Montana Hearts by Charlotte Carter Read Free Book Online Page B

packing her bags early. “But if there’s a problem, all you have to do is call. I can drop everything and be back in Seattle in a couple of days.”
    â€œDon’t even think about coming home early. After all you’ve been through for the past year or so, you deserve more than just a change of scene. Maybe you can find a Montana cowboy who’ll put a little sparkle in your eye.”
    â€œTricia!” she scolded, heat flooding her cheeks as the image of Kurt Ryder instantly popped into her mind. “I’ll settle for lots of sunshine for a change. That alone will do wonders for my spirits.”
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    By mid-afternoon, her household chores under control, Sarah located gardening tools and a wheelbarrow in a shed behind the barn. She piled the tools in the wheelbarrow and pushed it to the front yard. The flower bed around the gazebo had gone to seed. Ignored and abandoned.
    Sarah envisioned Zoe tending a wealth of bright flowers circling the white structure in an explosion of color all year long.
    Except during winter when snow covered the ground, she reminded herself. That was rarely a problem in Seattle.
    Although she owned only a small cottage on a postage-stamp-size lot, she kept two window boxes filled with colorful flowers to drive away the perpetual gloom of the city.
    She’d found an old horse blanket in the shed and knelt on that to keep the knees of her slacks clean. She could hardly wait for the jeans she’d ordered to arrive.
    Using a trowel and a two-pronged weed puller, sheset to work. Weeds released their roots from the hard-packed ground only reluctantly, allowing the scent of untended soil and dry earth to escape.
    The sun, still high in the summer sky, beat down, and sweat crept down the back of Sarah’s neck.
    â€œDad said I’m supposed to help you.”
    A spurt of hope zipped through Sarah as she looked up, shading her eyes in order to see Beth. Maybe she could find a way to help the child. “I could sure use a hand. Thanks.”
    Without comment, Beth grabbed a pointed trowel, dropped to her knees and starting attacking a weed with a vengeance. A reluctant volunteer.
    Sarah winced as the girl whacked off the weed without getting any of the roots, then assaulted another victim.
    Rudy came over to investigate the gardening project. He sniffed halfheartedly around the pulled weeds, then lay down near Beth.
    After a few minutes of silence—and a few more decapitated weeds—Sarah asked, “Did you used to help your mother in the garden?”
    â€œSome.”
    â€œGood. I’m sure she appreciated your help.” Sarah continued her own de-weeding efforts, including getting up as many roots as she could. Leading by example. “I was thinking, after we get the flower bed pretty well cleaned out, I’d like to go to a nursery and pick out some flowers to plant.”
    â€œClosest nursery’s in Shelby.”
    â€œThat’s not too far. Maybe you’d like to come withme. You can show me which flowers your mother liked best.”
    â€œI’m grounded.” Beth jammed her trowel into the ground with the force of an exclamation mark.
    â€œIt’ll take a couple of days to get this flower bed in any kind of condition for new plants. By then, maybe I can talk your father into letting you come with me.”
    Turning her head, Beth eyed Sarah for a moment, then shrugged. “Whatever.”
    Sarah decided to take Beth’s response as one baby step forward. Thank You, Lord.
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    When it was getting close to time to start dinner, Sarah called the weed pulling to a halt. Her back, hands and knees ached from the unfamiliar exercise and she was hot, sweaty and very dirty. She needed a hot shower before she set foot in the kitchen.
    Beth readily agreed to put away the tools and dump the weeds in a compost pile out back.
    Sarah had barely gotten to her room and started to undress when she heard the slap of the screen