Mending Hope (Contemporary Western Romance) (License to Love Series:Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

lowered him back down to the dirt floor.  “Don’t waste all of the good excitement on me!”
    Shad laughed along with him as they walked to the house.  Woody was glad for his brother, but he knew that the real storm was going to be Melinda.  He suspected that Shad knew this too, but was choosing to ignore it.  Either way, it was going to be an interesting dinner.
    *
         Alyssa had been surprised to learn that the Brandt family ate dinner together at least once a week. All three of the siblings made the time and effort to get together at the family house and have a traditional dinner.  They even had someone who came in and cooked the dinner for them on that special day so that none of them felt as if they had been put out by the dinner.  Their father had made this a tradition and, after his passing, it was something that Melinda had insisted on continuing.
    The idea intrigued her because in her own family it was uncommon to even speak to each other at dinner time, let alone actually sit and eat around a table.  While she was something of an outsider to the setting, it was comforting to be a part of something larger than her usual meal in front of the television or computer. 
    Shad stood up to get the dessert after dinner and as he walked away Alyssa noticed that Woody was watching him with an unusually goofy grin on his face.  When Woody looked across the table at Alyssa and gave her the same grin with a large “thumb’s up” sign she knew that something odd was going on, but she didn’t have to wait too long to find out what. 
    When Shad came back he was carrying a silver tray with a small silver box centered on it.  He carried it to the table and knelt down in front of Clara.  She turned and saw him and immediately gasped. 
    It’s like something out of a movie. Alyssa thought as she immediately rubbed on her empty ring finger and thought about when Kyle had proposed to her on the beach at Galveston. 
    “I know we haven’t known each other that long,” Shad started “but I can’t imagine another day, another minute or another second without you.”  He flipped open the top of the box and handed her the ring.  “Will you…”
    “Yes!” Clara exclaimed, not even waiting for him to finish proposing. 
    Alyssa felt a tear roll down her cheek as she gave Clara a hug.  She knew that she wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.  When everyone else stepped forward to congratulate them, she slipped out through the kitchen.  The night air was cool against her skin and she took a deep breath that worked its way into her lungs with icy fingers.
    She walked toward the stables, her head slightly tilted to the stars as her eyes clouded over with more tears.  They weren’t just tears of sadness anymore.  The truth was she was happy for Clara and Shad and their new life together.  They had managed to find each other in a world of chaos.
    She was more upset at her inability to let go of the guilt.  There was something there with Woody, but part of her was too afraid to risk getting into an emotional relationship with anyone.  The idea of ever losing that much of her heart again terrified her.
    There was a thin row of overhead lights that ran the length of the stable, and she walked over to the mare on the third side.  The nameplate on the front of the door read Harmony, and Alyssa ran her fingers through the etched wood.  From the back of the dark stall a dark chestnut horse with a white stripe that divided her face and ran straight into her pale mane emerged to greet her.  She walked over to the stable door and flared her nostrils as if to say Hello . When she got close enough, Harmony used her nose to nudge Alyssa’s shoulder as Alyssa reached up her hand and stroked the side of her face. 
    In the past three days, Alyssa and Harmony had bonded.  She’d never been around horses before, but there was something about this calm mare’s presence that gave her comfort.  The first time she