Free The Rockin' Chair by Steven Manchester Page A

I’ve been waiting almost two years.”
    Tara’s frown was wiped away. “Lila’s so beautiful, Ev, and she’s been waiting a long time for her mommy to get well.”
    Evan grabbed her hand. “Well then, I think she’s waited long enough.”
    As they walked out of the restaurant, Tara stopped her brother and apologized. “I’m sorry, Ev. I forgot to ask how you’ve been doing.”
    With only a fistful of credit card bills and a couple dozen published stories to his name, Evan smiled. He realized that while he listened to his sister’s problems and concentrated on the possible solutions, he’d forgotten to miss Carley. “It’s a long story, T, and maybe not as colorful as yours but trust me … you’re not alone.” He smiled. “We’re in the same boat, sis, and I’m getting tired of rowing alone. I’ll fill you in on the plane.”
    For the first time, she actually smiled. She wrapped both her arms around his shoulders and looked into his eyes. “I was just thinking about Georgey. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him. I hope he’s doing better than we are.”
    Evan grinned. “You know George. He’s out there somewhere, saving the world. Wherever he is, I’m sure he’s having the time of his life.” He kissed her cheek. “Now let’s go home.”
    As they continued down the sidewalk, Evan checked his cell phone for a text or a missed call from Carley. Nothing .

CHAPTER 5
    U nwilling to wait another minute, a steel-gray sky opened up, covering Montana with six inches of downy flake. John stepped out onto the porch and noticed that the light had been left on all night. He shook his head. Turning out the lights was always Alice’s job.
    As if the Lord decided to give His little globe a shake, everything was white. John watched as the intricately detailed snowflakes danced briefly beneath the porch’s light. Gently falling to the knotty, wooden planks, they selflessly gathered as one, covering the years of filth that had accumulated. Looking out onto the land, dark shadows were replaced by white linen, bringing warmth to a frigid world. For a moment, John felt the untouched purity, the virtual rebirth, but he knew that men must stir from their sleep.
    People ignorantly trod over the morning, never realizing that the night had offered another beginning. In time, this new blanket would be worn and tattered, again exposing the dirt of the past. But through it all, for the McCarthys, one dim porch light would generate enough light to reveal the truth.
    John whistled for Three Speed to start their chores when he saw her. It was Alice, standing in their bedroom window. Her thumb was stuck in her mouth. As amazement swam in her eyes, she watched the snowflakes fall like it was the first time she’d ever seen them. John felt both happy and sorrowful at her display of innocence. “Oh, darlin’,” he muttered. His mind immediately rushed back to the year that he and Alice were married and that winter’s first snowfall.
    A gray sky, touched with a pink hue, opened up and covered the land with a baby’s blanket of white. The air had a healthy bite to it and each breath was a reminder that life was worth living. The world always went still during the first snowfall but that year proved best of all. John was preparing to turn in for the night, figuring that Alice was wrapping up her own chores in the kitchen. Looking out the window for one last glance at the eve’s beauty, he laughed unexpectedly.
    On the ground, just beneath their bedroom window, Alice lay on the fresh, icy linen, flapping her arms and legs at the same time. She mustn’t have thought anyone was watching because she was laughing and carrying on like a child, making the most perfect snow angel Montana had ever seen. John secretly giggled with her, feeling a warmth that could have thawed the