Once Upon a Texas Christmas by Winnie Griggs

Author:Winnie Griggs
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2017-01-10T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Once he was back in the office, Seth opened the judge’s letter. It was singularly lacking in details or apologies. Apparently Jamie’s dormitory would be closed through the end of the year and the judge thought the best place for the boy in the interim was with Seth. Seth wasn’t at all certain he agreed with that decision, but it was too late for that now.

Though Seth admired Judge Madison a great deal, and owed him for the opportunity he’d given him to make something of his life, Seth also knew the man could be craftily manipulative, in a benevolent sort of way. He’d probably thought putting him and Jamie together for a couple of months would be a good thing, whether Seth agreed or not.

What in the world was he going to do now?

Before he’d come up with an answer to that question, the office door opened and he looked up to see Abigail stepping inside. “Mrs. Carmichael is settled in her room. And Jamie?”

“The same. Thank you for accompanying me this morning.”

“You’re welcome. Did you find out how long they’ll be with us?”

“He, not they. It appears Mrs. Carmichael is leaving tomorrow. Jamie, on the other hand, is stuck here for a while, perhaps until the end of the year.”

“I see.”

Her expression was thoughtful, assessing, and he sensed that perhaps she saw a little too much.

Then she smiled. “That will certainly give the two of you time to get to know each other better.”

“I have work to do here.” He hoped he’d kept the defensiveness from his tone.

“That seems to be a constant refrain with you.”

He frowned at her censorious tone.

“Perhaps Jamie can tag along for at least part of the day. I’m sure he would enjoy learning a little about what it is you do,” Abigail said.

“I don’t have a lot of spare time to keep up with a child or answer his questions.” Seth mentally winced at the petulant tone in his voice. “Besides, a construction site can be a dangerous place for a child.”

She gave him a knowing look. “You’re right, of course. It would be irresponsible to allow him to go in the construction areas without someone to keep a close eye on him. If you’re worried you might get distracted, Jamie is welcome to spend part of his time with me. And, of course, we ought to see about enrolling him in the local school. I could take care of it for you, if you like.”

He latched on to that idea like a lifeline. “School, of course. That would be a big help, thank you.” In fact it was a very good idea. Being in school would keep Jamie occupied elsewhere for a good part of the day.

“Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”

His first instinct was to say yes, he minded a lot. There were too many secrets he’d prefer to keep buried. But refusing seemed churlish. “Ask away.”

“Why did you feel it necessary to send

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