When the Clouds Roll By by Myra Johnson Read Free Book Online

Samuel looked closer to read the tiny price tags next to each item.
    Or, more accurately, hefty prices printed on tiny tags.
    “Interested in a gift for someone?”
    Samuel glanced over his shoulder at a slender, dark-haired gentleman in a gray suit. He uttered a reluctant chuckle. “No, thanks. Just admiring the work.”
    “Well, you won’t find anything finer—” The man moved into Samuel’s line of vision, and his face spread into a sudden smile of recognition. “You’re the soldier who was with my brother on the train.”
    Samuel studied the man’s face. “And you’re Gilbert’s younger brother. He’s told me a lot about you.”
    “Thomas Ballard, at your service.” He gripped Samuel’s hand and pumped it violently. “Guess we were too preoccupied at the depot for formal introductions. Then my mother took over and I decided to get out of the way.”
    Samuel had certainly taken note of the domineering Mrs. Ballard. No wonder Gilbert had so frequently voiced his misgivings about returning to such a smothering welcome. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Thomas. I’m Samuel Vickary. I got acquainted with your brother aboard the Comfort while we were shipping back to the States.”
    “Here, let’s sit down and take a load off. You must be worn out after your long trip.” Thomas ushered Samuel over to a brocade settee. From here they could look out over busy Central Avenue. “You’re a chaplain, I see. In town for some R and R? Hot Springs is a great place to rest and rejuvenate.”
    “Actually, the Army and Navy Hospital is my new duty assignment, and I’m in need of some living quarters.”
    “Then look no further. You’ve come to the right place.”
    Again, Samuel let his gaze travel the expensively decorated lobby. He released a nervous chuckle. “I’m afraid even a night or two at the Arlington would obliterate my finances. Any chance you could point me toward a rooming house or a reasonably priced apartment?”
    “Heavens no! Why, you’ll stay with my mother and me, of course.”
    Samuel coughed his surprise.
    “I’m serious. The house is huge, and it’s just Mother, me, and a couple of live-in servants. You’d have an entire upstairs wing to yourself.”
    Wing? “Really, I couldn’t impose. Besides, you don’t even know me.”
    Thomas’s expression sobered. “I saw you with my brother. I saw the genuine concern in your eyes. And even in those brief moments I could see how much he trusts and relies on you. That’s enough for me. It’ll be enough for my mother, too.”
    Samuel lifted his hands in a helpless gesture. “I don’t know what to say.”
    “I’ll give you a hint: yes .”
    Still stunned, Samuel cracked a crooked grin. “All right, then, if you’re sure your mother won’t object.”
    “To my brother’s new best friend who also happens to be a man of the cloth?” Thomas clapped Samuel on the shoulder. “Consider yourself part of the family.”
    “Thanks. I’m grateful beyond words.” At worst, he’d try the arrangement for a week or two while determining whether he and the Ballards were compatible housemates. And he’d insist on paying a fair rate for room and board.
    Then, as Thomas drove him back to the depot to collect his belongings, it occurred to him living at the Ballard home might mean he’d see more of Gilbert’s fiancée.
    Annemarie . Samuel’s pulse quickened at the very thought of her.
    He knotted his fists. What would it take for him to shake off such ridiculous notions? Gilbert’s crisis of despair was only temporary, and any day now he’d come to his senses. In the meantime, Samuel had made it his sworn duty to make sure Gilbert found himself again and reclaimed the woman whose love had sustained him through the war.
    At least one of them deserved a happy ending.

5
    G ilbert knew it would be like this, Mother hovering, Thomas pressing for details about the war. The only bright spot in this dreaded reunion was seeing his beloved