Mending Places Read Online Free Page A

baby.” She handed him his sipper cup and peeked around the corner to make sure Alex was not into any mischief before heading upstairs to straighten the rooms.
    She stooped to retrieve Cheerios along the way, smiling at the way they led to Alex’s room like a treasure-hunt trail. A few of them had already been reduced to Cheerio dust by small, bare feet, and she made a mental note to vacuum later in the day. She threw the handful of cereal away in Alex’s trash pail, then frowned at the mini Lego blocks scattered across the carpet. For a moment she considered calling him to clean up the mess, then just as quickly dismissed the idea. By the time she convinced him to do it, she could have done it herself and moved on to other things.
    After gathering the blocks, she closed the gaping drawers and picked up the pajamas that had Bob the Builder splashed across the fabric. Resisting the urge to remake the lumpy bed, she went to the nursery and changed the crib bedding. That done, she moved on to her bedroom, deposited the dirty laundry into the hamper, and made her own bed. As usual, Keith’s side was in chaos, the flat sheet pulled up from the bottom, and the fitted sheet pulled loose from the corner.Her own side of the king-sized bed hardly looked like anyone had slept in it.
    As she placed the last throw pillow on the bed, Taylor squealed unhappily, and she went to peek over the loft rail. “Alex, give him back his blankie.”
    Her four-year-old turned his wide blue eyes on her. “But, Mommy, Bear wants to take a nap,” he protested, pointing at the stuffed animal he’d laid on a pillow on the floor.
    “That’s Taylor’s blanket. You’ll have to use something else.”
    Alex held the blanket out of Taylor’s reach, and the baby began crying in earnest.
    “Give him back the blanket and get a towel from the closet.”
    For once Alex obeyed without arguing, and Taylor toddled across the room with his blanket as if nothing had happened.
    Natalie retrieved a cotton diaper from the linen closet and returned to her room to dust the light oak furniture. She lifted an eight-by-ten photo of the boys that had been taken the previous summer at Higher Grounds. The Tetons rose in the distance like guardians overlooking the lodge. Taylor was cuddled up on Aunt Hanna’s lap, and Alex was behind Aunt Paula with his little hands covering her eyes. The picture had captured such a mix of charm and mischief on Alex’s face that she’d had the photo enlarged.
    Natalie finished dusting the chest of drawers, then moved on to the window seat, which was not so much a seat as it was a convenient place for Keith to throw his clothes as he undressed. She sighed. She’d promised herself a week ago she was not going to pick up his clothes anymore, but the sight of the growing pile was more than she could take.
    She grabbed the shirt on top and began folding. She really shouldn’t complain. Keith was a good father and a decent husband. If discarding his clothes in piles was the worst thing he did, she didn’t have much to complain about.
    She grabbed a handful of plastic hangers and started on the pants, throwing aside a pair that hadwrinkled under the pile. She’d neverregretted giving up her job as an obstetrics nurse to become a full-time mom. There would be time enough to explore her profession when the boys were grown, or at least in school. She was just glad Keith earned enough at the bank for her to put her career on hold for a few years, although Keith had made it clear he resented her quitting.
    Her entire day revolved around the boys, and she knew that Keith sometimes thought her completely out of touch with the rest of the world. How had that happened in four short years? How was it that her identity now seemed to be totally wrapped up in her children?
    It seemed Keith had managed to keep his individual self Of course, he had the bank, which consumed more of his time than she liked.
    Their marriage had suffered the most. Somewhere