Hometown Christmas Gift. Kat Brookes

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СКАЧАТЬ an adult,” she told him. “I think I can handle crossing paths with Jackson Wade from time to time.” At least, she prayed she could.

      “I’m glad to hear that,” he replied. “Because the last thing I want to do is add to the stress you’re under right now.”

      “I appreciate your concern,” she told him as she pulled a carton from the fridge. “But I’m a lot stronger than I look. One or two eggs?”

      He looked to the stove. “You don’t have to cook for me.”

      “I want to.” It made her feel like she was needed. Without Will in her life, and with her son pushing her away, Lainie felt like she was adrift in a churning sea of loneliness. It was her own fault. After the accident, she’d turned all her focus to Lucas, leaving no time for social interaction with the friends she’d made after she and Will had married. “How many eggs would you like? I just finished frying up the bacon right before you got home.”

      “Have you eaten?”

      She shook her head. “No. But I’m not very hungry.”

      “Lainie, you need to eat,” he insisted.

      “Fine,” she said, not having the energy to argue. “I’ll have an egg, too.”

      “And Lucas?”

      “He’s still asleep. Traveling home yesterday took a lot out of him.” As did his determination to fight this move, to fight her, she thought wearily, her heart aching. She turned back to the stove before her brother noticed the tears filling her eyes. While she had come there, praying her brother might be able to help her son, she didn’t want to add to Justin’s stress at that moment. Not with all he had going on at work. She could weather this storm a little longer on her own, just as she had been for the past eight months or so, ever since her son had started acting out with fits of anger. “How many eggs would you like?” she called back over her shoulder.

      “Two, please.”

      “Over easy with a dash of pepper?”

      “I can’t believe you remember that.”

      She remembered a lot of things. Some she wished she didn’t. Like the kiss she had given her brother’s best friend at the Old West Festival Dance, one that had every bit of her heart behind it, and then the rejection that had followed. She remembered her determination to forget him, and then her rush to find the kind of love Jackson had denied her.

      Will had been the one to give her that love. While he hadn’t taken Jackson’s place completely, it had been enough for her to find happiness with her husband, even have a son with him. She also remembered arguing with him before driving home from the cocktail party his company had given in his honor for landing one of the biggest contracts their firm had ever closed on. She’d been upset with him for partaking in far too many celebratory toasts. And to think she’d appointed herself his designated driver, to make certain they both got home safely, only to be hit by another driver who hadn’t let someone else take him home. She would never forget the jarring impact of the other car slamming into them, followed by pain and fear as the darkness had engulfed her.

      “Lainie?” Her brother’s worried voice brought her back to the present. She shoved the painful memories away and forced a smile as she carried the egg carton over to the counter by the stove. “Toast?” she asked as she cracked an egg over the nonstick frying pan she had set out on the burner next to the cast-iron skillet.

      “Sounds good,” Justin said. “But I’m fixing it for us.”

      She nodded and watched as her brother crossed the kitchen to the pantry. “When do you have to go back to work?”

      “This afternoon,” he replied as he returned with a half-eaten loaf of bread. “After I get a few more hours of sleep.”

      “Oh,” she replied, her shoulders sagging. She thought they’d have at least a little time to spend together before his next shift. It looked as if her parents were going to have to come to her and Lucas instead.

      Her brother stepped over and wrapped a supportive arm around her shoulders. “I really am sorry, sis. I know this isn’t working out the way we planned, but everything’s going to be all right. I promise.”

      He had always been a man of his word. But it was a promise she wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep. Her life felt like it had unraveled at its seams to the point no amount of sewing would ever be able to repair it. No matter how many prayers she sent heavenward. All she could do was nod her reply.

      “You look great by the way,” he said, his tone more uplifting.

      Lainie snorted as her gaze met his. Then she poked a finger into his shirt, nudging him away. “I’d appreciate it if you would take a step or two back, so your nose doesn’t poke my eye out when it starts to grow.”

      “I’m not lying,” he said with a chuckle. “Considering all you’ve been dealing with, you look good.”

      “Well, you don’t,” she countered.

      Justin’s dark brows lifted.

      “It’s the truth,” she said, managing a small grin. “You look like you just rolled out of bed fully dressed.” Her gaze moved down to his wrinkled uniform and then back up to his face. “And you need a shave.”

      Her brother chuckled. “I did just roll out of bed, or off my office sofa to be exact.” He scrubbed a hand down over his jaw. “I was on my way to grab a shower and shave when I heard someone moving about in the kitchen. I figured you’d be sleeping in, too.”

      “I couldn’t,” she admitted. “Too much on my mind I suppose.”

      His expression sobered. “I hate that you’ve had to deal with everything on your own. Especially over the holidays.”

      “It was my choice,” she reminded him, not wanting to think about Christmas being only a couple of weeks away.

      The doorbell rang, thankfully taking her brother’s focus off her problems. “Be right back.”

      Lainie watched him go and then turned back to the stove. Grabbing the shaker, she sprinkled some salt over the eggs and added a dash of pepper. Then, reaching for the spatula, she flipped them over in the pan.

      “Morning,” a husky male voice, not her brother’s, said from the entryway behind her.

      Her eyes widened, and her foolish heart immediately sped up. She cast an anxious glance back over her shoulder to find Jackson Wade standing there, cowboy hat held in one hand, looking every bit as uncomfortable as she felt.

      “Morning,” she replied.

      Justin stepped past him into the kitchen. “Come on in,” he told his friend. “We’re just getting ready to have some breakfast. You hungry?”

      “No,” Jackson answered. “I ran into Deputy Vance when I stopped by Abby’s to grab a doughnut and a cup of coffee this morning. He said you’d gone home to catch up on some much-needed sleep.”

      Lainie turned to look at the two men. “I could step out of the room if you need to talk to Justin.”

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