One Hundred Merry Memories (An Aspen Cove Romance Book 24) by Kelly Collins

Author:Kelly Collins [Collins, Kelly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Book Nook Press
Published: 2023-10-25T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

Amanda’s lips lingered against his, her arms wrapping around his neck, her body pressed so close, they were like one. His eyes snapped open, the rude awakening coming in the form of a cold splash against his forehead. The room was still dim, the first light of dawn creeping in through the window, but the recurring drip, drip, drip echoing around the space was hard to ignore, as was his soaking-wet pillowcase.

“Seriously?” he muttered, squinting up at the discolored patch of wood on his ceiling where last night’s snowmelt had found an escape. With a groan of resignation, he tossed off the warm blankets, bracing himself against the sting of the chilly wooden floor beneath his bare feet.

He made his way to his old army footlocker. He knew he had a mason jar full of change and a roll of duct tape. He emptied the coins, trying to keep the clanking to a minimum so he wouldn’t wake Amanda, then moved the bed, and placed the jar beneath the leak. The water drip, drip, dripped, creating a sound like a metronome.

“Leaking roofs and chilly mornings, eh, Gunner?” he murmured to the dog sprawled across his rug. Gunner’s tail thumped against the floor in response.

Pulling on his flannel shirt, the cold material prickling his skin, he peered out the unbroken part of his window at the faintly lightening horizon. “Still wouldn’t trade this, would we, boy?” Gunner’s answering bark echoed in the quiet morning, sealing their pact.

He put his finger to his lips and said, “Shhh, you’re going to wake her up.” He tugged on his pants and pulled a chair from the corner to right under the leak. He found himself in an absurdly domestic battle—him against the stubborn drip. “If I can get this to slow down, it’ll give me time to get into town and gather whatever supplies I need to fix this.”

Gunner’s head bobbed up and down like he was following Jackson’s train of thought.

Standing precariously on an old, squeaky chair with a roll of tape in one hand, he glanced down at Gunner, eyeing the mason jar with sheer fascination.

“You’d think it was a game, huh?” he asked the dog while pressing a strip of duct tape against the leak. Gunner’s tongue lolled out in a canine grin. Every escaped drop was met with an eager leap and a snap of Gunner’s jaws as if he was on a mission to help catch the falling water before it hit the jar.

His laughter filled the room, bouncing off the walls. “You’re a real comedian, you know that?” he told Gunner, bending down to ruffle the dog’s wet fur. Believing he’d staunched the flow, he jumped off the chair and landed with a thud. “So much for keeping things quiet.”

He tossed the tape on the chair, but it bounced off, hitting the jar and sending a splash of water across the wooden floor.

“Ah, great,” he sighed.

Gunner chased the stream, prancing around in delight at the unexpected playtime.

“Of course, you’d find this fun,” Jackson said, his frown softening into a smile.

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.