Free Love Letters: A Rose Harbor Novel by Debbie Macomber Page A

reading?”
    “Not taking time for ourselves.” She didn’t for herself, either. It was difficult, especially with two young boys who were constantly in need of care and attention.
    “You quilt.”
    “That helps keep me sane.” She had a minimum of an hour every afternoon while the boys went down for a nap, but Jaxon was fast outgrowing nap time. He’d start kindergarten in another month. The plan was for Maggie to find part-time employment once both boys were in school full-time. It wasn’t necessary for the money as much as her emotional well-being. While Maggie enjoyed her role as a wife and mother, she needed to get out of the house and socialize with other women and develop her own interests.
    Part of the problem, she realized, was that Roy didn’t seem to understand or appreciate the role she had in their home. They’d once had a tremendous argument because he’d needed her to return a pair of jeans for him. She hadn’t found the time. She’d been on the run all day. Collin had a dentist appointment, Jaxon’s preschool needed cupcakes for a bake sale, and it was her turn with the car pool. She hadn’t gotten groceries in two weeks. When Roy discovered she hadn’t returned his jeans for the right size, he’d demanded to know what she’d done all day. To hear him talk, she’d been lying around the house eating chocolate-dipped strawberries all afternoon.
    Again she forced herself to stop focusing her attention on the negative. It seemed her mind automatically lingered on old hurts. This was supposed to be a time to heal and rebuild, not stew over past slights or misunderstandings.
    Maggie stepped to the counter and paid for their purchases. Right away she chewed two antacids.
    As they exited the small pharmacy, Roy pointed down the street. “That shop looks interesting.”
    “It does,” she agreed. This was exactly the kind of antiques store she enjoyed exploring most. The window display was of blue glass from the time of the Depression. No doubt it was priced beyond what she’d be comfortable paying.
    “Look at that
Star Wars
lunch box,” Roy said, pointing towarda second window display. “I had one just like that when I was in school.”
    “It’s hard to think of it as an antique, isn’t it?” she teased.
    “I’m too young to be considered an antique,” he insisted, shaking his head as if to dispel the thought.
    “Way too young,” she agreed, and resisted squeezing his cheek. “You’ve still got a baby face.”
    He rewarded her with a smile. “And you don’t look a day over thirty.”
    “I’m barely thirty-three,” she reminded him.
    “Really? I thought you were still thirty-one.”
    “Time flies when you’re having fun.”
    “So I’ve heard.” As quickly as it came, the humor left his voice and he looked away. Oh, she’d had fun, all right, and turned up missing for nearly twenty hours. Tit for tat.
    It appeared her husband held onto old hurts as well. Perhaps it was unavoidable, seeing the hit their marriage had taken. First Roy and then her. These missteps had the potential to destroy them both, if they let them. Neither of them wanted a divorce, if for no other reason than their children. The key was in their ability to learn how to forgive. Try as she might, Maggie wasn’t sure that was possible.
    “Let’s go inside,” Roy suggested, and held the door open.
    They were both trying, Maggie realized. Trying hard. Perhaps too hard. It was possible that they might never be able to recapture what they’d lost.
    Mentally she shook her head, refusing to give in to negative thinking. No, she couldn’t, wouldn’t, allow that to happen. Roy was her husband, the father of her children, and she was determined to fight to keep her marriage intact. They’d both made huge mistakes, but they’d vowed to start again and she wouldn’t allow petty grievances to sabotage their intentions.
    The store gave off a musty scent that reminded her of old books. It wasn’t entirely