Their Ranch Reunion. Mindy Obenhaus

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ opened the cupboard to grab the plates.

      “Not those plates, Mommy.”

      “What?” She glanced down at her daughter.

      “We need the guest plates.” Meaning the china she used for the bed-and-breakfast. And this time of year, guests were predominantly limited to weekends.

      “Sweetie, we don’t use those for regular meals.”

      “This isn’t a regular meal. Mr. Andrew is company, so we need to eat in the dining room with the pretty dishes.”

      Oh, to be a child again, when everything was so simple.

      Lord, help me make it through tonight.

      “Okay. Let me get them for you.”

      They moved around the corner into the dining room, and Carly retrieved the dishes from atop her grandmother’s antique sideboard. Meat loaf on china. That’d be a first.

      Leaving Megan in charge of the table, Carly returned to the kitchen to mash the potatoes. She pulled the butter and cream from the large stainless steel refrigerator.

      “Which side do the forks go on?”

      Closing the refrigerator door, Carly grinned, recalling how she used to help her mother and wondering if Megan would one day take over Granger House Inn. If so, she’d be the third generation to run the B and B. Not that she was in any hurry for her daughter to grow up. Carly was already lamenting Megan’s occasional usage of Mom instead of Mommy.

      “On the left.”

      A knock on the back door nearly had Carly dropping the dairy products she still held.

      Megan must have heard it, too, because she raced past Carly and threw open the door.

      Carly deposited the butter and cream on the counter and hurried behind her daughter. “Young lady, what have I told you about looking to see who it is before you open the door?” Not that there was much to worry about in Ouray. Still, a mother could never be too cautious in this day and age.

      “Sorry.”

      “Evening, ladies.” A smiling Andrew stepped inside, looking far too appealing. His hair was damp, and he smelled freshly showered.

      Closing the door behind him, Carly eyed her flour-speckled jeans. Clearly he’d done more primping than she had. An observation that had her as curious as it did bothered.

      “Welcome to our home.” Megan swept her arm through the air in a flourish.

      “Thank you for inviting me.” He stooped to her daughter’s level. “This is for you.” He handed her a small brown paper gift bag with white tissue sticking out the top.

      Megan’s eyes were wide. “For me?”

      “Yep. And this one—” straightening, he turned his attention to Carly “—is for your mother.”

      Carly’s heart tripped as she accepted the package. A hostess gift had been unexpected, but the fact that he’d thought of both of them had her reevaluating their guest. At least momentarily.

      “Th-thank you.”

      “Can I open it?” Megan looked as if she was about to explode with anticipation.

      “Of course. What are you waiting for?” Andrew looked like a kid himself as he watched Megan pull out the tissue, followed by a small rectangular box. “My own cards!”

      “Did my grandmother ever teach you how to play Hearts?”

      “I don’t think so.” Megan eyed him seriously.

      “Looks like I’ll have to carry on the tradition, then. Perhaps we can play a game after dinner.”

      “Okay.” Megan excitedly removed the plastic wrapping. “I can practice shuffling now, though, can’t I?”

      “You sure can.” Andrew looked at Carly again. “You can open yours, too.”

      Her stomach did a little flip-flop as she removed the tissue and pulled out a small box from Mouse’s Chocolates. “Ooo...”

      “I hope you like truffles.”

      She lifted a shoulder. “No, not really.”

      His smile evaporated and, for just a moment, she felt bad for messing with him. Then again, after the way he’d coerced her into this dinner invitation, why should she care?

      “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought most women—”

      “I love them.”

      The corners of his mouth slowly lifted as he wagged a finger her way. “You had me going for a second.”

      Looking up, she sent him a mischievous grin. “Good.”

      She moved back toward the island, glad she had potatoes to keep her busy for a few minutes. Was it her imagination or did Andrew’s brown eyes seem a touch lighter tonight? Like coffee with a splash of cream. Maybe it was the blue-gray mix in his flannel shirt. Whatever the case, it might be best if Megan kept him occupied for a while.

      When they sat down to dinner a short time later, Andrew surveyed the table. “This is quite the spread.” His gaze settled on Carly. “I wasn’t expecting you to go to all this trouble.”

      Again, her insides betrayed her, quivering at his praise. “No trouble.”

      “Yeah. My mommy cooks like this all the time.”

      Suspecting her daughter was attempting a little matchmaking, Carly added, “Not all the time. And we rarely eat in the dining room.”

      He glanced about. “That’s a shame. This is a nice room.”

      “Oh, it gets plenty of use with the bed-and-breakfast.” She eyed her daughter across the table. “Shall we pray?”

      After dinner, Andrew followed through with his promise and taught Megan Livie’s favorite card game while Carly cleaned up the kitchen. Not only was she surprised by his patience with Megan and the gentle way he encouraged her, she greatly appreciated it. While Dennis had been a good father, he always seemed to have more time for his work than he did for his family. A fact that had Carly practicing the art of overcompensation long before his death.

      With the dishes done, Carly joined them in the dining room.

      She smoothed a hand across her daughter’s back. “I hate to put the kibosh on your fun, but tomorrow is a school day.”

      “But I’m beating him. Please, can we finish this game?”

      As much as Carly wanted to resist, to tell Megan it was time for Andrew to leave, she didn’t have the heart. “Go ahead.”

      Fifteen minutes later, with her first win under her belt and promises of a rematch, a happy Megan scurried off to get ready for bed.

      Andrew СКАЧАТЬ