Free Angel Mine by Sherryl Woods Page B

himself. Years ago he’d been taught that a man faced his troubles all on his own. So what if he’d only been seventeen at the time? It was a lesson he’d never forgotten.

    Despite the chill in the air, the sun was shining brightly and the breeze had a belated hint of spring in it on Friday afternoon. Angel was down for her nap, so Heather pulled a chair onto the sunny landing outside the upstairs apartment and settled down with a bottle of nail polish and an old issue of People.
    She’d just finished putting the first coat of bright pink polish on her nails when she realized she wasn’t alone. She turned her head to find Sissy Perkins standing halfway up the steps and watching her solemnly.
    It seemed to Heather that Sissy was way too serious for a ten-year-old. Although she was a beautiful girl, with her red hair, flawless skin and delicate features, she rarely smiled and she never laughed. In fact, she was just about the quietest, politest and most sedate child Heather had ever seen. When Heather asked Henrietta about it, the older woman said only that Sissy had been through a lot in the past year.
    Henrietta had adopted Sissy and her younger brother, Will, but that was about as much as Heather had learned. She figured Henrietta would reveal the rest when she was good and ready. She already knew that was Henrietta’s way, operating on a need-to-know basis, whether it had to do with customer idiosyncrasies or the location of extra creamers. She was talkative enough when she chose to be, but those times could be few and far between.
    “Hi, Sissy. Is school out?”
    The girl nodded and crept up another step. “Am I bothering you? Henrietta said not to bother you.”
    Heather smiled. “Nope. I’m just doing my nails.” She glanced at Sissy’s nails, which had been chewed off practically to the quick. “Want me to do yours?”
    Sissy hid her hands behind her back in obvious embarrassment. “No, thanks. I bite mine.”
    “Maybe if they were a pretty color, you wouldn’t want to bite them,” Heather countered.
    Sissy considered that, then sighed. “It probably wouldn’t matter. It’s a nervous habit, that’s what the shrink says, anyway. He says I’ll stop when I’m ready.”
    Heather was startled by the casual reference to a shrink, but she didn’t pursue it. If this child needed a psychiatrist at her age, it was none of Heather’s business. That didn’t mean she couldn’t try to be Sissy’s friend.
    “So, what are your plans for the weekend?”
    Sissy shrugged. “Nothing special.”
    “You’re not going to see any of your friends?”
    “No. I guess I’ll help Henrietta around the house. And I’ll baby-sit Will.” Her expression brightened a little. “I could baby-sit Angel, too, if you want. I’m real responsible.”
    “I’m sure you are, but you should be doing something fun. What’s your favorite thing to do?”
    “Reading, I guess. You can go anywhere in the whole world you want to go in a book.”
    Heather heard a wistful note in the girl’s voice, as if she longed to be someplace else. It was a longing no ten-year-old should be feeling. She should be living in the here and now, surrounded by friends and family and laughter.
    “What about outdoors?” Heather asked. “Do you like any sports?”
    Sissy shrugged again. “I guess so, but I’m not very good. Nobody ever chooses me for their team.”
    “Then how about something you can do on your own? Cycling, maybe.” She was struck by a sudden inspiration, something she could share with this obviously lonely child. “How about in-line skating?”
    Sissy looked intrigued, but she shook her head. “I don’t know how. Besides, I don’t have any skates.”
    “I could show you,” Heather offered. “And I’ll bet my skates would fit you. We might have to stuff some paper in the toes, but they’d work. If you like it, we can talk to Henrietta about getting you your own skates.”
    “Really?” the girl said, a spark of