An Accidental Family Read Online Free PDF Page A

abused. But then, it wasn’t likely Rose would have guessed what often went on inside Nadine’s house, either.
    Could she be wrong about Lamont? Did he fit the “His bark is worse than his bite” adage?
    Not that it made a bit of difference. Nadine didn’t trust herself to make smart decisions where men were concerned, so except for the few who worked for her at Greeneland Ranch, she’d avoided them altogether. And despite hard times, she’d held on as well as any male rancher she could name.
    Shoulders sagging, she went back inside, bolted the door behind her and resigned herself to spending a few hours with the Good Book. God’s word had helped her keep “white knight” dreams at bay in the past. By morning, any romantic notions about Lamont would be a distant memory, and she’d go back to accepting her lot in life.
    But she didn’t have to like it.
     
    Bright and early the next morning, it was still raining when Adam padded into the kitchen, looking rumpled and frazzled as the weather outside. “Look at this mess,” he said, stacking coloring books and construction paper on the table. He flopped onto a straight-backed chair as she closed her crossword puzzle book. “You can’t even get a minute’s peace and privacy since we invaded your house.”
    “You know I love having you…”
    “It’s only temporary,” Adam said, “until Julie and I get this mess straightened out.”
    How many times had he said that since they’d movedin, weeks ago? Lord, she prayed, help me find words to comfort him. “I feel terrible admitting it,” she said, sitting beside him. “But your cloud has been my silver lining. I haven’t been this contented since before you and Julie got married and you left me all alone.”
    Adam chuckled at her deliberately exaggerated misery. “You’re the best, Mom.”
    She’d been listening to her boy’s laughter all his twenty-six years and knew when it was sincere and when it wasn’t. Her heart ached for her only child. Maternal love hadn’t protected him from measles or chicken pox; hadn’t saved him from skinned knees, sprains and fractures; hadn’t spared him the anguish of a breakup once he reached dating age. She couldn’t protect him from this, either, but she aimed to try.
    “Maybe while we’re here,” he said, “Julie will learn a thing or two from you about how to be a good wife and mother.”
    “Thank goodness I sent her to the cellar to sort laundry, because if she heard a thing like that, she’d be crushed. I’ll admit she did some pretty ridiculous things, but you know in your heart she didn’t do them on purpose. Why, the way that poor girl was raised, it’s a wonder—”
    “I’m tired of letting her off the hook because of her background.”
    She pressed a palm to each of his cheeks. “Julie is your wife, Adam, and the mother of your child. That money she lost is gone, but you can earn more. If you drive her away, well, you can’t be sure you’ll get her back. It’s as plain as the nose on your face that she’s trying. Give her credit for that, at least.”
    His expression reminded her of days long gone, when a shrug and a half smile were precursors to a bored “Iguess you’re right.” This time, he got up and grabbed the lunch bucket he’d been carrying since he started that stock-boy job at Lotsmart.
    He was halfway out the door when she said, “Will you do me a favor today?”
    “Sure.”
    “Pray about what I said?”
    “Guess it can’t hurt,” he said, his voice glum. “At least that won’t cost me anything.”
    Every chance she got that day, she prayed, too. Nadine thanked God that neither the landlord nor the manager of the car dealership had decided to press charges against Julie, and for providing Adam with a job that helped put food on the table and keep the lights turned on. She asked Him to soften her son’s heart toward his young, confused wife, and begged him to supply every dime required to keep the bank from