War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy (latest ebook reader .TXT) 📕

over the phone with a traumatized fourteen-year-old listening in.

Fiona’s eyes skittered to their joined hands.

Caleb squeezed, hoping she found the touch reassuring. “We’ll be right back. I promise.”

“I’ll stay,” the nurse offered. The entire emergency department already knew what they were dealing with here. News traveled fast.

After a long moment, Fiona’s grip loosened, and Caleb slipped out of the room. On the way through the familiar labyrinth of hallways, he braced himself for what was coming. It didn’t matter how many times he’d had to do it, these notifications never got any easier.

A water-logged woman stood at the triage desk, her hands white-knuckling the edge as she clearly struggled not to scream at the nurse on duty. “I was told she’s here. I need to see her.”

“Ma’am, as I said, if you’re not family—”

“How many times do I have to tell you? Her father is not involved. I’m her godmother. I am the next closest thing to family.”

“Emerson Aldridge?”

The woman whipped her head around at the sound of Caleb’s voice. The carefully rehearsed words bled out of his brain as panicked blue eyes met his. The relative chaos of the waiting room faded away as he fell into those eyes, soaking up the sense of recognition, even though he knew he’d never seen her before.

It’s you.

Startled by his own thought, he snapped out of his stupor and closed the distance and nodded to the nurse. “I’ve got this, Janette.”

“Where’s Fiona?”

“I’ll take you to her. C’mon.” He gestured toward the double doors, and she hustled toward them. “I’m Caleb Romero—the one who called you. You need to know right off that Fiona is okay. Minor injuries.” It was the only comfort he’d be able to offer her tonight.

A little of the terror etched on her face faded as they pushed through the doors. But Emerson was sharp. “Could you not reach her mother?”

This was the part he hadn’t wanted to tell her over the phone. Navigating her into one of the empty rooms off to the side, he shut the door. Emerson didn’t move toward any of the chairs. Her whole body drew taut, and he recognized that, deep down, she already knew what was coming.

Tunneling a hand through his hair, Caleb sighed. “Fiona’s mother was in the car. She didn’t make it.”

Like a puppet with suddenly cut strings, Emerson collapsed. It was instinct to catch her, to pull her against his body, as if he could somehow offer protection from the truth. She sucked in a ragged breath, and he waited for the scream of rage and pain. But she didn’t make a sound as she wilted into him, her hands curled to ineffectual fists against his chest. Her silent, potent grief swamped them both for long minutes. Caleb felt a little like a voyeur. He didn’t know this woman. But he knew this pain. So he held her, until she found the strength to stand again.

“You were there?” The question rasped out, as if her vocal cords had been torched.

“I saw it happen. I pulled Fiona out. There wasn’t—” He stopped himself. The driver’s side of the car had taken the brunt of the impact. She didn’t need that horror in her head. “Her mom was already gone.”

Emerson closed her eyes, absorbing that. Maybe she’d take comfort in the fact that death had been all but instant.

“Thank you for saving Fi.” Her throat worked as she swallowed. “Does she know?”

“Yes.”

She visibly armored up, pulling herself together for the sake of the child in a way that impressed the hell out of him. As she straightened, she seemed to register she was still pressed against him. A faint tinge of embarrassment brought color back to her pale cheeks.

Caleb forced himself to drop his arms and step back. “Are you up to seeing her now?”

She sucked in a breath and squared her shoulders. “Take me to her.”

The moment they stepped through the door to the room, Fiona broke. Emerson didn’t hesitate, edging onto the bed and pulling the girl tight into her arms as she sobbed, even as tears tracked down her own cheeks.

Eventually, the unintelligible cries turned into words. “I don’t want to go to my grandparents. You know what they’re like.”

Emerson’s face went fierce. “Not a chance in hell, baby. Your…” She swallowed. “Your mom made provisions. You’re with me.”

Everything in her posture and expression said she’d go to war for this kid.

Some tension in Caleb released. They had a long road to go, but he had a feeling these two would be just fine.

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Sneak Peek When You Got A Good Thing

The Misfit Inn, Book #1

In the mood for more Eden’s Ridge? Check out Sheriff Xander Kincaid’s story!

Charming, poignant, and sexy, When You Got a Good Thing  pulled me in with its sweet charm and deft storytelling, and didn't let go until the very last page. It  has everything I love in a small-town romance!  ~USA Today Best-Selling Author Tawna Fenske

She thought she could never go home again.  Kennedy Reynolds has spent the past decade traveling the world as a free spirit.  She never looks back at the past, the place, or the love she left behind—until her adopted mother’s unexpected death forces her home to Eden’s Ridge, Tennessee.

Deputy Xander Kincaid has never forgotten his first love.  He’s spent ten long years waiting for the chance to make up for one bone-headed mistake that sent her running. Now that she’s finally home, he wants to give her so much more than just an apology.

Kennedy finds an unexpected ally in Xander, as she struggles to mend fences with her sisters and to care for the foster child her mother left behind.  Falling back into his arms is beyond tempting, but accepting his support is dangerous.  He can never know the truth about why she really left. Will Kennedy be able to bury the past and carve out her place in the Ridge, or will her secret destroy her second