Silver Thaw by Anderson Catherine

Author:Anderson, Catherine [Anderson, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction
ISBN: 9780451418340
Publisher: Signet
Published: 2015-01-06T08:00:00+00:00

* * *

Jeb drove with caution on the icy roads back to Mystic Creek. Mother Nature needed to back off and give central Oregon a short reprieve. Beside him, Amanda slept, her slender body pressed against the door, her head lolling on the window. Jeb was pleased that she’d drifted off. She’d had an exhausting day. At the law firm, she’d ranted at the attorney for sending her picture file to the state police. Johnson had been a gentleman, letting her vent for a minute, and then he’d explained that the pictures were evidence and had been shared with no one else but a female judge he knew in Eureka. He told Amanda that he completely understood how humiliating that was for her, but the pictures couldn’t be kept entirely private.

As Jeb navigated the slippery road toward home, images of Amanda’s and Chloe’s battered bodies flashed through his mind. Without having seen Amanda naked in the flesh, he knew that she had scars. Considering his luck, if he ever made it to third base with her, she’d be inordinately shy about revealing her body, thinking that he’d find the imperfections ugly. He grimaced at the thought. That was a long way down the road, he decided, and not something for him to worry about now.

It was dark when he pulled up in front of his parents’ home. The parking area was crowded by all three of his brothers’ trucks. Surprised, Jeb grinned. That was real family for you. When a Sterling was in trouble, other family members dropped everything to help. Jeb hadn’t asked for reinforcements, but he was glad to have them. Barney had postponed his birthday party this week because he couldn’t take time off, Ben had rodeo stock out the yang to tend, and Jonas, going for his bachelor’s in psychology, had quarterly finals coming up at the Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls, a two-hour drive away. None of them could spare the time to be here, but they’d come anyway.

Jeb cut the engine. “Mandy?” He gave her a light shake. “We’re back, honey. You need to wake up so we can go in and see Chloe.”

She jerked erect as if he’d poked her with a needle. “Chloe?” She struggled with her seat belt. “Oh, God. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“You needed the nap. And don’t get in a rush. Wait until I come around to help you out. I don’t want you falling on the ice.”

Jeb swung out of the truck, slammed the door, and walked around to open Amanda’s side. Normally, he took her by the arm, ever aware that she didn’t care to be touched anywhere personal. But tonight, she extended both arms and fell into his embrace. Grabbing her tightly, Jeb cherished the brief moment of holding her. Oh, man, I’ve got it bad. If she can never love me back, I’ll have to accept it. But letting her go will half kill me. He held her for as long as he could, pressing his cheek to the top of her head.

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