Lover of My Dreams Read Online Free PDF Page A

you,” she whispered to the woman who had been so kind and loving to her.
    “I love you, Rachel,” Joanna McCoy whispered against Rachel’s cheek. “Remember what I told you. Don’t give up on my son. You keep on loving him.”
    “I will,” Rachel promised, standing and retrieving her crutches. She watched as Joanna McCoy sunk tiredly into her pillow and closed her eyes. She had a smile on her face, and she finally looked peaceful and happy.
    Rachel made her way out of the room and slowly walked through the house. Jarod met her at the main door and smiled at her.
    “Good luck in college, Miss Rachel,” he told her formally.
    Rachel reached out and hugged him, kissing his cheek lightly before letting him go. “You take care, Jarod,” she told him through her tears. She couldn’t resist. She had to hug him good-bye. Reaching up, she wrapped her right arm around Jarod’s waist and hugged him tightly. She felt the return of her hug and smiled at Jarod’s honest affection. She loved him dearly.
    Jarod cleared his throat awkwardly as Rachel released him then smiled down at her. “You, too, Miss Rachel,” he told her, bowing slightly and holding the door open for her departure.
    Rachel made her way to her car, tossed her crutches into the back seat of the old heap that had seen better days, and carefully eased herself inside it. After she was settled behind the steering wheel, she took one last look at the McCoy estate. Although it was a beautiful house, it was cold and offsetting. Jarod, Joanna McCoy, and Sam didn’t really belong in that house. But it did match Edwin McCoy perfectly. She started the car and carefully eased it down the long driveway entrance of the estate toward the main road. As she drove the twenty minutes home, she thought about Joanna McCoy. What a wonderful woman she was. How kind she was. How loving. And how sad.
     
    * * * *
     
    Sam drove up the long driveway to his father’s home two hours later. The sun was already setting and the Colorado sky had turned shades of lavender and pink. He knew his mother would love the sunset. He parked his car and carefully eased himself out of it, reaching in to retrieve the small bouquet of pink and red carnations that he knew was his mother’s favorite flower. He tucked them into the safety of his sling, shut the car door, and made his way to the entrance of the house.
    Jarod opened the door to greet him before he even reached it. The look on his face showed the fatigue that the older man was feeling.
    “Jarod, please get some rest,” he told him gently. “I’ll be with my mother for the rest of the evening.”
    Jarod nodded, pleased that Joanna’s son was home. “Miss Rachel visited with Miss Joanna this afternoon, Master Samuel,” he told him quietly.
    Sam stopped walking toward his mother’s room and faced Jarod smiling. “I’m glad,” he said finally.
    “Good night, sir,” Jarod told him, bowing formally.
    “Good night, Jarod,” Sam said quietly. “Thank you for everything.”
    Jarod’s nod of his head was almost undetectable but Sam saw it. He watched as the man who had given him fatherly guidance and love throughout his life walked away slowly and headed toward his room. Sam was concerned that Jarod’s steps seemed to be slower these days.
    Sadly, Sam turned to walk toward his mother’s bedroom. He opened the door slowly in case she was resting. Stepping inside quietly, he carefully closed the door behind him. As he made his way toward her bed he saw that she was awake and looking out the windows that graced the wall to the left of her bed.
    “What a beautiful sky,” she barely whispered, almost to herself.
    “I knew you would like it,” he told her as he sat down beside her on the bed. “These are for you.” He took the small bouquet of carnations and placed them in the filled water glass that sat on the bedside table.
    Joanna turned to look at the flowers and then returned her gaze to her son. How kind and caring he