Riverbend Road by RaeAnne Thayne Read Free Book Online Page B

You could make it worse, if you’re not very careful.”
    â€œI’m fine, really. Sorry we’re in your way. You can just go around me.”
    As if Wyn could ever leave a neighbor—even a prickly one—sprawled out in the dirt. The woman obviously didn’t want her help but beneath the coldness, she sensed something else, a hint of another emotion that smelled to her cop’s nose suspiciously like fear.
    She couldn’t begin to guess why her neighbor might be afraid of her but it made her intensely curious.
    â€œYou’ve got at least a quarter-mile walk back to your place. Even if the ankle is only twisted a little, that’s going to be a long, hard slog with two kids by yourself. You won’t make it before dark. Do you have a flashlight?”
    The woman still continued to avoid her gaze but shook her head, just as Wyn would have guessed.
    â€œLook, at least let me try to find a walking stick you can use for support.”
    After a pause, Andrea Montgomery relented slightly. “That might be helpful.”
    â€œGreat. Kids, can you help me? I’m looking for a walking stick that’s about this tall and this big.” She held her hand at shoulder height and made a wide circle with her thumb and forefinger.
    The boy—Will, his sister had said—found one first and produced it triumphantly.
    â€œThat looks great,” Wyn exclaimed.
    â€œThanks, honey,” Andrea said with a soft smile for her son that contrasted starkly with her attitude toward Wynona. “Let’s see if it works.”
    She gripped the walking stick and used it to pull herself to her feet. “Look at that. Perfect.”
    Her son preened as if he had just single-handedly shot down the Death Star and Wyn had to smile. Yeah, Andrea might be a cool customer to her but the woman seemed like a loving mother.
    â€œThank you,” the woman said. “I think we’ll probably be fine now. You don’t have to wait for us. I’m sure you have somewhere to go.”
    â€œNot at all,” she answered, which was the unvarnished truth, though it was a little depressing.
    She had no one to blame but herself for that state of affairs, really. Kat had offered to bring dinner and so had Charlene. McKenzie likely would have been more than thrilled to come over. Given half a chance, Lindy-Grace probably would have thrown a parade down Lakeside Drive.
    She had shut everybody down, so it was her own fault she had no dinner plans.
    â€œYoung Pete and I aren’t in a hurry,” she assured her new neighbor. “We were taking our time ambling home with no particular schedule and a few moments more won’t matter to us. I don’t feel good about leaving you here when you’re injured. If you don’t mind, I’ll just stick with you so I can be sure you make it home.”
    The woman looked as if she minded very much but she must have realized Wyn wouldn’t back down. She finally gave a shrug and started making her painstaking way down the trail.
    It was clear after just a few steps that Andrea Montgomery was in considerable pain but she stubbornly continued on.
    They walked slowly back with Andrea leading the way and Chloe behind her, holding her brother’s hand. The boy seemed to be warming up a little to Pete and no longer looked completely panic-stricken, though he continued to keep a safe distance between them. Wynona, in the rear, kept up a running commentary with the children, identifying some of the birds that flitted through the trees and different varieties of wildflowers they passed.
    They still had several hundred yards to walk before they reached the bridge when Andrea stumbled again and let out a gasp of pain.
    Wyn decided it was time for a little more firm intervention.
    â€œChloe, I know your brother isn’t very crazy about dogs,” she said. “What about you?”
    â€œOh, I love them,” she declared. “We used to