A Week From Sunday by Dorothy Garlock

He shrugged. “Now, how about coffee?”
    “I can get it myself,” she answered, rising from the table and going to fetch her own cup. “I don’t want to cause more work for Lola.”
    Quinn caught the barb of sarcasm in her words. It was as obvious as the stars in a clear night sky that Adrianna knew Lola resented her being there. He’d given Lola strict orders to be civil to the new boarder. Apparently, he hadn’t made himself clear enough.
    Draining the last of his cup, Quinn stood up. “Now if you’ll both excuse me, I’m going to check on Jesse.”
    Lola’s eyes followed him as he left the room. After she’d heard the sound of the door to Jesse’s room closing, she sat her cup down on the table with a bang. As she stared at Adrianna, her eyes were full of malice. It wasn’t until that very moment that Adrianna fully realized the extent of the woman’s hatred.
Is she afraid that I’m going to try to steal Quinn away from her?
She certainly didn’t need to worry about that. They came from two different worlds.
    “I don’t want you here,” Lola hissed.
    “It’s obvious,” Adrianna answered, and she set her cup down gently.
    “A decent woman would be embarrassed to live with a couple about to be married.”
    The shock of the woman’s words hit Adrianna square in the chest.
What on earth is she talking about?
Quinn had never mentioned anything of the sort. “I didn’t know you were engaged to him.”
    “We’re keeping it a secret for the time being because of Jesse. Quinn is afraid that the boy will become agitated thinking I was taking his brother away from him. He could even end up in a home for cripples.” With a sneer, she added, “Besides, I have no idea what you could possibly do for Jesse that I haven’t.”
    “I might be able to give him more time,” Adrianna answered defiantly, screwing up her courage and straightening her back. “The household chores certainly seem to take up much of yours.”
    “Yes, they do. There’s a lot of work to be done around here,” Lola replied, completely failing to recognize the true meaning of Adrianna’s words.
    “I can see that.”
    With a wayward eye, Adrianna looked at the dust that caked the furniture and the curtains that hung at dirty windows. She’d hate to even hazard a guess as to the last time they’d been washed.
    What in the world does this woman do all day?

    Seeing the door slightly ajar, Quinn pushed it open and went into the room. Cowboy lay on the bed beside Jesse, who in turn sat with his back propped against the headboard. He was looking at an issue of the
Saturday Evening Post,
one of the magazines Gabe had brought him.
    Quinn greeted his brother warmly. “I didn’t know you were awake.” He tried to keep his eyes from roving over the boy’s thin frame. “Why didn’t you call out?”
    Jesse looked up and grunted. “I knew you’d come sooner or later.”
    Quinn reached over and scratched behind Cowboy’s ears before gently tugging at the dog’s neck in order to coax him from the bed. The dog stood and stretched, then wagged his long tail happily, glad to see Quinn.
    Quinn had found Cowboy when the dog was just a pup. He had been wandering along the side of the road that led from town to the mill. The dog’s long black and white hair had been full of cockleburs, his paws were cracked and sore, and he had been tired and hungry. But from the moment Quinn had brought him home, Cowboy and Jesse had been inseparable. Most anytime Jesse had ridden his bicycle into town, Cowboy could be seen trailing along behind. After a while he became protective of Jesse and had once jumped on the back of a boy who’d accidentally knocked Jesse to the ground when they’d been playing ball. Even after Jesse had found himself in the wheelchair, Cowboy had remained a loyal and steadfast companion.
    “Are you ready to use the bathroom?” Quinn asked.
    “I guess so.” Jesse frowned. He seemed agitated, as if something was preying on his