Love's Deception Read Online Free PDF

years. So no doubt his father’s miraculous materialization surprised everyone. But he’d deal with that later. “I was wondering if I could ask you a favor?”
    “Anything. If you want me to go over and feed George, I’ve already taken care of it.”
    He smiled at the thought of his loyal German shepherd. “You’re a doll.”
    “I’m glad you’ve noticed.”
    “I know I can always count on you.”
    “You just deal with your father and call me if you need anything.”
    “Will do.” Nathan hung up, then placed another call.
    “Hello.”
    “Guess who happens to be in the neighborhood?”
    “Well, I’ll be damned, Nate. What are you doing in town?”
    “I guess there’s no way for you to know this, but Travis is in the hospital.” As he expected, a long silence trailed his announcement.
    “So you came to see him?” His stepfather’s voice lowered.
    “I know. I’m not quite sure how I feel about being here, either. Hell, to be honest with you, I’m surprised I came.”
    “So am I.”
    Nathan shook his head. What did he expect? A thirty-year-old rivalry still existed between the two men. And without his stepfather actually saying anything, Nathan sensed that his own loyalty was in question.
    It was a feud he’d understood at times, then had been completely mystified by at others. However,before the war, the men had actually been the best of friends. We would have died for one another , his stepfather had quoted numerous times in the past. But circumstances change, and everyone’s lives traveled different roads.
    “Are you game for getting together later on?” Nathan asked.
    “Would you rather I come there?”
    The offer rendered Nathan speechless. “I can’t ask you to do that, but thanks anyway.”
    “Well, I just want you to know that I’m here for you.”
    Nathan smiled. “Of course. I know that.”
    “Good.” His stepfather’s voice perked.
    “Back to the reason I called. I thought that since I was going to be in town for a little while that maybe we can get together for dinner or something.”
    “Well, now, that would be nice. Do you still have that apartment in town?”
    “Yeah, lucky for me. Last month I was thinking about selling the place.”
    “You know you’re always welcome to crash here. In fact, it would be a great chance for us to play catch-up. Are you still seeing that anthropologist?”
    Nathan rolled his eyes heavenward. “You mean India?”
    “Ah, yes. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”
    “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We broke up a while back.”
    “Anything you want to talk about? I know a thing or two about women.”
    “Is that all, a thing or two?”
    “Son, that’s all a man can hope to achieve on the subject in one lifetime.”
    They laughed.
    “Nate, how about you call me around three on my cell phone and we’ll compare schedules then?”
    “Sounds like a plan.”
    By the time the call ended, Nathan’s spirits had lifted.
    Hanging up, he exhaled a long, tired sigh and retraced his steps back to the ICU. Once there, his nerves had calmed and a certain type of peace settled within him as he stared down at his father. As he watched, he couldn’t help but wonder where his father’s mind traveled…
    Chicago. April 2, 1966
    Captain Travis Edwards of the United States Army rapped on the Plexiglas in the nursery, trying in vain to grab his newborn son’s attention. Pride expanded the young officer’s chest while he waved and mouthed the words, “Hello, fella.”
    Nathan returned a lopsided grin, which Travis took as a sign of exceptional intelligence. A world of future possibilities floated in Travis’s head.
    A heavy hand slapped across his back. “Congratulations, Captain. I see you finally did something right for a change.”
    Travis shook his head and answered his best friend,Smokey, without a backward glance. “Jealousy’s a bitch, ain’t it?”
    His friend’s boisterous laugh stole another smile from Travis. “I really did