Past Forward Volume 1 by Chautona Havig Read Free Book Online Page A

cheap.”
    She laughed. “Fairbury Hardware. She bought
the plain oak pieces and hand carved them. Her first ones are up in
the attic.”
    Closer examination showed flaws that might
have otherwise been overlooked. Chad traced the outline of the
design and gave a low whistle. “This took a lot of time. I can’t
believe she did this!”
    “Winter evenings. She started when I was
around eight or nine. She whittled a few things for my stocking
that year and then wanted to do something more intricate, so she
came up with this idea.”
    “I don’t know how you both had time to do so
much with all the other work.”
    Willow collapsed onto the chaise near the
door, and sighed. “I think that’s the secret. We worked hard enough
to keep us busy—the Amish influence I guess—but we used modern
conveniences and things to leave us enough time to relax and enjoy
hobbies.”
    Weariness seemed to engulf her. Chad noticed
a change in her demeanor and decided it was time to leave. “Hey, I
was planning to challenge you to a rematch on those checkers, but I
have to be at work early tomorrow and after chasing you down, I’m
beat. Mind if I come out Saturday or something and beat you before
work?”
    “What time is work?”
    “Shift starts at two,” he answered
lazily.
    Just as Chad shut the door of his truck and
inserted the key in the ignition, he saw Willow fly out of the
house, across the yard, and to his window. He rolled it down,
surprised to see her upset so quickly. She must have been holding
back as long as she could.
    “Chad, do you think I’ve been secretly
disrespecting my mother all these years?”
    His brain tried to follow the question, but
he felt at a loss to understand what Willow meant. “Huh?” His
eloquent response earned him a mental kick from himself.
    “I keep doing things that Mother didn’t like
or wouldn’t have done. Inviting you and the Varneys to visit,
writing Grandmother and Grandfather—even the rest of the family…”
Her voice trailed as she thought of the repercussions of her
actions but then continued. “And of course, I moved her
commentaries, I ate in her spot at the living room table when she
never would do that, and now I’m thinking about getting sheep. Have
I been in some kind of secret rebellion all these years?”
    Chad patted her forearm and shook his head.
“I think you’re trying to exert control wherever you can so you
don’t have to face everything at once. If you tried to keep
everything exactly the same, you’d find yourself constantly
reminded of your loss. Making changes that you said yourself your
mom said might happen, is just a way of keeping yourself sane.”
    A strange look clouded her eyes and she
sighed. “Is insanity such a bad thing? Sometimes it sounds like a
blissful escape.”
    Without another word, Willow returned to the
house. Chad watched, concerned, hanging one arm over the steering
wheel, and resting his chin on his wrist. A light flickered in the
living room and then went out again. Undecided, he paused with his
hand on the door handle. Something about her demeanor bothered
him.
    The light now flickered in an upstairs
room—just for a second. Chad mentally climbed her stairs, turned in
the hallway, and yes, that’s where the light disappeared,
suggesting that she’d gone into her mother’s room or the bathroom.
For a moment, he turned cold and pulled on the door handle. As he
pushed open the door, the light flickered in Willow’s bedroom and
seconds later, light from an oil lamp glowed in the window. The
silhouette of Willow unzipping her dress was enough for him. Chad
slammed the door shut, started the engine, and backed all the way
down the driveway.
    Willow heard the door slam and glanced out
her window. Chad’s vehicle zipping down the driveway in reverse
confused her. “It looks like his truck is broken. It won’t even go
forward!” she mused as she donned her favorite pajamas and slid
under the covers. For just a moment, the