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Mending The Widow's Heart
Mending The Widow's Heart

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Mending The Widow's Heart

Язык: Английский
Год издания: 2019
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Holly glanced over at her son and grinned. “I don’t suppose y’all have a barber with a pair of hedge trimmers and a good sense of humor?”

“Aw, Mom,” Chase whined. “My hair’s fine.”

“I can hardly see your eyes,” she informed him in the kind of no-nonsense tone Sam recognized from his own mother. “Besides, it’ll be getting warmer soon and shorter hair will be a lot more comfortable.”

“Okay,” the boy relented with a sigh. “Let’s go.”

They left the kitchen, and he waited on the landing with Sam while she locked the door. Then Holly took Chase’s hand and they headed down the wide steps. When Chase reached out for Sam’s hand, too, Sam was so stunned, he accepted the trusting gesture and followed along. That the boy would be openly affectionate with his mother was understandable. That he would think to include someone he’d known such a short time was surprising, to say the least. Their quick connection baffled him, but Sam decided that any problem he sensed was all in his mind.

His heart was overjoyed to know that the fatherless boy had taken to him so quickly. Maybe he wasn’t as far gone as he’d feared, after all.

“So, is this barber good with kids?” Holly asked, giving her son’s hair a fond ruffling. “This jack-in-the-box isn’t great at sitting still while people fuss over him.”

“Except when I was in the service, Hal’s given me all my haircuts since I was five.” She raised a suspicious brow, and he laughed. Since meeting the Andrewses, he’d been doing that more than he had in ages, and he had to admit it felt a lot better than brooding all the time. “I know I’m not much of an advertisement right now, but he’s really good. He’s got a grandson Chase’s age, along with seven others, so he’s great with kids and they love him.”

“That sounds reassuring,” she commented as they stopped beside her car.

To Chase, he said, “Cody, the one who’s your age, came up with the idea of keeping a video game console and snack bar in the waiting room at the shop. I don’t know who likes it more—the kids or their parents.”

“What a fabulous idea,” Holly said. “That’s one smart kid.”

“I wouldn’t mind meeting him sometime,” Chase said. “It’d be fun to have a friend to hang out with.”

Remorse dimmed Holly’s features, and she frowned. “I know you miss your old crew, bud. I wish we could’ve brought them with us.”

“It’s not your fault, Mom. I’ll just make new friends.”

After making sure she smiled, he grinned and climbed into the back seat of her car. Holly closed the door behind him and stared in at him with a pensive expression.

“That’s one amazing kid you’ve got there,” Sam commented.

Pulling her gaze away, she looked up at Sam. “He is, isn’t he? I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

“I’m thinking he gets all that spunk from you.”

Tilting her head, she gave him a long, penetrating look. “You think I’m spunky?”

He wasn’t sure what was going on in that mind of hers, but he saw no harm in being up front with her. “Sure do. Considering all you’ve been through, you wouldn’t have gotten this far without it.”

“God had a lot to do with that.”

Sweet and simple, the sentiment that comforted so many people made Sam’s skin crawl, and he struggled to mask his reaction to her unexpected confession. He didn’t quite manage it, though, and she frowned. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No.”

“You look like I just sucker punched you.” He didn’t say anything, and after a few moments, understanding dawned in those expressive eyes. “You’re not religious, are you?”

“Not anymore.”

He waited for her to ask him why, but again this beautiful, perplexing woman surprised him. “So, where do I find this barbershop-slash-video-arcade?”

“If you want, you can follow me into town, and I’ll introduce you to Hal.”

“That sounds perfect. Thanks.”

“No problem.”

She flashed him the kind of smile that made him more than happy to interrupt his day and give her a hand. The midmorning traffic was lighter than usual, and they found two spots right next to a single-story brick building whose swinging sign out front said Hal’s Barbershop. In the large windows, the owner had displayed posters of various hairstyles through the generations.

After commenting on the more humorous ones, the three of them headed inside. Bells over the door announced their arrival, and the familiar sound reminded Sam of his childhood. Clean and simple, the single room was painted a bright, welcoming shade of yellow, perfectly suited to the elderly man strolling through the rear door.

“May I help you?”

“I know we didn’t call ahead,” Holly replied, “but do you have a chair available?”

“I sure do.” Offering his hand to her, he added, “I’m Hal Rogers, and I’d know Daphne’s niece anywhere. And this young man,” he said, grinning down at her son, “must be Chase. She talks nonstop about you when my wife and I play bridge with her at our place, so I feel like we’re already old friends. What can I do for you?”

“Mom says I need a haircut,” the boy answered in a disdainful tone that clearly said he didn’t see what all the fuss was about.

Hal hummed, angling his head to examine one side of the kid’s head and then the other. With a completely straight face, he asked, “Which one?”

When Chase laughed, Hal turned to Sam and said, “See? The classics always work.”

“That’s ’cause kids haven’t heard ’em yet.”

“I have, Papa, and I still like them.”

Winking at a young boy reading in the waiting area, he said, “Thanks, Cody. It’s always nice to have a fan. Have you met Chase yet?”

“No, sir.” Without prodding, he walked over and offered his hand. “I’m Cody Rogers. Nice to meet you.”

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