A Lawman for Christmas by Karen Kirst

Author:Karen Kirst
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2017-11-23T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Ben accepted the pie his hostess pressed upon him and ate without tasting. He shouldn’t be here. He should be in the cabin across town, sitting down to good food and conversation at the Flores sisters’ table.

“Thank you for the meal, Patricia.” He’d dined with the Pattons enough times that Veronica’s mother had insisted on dispensing with the formalities.

“You know you’re always welcome, Ben.” Pausing in her clearing of the table, she fiddled with the pearls around her neck. “We were wondering if you’d made any Christmas plans.”

Across from Ben, Veronica picked at her dessert without eating. She’d acted annoyed the entire evening. When she didn’t add to the conversation, her mother gave him a strained smile.

“Veronica and I were discussing the sheriff’s trip to Norfolk, and we realized you might not have a place to go. We wouldn’t want you to be alone.”

“Oh, he hasn’t been alone, have you?” Veronica’s blue gaze speared him.

“You haven’t been at the jail much this past week.” Seated at the head of the table, Silas Patton took a long draw on his pipe and eyed Ben over the rims of his spectacles.

“Even when Shane’s in town, I tend to avoid long stretches at the jail. I prefer to make regular passes through town, stay informed on recent developments.”

“But you haven’t been making rounds,” Veronica challenged, her chin at a militant angle. “You’ve been preoccupied with that orphan boy and spending an awful lot of time at the Flores farm.”

Patricia resumed her seat and, smoothing her napkin in her lap, reached for her coffee. “I heard Isabel is thinking of adopting him.”

Veronica scowled. “Bad idea, if you ask me.”

Ben lowered his fork to his plate. “Why would you say that?”

“Must I list the reasons?”

Silas exhaled a line of piquant smoke. “No need, dear daughter. They’re quite obvious. I’m sure the girl’s aware of the difficulties, but she has no marriage prospects on the horizon. Thus, no children. She’s desperate.”

Ben tamped down his flare of temper. “Isabel is aware of the challenges. She cares about Eli, however, and is willing and able to overcome any obstacle that may arise.”

Mother and daughter shared a significant glance, but then Veronica banished the annoyance from her face. “Let’s not waste our evening talking of Isabel Flores and plans that don’t concern us. I thought you’d like to know I’ve purchased a dress for the McKennas’ Christmas party. It’s a shade somewhere between periwinkle and blueberry.”

“It certainly brings out your eyes, dear,” Patricia inserted. “Just wait until you see her in it, Ben. You’ll be scraping your jaw off the floor.”

Veronica preened. “If you don’t already have a shirt and vest to match, I’m sure Quinn can locate them for you.”

“I don’t follow.”

“You’re not the only one.” Silas chuckled. “These females and their fashion. I’m happy if I walk out the door in matching socks.”

“We’ll want our outfits to coordinate, of course,” Veronica told him impatiently. “Don’t you remember we talked about this?”

“I don’t recall discussing attending together, much less wearing matching clothing.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.