Читать книгу Flirting with Fireworks - Teresa Carpenter - Страница 11

Cherry Cooper leaned into the curve, taking it low and tight. Hot wind whipped past her as she opened her cycle up on the straightaway and throttled down. She loved the power and speed, loved that both were under her control.

She savored the moment in a world suddenly out of sync. Especially as every mile under her tires brought her closer to Blossom City, Texas.

A sense of unease caused her to slow down as she approached the outskirts of the city. Being psychic, Cherry paid attention to her senses.

She looked inward to determine if the feeling had to do with the city or her emotions in eventually losing her grandmother to this place.

Crossing the city limits marker, she had her answer.

A gray pall loomed over the city, a sense of sadness, as if the spirit of the city suffered from a festering wound.

More than that, bad times were coming to town.

Not a good omen since in little more than a month she’d be part of a carnival troupe coming into town for a four-week-long stint at the county fair. Cherry believed in omens.

She concentrated on the feeling, but it remained vague, out of reach. Which meant the trouble would touch her life.

Great. More trouble to deal with.

She already had her grandmother’s health to worry over. Nona suffered from arthritis and recovery from her recent hip surgery had been slow and plagued with complications. Her traveling days were definitely over. She’d chosen Blossom City as the place she wanted to settle.

All Cherry knew about Blossom City was that her mother had died here. Cherry had been five days old when her grandmother bundled her up and took her on the road. It had been just the two of them ever since.

Whatever it took, Cherry would find a home for Nona. Her grandmother had dedicated her life to taking care of Cherry. Now it was her turn to take care of Nona.

With another surgery scheduled for the end of the week, in Lubbock, Texas, Cherry wanted to take her grandmother something positive to focus on. Something to represent her potential home in Blossom City—flyers, the classifieds, whatever she found.

Cherry added another goal to her list: to see if the city was worthy of Nona.

Cherry followed the signs to City Hall, right to the heart of the city. The bank and professional offices, along with the city and county buildings, ringed City Hall Park, an oasis of grass, flowers and a romantic gazebo. A beauty parlor, a dress shop, a hardware store and The BeeHive Diner were also in view.

Here the pall shifted, lifted. Goodness and joy pushed the heaviness away. The promise of a good life bloomed here, along with the purple pansies, yellow roses and pretty daisies.

For the first time since entering the city limits, Cherry smiled. Yes, Nona could happily live here.

Yes, this city had suffered, but it was regrouping and regrowing. She had the sudden clear image of a stronger, more united Blossom City.

But that was the future.