“I don’t know about soon,” I said.
“Soon is relative.”
He was right about that.
His mother agreed to move in with us, although she required a lot of convincing. To be honest, she and Ethan didn’t really know each other anymore. But in some ways, the three of us understood one another better than anyone else possibly could. We didn’t even need to speak to know what the others were thinking and feeling a lot of times.
Once she recovered relatively well from her injuries, I started taking her with me to the group therapy sessions I still attended.
She didn’t speak much—but she listened a lot. Listening was an excellent place to start. It could help her to understand that she wasn’t alone, not even when she felt more alone than she’d ever felt before in her life.
“How can you let my son touch you?” she asked me one evening over dinner. The team was on the road, so it was just the two of us at Ethan’s house. “After all the things he did to you, how can you let any man touch you?”
The way she’d emphasized he left no doubt who she meant.
“I couldn’t let any man touch me,” I said, carefully weighing my words. “Ethan’s different.”
“Different how?”
He was different in almost every way imaginable. But I said, “He’s different because he loves me. Anyone who could hurt me the way Hayes did, anyone who could do the things to you that your husband did—they didn’t love us.”
She blinked, but it didn’t stop fat tears from filling her eyes and spilling onto the table. “I don’t know if I could allow that. I don’t know if I could let a man love me.”
And I nodded, and I reached across the table to squeeze her hand.
Because I knew.
I understood.
But there was nothing I could say that could make it better for her. I couldn’t tell her that one day, she’d find the right man, and she’d be able to open up her heart and trust him enough to let him touch her.
Only she could know that for certain. And it might be a very long time before she’d be ready. It would probably be even longer before she’d believe it.
These things take time.
KINSEY AND CARTER came to baggage claim together, hand in hand—but the second Carter saw us, he dropped everything so he could race over to meet us.
But it wasn’t his father’s arms he jumped into. It wasn’t his grandmother’s arms, either.
He jumped into mine.
I was so surprised that I staggered under the impact, but Ethan put a hand behind my waist and steadied me. I wrapped my arms tight around him and didn’t let go until he did.
“My mama wants to meet you,” he finally said, backing away but holding tight to my hand.
Kinsey held out a hand to me with a warm smile that lit up her entire face. She and Carter had the same smile. It was easy to see how Carter was growing up to be such a sweet boy. With a father like Ethan and a mother who was obviously an equally good person, he’d have no choice but to be an amazing young man.
“Hi,” I said, awkwardly reaching to shake her hand.
She drew me in for a hug, though.
“Oh… I…” didn’t have the first clue how to respond.
“Welcome to the family,” she said when she released me from her grip.
That was about all it took to cause fresh tears to sprout up.
She hugged Ethan’s mother next, which caused the older woman to break down even worse than I had.
“It’s been a long time,” Kinsey said.
“Too long,” Mrs. Higgins agreed, her sniffles making it difficult to get the few words out.
“Why’s everyone cryin’?” Carter asked.
I dug a pack of tissues out of my purse and passed them around. “We’re just being silly,” I said.
“We should get ice cream. Ice cream makes everything better. And when we go home, you should cuddle with Snoopy for a while.”
I laughed and took Ethan’s hand for the walk out to the car. Only a few months ago, I never would have imagined I’d believe that some ice cream and cuddling with a dog could make everything better. But now? Now I was starting to believe.
Books by Catherine Gayle
Contempory Romance
Historical Romance:
Breakaway
Twice a Rake
On the Fly
Saving Grace
Taking a Shot
Merely a Miss
Light the Lamp
Wallflower
Delay of Game
Pariah
Double Major
Seven Minutes in Devon
In the Zone
The Devil to Pay
Holiday Hat Trick
A Dance with the Devil
Comeback
An Unintended Journey
Dropping Gloves
To Enchant an Icy Earl
Bury the Hatchet
Flight of Fancy
Home Ice
Rhyme and Reason
Smoke Signals
Thick as Thieves
Mistletoe Misconduct
Wanton Wives
Losing an Edge
Ghost Dance
Coming Soon:
Dreaming Up a Dare
Neutral Zone
Game Breaker
Free Agent
Rites of Passage
Dream Catcher
Defensive Zone
Journeyman
Power Play
Rain Dance
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For a printable book list, please visit www.catheringayle.com
Catherine Gayle is a USA Today bestselling author of Regency-set historical romance and contemporary hockey romance. She’s a transplanted Texan living in North Carolina with two extremely spoiled felines. In her spare time, she watches way too much hockey and reality TV, plans fun things to do for the Nephew Monster’s next visit, and performs experiments in the kitchen which are rarely toxic.
If you enjoyed this book and want to know when more like it will be available, be sure to sign up for Catherine’s mailing list. You can find out more on her website, at Facebook, on Twitter, and at Goodreads. If you want to see some of her cats’ antics and possibly the occasional video update from Catherine, visit her YouTube account.
RAIN DANCE is Book 5 in the Tulsa Thunderbirds hockey romance series, a spin-off from USA Today bestselling author Catherine Gayle’s Portland Storm series.
BURY THE HATCHET
SMOKE SIGNALS
GHOST DANCE
RITES OF PASSAGE
RAIN DANCE
Prefer to buy your ebooks in boxed sets? The Tulsa Thunderbirds series will gradually be released in boxed set formats. Look for TULSA THUNDERBIRDS: SQUARE ONE, a set containing Bury the Hatchet, Smoke Signals, and Ghost Dance. More boxed sets will follow.
Want to join in the discussion? Join Cat’s House, a reader group on Facebook for Catherine’s books.
Rain Dance (Tulsa Thunderbirds Book 5) Page 22
