Free The Bachelor by Carly Phillips Page B

“That just shows her good taste. Well, enjoy lunch.” Raina walked past him, to settle on the far edge
     of the bench.
    She knew better than to join Sam. He’d just walk away, as he’d done in the past. He was an antisocial loner. The younger kids
     were afraid of him, the older kids made fun of him, and the rest of town generally ignored him. But Raina had always felt
     sorry for Sam and she liked him despite his gruff outer shell. When she bought herself food at Norman’s, she always picked
     up something for Samson, too. Obviously Charlotte felt the same way. Something else Raina and the younger woman had in common,
     apart from Roman.
    “I should have known you’d beat me here,” a familiar male voice said.
    “Eric.” Raina rose to greet her friend. Dr. Eric Fallon and Raina had grown up together on the same street in Yorkshire Falls.
     They’d been friends as married couples and remained friends now that their spouses had died, Eric’s wife long after Raina
     had lost John.
    “You’d better not have walked all this way or driven into town well past the speed limit. Indigestion or not, you can’t be
     too careful.” Wrinkles of concern furrowed his brows.
    Raina didn’t want him worrying about her, but she had another, more pressing issue to take care of first. She’d have to remind
     her dear friend of his medical ethics before he accidentally slipped and told one of her sons she’d suffered no more than
     glorified heartburn. “Chase dropped me off, and I take it you’ve either been through my file or heard about my hospital trip
     through the grapevine?”
    “You should have told me yourself when I called this morning.”
    “If every friend bothered you with health crises the minute you got back from vacation, you’d go running back to Mexico.”
    He sighed, drawing a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. “You’re not just any friend. When are you going to understand
     that?” His dark eyes bore into hers.
    She patted his hand. “You’re a good man.”
    His tanned, weathered hand covered hers, his touch surprisingly warm and tender.
    Shaken, she changed the subject. “I suppose you heard Roman’s back in town?”
    Eric nodded. “Now tell me why I also heard your sons are tiptoeing around you like you might shatter at any moment. Why Roman’s
     taken a leave of absence from his job. And why when you’re not out about town, you’re home
resting
as per doctor’s orders. Because I know darn well Leslie didn’t say a thing about added rest. Added Maalox, maybe.”
    Raina glanced around to see if anyone would save her from a lecture, but no white knight was in sight, not even Samson, who’d
     moved behind them and was weeding the flower beds. “Eric, how old are the boys? Old enough to be married,” she said without
     waiting for him to answer. “Old enough to have children.”
    “So that’s what’s been bothering you. You want grandchildren?”
    She nodded, finding it difficult to speak, to acknowledge the truth without giving away the growing emptiness in both her
     life and her heart.
    “The boys will get married when they’re good and ready, Raina.”
    “What’s wrong with upping the time frame? Lord knows Rick needs to see that just because one woman hurt him doesn’t mean all
     will. And then there’s Roman—”
    “Forgive me, but I’m not understanding,” Eric interrupted her. “How does pretending to be sick relate to your desire to see
     the boys settled with families of their own?”
    She glanced upward. Heaven help her when dealing with obtuse men—it seemed she was surrounded by them. “My sons would never
     deny me my fondest wish, one that will complete their lives too. Not if they thought …” She wrinkled her nose and cringed,
     hesitating.
    “Your health was at risk?” At her barely perceptible nod, he rose from his seat. “Good God, woman, how could you do that to
     your children?”
    “I did it
for
my children. Sit down, you’re making a