A Simple Christmas by Charlotte Hubbard

Author:Charlotte Hubbard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2018-07-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Rosalyn sucked in her breath, but after a wonderful evening and Marcus’s valiant effort to get her home safely, she wasn’t going to let him take the heat—nor did she appreciate the accusation lurking beneath Dat’s words. “We went to Morning Star for pizza, and then—”

“I didn’t ask you,” Dat interrupted brusquely. “But I’m highly disappointed in you, daughter. You’re known by the company you keep—and once again you’ve defied me.”

“I’m sorry we’re so late,” Marcus said, stepping into the kitchen. “We got caught in the sleet, so it took us—”

“The weather has nothing to do with the fact that I’ve forbidden Rosalyn to spend time with you,” Dat said in a rising voice. “You’ve obviously slithered into my naïve daughter’s romantic imagination, and you were planning to take advantage of her innocence—most likely upstairs in her bedroom. Get out of my house. You’re not welcome here.”

“Dat, you’ve got it wrong!” Rosalyn protested. “It wasn’t as though Marcus took me for a sleigh ride against my will. I wanted to go—”

“We’ll discuss your fall from grace—the way you threw yourself into the face of temptation—later,” he snapped. “Go to your room.”

Rosalyn’s eyes widened. After all of her years as a chaste, dutiful daughter, why would her father believe she had such lustful inclinations? The child inside her wanted to duck her head and hurry upstairs to cry—but you’re twenty-eight years old. You can’t let Marcus bear the burden of Dat’s wrath alone.

She crossed her arms, refusing to move from Marcus’s side.

Dat’s eyes widened, but he focused again on Marcus. “You’ve done enough damage for one night, Hooley. Move on!”

Marcus, too, stood fast. “Your accusations are unfounded, sir,” he insisted. “Please let me explain—”

Rosalyn heard rapid footsteps descending the stairway, and a few moments later Loretta entered the kitchen, clutching her bathrobe around her. “I’m so glad you two made it home,” she murmured.

Drew, also in his robe, came in behind her. He assessed the situation. “Hey there, Marcus. Glad you made it safely through the storm and—”

“Don’t encourage him!” Dat cried out. “Now get a move on, Marcus, before I forcibly remove you from the premises!”

Marcus stood taller, studying the man whose face was growing ruddier in the light of the lamp he held. “We’ve barely even met, Cornelius, so why do you act as though I’m not fit to be in the same room with you or Roz?” he asked calmly. “If you’ll let me explain—”

“I’ve heard all I need to know about your sins with women!” Dat spouted, pointing at Marcus. “Her name is Rosalyn. And now you’ve led her into temptation, dragging her down to your level of—”

“Do your feelings have anything to do with the time I introduced myself in the bank?” Marcus asked. He seemed unruffled, as though he was prepared to deal with Dat on a different level. “I thought it was interesting that you were depositing wrapped bundles of bills that day, and I bet you didn’t want me to see that. Am I right?”

Rosalyn’s heart stopped.

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