Free A Walk in Heaven by Marie Higgins Page A

Careen’s trunks to the bedroom next to yours.”
    Joshua’s eyes widened and his jaw hardened. “Why?”
    “We need to air this room out.”
    “But why there ?” Joshua ended in a whisper.
    “Joshua –” William’s voice was stern.
    “Oh no, Mr. Grayson.” Careen quickly hurried to his side. She didn’t need Joshua to hate her even more than he already did. “You don’t need to do that. I’ll be fine right here.”
    The older man gave her a smile and lovingly patted her cheek. “My dear, until we’ve washed the curtains and carpet, and scrubbed the walls from all this smoke damage, this room isn’t fit for anyone.”
    Releasing a deep sigh, Joshua straightened and stepped back into the room. “Which trunks are ready to move, Careen?”
    His tone of voice made her cringe. Could the others hear it as well? If so, they didn’t act like it. “They all are ready to move. I haven’t quite unpacked, and the clothes I have unpacked, I can take to the other room myself.”
    Joshua nodded, effortlessly lifted one of her trunks, and walked out and down the hall. She snatched her satchel and followed. With each step, irritation boiled inside her. What could she do to make him like her? Even though she tried to convince herself it didn’t matter, it did.
    In silence, she followed him up the hallway, turned and climbed another set of stairs, then down another long corridor. It still surprised her how large this house really was. Joshua led her past several doors and finally stopped at the last one. He opened it and strode in, setting her trunk in the center of the room before moving to open the curtains.
    As soon as she stepped inside, her heart sank. Now she understood why Joshua was so upset.
    * * * *
    Joshua grumbled under his breath. Why would his parents want her in Matthew’s room? True, she married his brother, but the man wasn’t yet in the grave! The pain…the memories…it was all too fresh for anyone – much less some mail-order bride – to be invading Matthew’s room. To Joshua’s knowledge, no one in the family had ventured into the room until this very moment. She should not be the first.
    He gazed about the pleasant clutter. Not a single thing out of place. Everything exactly as Matthew had left it. A combination of sadness and anger roiled in his gut. He grasped hold of the anger – an emotion much easier to deal with than grief. Anger gave him the strength to hold his head up and go through the motions of his day.
    He faced Careen, the source and subsequent target for his frustration. He opened his mouth to say…say… Well, to the devil if he could remember, but the moment he caught sight of her crestfallen face, words fizzled on his tongue. It was obvious Careen realized exactly where they were, and it was more obvious she had mixed feelings about it.
    Joshua shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t know what exactly he’d expected to feel when he confronted her… Satisfaction? Righteousness? But as his gaze wandered over Careen, he felt… bad.
    The rosy pink drained from her cheeks as she moved to the bed and ran trembling fingertips along the brown quilt. Her wide eyes wandered through the room, nostalgic and wistful, taking in Matthew’s essence, and Joshua acutely sensed she’d forgotten his presence altogether.
    Suddenly, he was the intruder in this room.
    He didn’t particularly enjoy the sensation. Restlessly, he shuffled, stared down at the floor, and finally strode toward the door. He’d fetch her other trunk and whatever else she’d left in the guest bedroom. That would give him a few moments to collect his thoughts and breathe.
    “Joshua,” Careen called softly.
    By the powers… He’d almost escaped! He momentarily contemplated continuing on his way, but ground to a halt in the end.
    “I’m…sorry,” she murmured, voice tight.
    Wordlessly, he turned back to face her, meeting her serious gaze.
    “You were right when you said I couldn’t possibly love your brother as