Love's Embers (Canon City Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

sorry, but I can’t do this. I’ll be in my office.” She walked out of the kitchen and raced up the stairs to her office in the attic. She slammed the door behind her and leaned against it with her eyes closed. She wished the tears would go away, but they burned her eyes. Her throat felt tight and she wanted to sob uncontrollably, but wouldn’t let herself break down over Charlie Stone.
    She went to her desk and sat down. When she opened the bottom drawer and took a couple of things out, she saw the folder at the bottom. She took it out and the letter fell out onto the top of the desk. She hadn’t looked at it for a few years. Charlie only wrote to her once the whole time he was in detention, but once was enough.
    She picked up the envelope and gently took the letter out. Unfolding it she read:
    “Dear Lark, I don’t want you to come back here anymore. I hate you and we are not friends. Charlie.”
    A single tear slid down her cheek and dropped onto the page. Lark was heartbroken for weeks after that letter appeared in the mailbox. She’d never shown it to Gran.
    After a month, she’d written him back and wanted to know what was wrong. She never got any reply from him. It took her a long time to get over the hurt feelings and now all that began to resurface.
    She didn’t want to know if he could explain it all away. She only wanted one question answered. What had she done wrong?
    ****
    Charlie looked at Gran and smiled. “I guess we’ll look at those pictures some other night.”
    “I’m sorry, Charlie. She went through a lot back when you were taken away. I never understood what happened between you two, but I thought she’d gotten over it. I guess not.”
    “It was my fault,” he said. “I was pretty stupid back then.” He looked at Gran who seemed confused. “It doesn’t matter now. Will you tell her thank you for taking care of Fox all these years? I was going to tell her, but got sidetracked.”
    Gran put her hand over his. “You could tell her. She’s up in her office. It’s in the attic upstairs. You know where it is.”
    “No, she’d just feel trapped. I don’t want to do that to her.” He stood up from the table. “We’ll do dessert another night. Thanks for a great dinner. It’s terrific having home cooking for a change.”
    “Let me fix you a leftover bag.” She jumped up and moved to a cupboard.
    “That’s okay. It gives me an excuse to come back for seconds. Breaker, come on, boy.
    Let’s go.” Charlie grabbed his coat from the hooks by the door and walked out into the dark, cold night.
    He tried to figure out what he’d expected. He didn’t think it would go so rough with Lark. He understood why she was upset, he’d hurt her deeply. When he first saw her in the kitchen doorway, he’d wanted to jump up and give her a hug. She’d grown into a beautiful woman and his body turned warm as it did when she’d entered the room. He could tell by the look on her face, though, that she didn’t find him all that attractive. She’d never smiled once.
    Breaker ran around the driveway in the snow and stopped a couple of times to sniff around the bushes and a tree.
    “Breaker, to me,” Charlie said and walked across the fresh snow to his house.
    ***
    Aurora walked out of the kitchen and looked up the stairs. She knew her granddaughter held some sort of pain deep in her heart, but she was tired of it and wanted some answers. She went up the stairs and at the end of the hallway continued up the stairs to the attic. She knocked on the door and poked her head in. She saw Lark at her desk with a tissue in her hand.
    “Hey Gran, come on in.” Lark moved her chair around and faced her.
    “Sweetheart, I don’t know what happened to you back in June or thirteen years ago. I do wish you’d tell me, but I’ll understand if you don’t. I love you, and you’ll always have my support, but this pity party you’re having and taking it out on those around you doesn’t make me