AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I envy your strength,” Bridget whispered. “And Alicia’s.”
Kara’s lips barely quirked up. “I’m not sure if it’s strength or stubbornness. But it is what it is. It’s how I’ve chosen to live, and I want our daughter to live the same way. That first year after Alicia died was the hardest year of my life. Truly it was. And I was stupid enough to think that moving to a place where I knew no one in a conservative town while pregnant was a brilliant decision.”
“But you still live there, right?”
“I do.” Kara smiled. “I met a wonderful woman, and she helped me figure out a lot of my shit. But more than that, I’ve made a home for my daughter, and I don’t want to leave it.”
“Sounds like you’re on the right road.”
“She is,” Sarah chimed in finally. “Dealing with these tough situations isn’t something for the faint of heart. You’ve both come through terrible times.”
Kara glanced from Sarah to Bridget. But she didn’t say anything as she grabbed another party favor bag and filled it up with bird seed. It took them two hours to fill all the bags, and by the end of it, Bridget’s back ached from being hunched over the table. Sarah took the full basket and put it someplace out of sight, Bridget wasn’t entirely sure.
Eli came in from being out in the fields with her dad. The two of them had always been inseparable when they were growing up, and it seemed as though that hadn’t changed since Eli had taken over the ranch. They washed their hands at the kitchen sink and then went to find Karen to see where they could help out. Bridget was stuck at the dining room table, at least mostly—it was going to be a while before she could move easily enough that she would readily take the challenge to move on her own without good reason.
As much as she wanted to be walking again, she knew she wasn’t ready for it. She still needed crutches and to take her time. Eli came back in and slipped into the chair next to Bridget. “I see you met Kara.”
“I did.”
“She’s a fun one, isn’t she?”
“I liked her, actually.”
“Did you?” Eli raised an eyebrow. “Good, because I think she’s going to be around a lot more, and I hope you are, too.”
“You sure about that? Because I’ve been stuck here for weeks and I’m sure you want to get rid of me.”
Laughing, Eli shook her head. “Not a chance. I kind of like having you up here. It gets quiet with only guests for company. They don’t know me like you do.”
“Don’t talk to Ava much?”
Eli frowned. “Not really. She’s been busy, and she lives out in Hutch still.”
“Yeah. She’s teaching out there, right?”
“Yup. Enjoying it.”
“Good for her.”
“Seems we all found our calling.” Bridget smiled and crossed her arms. “So, what are we doing next? I’m sure your mother has a list a mile long.”
Eli burst out laughing. “Of course she does. It’s the event of the year. Didn’t you know that?”
“I did. The question is, Elijah Wilson, did you?”
CHAPTER14
Bridget was stuckat the house. She wasn’t able to go out and help with anything else, though if she stood on the porch or watched from the windows she could see what everyone else was doing. It hurt not to be able to run out and give a helping hand, especially with moving some of the bigger things around.
Eli had built a brand new wedding arch for them, one that was more their style than the original one on the property. Bob used the tractor to pick it up and move it where Eli wanted. Sighing, Bridget plopped down onto the swing outside and stretched her legs out in front of her.
It was such a beautiful day for it being so early in the fall. The air was still filled with warmth that kissed her cheeks, and the breeze was gentle and not too strong. Bridget smiled to herself. She’d rather be enjoying the time with Jerica, like the many times they had spent on the bench in the past few weeks, but Jerica was at work and still not sure if she was going to be able to come up and visit or if she was going to be with her sister for longer. It seemed as though her sister was doing well, but the family was unsure.
Bridget could understand. Going through something like that was so traumatic. Though after her conversation with Sarah and Kara the other day, she’d been spending a lot of time thinking about how she had been raised. Anxiety was nothing new to her, but in the big picture of her life, perhaps it was partly what her problem was.
Anytime her parents were nearby, she was overwhelmed with anxiety and fear about what she or they would do or say. Nothing was ever right, and it was equally a struggle to get anything across to them. They never listened, no matter how many times Bridget explained something or took a deep dive down their line of thinking.
Life had gotten so much better when she’d gone away to college. It had been the best part of life for her and Eli—well, her at least. She’d been so free to be who she was out there, unlike here. Sighing, Bridget rubbed her temple and closed her eyes, listening to the noises going on around her. All she wanted, for that day at least, was not to feel useless.
