A Path Less Traveled Read Online Free Page B

witnessed the whole thing, and they’re having a difficult time getting past
it.” She knotted her forehead. “And there’s something else. Something I can’t
quite put my finger on. She should be doing okay financially, but I guess her
business has taken a lot of money to get off the ground . . .”
    “Dani, you ready
to get the rehearsal under way?” The preacher called from the front, his
microphone ringing.
    “Definitely.” She
shouted, then stepped past Andy, her eyes sparkling. “Later, ‘gator.”
    Andy wandered to
the front and sprawled out in a pew, his thoughts on the young widow and her
son. She appeared to be doing okay, but things weren’t always what they seemed
on the surface.
    Trish entered the
hall door, her son’s hand tucked in hers. “Have I missed anything?” She slid in
beside Andy and pulled Little Bo into her lap, where he snuggled into her chest
with a thumb in his mouth.
    “Yeah, it’s over.
Already gone through it a couple of times.”
    Her wry
expression brought a grin to his face, but the gold specks in her tawny eyes
made his heart race. He forced his attention to the instructions the preacher
spouted.
    A few minutes
later, the wedding party lined up at the back of the sanctuary to go through
the ceremony. Dani had the groomsmen walk the bridesmaids down the aisle, and
Andy was glad to be paired with Trish.
    After making sure
everyone was in the right place, Trish hooked her arm through his and turned
toward Little Bo and the flower girl who stood behind them. “Hold her hand,
Bo.”
    Her son let out a
disgusted sigh and wrinkled his nose. “Mo-o-om.” He stretched the word out in a
pleading tone.
    “It’s almost
over, sweetie. Then you can go with Papaw to his house.” Trish turned her head
back Andy’s way. “Ready?”
    He glanced down
at her bare feet. A grin spread across his face to match the one in his heart.
“Yeah, as a matter of fact, I am.” Past ready.
    Trish and Little
Bo caught Andy’s attention throughout the rehearsal. The boy had endured as
much as he could take and was low on energy and patience. He yawned, and then
looked at Trish with begging eyes. She met his unspoken pleas with encouraging
smiles.
    The silent
communication between them stirred something inside him. This woman had lost
the person she loved most. She could’ve emotionally abandoned her son and
curled up in her grief. But she hadn’t deserted her little boy, like . . .
Familiar thoughts tangled in his brain. He snatched a ragged breath to muster
his strength and, like he’d done so many times before, stuffed the thoughts
deep.
    After they
practiced the ceremony a second time, the preacher announced the end of the
rehearsal. Andy plopped down on the front pew and yawned, the fatigue of a long
day catching up to him.
    Trish, still
barefoot, climbed the steps to give directions for the following day, and then
took time to answer questions. She continued to smile and joke, gifted with the
rare ability to make each person feel important and recognized. But in one
second, as a group moved away, her game face slipped, and she raised fingertips
to rub her forehead. She was exhausted. To make matters worse, after everyone else
left, she still had more to do. Time to come to her rescue.
    Andy took a
roundabout way to get up the steps, and moved in behind her to place a hand on
her elbow. “You look ready to topple. Let’s go buy those globes so you can get
home and rest.”
    Weary lines
wrinkled her forehead. “I’ll get my purse and meet you in the hall.”
    Andy told Mama
Beth his plans so she wouldn’t worry and left to find Trish. He spied her off
to one side, wistful eyes trained on Dani and Steve as they exited the
building, holding hands.
    She turned as he
approached and quickly plastered on the breath-taking smile she could make
appear at a moment’s notice. “There you are. Ready?” She jangled her keys.
    “I’m driving. You
need the rest.”
    “But—”
    “But