Restless Heart Read Free Page B

Surprisingly, she hoped he would be there for breakfast so she could see him. Perhaps she’d built up a fantasy about him thatcouldn’t possibly come true. Or perhaps she’d find that he was even more than she imagined.
    Angeline brought the book to her face and inhaled. The sharp scent of paper and ink tickled her nose, tempting her to open it, to indulge in the pleasure of reading it. She closed her eyes and breathed in again, her fingers tightening on the cover.
    If only she could keep it.
    With a sigh, she set the book on the bed and rose. It was time to go to work. The sun was nearly up, which meant she was already late getting the biscuits made.
    As she walked out the door, she looked back at the book lying on the bed so innocently. Angeline should have handed it back to Samuel the day before, or at least dropped it by his house in the afternoon. All she could do now was wonder why she had not.
    Samuel woke abruptly, covered in sweat and breathing as if he’d run from one end of town to the other. After taking deep gulps of air to chase away the shadows riding his back, he took a sip from the glass of water on the stand next to the bed. He’d discovered soon after returning home from the war that if he didn’t pour the water in the glass before bed, his hands shook too much to do it after he woke.
    The room was awash in the gray light of dawn, cold enough that he could almost see his breath. He needed to get up and stoke the fire, but he couldn’t yet because of his wounded leg. The muscles were constantly sore, but now he was in pain, and a great deal of it. It was a reminder of the war he could not forget, no matter how hard he tried. The blood, the pain, the very image of the bayonet slashing open his thigh replayed itself almost daily. Another “gift” from his time as a soldier.
    After a few minutes of vigorous rubbing, the pain recededenough that he could finally get up. Sam rose and walked to the window. He pressed his forehead against the cold glass.
    Something had happened in his dream. He couldn’t quite remember what, but he knew it had to do with Angeline. She had been in danger and he was desperate to help her. They’d exchanged a few dozen words and now he was dreaming about her?
    What the hell was that all about?
    Sam was afraid he was becoming obsessed with the blonde. Jesus, he’d bought her a gift before he’d even heard her speak a word. How loco was that? His fellow soldiers would have teased him mercilessly about being a lovesick fool.
    They might not have been too far off the mark either.
    He managed to shake off the uneasy feeling that plagued him, but just barely. She had secrets behind her blue eyes, deep ones he craved to know more about, even if he wouldn’t admit it to anyone else. For six months she’d lived and worked at the restaurant, without anyone really getting to know her.
    Sam just wanted to stop being obsessed with her. It was causing him to lose sleep, spend plenty of time pleasuring himself, and countless minutes wondering what she was doing, thinking, planning. He was a fool and he knew it.
    She hardly knew he existed.
    None of that changed his feelings though. He craved her presence like the earth craved the rain. She was mysterious, alluring, and he was attracted to her as he’d never been to anyone before. Perhaps if he kissed her it would break the spell she seemed to weave around him without even trying.
    Sam cleaned up and dressed, telling himself he was hungry for breakfast and not hungry for Angeline. Oh, how he lied.
    The morning air was a light caress on his face as he walked toward the Blue Plate. A low mist hovered over the ground as he walked through town. The sun peeked over the horizon,not yet strong enough to burn off the chill in the air. Spring was coming, finally, judging by the fact the dew had not frozen.
    If spring was just around the corner, it meant he would get more work and maybe his father could sell the newspaper business. He was having