Kaleidoscope Summer (Samantha's Story) Read Online Free

Logan— h e was all male . There he stood, six feet of pure gorgeous . My hand went to my ch est—h ad my heart actually missed a beat?
    His booted steps caused a vibration in the wooden slats of the porch. H e pulled a chair to the table. A smile reached his coffee-colored eyes and startled my pulse , i n a good way. “Hi , Samantha. Feeling better ?”
    “Th is house, the view, the peacefulness—I could spend forever right here.” I swept my hand through the air . “Please, call me Sam.”
    “ Sam it is.” His wink sent another direct jolt to my heart beat . I’m losing it—l ike a teenager reacting to her first crush.
    Maggie reappeared and served a pastry and a glass of sweet tea to her brother. “You’ll never guess who Sam is.” Words continued to tumble forth. “She’s Anne’s daughter.”
    H is aha response surprised me . “Y ou reminded me of someone . But I couldn’t place it.” He took a man-sized bite of his pastry, as though we were not discussing anything that merited undue concern.
    “We were talking about Anne being Sam’s birth mom . G o ahead, Sam, tell us the story.” She stood , held up her finger . “Wait. M y phone ’s ringing. I’ll be right back .”
    H e chuckled as Mag gie dashed inside . “B een that way since we were kids. Seldom slows down.”
    “S he has a way about her . ” Before I lost my nerve, I rushed on. “Does it bother y ou that I’m Anne’s daugh ter?” I held my breath , waiting for his answer . The only person I’d discussed the adoption with was my aunt and she’d gone ballistic.
    No more fazed than if I’d told him what I had eaten for breakfast, he shrugged and lifted his hands, palms up. “Don’t know her whole story, but she made a difference in many li v es—e s pecially children ’s .” He stuffed a nother bite into his mouth .
    Maggie came rushing back to the table . “What did I miss?”
    “Not a thing, s is.” They both looked at me.
    I cringed. “Discovering I’d been adopted put me on an emotional— ” W ords stuck inside my chest. I couldn’t underst and the c ontradictions I felt—h ow could I possibly explain them to someone else? “I’m sorry. You don’t need to hear the psychobabble.”
    “Didn’t you write to Anne after you learned about the adoption ?” The sincerity of Maggie’s interest encouraged me to continue.
    “Yes, and then we exchan ged emails. I wanted to visit her. ” I bit down on my lip , trying to compose myself . “I’ll always regret waiting too long. ”
    “From what Anne told me , yo u only found out the end of last year and we’ve barely skated into May . Not much time to c ome to terms with your emotions. I f it’s any consolation , I don’t believe she knew about her heart condition.” Maggie tucked one leg up under her.
    “ The attorney sent me a copy of the aut opsy report , along with her death certificate. According to the report , Anne’s condition resulted from a birth abnormality and if found earli er , it might ’ve been surgically corrected.” A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me. “There’s so much— ”
    “Doc’s orders say you need to rest.” Logan stood with hi s hand outstretched .
    I placed my hand in his and w e trailed behind Maggie to a d ownstairs guest room. She pulled down th e comforter and folded back the French d oors . I offered m y thanks as they left the room, and easing under the cover s , I absorbed the silence—o ne of the few times being deaf seemed like a gift.
    When I awakened, flaming cerise etched with gold burned across the sea. I envisioned stroking the scene across a canvas —not that I could capture the awesome beauty of nature.
    The setting sun made it apparent I’d slept the after noon away. Goldie stretched and eyed her vest on the chair next to the bed. “ It’s okay , baby, no worries.” H eavenly aroma s had worked their way into the room , and I was suddenly starving . “ L et’s go find our hostess.”
    We