Wanted: Christmas Mummy. Judy Christenberry

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СКАЧАТЬ her life had been put on hold, albeit for a good reason, Leslie wanted to experience life, to find excitement. Instead, all she’d found was loneliness.

      Eventually, she wanted to have a family, much like the life she’d experienced as a child. Her parents had provided a loving home for her, a home where she knew her parents loved each other as well as her. In the meantime, she wasn’t quite sure what she was looking for.

      While waiting for her food, she’d glanced at the weekly newspaper someone had left on the counter. Out of boredom, she’d turned to the want ads. The only one that caught her eye was for that of a housekeeper for a rancher with five-year-old twins.

      If there was one thing she could do, it was keep house. She didn’t know much about children, but she could cook. Of course, she had no intention of being tied down, she reminded herself. She was free now to discover the world.

      A rueful laugh had escaped at such grandiose thoughts. All she’d discovered had been highways with traffic whizzing by and lonely motel rooms. She looked at the ad again. If she took something like this job, on a temporary basis, just until the children started school, it would give her time to figure out what she wanted to do. And she wouldn’t feel so…so unconnected.

      Money wasn’t a problem, but she couldn’t go forever without a job. Why not earn her keep while she was determining her future?

      She’d decided to sleep on her decision. When she awoke this morning, she’d made the phone call to Mr. D. Graybow in Wyoming and gotten the answering machine. His gruff, sexy growl had startled her and she’d hung up. Before she lost her courage, she redialed the number and this time, she left a message, suggesting he call her to discuss fulfilling their mutual needs.

      “There!” she’d exclaimed as she’d hung up. She’d sounded cool and professional—she hoped. Now all she had to do was wait for him to call.

      By nine o’clock that evening, her patience was wearing thin. The least the man could do was return her call. Impatiently, she picked up the phone and dialed the number in the ad.

      “Hello?”

      She realized a child had answered the phone, probably one of the twins. “May I speak to Mr. Graybow, please?”

      “He’s busy.”

      Before she could respond, the line went dead. She held the receiver from her ear and stared at it as if it had insulted her.

      Irritated, she dialed the number again. The same little voice answered and she hurriedly asked, “Mr. Graybow, please.”

      “He’s busy.” Again the line went dead.

      With steely determination, she dialed again. “Don’t hang up!” she immediately said when the child answered again. “I’m calling about the ad. Has Mr. Graybow hired anyone yet?”

      There was no response to her question but she could hear hurried whispering in the background. “Hello?”

      “No, he hasn’t.”

      “Well, uh, if he won’t interview me over the phone, should I come there? Is he only interviewing in person?”

      More whispering.

      “Can you bake cookies?”

      Leslie smiled at the question. “Yes, I can bake cookies.”

      “Do you like little boys?”

      “Yes, I believe I do.” Not exactly a lie. She just hadn’t been around little boys that much, except for her neighbor’s grandchildren.

      “Then you should come.”

      “I should come? When?”

      “Now.”

      “But I can’t get there until tomorrow. Shall I come tomorrow evening?” How strange to allow a five-year-old to conduct his business. Mr. D. Graybow certainly seemed in need of some help. She ignored the sudden memory of that husky voice on the answering machine.

      “Yeah. Tomorrow night. Bye!” Again the conversation ended abruptly.

      But this time she had an answer to her question. She was to go to Wyoming to interview for a temporary job as housekeeper.

      Of course, it might all come to nothing, but she’d wanted adventure. She wasn’t going to retreat at the first offer just because the future wasn’t guaranteed.

      Twenty-four hours later, her opinion changed. “You are crazy!” she told herself. Leslie gnawed on her bottom lip as she stared down the narrow, deserted road. When it got dark in Wyoming, it really got dark.

      Back home in Kansas City, there always seemed to be another house, a store, something around the bend. People passing you on the road.

      Out here, there was nothing. She hadn’t seen another car in the past half hour. Glancing down at the piece of paper on the other seat, she wondered if she was lost. No, she hadn’t passed another road like the one shown on the sketchy map the motel clerk had given her. After she’d gotten a room, she’d headed out to the Bar-G Ranch, as per the child’s instructions last night.

      She shuddered as a strong wind rocked the car and wet flakes of snow began spitting on her windshield. “Yes, you’re absolutely crazy,” she reaffirmed. Otherwise she wouldn’t have taken a child’s word that she should come. But at least she’d had a purpose to her drive today.

      A break in the fence on her right that she could barely see in the dark had her easing off the gas pedal. Yes, there it was, just as the clerk had said. She flicked on her blinker and then laughed. Who cared if she signaled? She seemed to be the only driver for miles around.

      Not that being alone bothered her. She’d spent a lot of time alone or with her mother for the past four years.

      She drove over a cattle guard, but if she’d expected to find a ranch house nearby, she was disappointed. No habitation was within the range of her headlights.

      With a sigh, she pressed back down on the gas pedal. She might as well get this over with. If this job didn’t work out, she’d have to try to make a rational decision about her future. She couldn’t continue to wander around.

      Two miles later, she found D. Graybow’s house, surrounded by several other buildings. There were lights burning, she noted with a sigh of relief. She guessed they really were expecting her.

      She parked the car close to a long porch that ran the length of the house. Warily she climbed the steps and rapped on the door.

      No one answered at first. She rapped again. This time she heard voices, children’s voices, and then a deeper voice, accompanied by a heavy tread. She recognized that growl.

      The door swung open and she stared at a handsome cowboy—tight jeans, boots and all. Of course, his shirt was wrinkled and had stains, his hair looked as if he’d just shoved one of his big hands through it and the scowl on his face was unwelcoming. But he was handsome.

      “Mr. Graybow?”

      “Yeah?”

      Definitely СКАЧАТЬ