Off The Clock: First Responders, Book 1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

was her whole world, she was also his. Knowing it made Carly feel utterly and completely alone.

Chapter Four
     
    Being a mother was easily the hardest job Carly had ever done.
    For the first week she was home, Carly’s mother took time off work and spent most of the day helping with chores around the house, watching Nathan while Carly grabbed a quick nap between feedings. When Carly would have grabbed a peanut butter sandwich, her mother made simple but balanced meals. Carly was still moving slowly thanks to her bruising and her mother’s presence was a godsend.
    But after the first week Grandma Cindy was back to work and daily visits became daily check-ins. Two things became crystal clear to Carly. One, she was happy to be home with Nathan, but the lack of adult conversation was driving her crazy. And two, a house and yard added to springtime and a new baby meant she couldn’t possibly keep up. She was exhausted.
    Her front lawn was sprouting a bumper crop of dandelions, her perennial bed was half-choked with weeds, and her attempts to rectify the situation during the following week were a disaster. If Nathan was napping, the lawn mower woke him. If he was awake, the noise frightened him and Carly didn’t like leaving him alone, even if it was buckled in his seat on the porch where she could see him every minute. She gave up on the grass and thought weeding might be a better option.
    She tried putting Nathan in his stroller to enjoy the fresh air while she worked, talking along silly nonsense to him, thinking the sound of her voice would help keep him content. She’d only cleared around the hostas and golden forsythia when it had begun to rain, putting an end to her efforts.
    She’d always taken such pride in her yard at the house she’d shared with Jason. Even though this was her first spring back in Wolfville, she wanted this place to be even more beautiful, full of colorful flowers and neatly trimmed grass. She’d spent time this past winter envisioning butterflies drawn to the blooms and songbirds to the feeders. Seeing the ragged-around-the-edges look to it each day simply reminded her of how she wasn’t really coping so well with single parenthood.
    What she needed was to get out of her funk. When the next morning dawned fresh and clear, she decided to get out and replenish the pantry. The sun was shining and the scent of spring blooms clung to the air as she loaded her full bags in the trunk of her newly repaired car. Driving for the first time since the accident had been harrowing, and she’d had to force herself to do it. Now she was relaxing a little more each time she went out. Nathan had gotten lots of attention at the grocery store and Carly had stopped on the way home, treating herself to lunch at a local café.
    The ebullient feeling fled when she arrived at her house, however. Gabe’s truck was in the driveway, a utility trailer attached to the hitch and a set of ramps leading to the pavement. And there he was, riding around her lawn, a swath of neat grass trimmings following in his wake. She felt an initial relief and gratitude that he was here followed by annoyance that he’d taken it upon himself to trim up her yard without so much as a call first. Maybe she was having trouble managing it all, but after their last encounter she didn’t want Gabe picking up the slack. She wasn’t anyone’s charity case. If that was pride, so be it.
    She tried to ignore the mower going round and round as she took Nathan, still in his car seat, into the house. She dashed back out to get the grocery bags, but by the time she returned inside Nathan was tuning up, vocally complaining as the noise of the tractor filtered in. Carly sighed and put the bags on the kitchen counter. Nathan had stayed awake through most of the outing and now he was hungry and tired.
    The groceries would have to wait, she realized, as the thin cries grew more demanding and her nerves began to fray. And so would confronting Gabe. She