The Heart Knows What the Heart Wants by Lori L. Clark Read Free Book Online

spinning so fast, they were making him dizzy.
    He stood and walked across the room to the old guitar case leaning against the wall. The acoustic guitar had once belonged to his dad, and Shane had taught himself to play. Over the years, he'd gotten pretty good. He pulled the Fender from its case and brushed his fingers lightly across the strings. He frowned as the sour notes hit his ears. It had been a while since he'd played, and the guitar sounded horribly out of tune.
    For the next half hour or so he strummed, listened, and adjusted the tuning knobs until he was satisfied. He closed his eyes and began to play a favorite tune from memory, "Time In A Bottle," a ballad by Jim Croce that was written long before he was born. Shane was his own worst critic. Since the accident, he didn't believe in himself or his ability to do anything well anymore.
    When he was a star basketball player for the Red Vale Raiders, he was the town's golden boy. Most people thought he could do no wrong. Girls wanted to be with him, and boys wanted to be him. Under Shane's leadership, the team won the state championship two years in a row, during his junior and senior years. His talent had earned him a scholarship to Iowa State University.
    Shane planned to attend college in Ames, play basketball, and study astronomy. He was going to leave Red Vale to go away to school and do the two things he loved most: learn all he could about the solar system and play basketball. He had his life plotted out as intricately as the night's skies.
    Shane's dreams died the night of his high school graduation. Out partying, celebrating his new-found freedom with friends, he got drunk and slammed his Chevy Silverado into a tree. His girlfriend, Lila Walker, was thrown from the pickup and died instantly. Shane was pinned inside the cab of the truck until the paramedics and the Jaws of Life could cut him from the wreckage. He got out with his life, but his leg was left so severely injured, he'd never play basketball again. No basketball, no scholarship, and without a scholarship, going to college was not written in his stars.
    After that, things began to spiral out of control for Shane. While still recuperating from his injuries, his beloved mother was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. It was six months and twenty-three days from the day the cancer was discovered until the day she died.
    It wasn't that life had made him bitter. He just didn't give a damn whether he lived or died, and he lived each day as if it were his last, but not in a good way. His addiction to anything that made him feel better, at least temporarily -- painkillers, booze, and any drug he could get his hands on -- had Shane on a fast track to joining his mother in Red Vale Cemetery. If his Aunt Neona hadn't intervened when she did, he'd likely be dead right now, and there were many times when he wondered if he wouldn't have been better off.
    Shane played the guitar effortlessly, and it never failed to relax him as the music seeped into his soul. He played until his fingers were raw, and his eyes drooped. He stood and slid the instrument back into its case, before making his way to his bedroom. He peeled off all of his clothes and climbed buck naked between the sheets.
    As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out -- dead to the world.
    When he woke some time later, he found himself staring up into Star's big brown eyes. "What the hell?" He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and took another look. He wasn't sure if he was awake or dreaming. "Pinch me," he whispered.

Chapter Twelve

    As they loaded Neona into the backseat of Michael's police car to take her to the clinic in town, her largest concern was who was going to relieve Ami at the store.
    "Ami can stay on a few extra minutes until we get this all sorted out, Neona. Stop worrying so much," Michael told her.
    "Well, I know she can stay for a bit, but she can't be on her feet for another six hour shift. Not in her condition," Neona informed