Loving Care by Gail Gaymer Martin Read Free Book Online Page B

My sister could use some cheering up. She’s been divorced a couple of years and not doing much. Maybe we could go out together sometime. You know, just for fun.”
    Patrick nodded, but his spirit slammed closed like a vault. He didn’t want anyone trying to match him up with a woman, even a nice one like Jason’s sister.
    Not wanting to snub Jason, Patrick shrugged. “It’s a possibility.” He thought the answer left the door open for a rejection later.
    “We’ll talk later then,” Jason said, his expression looking hopeful. “I’ll call you.”
    “Sure,” Patrick said. “Great seeing you.”
    Jason gave a farewell salute and turned away, leaving Patrick with a sense of doom. He slid onto the bench and shifted so he could see Christie. For a moment, she stood alone, sipping from a paper cup. Jason’s unfinished question rang in his head. Any hope of you and Christie getting back together? Patrick’s pulse tripped.
    Fighting the unexpected emotion, he turned to check on Sean. He was kneeling on the bench, driving his toy trucks along the picnic table beside his grandfather. Patrick’s heart swelled each time he looked at his son. The boy was all he needed. He’d tried marriage twice. It wasn’t meant to be.
    When he turned back and looked across the expanse of lawn, his gaze met Christie’s and his heart stood still.

Chapter Five
    C hristie looked across the grass, riveted to Patrick’s gaze. The picnic lunch she’d eaten churned in her stomach. She turned her eyes away from him and spotted Sean, then Joe Hanuman. What was he doing here when he was supposedly ill?
    She should feel pleased the older man was well enough to attend the picnic just as he’d made it to church. Why did she dislike him so? The answer was clear. She disliked the situation—the constant reminder that he was her ex -father-in-law.
    The ex was the culprit. Christie didn’t want to be the ex of anything. She had wanted a storybook love—a romance like a sleeping princess kissed by the prince. She would have settled for a frog’s kiss if it had turned into a prince. Anything but a failed marriage and divorce.
    Divorce not only destroyed her perfect life, it took away all hope of having children—a longing that wove through her heart and plagued her dreams.
    Christie steadied herself and searched through the milling crowd for Jemma. She saw her in deep conversation with another woman. Not wanting to interrupt, she let her gaze travel, looking for some place to go.
    She eyed a group of younger children gathering across the way. Intrigued, Christie noticed Ellie among them. She turned toward Sean in time to see a woman guiding him to the other little ones. A game, she assumed and smiled as the boy marched toward the group without trepidation.
    Taking a step to move closer to the activity, Christie faltered when a hand touched her arm. Without looking, she knew it was Patrick. She stopped and turned. “So, we meet again.”
    “My dad’s getting a lifetime achievement award today. I’m his chauffeur.”
    “Lifetime achievement? That’s really nice.” She glanced toward the shriveled man who’d once been the picture of health. “Tell him I said congratulations.”
    “You could tell him yourself.”
    “No, I—I’d…Patrick, please don’t push.”
    He drew back and studied her. “I’m the one who left you, Christie, not my dad.”
    His words startled her. She’d told herself the samething over and over so why did she continue to feel the way she did? “It’s me, not your dad.”
    He allowed her apology to pass without comment. Instead, he breathed a sigh. “Sean’s occupied for a while.”
    “I noticed. Nice they have games for the kids.”
    He nodded, though his eyes seemed unfocused and distracted.
    “Christie, could we talk?” he asked. “Just for a few minutes? I told Dad I was going for a walk. Will you come with me? It won’t take long?”
    His expression pleaded, and her heart softened. What good was