Righting a Wrong (A Ripple Effect Romance Novella) Read Online Free Page A

held out his hand. “Now give ’em here. I’m already running late.”
    Cambri had started to hand over the hooks, only to take them back. “Late for what?”
    “Fly tying at Cal’s,” he said as though Cambri should have already known that. “We do it every other Tuesday.”
    Her fingers tightened around the package of hooks, keeping them secure in her hand. “Correction. You did it every other Tuesday before your heart attack. Now you’re taking one or two weeks off.”
    “Poppycock. I can sit at Cal’s house just as easy as I can sit here.”
    Did her father really think she would just let him walk out the door that easily? “You’re not allowed to drive yet, remember?”
    “You can drive me.”
    Cambri shook her head. “Sorry, I’ve got work to do.”
    “Then I’ll walk.” He started packing up his box as though he intended to do just that.
    “Go ahead and try,” said Cambri. “You can’t even walk from one side of the house to the other without getting winded. You’ll never make it.”
    “What did I do to deserve a daughter like you? No loyalty whatsoever.” Harvey shook his head as though disgusted with her. “Guess I’ll just have to call Jace to come and get me.”
    Wait—Jace? Come here? The mere mention of his name caused a pit to form in Cambri’s stomach. “Okay, you win. I’ll take you.”
    One of his eyebrows lifted. “Thought you had work to do.”
    “I’ll drop you off and come back here.” Now that she thought about it, this could actually be a good thing. With her father at Grandpa Cal’s, the house would be quiet and peaceful. Suddenly anxious to get him out the door, Cambri scooped up a handful of fishing stuff and threw it in the box.
    “What in flying French fried hogs are you doing? Those don’t go there.”
    Cambri leveled him a look that said she’d had enough. “You said you were running late.”
    He huffed in response, but didn’t say anything else as they finished cleaning up.
    As Cambri pulled out of the driveway, her father said, “Head north on Main then take a left on Silver.”
    “I remember where Grandpa Cal lives.” Just because Cambri had been gone for a few years didn’t mean she’d forgotten Bridger or the people who lived here. But instead of heading toward Main like her father suggested, Cambri took the back roads. Whether it was because she didn’t like being told what to do or because she suddenly felt like taking a jaunt down memory lane, she wasn’t sure. Maybe it was a little of both.
    When she took a left on Rose Street, she immediately felt a rush of nostalgia. This had always been her favorite street in all of Bridger. The houses were close to each other, but not too close, the trees tall and shady in the summer, and the overall ambience oozed character and charm. The fact that her mother’s name had been Rose only made her love it that much more. There was one house in particular that she’d always dreamed of owning.
    Cambri slowed the car as she approached the two-story bungalow home, then stopped and stared. It was no longer white, but a steel blue with white trim around the windows and newly painted pillars around the huge front porch. And the large maple—Cambri’s favorite tree in all of Bridger—was gone. And fairly recently too from the looks of that large hole where its massive trunk had once sat.
    “Aw,” Cambri said, unable to keep the slight complaint contained.
    “Something the matter?” Her father’s voice cut through her thoughts, bringing attention to the fact that Cambri was being ridiculous. This wasn’t her house. This wasn’t her town. That wasn’t her tree. Why did she care? She leased a beautiful condo back in North Carolina and had nearly enough saved to buy her own.
    “Nothing’s wrong,” she said. “I’ve just always loved that house. I’m sad to see the maple tree gone.” Just like she’d been sad to see her father’s yard all torn up. Her heart ached with a loss she couldn’t quite