Free Love's Sweet Surrender by Sandy Sullivan Page A

shoulder in comfort, he couldn't help but stiffen. He didn’t want her to try to console him, didn’t need it, and if she continued down that path, he was afraid she would be hurt in the process. Her kindness and gentle personality sparkled brightly in her eyes, and it was clear she had this need to make people feel better. He was beyond her help. The darkness encompassing him these days wouldn’t leave him alone, and he didn’t want her to get swallowed into the black hole his life had become.
    When he turned to face her, he could see the trust in her eyes, and he couldn’t, no, he wouldn’t allow that trust to penetrate the hate in his soul.
    “Let it be, Lily.” he whispered before he turned and headed back into the afternoon rain.
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    54
    Sandy Sullivan

Chapter Seven
    The next afternoon found Lily lost in thought. The pain surrounding Seth hurt her heart, and she wished he would let her help him. If he would just talk about the pain, she was sure he would feel better, even just a little.
    When the children arrived at school the next morning, she asked Johnny what had happened when his father returned home.
    “Nothin’,” he replied. “Why?”
    “I was wondering, that’s all. He came by to apologize for his behavior yesterday, and we talked some. I just didn’t know if he mentioned it when he got home.”
    “Nope.” Frustration seeped from the boy with every clipped word. “He just went off to his study to drink whiskey again.”
    Concern zipped through her mind. “Does he do that often?”
    “Couple times a week, I guess. Seems like something sets him off during the day, and then he goes in there. I’m not sure. Carmen says he needs to grieve, whatever that means.”
    Lily thought Johnny defended his father with a little too much wisdom for a child his age.
    “Carmen seems like a very wise person,” Lily muttered absently. Her mind focused on the fact that drinking was the way Seth dealt with his pain.
    “She is very good to us and has been with us for a long time now. Ever since before I was born. Momma hired her to help around the house when she was gonna have me. She’s been like a momma to us since ours is gone now.”
    Lily watched the other two Sanford children sit alone near a tree.
    “Thank you, Johnny.”
    “You're welcome, ma’am.” Johnny shuffled off to join his siblings before school started.
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    Love’s Sweet Surrender
    55
    It was late afternoon and almost time for the children to leave for the day. Lily anticipated seeing Seth again when he came to pick up the children and her stomach did a little flip in her belly. Her hand slipped over her abdomen to try to calm her nerves. This is silly. He’s not a stranger, after all. He'd been to her home just last night and told her something he hadn’t told anyone. That should at least make them friends.
    “All right, children. It’s time to go. You may pack your things, and I’ll see you all Monday. Have a nice weekend.” When the children scrambled to grab their things and head for the door, she scolded, “Walk, children, walk.”
    Johnny, Jarod and Anne were the last to gather their schoolbooks and head for the door. Lily made it there before all the children were dismissed in an attempt to make their departure less chaotic. When the doorway cleared from the scurry of anxious children, she could easily see that Seth hadn’t arrived yet.
    At least today the sun has returned.
    Just as the schoolyard cleared, Seth’s wagon came around the corner of the church. When the wagon finally rolled to a stop in front of the school, Seth set the brake and wrapped the reins around it and jumped down.
    He tipped his hat and said, “Ma’am.”
    The children raced down the stairs, and he turned to help them into the wagon. This gave Lily an