The Charity Read Online Free PDF Page A

pot of thick beef stew bubbled on the stove and the scent made Jessica’s mouth water.
    “Mmm. That smells great! I’m starving!” After she had washed her hands in the kitchen sink, she turned and looked at Bridget. The older woman stood in the doorway holding a rumpled brown envelope in her hands.
     
     

May 1988
    “GUS! GUS! HEY you! Over here!”
    Gus pulled up on the reins of the big gray thoroughbred. He was exercising the animal on the far track of the farm and turned his head to see Jessica waving her arms over her head in excitement as she ran down the small hill toward him. He had mixed emotions about seeing her. He hoped she was back at the farm only for the summer months or until she decided what to do for a real job.
    The slight change of pressure with Gus’ legs and hands encouraged the horse to wheel around and break into a gallop. Its hooves pounded out a greeting and Gus’ ruddy face broke into a smile as he slowed the powerful animal. Jessica was already moving toward the horse to jump up on its back as Gus hopped off.
    Gus covered the distance between them with one stride and gave Jessica a big hug and a quick buss on the cheek. “Don’t I even get a ‘Hello’ and a ‘How are you?’ before you take to the hills? I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”
    Jessica answered him with a smile tucked into one corner of her mouth and a glint in her eye. “Hello Gus. How are you? Fine? Great! Now hand Blue Jeep over before I burst. I’m dying to get to the hills. Now go away!”
    “Not so fast. I can see that caged look in your eyes, Missy. I’ll hand over the reins as soon as I get a good look at you.”
    Gus placed his hands on Jessica’s shoulders and looked at her. They stood eye to eye now. He could hardly believe how much she had grown over the years and just how beautiful she had become. He had always thought of her as a pretty girl, but as a young woman she was stunning. She had an athletic build that looked at once elegant and strong in her breeches and tall black field boots. Her blonde hair was amply streaked with honey-colored highlights and her blue eyes were bright with laughter and intelligence. His pride in her and worry for her were all balled up together.
    As he looked at her, he knew that today’s smile was for his benefit. Jessica was like Bridget in keeping her stronger emotions locked away from public inspection, but he could see the strain. The light that should emanate from a beautiful woman like Jessica was dimmed by the pain she carried for her losses. Anything resembling a family to her was gone. Bridget fought like hell to make it to Jessica’s college graduation by not giving in to the cancer that was rotting her. God knows Bridget deserved to be there to witness the success of her perseverance, but she finally had to let go and join her sister. Gus watched as Jessica’s forced smile faded a bit.
    “I can still feel her, Gus. It’s like Bridget’s still upstairs in her room, watching us like she always did before she got too sick to do even that.”
    “I miss her too, Jess. The place is just empty now.” Gus reached over and embraced Jessica and let the moment of sadness pass.
    After Bridget died, it was all Gus could do to walk across the wide-planked porch and back into that house and help Jessica pack up Bridget’s things. It was the second occasion he packed belongings of someone who lived in that house and died too young. He could hardly believe that eleven years had passed since the car wreck. Bridget had been a fixture in that house ever since. Looking at the empty home stabbed him with grief no matter how many times a day he did so. He wanted to get as far away from this ghost-filled place as possible. Its hollowness pulled at his soul and made him yearn for the emerald meadows of his youth.
    They walked together up the hill toward the barns, grief keeping them deep in their own thoughts. He stepped back and for the moment decided that he was going to