Poisoned Petals Read Online Free PDF

better term for him, though she refused to say the word boyfriend out loud.
    She was glad to see his steady brown eyes and ready smile. She hadn’t known him long, but he’d changed her life. She never thought she’d be happy again after John died. She certainly never thought she’d meet another man she could love. But fate seemed to have him in store for her.
    “She’s stubborn, like always. But she seems okay.” Paul shook his hand. “Can you stay for a while? I’m already an hour late going back.”
    “No problem,” Steve told him. “I cleared my schedule for the rest of the day when you called.”
    “No one has to stay.” Peggy preempted their casual conversation. “Especially not me. There’s nothing wrong that can’t mend at home.”
    Paul hugged his mother. “We can both tell that, Mom. You have a hundred cuts and burns on your face and you sound like a frog, but otherwise, everything is just peachy.”
    “I’ll tie her down if I have to,” Steve promised. “Don’t worry.”
    “All right. Thanks. I’ll see you later, Mom.”
    “Is anyone listening to me?” Peggy croaked. “I said I’m fine.”
    Paul shrugged and left the room, closing the door behind him. Steve took his chair, tying the balloons he’d brought to the bed. “I was at Harris Teeter when Paul called. I thought I’d bring something to cheer you up.”
    “Thanks. You can bring them home with us.”
    “Paul told me he spoke with the doctor. He said you may have hit your head. If they want you to stay, it would just be overnight for observation.”
    “Steve, I’m fine. I have a little headache, but—”
    “I thought I had reluctant patients!” He rolled his eyes. “At least animals can’t talk back!”
    They played cards for a while, waiting for the doctor to come by with word on her release. Peggy told Steve what happened, her eyes filling up with tears again when she thought about it.
    He put his arms around her, and she buried her face in his chest. He smelled like fresh air, Pine-Sol from his veterinarian office, and Dial soap. A heady combination for her, it seemed, since she was always glad to be in his arms. “It was a terrible thing. I close my eyes, and it’s still there. His skin was peeling away.”
    “I’m here,” he whispered, kissing the side of her hair. “I’ve got you.”
    She wasn’t sure how long they stayed that way. It could have been forever. A discreet tap at the door separated them. Steve stepped back from the bed, and she sniffed, wiping her tears on the edge of the rough white bedsheet. “Come in.”
    It surprised her when Luther came into the room. He was wearing a dark suit and a starched white shirt that made his haggard face look longer and thinner. “I’m so sorry, Peggy. Are you all right? Is there anything I can do for you?”
    “Yes . . . no. I’ll be fine. I was glad I could be there for Darmus, even though it didn’t really help.”
    “You’ve always been a good friend.” He shifted uncomfortably. “I was contacted by the Council of Churches. They’re in a panic over this. They want me to take Darmus’s position, at least in the interim. Maybe for good.”
    Knowing this was always what he wanted, and that it would probably be what Darmus would want as well, Peggy tried to smile. It was hard. Losing Darmus so Luther could head Feed America was a bad trade. Luther didn’t work to earn this achievement. He simply lost his brother. And he didn’t seem particularly distraught because of it, either. How could he even think of who was going to head Feed America, much less care about it?
    She ended up not mentioning it. She couldn’t find the words to say how she felt. Even if she did, she couldn’t express them without sounding like an old hand pump that needed priming.
    Steve filled in. “Paul spoke with the police liaison earlier. She said there would be an investigation.”
    “Yes. I know.”
    “How could anyone be so brilliant and so stupid?” Peggy barked out