Mountain Mistletoe Christmas by Patricia Johns

Author:Patricia Johns
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-07-15T12:48:02+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

THE REST OF the evening flowed pleasantly, all conversation about marriage mistakes over. They had dinner, and the roast was delicious. Not only was it great to have a proper sit-down meal, but Nick was a good cook, too. There were mashed potatoes on the side, and steamed peas. Bram made a mess of himself eating the potatoes by handfuls, and Amelia was upbeat and talkative on all sorts of subjects from politics to art to celebrity gossip.

Jen kept an eye on the clock, and when it was getting close to Bram’s bedtime, she made her excuses and started gathering up Bram’s things.

She’d enjoyed the evening, but having Nick’s daughter here made the tone different. It also reminded her of exactly what people seemed to think of her now that she was divorced. When she was still married to Sam, she had the defense that they were happy. But having divorced him, she couldn’t stand by that any longer, and having Nick mention his worries about his daughter in relation to her own choices had stung. If she let herself flirt back with him, was he going to think the same thing her sister did—that she was just looking for a way to make her life easier?

“I’ll help you carry everything back,” Nick said.

Jen glanced around herself at the diaper bag, and Bram’s coat and boots. Bram stood there rubbing his eyes and gave a slow yawn.

“Thanks,” Jen said. “I could use the help.”

“Come on, Goldie,” Nick called. “Walk time.”

Goldie bounded for the door, and Jen shot Amelia a smile.

“It was really nice seeing you again,” Jen said. “Take care.”

“You, too!” Amelia said.

Amelia was smart and interesting. Jen had a feeling that whomever Amelia married wouldn’t be able to push her around too easily. But she didn’t seem to have a lot of consideration for her father’s feelings. Maybe Nick was right and state school might have been better for her, character wise.

They headed out into the cold night together, Bram’s little head against Jen’s shoulder as they walked back through the evening dark. Nick was at her side, and when she came to an icy part on his drive, his strong hand came under her elbow to steady her.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve carried a kid this size,” Jen said.

“Even longer for me,” Nick said.

“Does it still feel like yesterday?”

Nick smiled faintly. “Yeah, it does.”

Even when Drew was little, Sam hadn’t been this attentive, and she glanced up at Nick. He was strong and solid, and she liked the look of his beard shining in the light of the streetlamp. He was just so...male, and she liked it. Dammit—was she softening at the thought of rescue again? She’d better stop that.

There was something about this man that made her feel that much more feminine, though. Maybe it was the sheer size of him. He was right about being a source of testosterone—he oozed it. She shivered, and it wasn’t because of the cold. Then she fixed her gaze ahead of her.

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