Free Rescue Me (Colorado Blues) by Ann B Harrison

couldn’t find another one. Days when all she wanted to do was hide
under the threadbare blankets on her bed and not be the adult she knew she had
to be. Days when she went hungry because the cost of formula was higher than
she could afford.
    Now
Rory had given her another chance and she would do whatever she had to, to make
this work. Fisher jammed a fist of grass into his mouth and spat it out,
looking at her as if it was her fault when he found out it didn’t taste as nice
as it could have. Gina hooked her finger into the dribbles and pulled it out, wiping
it on the legs of her jeans. “Bubba, please don’t eat that. Yucky.”
    She
scooped him up and ignoring his protests, headed inside to collect the washing
from the machine. She let Fisher play on the kitchen floor while she loaded the
basket, listening for any change of noise. Yes she was overprotective, she got
that. Living with the baby’s father had taught her that the only person that
was going to look after her and her child was herself.
    Aden
had been fun when they first met. She was waitressing at a diner when he walked
in with a group of friends and sat at her table. He’d flirted shamelessly and
she’d been won over when he was waiting for her when she came off her shift.
Before she knew what happened, he’d moved in with her and they were a couple.
    While
she worked, he disappeared, not saying where he was going or what he was doing.
It’d taken a few months before Gina realized he was using and no matter what
she said, he wouldn’t or couldn’t give up. Determined to better herself and
advance her career, Gina had told him to leave but he refused. He’d begged and
promised until it became too hard for her to fight anymore. The small amount of
savings she had hidden in her coffee jar disappeared and even that wasn’t worth
fighting over. Life had suddenly turned sour and she could think of no way out.
And once she found out she was pregnant, there was no point in trying anymore.
    Aden
went on bender after bender and Gina knew it was only a matter of time before
he killed himself. One morning she’d rolled over and reached for him only to
find Aden cold beside her. Alone and pregnant with no prospects, no money, and
no hope, she took stock of her options and didn’t like what she saw. Aden might
have left her alone and destitute but there was no way she was going to lay
down and give up. She had a child to bring into the world and it was going to
take every scrap of her ability to survive. This wasn’t the time to fall down
and feel sorry for herself, and with no family on either side to lean on, Gina
had to strengthen her back bone and take on the unpleasant tasks herself.
    The
first thing she did was sell most of her furniture and move into a flop house
taking only one room for herself and the bare necessities. She worked through
her pregnancy until delivery and only took of a few days before going back to
work. Her elderly neighbor sat with the new baby while Gina earned as much
money as she could. Her whole world revolved around Fisher and she was
determined to give him a better life than she’d had herself.
    She
pushed the memories away and concentrated on the here and now. With the basket
under her arm, she took Fisher’s hand and walked him back outside to the
clothes line where he played with the bucket of pegs while she hung out the
washing.
     

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    Rory
looked forward to seeing Gina in town today. He’d all but invited her in since
she’d resisted every day since they’d arrived so far. Preferring to spend her
time at the ranch, she’d taken a bit of convincing to meet him for a coffee
after she’d done what she considered were her chores. Hopefully she would let Callie
look after Fisher and they could have some time together. He’d decided to take
her into the jewelry store and buy her a ring, making his intentions clear.
Chance was right, he was going to marry her regardless of his initial reaction
and she