Free A Special Kind of Love by Tamara Hoffa

dropped her chin shyly and looked at Sharon through her lowered
lashes, “Hi Miss Sharon,” she said in a small voice.
    What
a cutie she was. Both children had dark hair. Not black like their mother and
grandmother, but a deep rich brown. Chocolate brown eyes surrounded by thick
black lashes stared up at her. Sharon couldn’t help herself, she leaned forward and kissed Annebelle’s cheek.
    Aaron
stepped closer to Sharon and spoke to Annebelle .
“It’s not nice to call people stupid. Even if they are. I don’t know you well enough to know if you are stupid or not, but I won’t call
you stupid.”
    Sharon
laughed nervously. Aaron was definitely making his best impression on these people, oy . But when she looked up,
everyone was resuming their seats and conversations at the table.
    Annebelle smiled at Aaron as if he were her new
hero.
    “Thank
you, Aaron. Do you want to go and play some games?”
    “Yes,
I would like that.”
    Sharon
almost swallowed her tongue when Aaron extended his elbow to the darling little
angel. Too dumbstruck to speak, a squeak was all that escaped her.
    Tanner
tapped her shoulder to get her attention. The children were already walking toward
the gaming area.
    “Hold up a second, guys .”
    They
stopped and looked back at him. Tanner turned back to Sharon.
    “I’ll
walk them over. Okay?”
    “I’ll
go with you.”
    “No,
it’s okay. Just sit down and relax. I’ll get them settled and be right back.”
    As
Sharon approached the table, Tanner’s mother motioned to the chair across from
her and Sharon took a seat.
    Sharon
met Kamani’s stare across the table. Kamani looked like a woman with something on her mind. Her
sharp eyes roamed Sharon’s features. She felt like a bug pinned to a board,
unable to move under her dark accessing gaze. Finally Kamani nodded.
    Sharon
quirked an eyebrow and Kamani spoke.
    “You
know, being with my son will not be an easy road.”
    “Why
would you say that?” Sharon asked. “Your son is one of the nicest men I have
ever met. Is there something about him I don’t know? Is he hiding a terrible
temper or latent maniacal tendencies?”
    A
small smile tipped Kamani’s lips, knowledge and
patience in her eyes.
    “No.
Tanner is a fine man. He has no bad qualities, except perhaps for an overblown
sense of responsibility. But, he is a fine Native
American man.”
    “Is
that a problem? Do you have a problem
with him being with a white woman?”
    Kamani laughed softly. “No child. I don’t have
a problem with you being white. But many in this town may have a problem with
the two of you together. Tanner has an important job, and to an extent, he has
earned the respect of the people of Gaines, but there are still those that
harbor prejudice against injuns mixing with the white folks.”
    Sharon
felt anger swell inside her chest. Why
the hell does this world have to be populated with so many intolerant people? I’ve
faced it since Aaron’s birth, but obviously the West’s have suffered against it
for a lifetime. It is so unfair.
    “Tanner
has mentioned that. But, really, in this day and age, I can’t see it being a
problem.”
    Before
she could say more, Tanner’s hand landed on her shoulder and her anger faded
away. “The kids are all set. Would you care to dance with me, lovely lady?”
    Sharon
turned in her chair, smiling up into his handsome face.
    “I
would love to, kind sir.”
    He
took her hand and led her to the small wooden dance floor. He tugged her hand,
pulling her in close and slid his arm around her back. She placed her free hand
on his shoulder and he cradled their joined hands against his chest. She
couldn’t resist resting her head against his broad chest. She took a deep
breath and breathed in his scent. He smelled so good, like the woods after a
storm, fresh and clean, woodsy and male. He kissed the top of her head and she
lifted her face to look into his deep dark eyes.
    “Hi.”
    Sharon
laughed softly. “Hi,