Not in the Heart Read Online Free

change.
    â€œSkeptical of a man who would bring a cat in here when he knows his son is allergic to them.”
    â€œI didn’t bring her inside. That’s why the clothes are out on the frog.”
    â€œYou left your cat outside in a rainstorm?”
    â€œLook, I don’t have to explain any of this to you.”
    She rolled her eyes. “You’re going to find some way to mess this up. I know that.”
    â€œIf you’re looking for perfection, I’m not the guy,” I said, grabbing the bag and holding it out to her. “Looks like you need to find somebody else.”
    â€œMy feelings exactly, before I heard about your past. And Terrelle seems dead set on you. I tried to talk some sense into him, but he wouldn’t listen. Said God told him you were the one.”
    I thought about the irony of her husband being “dead set” on anything. My arm got tired holding the bag and I set it on the table between us. “Well, this is just going to have to be another disappointment in his life, won’t it?”
    â€œYou’re turning us down?”
    â€œI think that’s a fair way to put it.”
    She took the bag and moved it to the floor, keeping the sight lines open. “I didn’t mean to come on too strong, but you seem like the kind of person who appreciates a straight shooter. And I’m shooting straight. I don’t like what’s gone on in your family, but I also know there are two sides to everybody’s story, so I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.”
    â€œI don’t need you to give me anything, Oleta. Now if you’ll leave, I’ll feed my cat and get over to the hospital.”
    â€œMr. Wiley, sit down.”
    â€œNo, this is my house.”
    â€œThis is not your house. You left your house and shacked up at the beach with some young thing.”
    â€œIs that what Ellen told you?”
    â€œWhy else do men leave their wives and families?”
    â€œApparently someone has misinformed you. I didn’t shack up with anybody. I needed some time to myself, to figure out life.”
    â€œAnd you haven’t done enough traveling to Kosovo or Baghdad or Afghanistan or any of the other places? Let me ask you this: How many birthday parties have you missed? How many Little League games? Piano recitals? Your daughter’s first prom?”
    It showed how much she knew—Aiden never played Little League.
    â€œYour point?” I said.
    â€œMy point is, you’ve been a lousy father. Whether you shacked up or not isn’t important. But you have a chance to do something with the talent you’ve been given. You can do something that will make a difference.”
    â€œAnd the chance you’re giving me is to prove your husband is innocent in thirty days or less.”
    â€œIt’s twenty-nine now,” she corrected. “And I’m not asking you to prove anything.”
    Oleta rose and got a mug from the cupboard like she could just ignore me. She poured a cup and sat.
    â€œI know Terrelle’s not coming out of Starke in anything but a hearse,” she said. “When he’s out, he’ll have a tag on his toe. I am resigned to that fact. And so is he.”
    â€œSo he admits he did the crime.”
    â€œNo, he doesn’t admit it. He didn’t kill that woman.”
    â€œThen why don’t you want me to prove that?”
    â€œIf you can, more power to you. I’d love to have Terrelle back again, but I’m not holding my breath.” The coffeemaker gurgled and hissed. “I would be a fool to hire you to prove my husband innocent when your son is in line for his heart. What do they call that—a conflict of interest?”
    I nodded, still standing. Clearly this was a bulldog of a woman. Smart, too. I hate smart bulldogs.
    â€œI’m not trying to stop his execution. If the Lord wants to intervene, I’m good with that. More than good. But I