Twin Wishes. Kathryn Alexander
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Название: Twin Wishes
Автор: Kathryn Alexander
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
isbn: 9781472021779
isbn:
She glanced around the kitchen. It seemed bare, so white and sterile looking. The lack of a woman’s touch was quite evident everywhere. Empty counters, canisters that didn’t match, the simple white blinds at the windows instead of curtains and the lack of pictures or drawings displayed on the refrigerator door—not even a magnet present with which a snapshot could be held. How odd, she thought. She was a single woman, without children, living alone yet she had more items stuck on the door of her refrigerator than this father of two kids had.
“They’re still asleep.” Luke’s voice came unexpectedly from behind her. She nearly spilled her coffee.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” he apologized.
“You didn’t. I mean, it’s okay. Really.” Julianne laughed lightly. “I guess I didn’t hear you come back into the kitchen.” She took a sip of her coffee. “So, do you want me to let them sleep until they wake up on their own? Or would you prefer I get them up at a specific time?”
“Never wake a sleeping child,” Luke answered. “Never. That’s always been my motto.” He paused, suddenly feeling awkward about the situation. She was giving up an entire day to help him. And, why? “Julianne, are you sure you want to spend your Saturday this way? I can stay home today if you’d rather not—”
“I don’t mind at all. Go,” Julianne insisted with a determined look. “Get caught up on your work and don’t worry about us. I’ll have fun with the kids, Maggie will get to rest and you’ll get some work done. We’ll be fine.”
Luke reached for his keys to the truck. “If you’re sure…” He hesitated. “I can call to check on you around lunchtime. If you need me to come home then, I will.”
“Okay,” Julianne replied. “Would it be all right with you if I take the kids someplace? Maybe to Maggie’s to check on her? Or to Swenson’s for ice cream? Something like that?”
“Yes. I trust your judgment,” he stated. And he did trust her for some undefinable reason. He looked from the ring of keys he held in his hand into Julianne’s face, and he smiled a little. She looked sleepy. And young. Her blond hair was caught back in a ponytail and, at twenty-five, she seemed so fresh and alive. Luke wished he could feel that way again. Twenty-five felt like far more than ten years ago for him.
The silence between them made her uneasy. “Is there a number where I could reach you? Just in case I need to,” Julianne asked before taking another sip of her coffee.
“It’s on the table,” Luke nodded toward a small yellow notepad. “I’ll call around noon to see how it’s going.” He picked up the thermos and lunch he had packed for himself earlier that morning. He was ready to leave. Almost. “Julianne, thank you for doing this. It’s not a small thing to give up your day off to watch Todd and Nora for me.” He paused again. “I’ll be glad to pay you whatever you—”
“You’re very welcome and, no, I don’t want any money,” she stated firmly. “I’m doing this as much to help Maggie as to help you. Now, go. It’s nearly seven-fifteen already. Didn’t you want to be out of here by seven?”
“Okay,” he turned to walk toward the front door. “Lock this door behind me.”
“Yes, Luke,” Julianne remarked. “I’m not exactly a fourteen-year-old baby-sitter, you know. Quit worrying. Just go.”
Luke did exactly that. He quit worrying, got into his truck and headed for the city, leaving his kids in good hands. Julianne Quinn’s hands.
Julianne and the children spent their Saturday doing a variety of things. First, there was the usual schedule of cartoons Nora and Todd watched while they ate their cereal and lay around in their pajamas on big pillows on the living room floor. There was playing ball in the backyard, fun in the wading pool, and then helping Julianne unload the dishwasher and find the right places to put the clean dishes away before reloading it with the dirty ones from the sink. Then they took a walk over to Aunt Maggie’s which included a short visit with Uncle Frank at the Book-Stop, where they enjoyed a morning snack of crackers and juice.
“Thanks for watching the kids today, Julianne,” Frank Wren said while he joined them in drinking a juice. “Maggie needs more rest.”
“How is she feeling?” Julianne asked.
“Okay, I think,” Frank replied. “But she’s not one to complain much, so I’m really not sure. I’ll be glad when she gets back in to see the doctor this week.”
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