At Last (The Idle Point, Maine Stories) - By Barbara Bretton Page 0,26

one of the many Golden Books available. She had felt awkward around Gracie after that incident with the Christmas sweater, unsure just how much the little girl knew about the situation between Simon and Ben, so more often than not she disappeared back into the shadows without saying hello.

But how Gracie's face lit up each time she saw Ruth. The poor little thing had been starving for a woman's touch. For a mother. Ben had gone off and gotten himself married again right after that terrible Christmas; he and Nora Fahey had moved up the coast to pursue a job possibility for Ben, leaving Gracie home with her Gramma Del. Ruth and Del had worked out a way to care for Gracie but still keep her presence in the Chase home a secret from Simon.

Sometimes Ruth felt like she was drowning in secrets.

Be grateful for what you have, Ruth.

She thought about the monthly letter she had posted like clockwork, letters filled with love and pride for Noah and more guilt than she could sometimes bear. The life she might have had written clearly between the lines.

How often had she cautioned herself over the years to give thanks, to be satisfied. Be grateful for the blessings she had been given and not the blessings she had been denied. She was a fortunate woman. She lived well and without worry in the big house on the hill. She had friends who cared for her, charity work that fulfilled her, a son whose existence was a miracle.

And she still had Simon.

He loved Noah more than the boy realized. Noah was the reason Simon got up in the morning, the reason he kept the Gazette running. Noah gave meaning to every breath he took. When Simon had had that first heart attack at Christmas time, it was Noah who made him fight his way back when it seemed as if the end was at hand. What they were experiencing now was classic father-son behavior. Two male lions fighting for dominance. One, an aging patriarch; the other, a fierce young hunter. What they both needed was space and time for it all to work itself out naturally.

Nothing good would come of forcing the boy to remain in Idle Point this summer. Nothing good would come of forcing him to work at the Gazette. Simon was wrong in this and she would wait a few days for the situation to cool down, then tell him exactly that. There would still be plenty of time to get Noah to Colorado.

The truth was, Ruth wouldn't rest until he was gone.

#

Everyone was either still asleep or already working, Noah thought as he drove down the main drag and headed out toward the highway. The only person he'd seen was Laquita Adams coming out of the old motor court next to Eb's Stop & Pump. He'd heard the stories about Laquita when he was home for Christmas but he hadn't wanted to believe them. The sight of her in last night's clothes and last night's makeup as she stumbled toward her car gave him an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He remembered her as a round-faced girl with pretty dark hair and a soft manner. Smart, but quiet about it. All caught up with her houseful of brothers and sisters who seemed to be in her care one way or the other. They said her parents were kind people but forgetful. Once a baby was out of diapers, they turned all of their attentions to the next one in line.

"Wonder what they'd do if they didn't have Laquita around?" Don had said the other night when they met up with each other near the bowling alley.

It looked to Noah like they didn't have Laquita around all the time, not if she spent the night with Rick from the hardware store. What the hell was she thinking? The guy was old enough to be her father.

He caught up with Don near the bowling alley and linked up with a crowd of almost-familiar faces. Don had pretty much caught him up with who'd been doing what around town. It sounded like Laquita slept with anybody who asked which was her business even if it was wrecking her reputation.

Funny thing, Noah worrying about someone's reputation. He'd been going out of his way to trash his own rep since the day he first left Idle Point. Tim and Joe were working at the supermarket. Terri and Joann fried burgers beneath the golden