Redemption Road (Jackson Falls #5) by Laurie Breton Page A

of a January thaw, but winter in Maine was capricious. She still had
February and March to get through, and the light jacket and Ferragamos she’d
worn from Florida just wouldn’t cut it.
    She still felt like a beggar, ever cognizant of the fact that it
was her sister’s money she was spending. It might be coming from her own wallet,
but it had originated as a cash loan from Casey, taken directly from her sister’s
bank account a half-hour earlier. While she realized the loan was necessary,
and she intended to pay back every cent, it still stuck in her craw, the
knowledge that she was dependent on her sister, obligated to her in a way that
was far too discomfiting.
    The trip home was mostly silent, the tension between them palpable.
Turning the car onto Ridge Road, Casey said, “Did you talk to Rob about the
job?”
    “Not yet. I didn’t get a chance. He disappeared right after
breakfast.”
    “But you are planning to ask him.”
    “I don’t have much of a choice, do I?  I have to eat.”
    “You’re not in any danger of going hungry. You know better than
that. You’re welcome to stay in our guest room indefinitely if that’s what you
want. I just thought you’d rather be independent. Maybe I was barking up the
wrong tree.” Casey wheeled the Explorer around a curve. “You know, I’m doing
this for you out of the kindness of my heart. I’m not asking you to be grateful,
but gracious would be nice.”
    Like invisible spiders, the tiny beginnings of a tension headache
crawled around her temples. “Thank you,” she said stiffly. “I realize you’ve
gone out of your way to accommodate me.”
    “You’re missing the point. I’m not accommodating you, like
you’re some stranger who got lost on a back road to nowhere. I’m helping you
out because you’re my sister, and you’re in a bind, and I love you!”
    She let out a hard breath. Said, “I love you, too.” 
    “Then why are we fighting?”
    “We’re not fighting. I just…don’t want to be obligated to you.”
    “Oh, for the love of God. You’re not obligated! If I never see a
penny of that money back, I won’t care. I’m not exactly hurting for money.”
    Colleen studied her sister’s profile. “You do understand that this
is temporary?  That I won’t be staying here for long?  That once I have enough
money saved up, I’ll be leaving again?”
    Casey’s mouth thinned, and her fingers tightened on the steering
wheel. “Of course. Running away seems to be your default setting.”
    “Isn’t that a little like the pot calling the kettle black?”
    “I didn’t run away. I got married. It’s different.”
    “Oh? Just how is it different?”
    “Because I didn’t run away from something. I ran to something. And I didn’t leave anybody behind.”
    “That’s not the way I remember it. I seem to recall that you left
Jesse behind.”
    “And you certainly took advantage of that situation, didn’t you?”
    The two sisters glared at each other. It was Casey who capitulated.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I can’t imagine what made me say that.”
    “You didn’t want him. I did. Why are we dredging up old wounds?”
    “I don’t know. This isn’t like me. I’m usually calm and
agreeable.”
    “I think maybe it’s time we called a truce, before one of us has a
stroke.”
    Casey clicked the blinker switch and turned into her driveway. “You’re
right. No more squabbling. I can’t believe we’re fighting over a man neither of
us wanted, so long ago we barely remember.”
    Colleen bit her tongue, hard, to keep from blurting out the truth.
It was better that nobody know. Not even her sister. Besides, she’d been lying
for so long that even she couldn’t really remember what the truth was. At
least, that was what she kept telling herself.
    “You’ll talk to Rob?” Casey said, turning off the engine.
    “I’ll talk to Rob. Just as soon as I get things settled.”  She
studied her sister’s face. “Are you okay?  You