The Widow and the Will Read Free

Howling as though they hadn’t been fed in days, Tess scooped the pebbles of kitty chow into the dish until it was almost overflowing. They attacked it, heads side by side as she stepped backward. After a couple of bites, they both turned and looked at her as if to say, Thanks, Mom .
    “You’re welcome, boys,” she whispered as she watched them crunch and munch their way through the top layer of cat chow.
    Tess took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She was so very tired, literally exhausted from going over the scenes and scenarios in her head, asking the same questions every minute of every hour of every day. She wanted to tell herself to stop. Just be done with it, but she didn’t know how. As she continued to stare at Timothy and Spencer as they ate, she noticed how Spencer took a piece of food into his mouth, sat up and then spit it out. He stood up and walked away from the bowl to sit in a patch of sunshine where he began to lick his paws. Within a moment or two, Timothy did the same thing: took a bite, spit it out and then left the food behind to begin his own bath.
    As she considered what she saw, Tess smiled a little bit. The cats were full and decided they would stop eating. It didn’t seem like they thought about it all that much, they just did it, following their instincts.
    Closing her eyes, Tess conjured a picture of Jack. His tousled brown hair, laughing eyes and handsome smile. The twinge she felt in her heart wasn’t the same stabbing sensation she was used to whenever she pictured him in her mind. It was more of a dull ache. Just do it . Just let it all go , she thought. Just decide once and for all .
    Opening her eyes, Tess blinked at the bright sunlight pouring in from the outside, making the silver and gold bows on the piled-up gifts shimmer and shine. It was time. Grabbing her cell phone from the kitchen counter, she shot off a quick text to Lilly to head over if she could. It was time to face this one final task. Tess decided that by dealing with the wedding presents, she would finally close the chapter on her marriage and widowhood.
     

 
    Chapter 4
     
     
    Hudson Marks arrived at his office promptly at seven a.m., as was his usual habit. Dressed neatly in a fresh pair of tan khakis and a red polo shirt, he had no need to wear a suit to the office that day even though he was a lawyer. He had no court appearances and expected no client meetings. Hudson liked the laid back kind of day he thought he would have.
    As he unlocked the door and stepped inside the small two-room-and-a-bathroom suite, if you could call it that, he reached to flip on the overhead lights. The sound of snoring came to him immediately and he looked to the right at the couch against the wall. His brother, Ford, was sprawled on it, passed out and reeking of alcohol and cigarettes. Dammit .
    Sighing, Hudson dropped his briefcase so that it whacked against the side of the couch. It had no effect on the sleeping man. “Hey!” he shouted. That produced the desired results. Ford snorted and sat up, startled. He snapped his eyes back shut from the bright lights and then placed both of his hands on his head, moaning the whole time. Hudson grinned devilishly. That’s the price you pay, big brother , he thought, but didn’t say out loud. He didn’t have to be that much of an ass.
    “Shit, man, what did you have to do that for?” Ford whispered.
    Hudson shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Because you aren’t supposed to be passed out in the office. Where’s your bike?”
    Ford rubbed his face and head. “I don’t remember.”
    “For Christ’s sakes, Ford.” Hudson’s voice rose, causing Ford to cringe.
    “Gimme a second, would ya?” Ford stood up slowly and listed to the right, then steadied himself. “I didn’t ride last night. Joe picked me up. He must have dropped me off here instead of at home.”
    “Ya think?” Hudson muttered as he pulled his truck keys from his pocket. “Are you still drunk?”
    Ford