April of Enchantment (Sweetly Contemporary Collection) by Blake Jennifer

Author:Blake, Jennifer [Blake, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance
Publisher: Steel Magnolia Press
Published: 2012-10-12T21:00:00+00:00

The bathroom of the Nichols mansion contained an old-fashioned tub with a rolled rim, porcelain knobs, and ball-and-claw feet. It was longer and deeper than its modern counterpart; made with comfort in mind rather than utility, it had a slanted back that was perfect for soaking at ease.

Laura, her hair piled on top of her head, stepped into steaming water scented with roses and jasmine. As she lay down, she allowed a long sigh to escape her. She hadn’t realized how chilled she was until this moment. The outside temperature had dropped fifteen degrees in the last two hours. Then there had been the wait in the drafty hall while the fire was doused and the doors and windows checked once more. That wasn’t all of it. She had also gotten damp at Crapemyrtle, on the run from the house to Russ’s car. He had offered her his raincoat, but she had refused. In the car, the heater had been on, but even then the atmosphere had not been very warming.

Oh, there had been no overt hostility. Russ had talked in a near-normal tone, telling them how he had arrived back in town earlier, decided to call Laura, and been told that she had not yet returned from Crapemyrtle, Mrs. Nichols had been thinking of setting out in the antique shop’s panel truck to look for her, and Russ had volunteered to run out to the house instead. Laura had made an attempt to keep the conversation going, saying how glad she was to see Russ, explaining about the storm and the fallen tree as she sat between the two men. Justin had added his bit, saying they must have caught the outside edge of the tornado rather than its full force, asking about local contractors who might be called in early the next morning to remove the downed oak. He would stay overnight at his motor hotel, he said, but he needed to drive back into Baton Rouge as soon as it could be arranged in the morning.

Still, beneath it all, there was a sense of questions unasked, unanswered. Russ, Laura thought, would have been glad to know just what she and Justin had been doing at the house alone, why they had been taking no positive action toward relieving their predicament, and why they seemed less than ecstatic about being rescued. Justin seemed disinclined to offer explanations. Laura thought of attempting to set matters straight herself, but as she ran the story she might tell through her mind, she abandoned the idea. In spite of her knowledge of how reasonable it was, it sounded too lame.

Russ had dropped Laura off at her home before taking Justin on to where he was staying. He had brushed away her thanks, saying only that he would call her. Justin’s good-bye had been abrupt, his expression grim as he stepped out into the rain, holding the car door for her while she slid across the seat and got out. For a brief

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.