite
     the heavy burdens he carried.
    George had been short and stout, like herself, eyes blue, hair blond, a perpetual
     smile on his face. He’d never minded her social lapses or her awkward moments. He
     seemed to like them, in fact. He said she made him laugh and life should be full of
     laughter in between the tears. And there would be tears, so why not laugh whenever
     possible?
    She’d liked that idea. She loved her family, but they were a somber lot. Work hard,
     obey the Ordnung, go to bed early, get up early, she had no problem with that. But
     to laugh a little each day. She liked that. Liked it a lot. Enough to marry a man
     who lived and breathed it.
    Until he didn’t anymore. Until the day he went on without her. It had been his time
     to go, but not hers.
    “Helen? Helen, is that you?”
    Helen started and dropped the tea bag