Montana Mavericks Christmas by Susan Mallery & Karen Rose Smith

Author:Susan Mallery & Karen Rose Smith
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781742789736
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises Pty Ltd, Australia
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Two

The great room at the Madison School was nearly forty feet square, with a huge rock fireplace in one wall. Half a dozen sofas formed conversation groups, while card tables set up around the perimeter of the room offered places to play different games. The high-beamed ceiling added to the open feel of the space. The smell of wood smoke mingled with the lingering scent of popcorn from last night’s snack.

Darcy sat on a sofa in the corner, her feet tucked under her, listening intently as her brother, Dirk, described everything he’d packed in his suitcase.

“I even remembered my brush and comb,” he said proudly.

Darcy’s heart swelled with love for him as she studied his familiar face. They both had blue eyes and blond hair, but Dirk’s features were more masculine. And as much as it tweaked her ego, she had to admit he was the better looking of the siblings. At fourteen, he should have been suffering from skin troubles and a cracking voice. Instead he appeared to be making the transition into adolescence and manhood with little pain. He was growing steadily, which kept him lean, his skin was clear and she noticed the faint hint of a beard on his chin. Her baby brother was growing up.

“I’m impressed with your packing skills,” she said sincerely. “I have never taken a trip without forgetting something. Remember, when I went off to college and left all my registration stuff at home?”

Dirk laughed. “Mom had to bring it to you and she got real mad. You were in trouble on your first day.”

Darcy smiled at the memory, even as she tried to remember what it had felt like to be so irresponsible. Life had been easy back then—the world had been at her beck and call. Not anymore.

“You’re rarely in trouble,” she said.

Dirk beamed. “I can remember all the rules. Some of them are dumb, but I follow them. I like it here, Darcy. I want to stay.”

“I know.” She leaned forward and took his hand in hers. “You will stay right up until you’re ready to be on your own.”

He looked doubtful at the prospect. Darcy didn’t blame him. Self-sufficiency was years away for him, but the Madison School was one of the best in the country. The well-trained staff specialized in helping developmentally disabled teens become happy, productive adults. The process could take years, but Darcy was prepared to be patient. All the reports so far had been positive. Besides, Dirk was worth it.

“In the meantime,” she continued, “I guess you’re going to travel the world, aren’t you?”

He grinned. “I’m not going to see the world. Just Chicago.”

He made it sound like no big deal, but she saw the excitement brightening his eyes.

“Andrew says it’s cold there, so I’m taking my warmest jacket,” he continued. “You bought it for me last month. Remember?”

Darcy nodded.

“We’re going to sleep on the train. Andrew says the hotel will have a Turkey dinner for us when we get there.”

“I want to hear all about it,” Darcy said.

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.