The Sheriff's Christmas Twins by Karen Kirst

Author:Karen Kirst
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-11-17T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Allison’s heart was a house divided—joy and hope coexisting with sorrow and disappointment. On the one hand, the prospect of becoming a mother made her giddy with excitement. The more she considered and prayed over the matter, the more convinced she was that God had brought her to Gatlinburg for this very reason. However, the bright future dangling in front of her was tempered with the knowledge that the man she loved saw her as an inconvenience. A threat, actually, to his well-laid plans.

In the picturesque, white clapboard church, female voices mingled with children’s laughter and echoed off the stained-glass windows. She worked at one of several makeshift tables, grateful to be in the company of other women and to have something productive to occupy her time.

“Have you heard about Shane’s mishap?”

Caroline had stationed herself across the table and was folding knitted scarves of various colors and sizes to be placed in the gift baskets.

Allison’s hands stilled in the process of tying ribbons around sacks of candy. She felt the color drain from her face. “What happened?”

“He earned himself a beauty of a shiner.” Leaning over, she cupped the side of her mouth with one hand, her deep sea-colored eyes dancing with curiosity. “Shane Timmons is known for his vigilance. Something has him preoccupied.”

It was plain from Caroline’s manner that she thought Allison was the reason for his preoccupation. “Is he all right otherwise?”

“My guess is his pride is smarting more than anything else.”

Relief unfurled in her midsection. She glanced over to the pew where the O’Malley cousins’ mothers, Mary and Alice, sat entertaining Izzy and Charlie.

Her determination to maintain emotional detachment during this visit had turned into a spectacular failure. Circumstances and proximity had conspired to shatter her intentions. Allison must accept that her and Shane’s paths were never going to coincide. She desired home and family. He wanted nothing to do with those things.

“Here’s our chance to find out the details of what happened.” Caroline’s too-loud whisper interrupted her musings.

She followed the blonde’s line of sight to the rear alcove. Shane had entered a step ahead of his deputy. Both men wore dusters, neckerchiefs and buckskin gloves. Deadly-looking pistols glinted at their waists. They removed their hats at the same time. While Ben smiled and chatted with young women clustered nearby, Shane fluffed his blond-brown locks, his brooding gaze scanning the crowd.

Even from this distance, his injury was visible. His entire eye socket was ringed in ugly purple. Allison longed to soothe his discomfort, but it wasn’t her place.

Turning away before he spotted her, she resumed her task. Caroline commented on her reaction, of course, and Allison recalled that she was in a small town where gossip ran rampant. If she ignored him or acted out of the ordinary, the women would wonder about the cause.

Still, that didn’t mean she had to rush over and greet him with a fake smile. Five minutes passed before his heavy tread resounded down the aisle in her direction. Her stomach clenched.

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