"Lisa Tuttle & Steven Utley - In the Hole" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tuttle Lisa)

was a woman, with a ripe, full figure, and very fine lines around her eyes.

He said, тАЬYour father,тАЭ and then stopped, not knowing how to go on.
 тАЬOh, heтАЩs not too bad today,тАЭ she said brightly. тАЬIтАЩll take you in to see
him in a little while.тАЭ

тАЬYou mean heтАЩsтАФwhatтАЩs wrong with him?тАЭ

She frowned as if he should have known and said shortly, тАЬDaddy had
a stroke. Not a major one, thank God, but now he canтАЩt get around so much
by himself. I do the best I can, but I donтАЩtтАФI canтАЩtтАФтАЭ Tears started to
gather on her eyelashes.

тАЬNo, no, of course not. Cara, IтАЩm sure youтАЩre doing your best.тАЭ

She blinked away the tears, but the frown remained. тАЬYou thought he
was dead.тАЭ

тАЬWhen I saw the flower-beds all overgrown, and the paintwork
peelingтАФтАЭ

She cut him off with an anguished look. тАЬI havenтАЩt got time to do all
that, too! I cook and clean and look after himтАФthatтАЩs a full-time job! I
wanted to hire a nurse, but the expenseтАФand besidesтАФтАЭ

тАЬHey, hey, hey!тАЭ He caught and held her hands in both of his. тАЬIтАЩm not
criticizing you, Cara! I think youтАЩre the most wonderful...тАЭ He faltered again,
lost for words. Had this been one of his dreams, by this time she would
have been on his lap, stopping his mouth with her kisses, unbuttoning his
shirt with her small, deft fingers, but he was not in the hole now, he was
sitting in CaraтАЩs kitchen, and she was gazing at him, hurt and hungry for his
praise.

тАЬWonderful woman,тАЭ he finished rather weakly, dropping her hands to
pick up another cookie, which he quickly stuffed into his mouth. тАЬMmm!тАЭ

She smiled rather sadly and a small sigh escaped her. тАЬI guess ... I
guess you missed my cookies?тАЭ

He nodded, eager to please, swallowed, and an idea struck him.
тАЬLook, I could do the choresтАФyard work, repairs, sort of thing your dad
used to do...тАЭ

She nodded cautiously. тАЬThat would be wonderful, Heath. If you can
spare the time, I mean. While youтАЩre here.тАЭ She looked down at the table,
pushed a crumb around with one fingertip and went on hesitantly, тАЬI donтАЩt
know what you want to do, or how long you can stayтАФтАЭ

At last he managed to say the right thing: тАЬForever. Forever, Cara.тАЭ
She looked into his eyes, and her face broke into the most beautiful smile