A Maverick for the Holidays. Leanne Banks

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СКАЧАТЬ be getting married very soon. Although Forrest was happy for his brother, he couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed by how quiet his place was now that his brother had left.

      Forrest lifted weights. His cell phone rang, surprising him. He didn’t recognize the number, but noticed it was local. “Forrest Traub,” he said.

      “Hi, Forrest,” a breathless feminine voice said. “This is Angie Anderson.”

      Whoa, he thought and set down his weights. “Hi, how are you?”

      “I’m fine,” she said. “How are you?”

      “Pretty good,” he replied and began to pace. “How can I help you?”

      “Thank you for the offer,” she said with a laugh. “I have an idea. I think it would be great if the ROOTS kids got involved in a GI holiday pen pal program.”

      Forrest nodded. “Not a bad idea. You can get in touch with a national group—”

      “I don’t want to do that,” she said. “I want to keep it more local, and I was hoping you could help me.”

      Surprise raced through him. “Me?”

      “Yes, you. You would be perfect. You’re a veteran. You could inspire the ROOTS group,” she said.

      Forrest shook his head. “I’m not sure—”

      “I am,” Angie said. “Let’s get together and talk about it.”

      Forrest blinked. Sheesh. This woman moved fast. “I’m not coming into town today, so—”

      “I can come to you,” she said. “Where do you live?”

      “Hey, that’s not necessary,” he said.

      “It’s no problem,” she said. “Where do you live?”

      He sighed and gave her the address. “You really don’t need to do this,” he said.

      “It’s really no problem. See you later. I’ll bring lunch,” she said and hung up before he could protest.

      Forrest stared at his phone and had a bad premonition. This woman was going to be trouble.

      A few hours later, he heard footfalls bounding up the steps to the front porch of the rooming house. Since he was currently the only occupant, he suspected that Angie was his visitor. He opened the door before she had a chance to knock and looked at her. The sight of her fresh beauty made something skitter under his skin. She looked so innocent, feminine and real.

      “Hey,” he said.

      “Hey,” she said with a broad smile in return. “Can I come in?”

      “Sure,” he said and noticed she was carrying a bag from a local sub shop. “You didn’t need to bring food.”

      “I told you I would. If you can drum up some coffee or water, we’re covered,” she said.

      “Okay,” he said and led her inside the first-floor-level suite.

      “This is nice,” she said, looking around as she followed him inside.

      He filled a couple glasses of water in the small kitchen and returned to her. “It fits my needs at the moment.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Listen, I may not be the best source for your pen pal idea. I left several months ago and I don’t really know that many soldiers from around here.”

      “Oh, you don’t have to help me with names. I can get those. No problem. What I want you to do is talk to the ROOTS group and tell them how good it felt to receive cards and letters of encouragement. Especially around the holidays.” She jiggled her bag. “Do you want to eat in the kitchen?”

      “There isn’t much of one,” he said. “I usually eat in here,” he said, tilting his head toward the den area.

      She gave a short chuckle. “You sound like me. Ever since I’ve been living alone, I eat my frozen meal in front of the TV. When I’m home, that is,” she added as she sank onto the sofa. “Most of the time, I’m on the go.”

      “Why don’t you get a roommate?” he asked.

      “I don’t know. I just haven’t gotten around to it,” she said. “Ever since I was thirteen, it was just my sister, brother and me. It feels strange now.”

      He wondered what had happened to her parents, but didn’t want to pry. “I know what you’re saying. Since my brother and Antonia got together and he moved into the main house, it’s pretty quiet here.”

      “Well, maybe I can break down and fix a meal and you can come over to my place for dinner sometime,” she said.

      Even though Angie was cute as a button and clearly attracted to him, he didn’t want to give her false hope. Forrest cleared his throat. “So what kind of sandwiches do you have in that bag?” he asked, deliberately avoiding her suggestion.

      “Oh,” she said. “I made a big guess that you’re not a vegetarian and got you an Italian hero.”

      He laughed under his breath as he unwrapped the sandwich. “Good guess. Thanks.”

      She opened her notebook. “Now, I’ve done some research on the pen pal programs, and I think this will be very empowering for our ROOTS kids. So much of the time, they don’t feel as if they have any control over their lives. Especially if they’re having problems at home or school. This is a small thing they can do, and it’s not a big commitment, but it has big impact on both the sender and the receiver. Don’t you agree?”

      Forrest hadn’t really thought much about it, but he supposed it was true. Angie was so enthusiastic he felt like a heel at the thought of letting her down. “I guess so.”

      “I knew you would think so. I also worked with a local program last year called Presents for Patriots. I’d like to see if there’s a way to expand the program this year,” she said.

      “Whoa,” he said, lifting his hand and shaking his head. “I’m not the most jolly guy on the block these days. Maybe you’d better find someone who has more Christmas spirit.”

      Angie gaped at him in disbelief. “But everyone loves Christmas. It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

      Forrest blinked. Was she serious? She looked so crestfallen it was as if he’d told her that Santa didn’t exist. He wondered if she was kidding, but quickly saw she wasn’t. The woman was obviously over the moon about Christmas. Forrest had the feeling that refusing her would feel the same as kicking a puppy.

      Mentally swearing, he sighed. “Okay, okay. I’ll help.”

      She leaped toward him and put her arms around him. “Oh, thank you. I knew you’d be perfect.”

      Taken off guard by her impulsive embrace, Forrest tried not to notice how sweet her hair smelled within an inch of his nose and the way her breasts felt brushing against his chest. He glanced down at her pink lips and tried to remember the last time he’d kissed a woman.

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