Light This Candle (Harlequin More Than Words) Read Online Free PDF Page B

nurse not
warned her, she’d have broken down in tears with the relief that at least a
piece of her lively son was back, if only for a little while.
    “Hey, Cody,” she choked out. “Whatchya doin’?”
    “Mommy, this is Mitch. He knew Daddy. And he told me stories
about him. Did you know Daddy got into a big fight before I was born? And he got
in trouble for it. And Mitch had to put him in jail overnight. Mitch says Daddy
was a hero, but he had to keep Daddy’s superhero identity a secret and
everything.”
    She sort of followed that. But she got lost around the
superhero bit. Nonetheless, it was incredible to hear Cody babbling in
excitement. She looked over at the man sitting still and silent on the opposite
side of the bed.
    “Thank you,” she said simply.
    “No problem. Cody’s a great kid. We’ve been having a ball.
Although he’s been kicking my butt at checkers. Takes after his old man.”
    A sob climbed in her chest at the mention of Jimmy. She’d had
no one to talk with about him since he’d died. In fact, he was a subject
everyone assiduously avoided around her. It was weird to hear Mitch refer to her
husband so casually.
    She pushed a shock of hair off her son’s forehead. “How are you
feeling, kiddo? Are you tired?”
    Cody shrugged and his gaze slid away from hers. He was tired,
but he didn’t want to admit it.
    Mitch dived in. “Tell you what, buddy. How about you take a
little nap while I talk with your mom? I promise I’ll come back to visit you
later.”
    “Promise?”
    Mitch held out his big, tanned hand to Cody. “Pinkie
swear.”
    Cody hooked his much smaller finger in Mitch’s and they shook
on the promise solemnly.
    Cassidy led the way out of her son’s room, her insides in
turmoil. She wanted this man and all he represented far, far away from her son.
And yet, Cody hadn’t been that happy or animated in...forever.
    “When’s the last time you ate?” Mitch asked.
    “Uh, I had some cereal a little while ago.”
    “Let me take you out for lunch.”
    “But I can’t leave—”
    “Cody’s taking a nap. I tired him out pretty thoroughly. And
you need to take care of yourself. C’mon. I’m buying. I know this great rib
joint.” He took her elbow and gently but firmly guided her to the elevator.
    She blinked up at him, shocked. No one had paid any attention
to her well-being in longer than she could remember. Sometime in that vague haze
of memory before Jimmy had gone away. She hardly knew what had happened before
Mitch installed her in the passenger side of his truck and drove away from the
hospital.
    Just as panic began to set in at leaving her son behind, he
glanced over at her and said reassuringly, “We’ll keep it short. I promise. The
nurses have your cell phone number, right? I’m sure they’ll call if he wakes
up.”
    “I had to give up my cell phone. I couldn’t afford it.”
    “If you don’t mind my asking, what happened to your survivor’s
gratuity and Jimmy’s life insurance from the military?”
    Embarrassed, she answered, “Cody happened. We’ve been trying
experimental medicines and treatments to buy him more time until they find a new
heart. I had to pay out of my own pocket for the stuff the military health care
system doesn’t cover.”
    He nodded in silent understanding.
    The ride to the restaurant was short. With quiet authority, he
explained to the waiter that they had a child in the hospital and needed to be
served right away. In no more than two minutes, heaping plates of spareribs,
home fries, coleslaw and home-style biscuits dripping in butter were set before
them.
    Cassidy dug in with hunger she hadn’t realized she had. For the
first time in a long time the food tasted good, and she ate with gusto.
    Mitch questioned her over the meal about Cody’s illness, and
she described as best she could the rare congenital heart disease that had
revealed itself not long after Jimmy died. Mostly, Mitch just listened. She was
surprised to