Making Christmas by Patricia McLinn

Author:Patricia McLinn [McLinn, Patricia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
ISBN: 9781944126926
Publisher: Craig Place Books
Published: 2021-01-08T14:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

Pauline stood firm on the number of shirts and she had the initial choice, but agreed he could save some of her choices from their octopi fate … down to the final two.

She went quietly into the bedroom, careful not to wake the three sleeping, and returned with seven shirts.

Squawking that they were brand new, Gramps immediately removed a white and dark blue. Then he dithered and complained until Pauline threatened to make the decision for him. He sacrificed a solid red and a red plaid. “Excellent. This will look Christmassy and you certainly can spare red shirts. That’s half your wardrobe.”

She instructed Eric and Kiernan on cutting the shirts into narrow fabric strips. Bexley started the hunt for three suitable soft balls to form the octopi heads before Pauline joined her.

They found three play balls that would do.

Gramps limited himself to a groan when he saw the package of balls being opened. Then he resumed instructing Dan.

They cut and sorted the fabric, but before they could do more, yawning became epidemic. They bundled up the fabric and stashed it away.

Dan was in his bedroll and asleep before Bexley and Pauline left the bar room.

*

He should be as sound asleep as the other three men nearby.

Instead, Kiernan, on his back, with his hands tucked under his neck, stared at the decidedly uninspiring ceiling, replaying the day … and avoiding any replays from farther back.

That didn’t keep his memories from getting him in trouble.

Have you done it?

She’d said those words and he’d flashed back to when he had.

Of course, he had — they had. Their bodies hot and slick and awkward and so right.

How could she ask? She knew. He knew she knew. For all that she pretended he was a pesky piece of furniture in her way every time she turned around.

He’d not felt like a piece of furniture standing close behind her, not even when she’d sidestepped to be clear of him. Nothing like a piece of furniture. Especially not when she brushed against him for a bare second — against her wishes, as she made clear by nearly leaping away.

While he… Well. The cold through the store’s door was all that let him recover soon enough to not make a total amadán of himself.

He listened to the wind knocking at the building, a faint scratching sound when it picked up a drift of snow and flung it at the walls.

What were the chances of Pauline bringing up the same flowers the woman at that place Dave and Jack took him had gone on and on about? She’d acted like they had significance to him, when he’d never heard of them before. What had she said? Something about they could be toxic when fresh, but medicinal later. How they bloomed so early, they promised spring, even in the snow.

Then, louder than the storm outside, a little girl’s voice sounded in his head.

You’re not folding. You’re just staring at Bexley.

He hoped to hell he could still say he hadn’t made a total amadán of himself when this was all over.

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.