When Mercy Rains Read Online Free PDF Page A

ask the question she’d held inside for far too long. “How did you do it? How did you leave them? You are so important to me. I could never walk away from you and not come back—not even for days, let alone for years.”
    Mom looked away, and the muscles in her jaw clenched. “You don’t know everything that happened, Alexa.”
    Alexa’s heart hurt for her mom. Obviously the pain, although decades in the past, was still very much a part of her. “Of course I don’t. I wasn’t there. But I do know this …” She tipped sideways a bit, trying to make eye contact with her mother. “You gave me life. You’re my mom . No matter what, if you needed me, I’d be there.” Minutes passed in silence while Alexa held her mother’s limp hands and waited for her to speak.
    Mom remained quiet so long she began to wonder if she’d fallen asleep sitting up. Then a soft chuckle left Mom’s lips. She turned toward Alexa. Tears slid down her cheeks, leaving their tracks behind. A wry smile lifted the corners of her lips. “Linda was right.”
    “Linda’s always right. About what this time?”
    “You’re growing up.”
    For some strange reason, the comment made her want to cry. She sniffed hard.
    “And I guess, when I can get the arrangements made, we’ll go to Arborville.”
    Alexa threw her arms around Mom and let out a cry of exultation. “It’ll be great, Mom, you’ll see.” She could hardly wait to see her words proved true.

Suzanne
    Suzanne inched up the narrow aisle of the JetBlue aircraft, her carry-on bag bumping the backs of her knees as she went. From behind her, Alexa released a happy sigh.
    “Wow, Mom, it almost feels like a dream, doesn’t it?”
    A dream? More like a nightmare. The past three weeks had been fraught with stress. She’d never imagined how many phone calls, written requests, and face-to-face meetings would be necessary to take a two-month leave from her life in Indiana. But she couldn’t stomp on Alexa’s happiness. Always much more bubbly than her reserved mother, Alexa had exhibited more enthusiasm about going to Kansas than anything else, ever. She flashed a quavery smile over her shoulder, which Alexa returned a hundredfold.
    Suzanne passed the uniformed flight attendants who stood at the doorway thanking the passengers for utilizing their airline. Although she acknowledged their comments with only a slight nod, Alexa replied cheerfully.
    “You’re welcome. Thank you for a great flight—my very first.”
    The attendants laughed, and the taller of the pair said, “We hope it won’t be your last.”
    “Me, too.”
    In the tunnel leading to the terminal, Alexa eased to Suzanne’s side. Her shoulder bag swung wildly on its long strap, bumping Suzanne’s hip. “Do yousuppose there’ll be a welcome committee waiting for us? After all, you haven’t been home in … well, forever.” Alexa’s tinkling laughter spilled out. “Wouldn’t that be amazing? Your whole family out there waiting, holding up a big sign and balloons or flowers or something.”
    Suzanne moved sideways to avoid another whack from Alexa’s overstuffed purse. She should have taken advantage of their lengthy flight time and shared the entire truth with Alexa. Her stomach churned. If—and it was a mighty big “if”—her entire family waited, at least one of her long-held secrets would be revealed quickly and she could stop worrying about her family’s reaction to Alexa’s presence.
    She fixed a serious look on her daughter, one she’d perfected over the years in an attempt to squelch her abundant exuberance. “Don’t get your hopes up, Alexa. We’re arriving on a weekday afternoon. People have jobs and responsibilities. It’s very unlikely any of my family is here. They’ve probably sent a driver to retrieve us.”
    “Oh.” For a moment, Alexa’s bright countenance dimmed. But then in typical form, she gave a cavalier shrug and grinned. “No matter. Once we reach Arborville, there’ll be