Almost Heaven Read Free

felt a lot like longing.
    One thing was for sure. When Kendra looked at him, she didn’t feel any positive emotion. Not a chance. When she looked at him she remembered that night. He could feel that, too.
    Perhaps he should just leave her alone. Ask Sally at the Long Horn Stables for help instead.
    Frustrated, he got to work.
    Â 
    It was her trailer, she ought to be dealing with it. But that stubborn sheriff had refused to leave, so what was she going to do? Stand there and make small talk? She didn’t need his help and she was getting it anyway. It ate at her as the bell over the coffee shop’s door jangled.
    The welcome breeze from the air-conditioning skimmed over her, but it didn’t cool her anger. Men were bossy, every one of them. Who did the sheriff think he was that he could just do what he wanted to her trailer?
    Face it, you appreciate that he’s helping.
    Sure, but it still bugged her. She was hot, exhausted, and dealing with a flat tire in over hundred-degree weather would have put her over the edge. Well, at least close to it.
    Because of Cameron, she was able to rest for a few minutes instead of dealing with one more disaster in a doom-filled day. She didn’t want to be grateful to him. But she was.
    See why it was a good idea to stay far away from men? Even the nice ones?
    â€œKendra? You look too hot, are you all right?” Gramma sat at the far end of the otherwise empty room, behind one of the cloth-covered tables. Ignoring her spread of papers and her open laptop, she examined Kendra over the lines in her bifocals. “Something is wrong. Why are you back so soon?”
    â€œI’m fine and it’s past closing time.” Kendra flicked off the neon sign and turned the Open sign in the window to Closed. “How long have you been in here slaving over the bookkeeping?”
    â€œGoodness, let me see.” She checked her gold wristwatch. “For much longer than I thought!”
    â€œYou lose track of time when you’re doing the books. I do the same thing.”
    â€œI suppose so!” Gramma took off her glasses and wiped them on the corner hem of her stylish summer blouse. “I’ve lost two dollars and seventy cents I can’t find anywhere. I’d just finish the deposit and say, forget it. But it’ll be all I think about when I get home. Come, dear, sit down. You look as though you’ve got too much sun.”
    â€œNo need to fuss, I’m fine. I’m going to raid the kitchen and pray there are some leftovers in the fridge. I’m too beat to cook when I get home.”
    â€œI knew it. You work too hard, sweetie. You can’t work every minute of every day.”
    â€œI take a few minutes off now and then.”
    â€œDon’t sass me, young lady. You’ve been skipping meals.”
    â€œNot intentionally.”
    Kendra ducked into the kitchen to avoid the lecture. She knew what was coming when Gramma got started. She loved her grandmother within an inch of her life, but how Gramma fussed! Kendra yanked open the industrial refrigerator and studied the contents. Jackpot!
    Gramma’s sandals tapped on the floor, announcing her approach to the kitchen.
    â€œI can do it myself.” Kendra pulled a bowl of chicken salad from the top shelf. “Do you want me to make you a sandwich, too?”
    â€œMe? You’re the one needing to eat. Give me that. Where’s the mayonnaise?”
    â€œI said I’d do it and I meant it.” Kendra wrapped her grandmother into a hug and breathed in the honeysuckle sweetness of her perfume. “You’ve had a long day, and you don’t need to make it longer by doing one single thing for me. You work too much.”
    â€œI’ve got good help. The girls I’ve hired this summer have been a real blessing. There’s the macaroni salad you like in the bottom shelf. No, let me get it.”
    Kendra snatched the big stainless-steel bowl from the