Tactical Advantage by Julie Miller

Author:Julie Miller [Miller, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9780373696758
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Annie climbed out of Nick’s silver Jeep and squinted against the bright morning sun reflecting off the blanket of snow that sloped up to his parents’ front porch. Her headache and occasional wooziness from standing or turning too quickly seemed to have gone after a good night’s sleep. But her trepidation about visiting the two-story yellow-and-white Victorian—and all the people she’d met at the hospital gathered there—made her cling to the door handle and consider climbing back inside.

“This will be a quick stop.” Nick’s door shut behind her and she transferred her grip to the strap of her purse hanging across her chest. He circled around the car and joined her on the curb. “I just need to pick up a few things. I’ll get my bag and clothes and we’ll be gone.”

The big house and sprawling yard certainly looked big enough to accommodate all of them. But still, Nick had to be twenty-eight? Twenty-nine? “You live with your mom and dad?”

“Very funny. Natalie and I have our own apartments in town. But because Noah, Nadine and Nate are home from college, and Grandma and Grandpa Fensom are visiting, Nat and I came home for the holidays to make it a real family reunion.” He touched his hand to the small of her back to guide her through the snow at the curb onto the cleared sidewalk. “That way, if we get caught up in a twenty-four-hour game of Risk, or want to watch the complete Lord of the Rings DVD marathon, we don’t have to worry about cutting out on the fun early, or showing up late for breakfast. Besides, the midnight snacks here are way better than anything I’ve got at my place.”

She moved away from the brush of his hand, more alarmed by the instant tingling of heat and awareness she felt than by the holiday traditions he described. “You played a game for twenty-four hours?”

Even in this well-tended, tree-lined suburban neighborhood, Nick kept looking back and forth, scanning up and down the street, taking note of cars driving past and neighbors shoveling or snowblowing their driveways and walks. “I won, by the way. Reclaimed the title that Nate stole from me last year.”

Despite the friendly chatter and clear sunshine, he didn’t seem any more relaxed about watching over her than he’d been last night. But if he could pretend he hadn’t moved closer to shield her from a direct line of sight from the street, then she could pretend her nerves weren’t perched on a thin ledge, waiting to jump at anything that moved in the shadows. “With your competitive streak? Who could believe that?”

He laughed at her sarcasm, pausing for her to precede him up the painted white steps onto the porch. “Did you and your folks ever do anything crazy like that for the holidays?”

Annie’s boots stuttered to a halt. He was bringing up her parents? After the horrific loss she’d shared with him last night? But then she looked up into her reflection in his wraparound sunglasses and saw the sadness and shock there.

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.