Time to Heal (Harlequin Heartwarming) by Karen Young Read Free Book Online Page B

roast beef. Although it had seemed like forever since she’d felt like preparing a complete meal, tonight she’d wanted something special, not because of her new job, but because it was time she shook off the terrible lethargy that had claimed her since Scotty… Her eyes raked over Michael and bitterness welled up in her throat. It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t fair.
    Looking up, she caught Jake’s eye. He was silently watching her. Waiting. She turned away, feeling bleak and very frightened. Pulling herself together, she turned and went into the kitchen.

CHAPTER FOUR
    J AKE STOOD IN THE DOORWAY watching Rachel do the few last-minute things required to put their meal on the table. Standing just behind him, Michael watched, too.
    “Do you need any help?” Jake asked. “We can carry something.”
    Rachel lined a bread basket with a linen napkin and began transferring warm rolls from a pan. Looking up, she gestured to three glasses filled with iced tea. “The tea, I guess. And the salt and pepper.”
    “Right.” Jake reached for the glasses. “Mike, you take the salt and pepper. I’ve got these.”
    Leaving them, Rachel carried the basket to the table and scooted a couple of dishes around to make everything fit. Candles and fresh flowers adorned the center of the table. She’d picked them up at the market on the way home, along with the most substantial grocery order she’d had in months. Now she whisked the candles away, dropping them in the drawer of the antique sideboard that stood under the window in the dining room,and closed it with a sharp snap. Her celebratory mood was gone.
    Michael’s eyes widened at the attractive table. He looked like a child watching his first magic show, Rachel thought, stubbornly holding on to her resentment. Wordlessly he handed the salt and pepper shakers to her. And after a slight hesitation, she took them and placed them on the table.
    “Take a seat, Mike,” Jake said, still wearing that half-smiling, bemused expression.
    Rachel spoke curtly. “Did you wash up?”
    Michael flushed, looking quickly at his hands.
    “Uh-oh, my fault, Mike.” Jake, in the act of sitting, stopped. “Everything smells so good, we forgot our manners. Remember me pointing out the bathroom through that door?” Jake gestured with his chin. “Yeah, that’s the one.”
    “I’ll just be a minute,” Michael murmured, scraping the polished surface of the parquet floor as he shoved his chair back. “Uh, sorry,” he mumbled, shooting Rachel a quick look.
    “No problem,” Jake said quietly. “We’ll wait.”
    With the sound of the bathroom door closing, silence descended. Rachel busied herself shaking out her napkin, fiddling with the place mat, rearranging the silver alongside her plate. All her satisfaction in landing a job was forgotten, a ripple on the surface of her mind washed away by the tidal wave of Michael’s appearance. How was shegoing to bear being around him, seeing him, being reminded of Jake’s…
    “I’m going to take him to school tomorrow and get him enrolled,” Jake said.
    Rachel lifted her glass and put it down again, refusing to look at him. “What’s the point? School will be out in a month anyway.”
    “I know, but he needs to get to know the kids. I’m going to talk to the guidance counselor about summer school. He’s been on the road six weeks. He’ll need to catch up.”
    “In two months? Good luck.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “Just look at him, Jake.” She kept her voice low. “He doesn’t exactly strike me as a model student. He doesn’t know—” She shook her head, deciding not to go into all the things Michael obviously didn’t know. “I’m no expert, but from the way he acts, it’s going to take more than a couple of months. I don’t think his…family placed a lot of importance on school or, for that matter, on other things that we take for granted.”
    “How can you tell after only forty-five minutes with him?” Jake