Free The House on Sugar Plum Lane by JUDY DUARTE Page B

the same things I just said, but bear with me because that’s all I have to hold on to and it’s all I can think about.
    Well, honey, I have to go to chow in a few minutes, so I better sign off. We eat in groups, and if I miss my group, I miss chow. We only had one meal so far today, so I’m pretty hungry.
    I know I’d told you that when I couldn’t telephone any longer, that I would write every day, but that may not be possible. The first two days I wasn’t feeling so hot, but today the sea is smoother and I feel better. Tomorrow, I’ll tell you what has happened to me so far. I was going to start today with a sort of diary of what we are doing, but I got sidetracked on how much I love you, so I won’t have time to do that now. I don’t know whether I will mail all my letters in one package or separately, but when we hit port, I’ll send them one way or another.
    They’re calling me, so I gotta go!
    All my love, all my life,
Harold
    Amy fingered the age-worn stationery that the young soldier had once held, that Ellie had cherished enough to keep near her bed. Letters that hadn’t been meant for anyone’s eyes but the man and his wife.
    Still, she couldn’t help reading the next dozen or so, which were just as touching and heartfelt as the first. But the last letter wasn’t from Ellie’s husband. It was from the War Department.
    Â 
    We regret to inform you that Private Harold E. Rucker was killed in action on June 10, 1942…
    Â 
    The letter was as cold as it was official, and Amy couldn’t imagine how Ellie must have felt when she’d received it. Had it been hand delivered, like it was often done in the movies?
    But even then, it would have been a terrible blow.
    Amy glanced at the box. She suspected it held a medal of some kind, and she’d been right. When she lifted the lid, she found a Purple Heart.
    She ought to feel proud, patriotic, she supposed. After all, her great-grandfather had died for his country. But instead, she felt as though she’d lost someone, too.
    As tears welled in her eyes and an ache settled in her heart, she sat on Ellie’s bed for the longest time, grieving for the young bride who’d lost the love of her life.

Chapter 5
    Gonzales Landscaping had been given the green light to start work for Mrs. Davila, so around lunchtime, Eddie drove to Sugar Plum Lane.
    Earlier that morning, he’d hooked up a small trailer to his pickup so he could haul away the green waste. He figured after trimming all the trees and plants in the yard, he would end up with a couple of substantial loads.
    Mrs. Davila had also decided to replace the sprinkler system, which meant there was plenty of work for him to do—at least a week’s worth, if not more.
    Since the landscaping company was busier than ever and his brother was shorthanded, Eddie would be handling this project by himself, but that was okay. It was easier when he didn’t have to deal with a lot of empty chatter. Besides, sometimes he preferred to be alone, a preference that had developed in prison and had continued after his parole.
    He walked up the sidewalk to the blue house in which the attractive brunette lived with her kids. Her name, he’d been told, was Maria, but he supposed he ought to ask to speak to her husband, if he was home.
    When he reached the door, he rang the bell. Moments later, a boy who was about ten or eleven answered.
    â€œI’m Eddie with Gonzales Landscaping,” he told the kid. “Are your parents home?”
    â€œMy mom is. My dad doesn’t live here.”
    Eddie’s first instinct was to tell the boy he shouldn’t provide that kind of information to a virtual stranger, but he didn’t think it was his place.
    The kid turned his back to Eddie and called into the house, “Mom! Some guy wants to talk to you.”
    Moments later, footsteps sounded as Maria approached the front door. Several strands