Free Paisley's Pattern by LoRee Peery Page A

leave, and then set the birdcage on the workbench in the shed, grateful for not facing him yet.
    They each needed a little more time to form their words.
    She was building up strength to look into his eyes again.
    Three more days passed without exchanging words with Rob. Things in the house were going along at a good clip. Andria had come over twice more to polish furniture, wash floors, and vacuum bedroom carpets. Oren stopped in periodically to see Rob but bypassed the house and went straight to the shed.
    Paisley didn’t know what had taken place, except the rental must have been returned because Rob now pulled into the Waverly garage driving an older pickup truck. Sometimes she felt like a genuine snoop or a nosy neighbor, the way she kept track of his activities.
    She’d sorted and tagged and tossed. One bedroom had clearly belonged to Oren. She set aside the plastic model toys in case he wanted them.
    She could no longer put off facing one of her phobias. Dark and dirty smelling places, thanks to an old cellar she’d entered as a small child, had scared her since. She’d been finding excuses for not going to the basement of the Waverly house. It would take an act of courage to descend.
    The kitchen door banged open.
    Paisley leaped out of her musings and noticed Sara. “Hi, girl, what are you doing out of school?”
    Sara crashed through the door, then reopened it and held it for her mother. “Fall break. Mom said you need a break, too.”
    “Nice to see you, Nora. Do you have a couple days off?”
    “Only one. I have resource meetings tomorrow. Oren told me he hasn’t seen you because you’ve been hard at it. We really appreciate it. This has been quite an undertaking for you, I know. Hope you haven’t tried to move anything heavy, but you know Rob’s only a shout away. Since Rob has been working hard also, we’re going to kidnap you both, get you out of here for a couple hours.”
    “We need a break, huh? It sounds like you two have been plotting.” Laughter was just what she needed. “Where are we going?” And how do you know Rob wants to be anywhere close to me?
    “A long country drive,” Sara answered for her mother. “We haven’t been anywhere but school and work for months. And we need some country. So come on.”
    Paisley sucked in her cheeks to keep from showing amusement over the adult sounding statement. Sara’s coloring was a combination of Oren and Nora. The almost black hair of her father and Nora’s blonde created a lovely shade of rich brown. The girl was dressed in layers, three tops in varied bright colors decorated with bling, and shorts over leggings.
    Paisley turned to secure the door that hadn’t latched behind Nora and heard masculine voices. She hesitated, drawing a deep breath for strength to calm her pounding heart, and felt resistance on the other side of the door.
    Rob’s fingers waved at her, followed by the top of his head as he tried to push through. He smelled divine. All masculine and a little sweaty with some kind of motor oil added to the mix.
    “Mind moving back so I can wash up?”
    She raised her gaze to his face but he glared at something over her shoulder.
    The females went out.
    Oren waved from the drive.
    “Rob, pull the door shut when you’re finished, please.”
    Oren opened the back SUV door. Nora and Sara piled in so Paisley followed suit. Rob took the passenger seat in front of Paisley.
    “Where are we going, Daddy?”
    “Wherever the highway takes us, honeybunch. You came in on 275, right, Rob? So you saw the pretty pastures to the east?”
    “Yes. And smelled the feedlots.”
    Everyone laughed.
    “Those lots, and the smell, are a lot fewer in number than when we were kids,” Nora said, making a wrinkly face.
    “Then we’ll go north on 81,” Oren declared.
    “Didn’t the sign say Johnny Carson Boulevard back there?”
    “Same route. Commemorative name,” Nora added.
    “I still can’t get over how big the sky looks,” Paisley