The Christmas Room by Tanya Hanson

Author:Tanya Hanson [Hanson, Tanya]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Holiday, Late Life Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2014-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Rooney banged his good fist on the fence of the little corral behind the boarding house. A swift ride on Amigo was the only thing to settle him. “Good God, Barn Owl, I feel asleep on her!”

His heart sank into the sand at his feet. Desperate. No Martita in sight at the table while Nalani had served a hearty noon meal. Had his insult been complete? Was she avoiding him?

“You did what?” Barny stopped grooming a horse neither of them could name. “What the hell?” His own horse D’Artagnan was already shining. Rooney understood Barn Owl’s need to keep up the activities of ranch life, stuck here as a nurse-maid.

Barny clenched a fist. “You fell asleep on her? On her? You compromise that lovely lady?”

Rooney ground his teeth. Oh, lovely lady. Indeed she was, polite and sympathetic, too. But his skin heated from top to toe, recalling his rude behavior. Amigo whickered behind him .

“No, I don’t mean on her. In that way.” He fingered his collar to cool his face. “I mean, in her presence. On a buggy ride. She touched my face to wake me up. Just like her kid.”

The sun blazed hotter yet, but the sea breeze misted through it.

“Aw, don’t rile yourself. Easy enough to get lulled.” Barny stomped over with a chuckle. “The waves back and forth, the hot sun. Wind covering you up. Soft like a blanket. You won’t need to marry her.”

“Marry her?” The words didn’t disgust Rooney but then, Barn Owl was funning around. “Not that either. I’m no baby, like Timothy. She’s likely thinking I got bored in her company. She’s bound to think me impolite...and a weakling. Of unsound body.”

Barny guffawed, loud. “Hell and well, that much is true. You’re in her house getting rest. Can’t speak to her boredom, however. But what’s going on? Why does it fret you? You said that Geraldine of yours broke your spirit against womankind.”

Rooney chewed his lip. “She did.”

“So why should you care what Martita thinks?”

His heart tumbled at the sound of her name. “I don’t quite know what’s changing in me.”

“I do.” Barny smirked, came close to leer up into Rooney’s face. “It’s called the spirit of aloha.”

Rooney pushed him away. “No more of your island jibber jabber.”

“No, you listen up, Roon. It means being a part of everything, and everything being a part of you.”

A snort. “Like I just said. Jibber jabber.”

Barny punched Rooney’s good arm, but not hard. “Where there is pain, it is your pain. Or joy, it’s your joy.”

“Hmmmm. Everything?”

“Indeed.”

“Secrets, then? Folks hereabouts share secrets?”

His friend’s lips twisted in thought. “I don’t know that part. Everybody has secrets, and a right to them. You either keep secrets, or you don’t.” He rubbed his face, big eyes squinted against the sun in spite of his brim. “But one thing I’ve learned, you don’t badger somebody to get their secrets out of them.”

“I reckon you’re right. That’s snooping.” Kind of like what I need to do to find Martha...

Their gazes met just then, like they were thinking the same thought.

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.