A Sugar Plum Christmas (Return to Cutter's Creek) by Kari Trumbo

Author:Kari Trumbo [Trumbo, Kari]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Inked in Faith Publications
Published: 2021-11-26T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Nadia slowly made her way down the staircase that led into the main saloon. The building had originally been built to be an inn or boarding house. As she passed each one, she counted the many small rooms along the hall toward the stairs. It would’ve been the perfect setup when she’d thought being a madam was the only way to pull herself out of poverty.

Now she saw other options, but those came with complications. Rock was the biggest, most confusing complication of all. She’d forced her spirit into silence for years. Never had she allowed her heart to race in fear nor excitement. Men were men, and she’d done a job.

She felt guilt over her past choices as they separated her from people. No one understood her past or why she’d made the choices she had. She wanted to fit in with the town, but her feelings got in the way. Friendship would mean the end to her loneliness. She wanted to explore what she felt for Rock, but like every other man who’d entered her life, he seemed to want something from her. Yet she was sure he would only leave when all was said and done.

She’d given him the opportunity to take back his offer the night before. The words she’d wanted to hear from him remained bitterly unsaid. She’d danced with him, feeling raw as he walked away when she wanted nothing more than for him to stay. The contest was tomorrow, and her life might never be the same after. He could let her go.

Maybe he even wanted her to go.

Rock stood behind his bar, leaning on the shiny top, reading the newspaper in the light spilling in from the tall, narrow glass window above the back wall. She’d felt something pop between them the night before, with their hands clasped as they moved in time. Then he’d walked away and acted chilly once again.

“Good morning,” she whispered to keep her voice from echoing around the large empty room. Before she’d begun needing to hear his voice, she’d stayed in her kitchen. His voice was a necessity now.

The tables sat randomly throughout the room, some in her way, some not. Since the sunlight shone off the tops, they were all clean. The floor smelled of pine and had been mopped, so Max must have worked the night before. He still seemed to fear coming back into the kitchen, since he only did so when she needed him. All the stools and chairs were upended on the tables, lending an eerie feeling to the area. Nadia tugged her shawl closer around her.

“Morning,” Rock said without looking up. “I don’t know if you’ve put in an order with Alan or not, but I’ve decided we won’t open until the day after Christmas. I hope whatever you’ve got now won’t spoil.”

She couldn’t believe her ears. Rock opened every day except Sunday, and he only closed then because he assumed the churchgoers would prevent it. “I don’t think you’ve left that door locked for more than a few hours the entire time I’ve been here.

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.