The Caregiver - By Shelley Shepard Gray Page 0,16

The attendant told me the food was actually pretty tasty. How about we go eat there and decide what to do?”

Katie’s smile grew a mile wide. “I want to do that. I’m really hungry.”

Getting to her feet, Lucy chuckled. “Somehow I thought you might say that.”

As they started walking, Calvin couldn’t help but glance Lucy’s way. Before his eyes, her icy persona had warmed to true friendliness—especially when she was talking to his chatty, outspoken sister.

He felt like she was even beginning to let down her guard around him. Was she finally warming up to him? He wondered again why she was so skittish from the start. Was she simply shy around men—or had another man hurt her badly?

That was something he intended to find out.

Chapter 6

“Oh, Mattie. I’m afraid I have terrible news,” her mother said when she arrived at Mattie’s side in the waiting room.

Mattie looked at her mother in confusion. Soon after they’d arrived at the center, Mattie had been taken to the back to get blood drawn and her vitals checked.

Because such things always took a long time, her mother had left, promising to return with some coffee and a bottle of water in an hour or so. Now she was waiting to meet with the doctor.

“What happened?” Mattie asked. Gripping the sides of the chair, she prepared herself for the worst. “Did you see the doktah? Did he tell you more test results?”

A chill went through her. Oh dear God. What if they already had discovered that all the cancer wasn’t gone? What if she was going to have to have more surgery?

Or . . . what if things were even worse than that?

A flash of awareness and guilt entered her mother’s eyes. “Oh! Oh, no, dear. It is bad news, but it has nothing to do with your doctor visit. I’m sorry if I scared you.”

“If it’s not that, what is it?”

Her mother took a chair. “The news is from Charlie. I asked if he could use his cell phone to check the messages on the phone line we share with the neighbors. He did, and then just came to tell me that we received a message from Lucy.”

The momentary relief she’d felt fled in a heartbeat. “From Lucy? What happened? Is their train delayed?”

“Lucy’s train broke down in Toledo.”

“Oh my goodness! Is she okay?”

“She gave no indication that she was not. However, her next train doesn’t leave until five o’clock this afternoon. Her train won’t pull into Cleveland until after seven this evening. ”

“Poor Lucy.” Thinking about her pretty cousin, and her shy, reserved nature, Mattie shook her head. “What is she going to do today? And what about when she gets to Cleveland?”

Her mother crossed her legs. “That, at least, is something we won’t have to worry about. I spoke to Charlie, and he said he would drive to Cleveland and meet her there.”

“That is kind of him.”

“I agree. We have much to be thankful for.”

“I wonder what went wrong with the train.”

“I guess we’ll find out when we see her. All Lucy said was that she wouldn’t arrive on time, but for us not to worry.”

“That was sweet of her to say, but I’ll still worry.” As she thought about all that Lucy was doing for her, traveling by herself, promising to help her through chemotherapy for a whole month, Mattie felt guiltier than ever. “She is still a fragile sort, Mamm.”

“I know that.”

“She doesn’t trust much.” Guilt slammed her hard. “Maybe she should have never come this way. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked her to.”

“You forget that this was Lucy’s offer, not your request,” her mother reminded her. “I’m sure she wouldn’t have made the offer if she hadn’t been sincere in heart.”

She might have sincerely wanted to help, but a journey like the one she was having could lead to a lot of regrets. “Perhaps.”

“Of course this is true.” Patting her hand against the table, her mother struggled to her feet. “Don’t you forget, that our Lord God is guiding our every move. He knows what is best for us. Never doubt that.”

A true, sweet smile smoothed her brow. “Now, as soon as you meet with the doctor, we’ll be on our way. And I intend to definitely ask Charlie if he’d please stop at Bob Evans on the way home. I’m hungry for more than ice cream. The women won’t expect us until after lunchtime.”

In spite of the nagging irritation she felt from her mother’s insistence that she