Daddy by Christmas / Christmas Magic on the Mountain. Patricia Thayer

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СКАЧАТЬ since you’re going to be spending so much time in bed now, we decided not to wait.” The older woman pulled back the covers so Jarrett could set her down on the snowy-white sheets.

      “Oh, it’s beautiful.” She examined the intricate work. “How could you get all this done? I’ve only been gone overnight.”

      Nola exchanged a look with Jarrett. “We knew we had to. The scare yesterday made us realize that you’ve been working so hard for us, you put off getting ready for the baby.” She helped Mia take off her shoes and put her feet under the blanket. “So we hope this helps you to stop worrying so much.” She stood back. “And when you’ve rested I’ll show you all the baby clothes we’ve collected.”

      Nola walked to a small white dresser. “Joe found this for you. He sanded and painted it last week and Jarrett helped bring it up. Sylvia and I washed all the baby things and put them inside. If you don’t like how we arranged them, you can change it.”

      “I’m sure it will be perfect.” Mia clasped her hands together. “I don’t know what to say.”

      “You don’t have to say anything.” The older woman came to the bed and hugged her. “Just take care of yourself. We love you, Mia. You’re like family.”

      “I love you all, too.”

      She’d tried for a lot of years not to get too close to people, except for Brad. Starting with her parents. Whenever she’d let people in, they’d ended up hurting her. She looked across the room at Jarrett standing in the doorway. She definitely had to keep this man away.

      “Tell everyone thank you.”

      “I will,” Nola assured her. “Now, you rest and don’t worry about lunch. Sylvia will be here to fix you something.”

      “She doesn’t have to do that.”

      Nola raised her hand. “She wants to. We all want to help.” The older woman went out the door, followed by Jarrett. Mia called him back. “Mr. McKane, could I speak to you a moment?”

      Frowning, he came toward the bed as Nola left. “Suddenly I’m Mr. McKane again.”

      “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. It’s better if we don’t become too friendly…given the situation.”

      He studied her for a moment. “The situation you are referring to is that you’ve already gotten to stay here until the spring.” He shrugged. “But, hey, I won’t bother you again.”

      He turned and walked out. The soft click of the front door let her know she was truly alone. She told herself it was better this way. She couldn’t get any more involved with a man like Jarrett McKane. Not that she had to worry that he’d ever give her a second look.

      She rubbed her stomach. All she needed to focus on right now was her baby.

      Jarrett kept hearing a ringing sound. He blinked his eyes as he reached for his cell phone on the bedside table.

      “Hello,” he murmured, running a hand over his face. It was still dark outside.

      “Oh, I’m sorry, did I wake you?”

      It was Mia. He sat up. “Mia? Is there a problem?”

      “No. No. I shouldn’t have bothered you.”

      “Wait, Mia. Tell me what’s wrong. Is it the baby?”

      “No, the baby’s fine. I just need a favor, but I’ll call back later.”

      “I’ll be right over.” He hung up, grabbed a pair of jeans and put them on along with a sweatshirt. He grabbed his keys and phone and headed across the hall. He let himself into her apartment with his master key and hurried to the bedroom.

      Mia was sitting on the bed, dressed in a thermal long-sleeved shirt that hugged her rounded belly and a pair of flannel pajama bottoms. Somehow she managed to look somewhere between wholesome and far too good at this time in the morning.

      Was it morning? “What’s the problem?”

      She looked embarrassed. “I’m so sorry I woke you.”

      “Well, since you have, tell me what you need.”

      “Could you pull out the table and see if my cable is plugged in? I didn’t want to move the table by myself.”

      “You’re on the computer at this hour?”

      She shrugged. “I slept so much during the day, I’m wideawake. So I thought I’d get some work done.”

      Jarrett went to the bedside table and pulled it out. Seeing the loose battery cable, he knelt down and pushed it back into the outlet. “It’s fixed.” He moved the table back and stood next to the bed. “You’re really not supposed to be working.”

      “I’m bored. Besides, if I don’t work, I don’t eat or pay my rent.”

      The computer screen lit up and he asked, “What are you working on?”

      She kept her focus on the screen. “A Web site for a Denver-based company.”

      He glanced at the home-page logo. “Are you going back to law school?”

      As she clicked the mouse and another program opened, she didn’t show any surprise that he knew her history. “Not for a while, but I hope I can go back someday. It won’t be easy with a baby.”

      “I’m sure everyone here would love to help you.”

      “We won’t be living here…together,” she said.

      When she looked up at him with her scrubbed-clean face, large sapphire eyes and her hair in a ponytail, she looked fifteen. “How old are you?”

      Mia blinked at his question. “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to ask a woman her age?”

      He shrugged. “You look like jailbait.”

      “I’m twenty-nine. How old are you?”

      “Thirty-seven.”

      She studied him for a few seconds. “You look it.”

      Frowning, he combed his fingers through his hair. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

      “What did you mean when you called me jailbait?”

      “I meant it as a compliment. You look young for your age.”

      “Thank you.” She sobered. “Are you really going to try and find us all a place to live?”

      “I’m not sure I can find everyone a place, but I’ll see what I can do.” Was he crazy? Where would he find affordable apartments for them all? He moved away from the bed. “Man, I’d kill for a cup of coffee.”

      “Sorry, I’m off caffeine for a while,” she told him. “But I’d fight you for a jelly donut.”

      “I СКАЧАТЬ