The Cowboy's Valentine. DONNA ALWARD

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СКАЧАТЬ looked slightly alarmed at that assessment and put his coffee cup on the island. “What?”

      “I’m just saying, that sure, I’ve made it no secret that this is not the life I’d choose for myself. But you’re judging me for that. Quinn, I respect that this is your home and your livelihood and you like it. But just because it’s not for me, and I know it, doesn’t make me less than you, okay?”

      He stared at her for a long moment. “I just got schooled,” he admitted. “You’re right. I shouldn’t judge. You just...”

      “Drive you crazy?”

      “Yeah.”

      “You push my buttons, too.” Their gazes connected and that strange intimate feeling happened again. She swallowed. “It must be because we’re so different. Oil and water.”

      “I’m sure that’s it.”

      Another heavy silence. Finally Quinn picked up his cup. “I need to make a few calls before heading out again. And you look like you need to get back to your work. I’ll see you later.”

      “Sure.” She folded her arms around her middle, still a bit chilly. “Quinn, one more thing. Do you always keep it so cold in here? I woke up at five this morning darn near freezing.”

      He stopped at the entrance to the hall. “I never thought about that. We keep the thermostat turned down, just keep enough heat on to keep pipes from freezing, really. I use a space heater in the office.”

      “I don’t mind turning the heat down at night, though maybe not that far down.” She briefly considered an electric blanket, but that wouldn’t solve the entire problem. And she didn’t want to blast the heat in the whole house and run up a huge bill.

      “I’ll speak to Duke about it, maybe get some programmable thermostats,” Quinn promised. “In the meantime, do you want me to light a fire for you?”

      “I can do it. And I turned up the heat in these rooms anyway. Forget I mentioned it.”

      He walked away to his office and she resumed her seat at the table. Even with the heat on, she was glad she’d put on warm leggings and the long sweater. Her coffee was gone before long so she got up and refilled her cup then went back to it.

      She was just prettying up her margins and spacing when she looked up and saw Quinn at the end of the hallway, putting on his outerwear. He didn’t realize she was watching, and she let her eyes roam over his long, strong legs and wide shoulders as he put on his boots and jacket. Then his hat and a heavy pair of gloves...and her mouth watered.

      Maybe they did get along about as well as cats in a sack. But she was still woman enough to appreciate a fine male form and it was hard to find fault with Quinn’s.

      She hurriedly glanced down at her monitor as Quinn looked back towards the kitchen. It wouldn’t do to get caught staring. They could hardly agree on anything. Heck, at Christmastime they’d argued about the correct way to mash potatoes, for heaven’s sake. If he had the smallest inkling she found him physically attractive...well, things were already super awkward around here.

      “I’ll be back in later to grab my lunch,” he called, and he was out the door before she could reply.

      Surly, she thought. That was the problem with Quinn Solomon. He was surly. It was hard to like a man who hardly ever smiled.

      She wondered if he’d smiled more before his wife had died, and her heart turned over a little at the thought. Whether she liked him or not, losing his wife and the mother of his daughter had to be terribly sad. He must have loved her a lot...

      She and Carter hadn’t had that sort of love. She’d thought they had, at first. But when put to the test, they didn’t have what it took for a successful marriage.

      She pushed her glasses up her nose and focused on the spacing of her résumé. There was no sense worrying about a past that couldn’t be changed. The only thing she could do was look to the future. There were days when even that was difficult, but she had a clean start now. It was up to her to make the most of it.

      She was in the middle of bookmarking employment sites where she could upload her CV when Duke blustered in. Without knocking. Ah. Big brothers. Funny. When Quinn had knocked, Lacey had felt she was imposing on him. When her brother entered without knocking, his sense of entitlement got on her nerves a little.

      “You made it.” He shrugged off his coat and hung it on the hook.

      “Yesterday, as a matter of fact. Thanks for noticing.” She sent him a cheeky grin, making sure to face him straight on. Duke’s hearing was compromised, and he often watched lips to fill in any gaps of clarity, especially if his head was turned a bit the wrong way.

      “I was going to come over last night, but Carrie and I didn’t finish until late. By the time supper was over, we were tuckered out.” He’d removed his boots and came into the kitchen in his stocking feet. His face got this weird, soft, moony look about it. “Especially Carrie. I keep telling her not to overdo it, but she’s stubborn.”

      Lacey liked Carrie a lot. The former foreman of the cattle operation, Carrie had fallen for Duke hard and fast when he’d come back to Crooked Valley. Now she and Duke were married and she was expecting his baby. Duke was so happy and protective, and Lacey was happy for them. Even so, their happiness and future plans did serve as a painful reminder of the life she would never have. The dream of an adoring husband and a house full of kids was long gone.

      “Is Carrie feeling okay?” Lacey sat back in her chair and took off her glasses, putting them on top of her paper tablet.

      “The odd morning sickness, but nothing major. And she’s tired a lot. Otherwise, she’s great.” He pulled out a chair and sat down, resting his elbows on the table. “I can’t wait for the ultrasound. We’ll get pictures and everything.”

      It was like a knife to the heart, but Lacey never let on. No one except their mother knew that Lacey’d had to undergo surgery—the kind that prevented her from ever having children.

      “I’m glad you’re so happy.” That, at least, was the truth.

      “And you’re here. That makes me happy.” He grinned at her, his blue eyes sparkling at her. “I always love having a little sis around to torment.”

      “Don’t get your hopes up. I appreciate the place to stay, but I’m not really interested in becoming a rancher. Gramps was crazy to split this place up the way he did.”

      Duke tapped his fingers on the table. “I used to think that, too.”

      “Well, you’re not me. I’m not a rancher. I belong behind a desk somewhere, working with columns of numbers. Not shoveling manure or whatever it is you guys do outside all day.”

      Duke laughed. “I forgot you’re such a girlie girl.”

      “Yes, well, you haven’t exactly been around much the last few years.” She realized that sounded a bit harsh, so she tempered it a little. “You were deployed, Duke. I don’t blame you in the least. But you must realize that life went on while you were overseas. We all went our own ways.”

      She let him off the hook and smiled. “Anyway, I do really СКАЧАТЬ