Western Christmas Wishes. Brenda Minton
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Название: Western Christmas Wishes
Автор: Brenda Minton
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Короткие любовные романы
Серия: Mills & Boon Love Inspired
isbn: 9781474099219
isbn:
He could have gone anywhere to start his new life but he’d decided to settle in Hope, Oklahoma, the town that had given him a second chance. Jack West and his ranch for wounded warriors had been a huge part of his recovery.
And the place where he’d grown up no longer felt like home. The ranch in Texas had been sold. His siblings had all moved away. He’d needed somewhere to put down roots and rebuild his life.
“Where is the nursing home?” Laurel Adams asked as they neared the house.
“On the highway, heading toward Grove. If you’re familiar with the area, it’s the road on the right, before the bridge.”
Her face scrunched but she didn’t say anything, and instead glanced at Rose. If she thought Rose would give her directions, she was wrong. No doubt Rose would lead her on a wild-goose chase.
He pulled the house key out of his pocket and showed Laurel how to turn it while jiggling the door handle. She watched, leaning in close. She smelled good, like herbal shampoo and a light perfume, something not too sweet or heavy. He liked it.
A lot.
He pulled back and handed over the key.
“Is that it?”
“No, you’ll need to know where the breaker box is. If you run the dishwasher, microwave and coffeepot at the same time, a breaker will flip. You’ll have to reset it.”
“I don’t plan on it,” she said, then nodded and relented. “Okay, go ahead and show me.”
Behind them, Rose giggled. He shot her a look and she tried for innocent but then she waggled her eyebrows and glanced at Laurel’s back. He shook his head. Rose nodded, and then suddenly remembered the object in her pocket and her hand went back in, protectively covering the kitten she was pretending she didn’t have.
He continued guiding Gladys’s granddaughter through the house. The tour included information on the tricky breaker box, showing her how to reset the furnace thermostat, then telling her about the stray dog that wasn’t Gladys’s, but she fed the mongrel, anyway.
Rose occasionally gave him a pointed look and he tried to avoid eye contact with the teenager. When she started jerking her head toward the granddaughter and nodding, he aimed a finger at her to stop her nonsense. He remembered his little sister doing the same thing to him when she thought he ought to like a specific girl.
He was only too glad to bid both of them goodbye and head back to his place. He was on his own again. They were on their own.
Of course it wouldn’t be that simple. Christmas was just weeks away and the little town of Hope fairly buzzed with Christmas cheer. Laurel Adams was in his life for at least a week, maybe longer if her meddling grandmother had any say in the matter.
Knowing Gladys the way he did, he knew that Christmas would have its share of surprises.
“How long are you staying?” the girl in the passenger seat asked without looking at Laurel.
“A week or two.”
“Figures.”
Laurel kept driving, looking for the turn before the bridge that Cameron Hunt had mentioned. “What does that mean?”
“Aunt Gladys said you wouldn’t stay long because the past hurts too much. Or something like that. But I think the past shouldn’t be as important as your grandmother. Or maybe you should deal with the past and move on.”
Laurel spotted her turn and hit her turn signal. “How old are you?”
“Thirteen.” A mew from inside her pocket punctuated the sentence.
“Thirteen and you’re a self-designated life coach?”
“Nope, I just know stuff. I’ve lived a lot of life in thirteen years.”
“Yes, well, I’m sure you don’t know as much as you think you do. I’m not sure what your problem is, but you can’t sit there and diagnose my life.” Laurel sighed. She was arguing with a kid.
From the passenger seat, Rose whispered something to the kitten in her pocket.
“What?” Laurel asked, softening her tone.
“You asked what my problem is. A lot of things. I’m difficult, dysfunctional, dyslexic and a lot of other D words. Some of them I can’t repeat because my mother had a colorful way with words that Aunt Gladys doesn’t appreciate.” Her tone was dry but there was a brief flicker of pain that Laurel couldn’t miss.
“I’m sorry,” Laurel said. “Is this the right way?”
It definitely didn’t look like the right way and her phone didn’t have a signal, so there was no GPS.
“I don’t think so.”
“Rose, maybe you could give me directions?” she said as she pulled over, just as a red truck drove by. “I’m sure you’ve visited Gladys and know how to get there. And why do you have a kitten in your pocket?”
Rose grinned and pulled the kitten from her coat. “I’ve never had a pet.”
“You can’t just take a kitten. It might need to be with its mother.”
“It’s six weeks old. They’re ready to be weaned. That’s what Cameron said last week. If Gladys won’t let me keep it, I’ll take it back to the mama cat. But I’m going to tell Gladys I got it for her. She won’t turn away a gift.”
“You think that’ll work?”
Rose shrugged. “Worth a shot.”
“Good luck with that. Now, how do I get to the nursing home?”
“You’re on the right road. It looks like a driveway but it really is a road.”
“Thank you.”
She put the car in Drive and continued on down the road. As they rounded a bend, she saw the red truck ahead of them.
“That’s Cam’s truck,” Rose informed her.
“Is it?”
“Yeah, he must have worried that I would get you lost. He acts all grouchy and tough but he’s really okay.”
“Good to know.”
“Pretty cute, too. If you just look at the side without the scars.”
“I’m not interested,” Laurel informed the teen.
“Right, because you’re getting over a bad breakup and you resent men because you never knew your father. I didn’t know mine, СКАЧАТЬ