Trudy Myers's Blog - Posts Tagged "hank-s-widow"
Giveaway for Hank's Widow
We are excited to be giving away 10 autographed first edition copies of Linda (NMI) Joy's new contemporary romance, Hank's Widow.
She wanted a quiet place to pursue her writing. He's loved her since he first saw her photograph. Will her grief prevent him from claiming her heart?
Sign up for the giveaway should start on July 20th, and end on August 19th. Don't forget to sign up, and good luck!
She wanted a quiet place to pursue her writing. He's loved her since he first saw her photograph. Will her grief prevent him from claiming her heart?
Sign up for the giveaway should start on July 20th, and end on August 19th. Don't forget to sign up, and good luck!
Hank's Widow
The opening of "Hank's Widow":
May 15
Prologue
The sky was overcast, the air saturated with mist, as if the entire universe found this day as sad and miserable as the hu-mans who lived through it.
In a tiny town in Nebraska, a glistening red car pulled off the graveled street and into the driveway of a small house that had seen better days, stopped close behind the ancient sedan parked in front of the garage.
The lawn was overgrown, but the driver of the sports car ig-nored the drops the grass deposited on his black suit legs and polished shoes. He opened the front door and climbed the 3 steps to the enclosed front porch, then walked into the house’s front door, into the living room. He walked forward, faced the sofa, and considered the picture frames on that wall. Each frame held a number of photos of people; some trimmed down to show only one person. He was well familiar with these frames and their contents, although some of the faces he didn’t know personally.
The final frame held his attention. Large and crowded, it held all the grandchildren. Most of them had spouses, too. Gram had been toying with the idea of getting a larger frame for the grandchildren, and to use this frame to start a collection of great-grandchildren. But she hadn’t gotten around to it.
His gaze landed on the last 4 grandchild entries, and his eyes stung. Way back when those pictures had been of babies, they had looked like quadruplets, although they weren’t. As they grew, they had each slowly developed their own look, until they looked like brothers, and not the cousins that they actually were. The 2 in the middle of those 4 were still high school graduation photos. The outside 2 were wedding pictures; one of Lyle and his extremely pregnant bride; Lyle looking bored and Gloria looking… scared.
But the picture he stared at was the other wedding photo, a snapshot of a blissfully happy couple on the steps of a large courthouse.
“Forgive me, Gram,” he muttered, then removed that frame from the wall, pulled the happy couple from the collection. In another moment, the frame was back in place and he slipped the photo into the inside pocket of his suit jacket.
Just in time.
He turned as the outside door opened and another black-suited man stepped onto the porch, paused to wipe his shoes on the welcome mat. The 2 men could have easily been mistaken for brothers. The first man stepped forward and opened the door to the porch. “What are you doing here?”
The other man held up 2 bottles of beer. “Thought we could both use one of these.”
A brilliant flash of light and deafening thunder left them momentarily dazed. Then the sky opened and rain fell in sheets. In Nebraska, a hard rain might last a few minutes or several days. They unbuttoned their suit jackets and moved forward to sit at the dining room table, unscrewed the caps from their beers.
“Got any plans for this place?” asked the recent arrival.
The first man took a pull from his drink and watched the rain through the windows. “I only half own it. So, no, not with-out talking with Hank. Keep it from falling down, I guess.”
“Well, here’s what I think.”
“You’ve started thinking?” the first man teased. “That will sure surprise your old teachers.”
The other man grinned in acknowledgement of the teasing, then let it fade. “I was thinking you should at least lock it up tight. Otherwise, Lyle’s likely to move in. And even if he didn’t, he’d probably sell everything off, piece by piece.”
“He doesn’t own it.”
“Would that stop him?”
The first one sighed. “No. Probably not.” He stood up. “Well, turn off the utilities… I can call the companies tomorrow and get them officially turned off, but I can turn things off here today. You want to check the doors and windows? And I’ll lock the front door as we go out. Once the rain settles down.”
“Sure. I’ll start with the garage and work my way back here.”
They both entered the kitchen, turned right through the washroom, out to the enclosed breezeway between the house and garage. The first man halted at the hot water heater, while the second headed to the other end of the breezeway.
The first man cleared his throat. “Bob, Lyle’s got his family at the old Jessup place.”
Bob stopped halfway down the breezeway, but didn’t turn. “I know.”
“I could ask Hank about letting them live here.”
Bob sighed. “I won’t ask you to. He has to grow up. I can’t condone bailing him out any more, Chuck.”
“You sure?”
Bob continued up the breezeway to the garage door.
May 15
Prologue
The sky was overcast, the air saturated with mist, as if the entire universe found this day as sad and miserable as the hu-mans who lived through it.
In a tiny town in Nebraska, a glistening red car pulled off the graveled street and into the driveway of a small house that had seen better days, stopped close behind the ancient sedan parked in front of the garage.
The lawn was overgrown, but the driver of the sports car ig-nored the drops the grass deposited on his black suit legs and polished shoes. He opened the front door and climbed the 3 steps to the enclosed front porch, then walked into the house’s front door, into the living room. He walked forward, faced the sofa, and considered the picture frames on that wall. Each frame held a number of photos of people; some trimmed down to show only one person. He was well familiar with these frames and their contents, although some of the faces he didn’t know personally.
The final frame held his attention. Large and crowded, it held all the grandchildren. Most of them had spouses, too. Gram had been toying with the idea of getting a larger frame for the grandchildren, and to use this frame to start a collection of great-grandchildren. But she hadn’t gotten around to it.
His gaze landed on the last 4 grandchild entries, and his eyes stung. Way back when those pictures had been of babies, they had looked like quadruplets, although they weren’t. As they grew, they had each slowly developed their own look, until they looked like brothers, and not the cousins that they actually were. The 2 in the middle of those 4 were still high school graduation photos. The outside 2 were wedding pictures; one of Lyle and his extremely pregnant bride; Lyle looking bored and Gloria looking… scared.
But the picture he stared at was the other wedding photo, a snapshot of a blissfully happy couple on the steps of a large courthouse.
“Forgive me, Gram,” he muttered, then removed that frame from the wall, pulled the happy couple from the collection. In another moment, the frame was back in place and he slipped the photo into the inside pocket of his suit jacket.
Just in time.
He turned as the outside door opened and another black-suited man stepped onto the porch, paused to wipe his shoes on the welcome mat. The 2 men could have easily been mistaken for brothers. The first man stepped forward and opened the door to the porch. “What are you doing here?”
The other man held up 2 bottles of beer. “Thought we could both use one of these.”
A brilliant flash of light and deafening thunder left them momentarily dazed. Then the sky opened and rain fell in sheets. In Nebraska, a hard rain might last a few minutes or several days. They unbuttoned their suit jackets and moved forward to sit at the dining room table, unscrewed the caps from their beers.
“Got any plans for this place?” asked the recent arrival.
The first man took a pull from his drink and watched the rain through the windows. “I only half own it. So, no, not with-out talking with Hank. Keep it from falling down, I guess.”
“Well, here’s what I think.”
“You’ve started thinking?” the first man teased. “That will sure surprise your old teachers.”
The other man grinned in acknowledgement of the teasing, then let it fade. “I was thinking you should at least lock it up tight. Otherwise, Lyle’s likely to move in. And even if he didn’t, he’d probably sell everything off, piece by piece.”
“He doesn’t own it.”
“Would that stop him?”
The first one sighed. “No. Probably not.” He stood up. “Well, turn off the utilities… I can call the companies tomorrow and get them officially turned off, but I can turn things off here today. You want to check the doors and windows? And I’ll lock the front door as we go out. Once the rain settles down.”
“Sure. I’ll start with the garage and work my way back here.”
They both entered the kitchen, turned right through the washroom, out to the enclosed breezeway between the house and garage. The first man halted at the hot water heater, while the second headed to the other end of the breezeway.
The first man cleared his throat. “Bob, Lyle’s got his family at the old Jessup place.”
Bob stopped halfway down the breezeway, but didn’t turn. “I know.”
“I could ask Hank about letting them live here.”
Bob sighed. “I won’t ask you to. He has to grow up. I can’t condone bailing him out any more, Chuck.”
“You sure?”
Bob continued up the breezeway to the garage door.
