The Second Chance by CATHERINE MANN

Author:CATHERINE MANN
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-08-15T15:31:08+00:00

Eight

Yanking a thick cable-knit sweater over his head, Chuck charged down the stairs, toward his mother, who was still in the entryway. He didn’t think she would actually come up to the second floor. Still, Jeannie and Shana had shared an ease and familiarity in the past. His wife had given his mom a key with Shana’s blessing to use it.

But that was then.

Now things were so very different. His progress with Shana was hard-won. He couldn’t take any risks that might upset the tenuous balance.

The heat of their night together was burned in his memory. Being with Shana had always been incredible, beyond anything he’d experienced with other women. But last night had surpassed even what had come before between them. He wanted to see where that connection could lead, but...

Jeannie leaned against the off-white couch. As always, his mother looked perfectly arranged. From the great window, sunlight glinted off her pearls. A staple of her wardrobe. Pearls that had been in the family for generations.

Moving farther into the living room, he feigned nonchalance as he pulled back the curtains. A light dusting of snow softened the horizon view, an elk leaving a trail of hoofprints on the pristine lawn.

“I’m sorry if I disrupted your morning,” Jeannie apologized, nodding toward his bare feet. “I brought food—a simple chicken-and-rice dish that always settled my stomach when I was pregnant.” She lifted a casserole dish, her smile genuine but concerned.

Growing up, food was what had woven together his family. Though lack of money had never plagued their family life, Jeannie refused to employ a cook. She’d preferred to prepare meals herself. Chuck’s earliest memories always seemed to place him back in the grand Mikkelson kitchen and his mother moving between island countertop and stove, the scent of spices heavy in the air. She’d made sure they’d built traditions. They all ate in the kitchen, no formal dining room stuffiness. She made it clear to her children that values were more important than money.

Which made him itch now, thinking about how he was skirting the truth with Shana.

“Thanks, Mom. Luckily Shana hasn’t been suffering from morning sickness yet, but we always welcome your cooking.”

Taking the still-warm plate from his mother’s manicured hands, he tilted his head, nodding toward the kitchen. A concerned smile still painted her lips as she smoothed her cream-colored cardigan before following him.

Toes touching the kitchen tile, Chuck tried to shake last night from his mind. He needed to focus on the present. He appreciated the support from his mother, but he ached to return to his bed, to Shana. He was anxious about the fragile rekindled connection. Hell, he wanted to bury his fingers in her honeyed hair.

Clearing her throat, his mother cut through Chuck’s thoughts. “Will you be joining us at the rodeo tomorrow afternoon? We’ve got a ringside box to cheer on Marshall.”

Chuck hadn’t given it much thought, with his life in so much turmoil. But it sounded like a good possibility for a date night with Shana, while also further acclimating her to his new extended family.

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