Love Finds You at Home for Christmas Read Online Free Page B

words.” She looked so much like his mom when she smiled.
    He didn’t feel homesick very often anymore, but every now and then, Aunt Ida would cast a painfully familiar expression in his direction, and he’d long to be back in River Bend with his family. Deep down, he knew it wouldn’t be the same place he remembered. He sometimes wondered if that’s what kept him away.
    â€œI’ll keep that in mind.” Cliff chuckled. “Now I’d better go change and see if Uncle Fred needs any help out back.”
    After he’d been discharged, Cliff’s aunt and uncle had offered to let him stay at their place for as long as he needed. Jacksonville’s housing market wasn’t equipped to deal with the thousands of workers who’d descended on the town when the AOP opened. Some of the guys even slept in tents near the plant because there weren’t enough houses or dorms. So Cliff had taken his relatives up on their offer, though he’d insisted on paying them as a boarder and helping out with chores.
    Cliff helped Uncle Fred in the garden until Aunt Ida announced it was time for supper. After eating a delicious venison steak, he wandered into his bedroom and picked up the tattered copy of Murder on the Orient Express that he’d checked out of the AOP library last week. It was a good story so far, and he was anxious to see how Hercule Poirot would solve the mystery.
    Cliff liked to spend his evenings with a book, but he kept losing his place tonight. Ruby’s pretty face kept popping into his mind. What was she doing? Had she settled in okay?
    After he’d re-read the same paragraph three times, Cliff tossed the book on his nightstand. It was no use. How had this girl he’d only just met managed to weasel her way into his thoughts? He’d met plenty of pretty girls since he’d moved to Jacksonville nine months ago but had been resolved to keep to himself. The past year had been the most difficult of his life, and he enjoyed the quiet life of solitude his work as an electrician gave him. He worked at his own pace, and after his shift was over and his chores were done, he’d go rabbit hunting in the thicket behind the house or fishing at the nearby lake. No complications. No one prying into his life, save for Aunt Ida’s attempts.
    Cliff had even distanced himself from his parents. He’d only been back to River Bend once in the past year. Aunt Ida kept him in the loop, reading snippets of Mom’s letters or trying to get him to write a note to slip in her own weekly letter. She kept his parents posted on how he was doing, despite his protests.
    He knew his parents blamed him for what had happened to Charlie. Even though they said it wasn’t his fault, he knew better. He’d been there, in the foxhole next to his younger brother. He knew better than anyone who was to blame.
    And just like his parents, he’d never be able to forgive himself.

Chapter Four
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    July 1, 1943
    Dear Mama,
    I can’t believe it’s already been three weeks since I started working here at the AOP. I got my first paycheck earlier in the week, and my roommate and I celebrated by taking the bus to Little Rock for some shopping. If Papa reads this (and I’m sure he’s reading over your shoulder) tell him I didn’t spend much, and I put the rest in the bank. It’s the most money I’ve ever seen on a check with my name on it, but I know money isn’t everything—my treasure is in heaven. Still, making my own money for the first time is neat, and I bought myself a beautiful green dress that I’m going to save for a special occasion. I’ll always look at it and remember that I bought it with my very first paycheck.
    I had to say good-bye to Hazel yesterday. She and her new husband are off to Pine Bluff. I’ll miss her, but it’s nice to see her so happy. Her cousin, Cliff, works here as an