Yours To Keep (The Kowalskis) by Stacey Shannon

Author:Stacey, Shannon [Stacey, Shannon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Carina Press
Published: 2012-03-01T00:00:00+00:00

IT WAS ALMOST DUSK before the horde of Kowalskis got themselves settled on a patchwork island of old quilts. Cat staked her claim on one corner by setting down her bag and the straw hat she’d worn earlier to keep the sun off her face. Then she wandered away to see who she could run into.

She stopped here and there, saying hello to a few friends, but when she saw Russell Walker sitting on one of the park benches, she was forced to admit to herself she’d been looking for him. He was alone, so she took a deep breath to steady her ridiculous schoolgirl nerves and walked over.

“Is this seat taken?”

His face brightened when he saw her and he patted the empty bench next to him. “I was sitting on a blanket with Dani and her husband, but I’m a little old for that.”

“Emma and I are with Sean’s family, but I thought I’d go for a walk and put off sitting on the ground for as long as possible.”

“Would they be upset at all if you stayed here with me?”

With the number of people on the Kowalskis’ acre of blankets, they probably wouldn’t even notice she was gone. “Probably not.”

“Do you care if they are?”

She smiled and shook her head. “Not really, no.”

And speaking of Emma, there she came, obviously looking for her. She waved her hand to get her attention and didn’t miss the surprise that crossed Emma’s face.

“Hi, Mr. Walker. We were starting to think Gram got lost.”

“I think I’m going to watch the fireworks with Russell.”

“Oh.” Cat watched Emma try to wrap her mind around that. “Okay.”

“You look lovely tonight,” Russell said. “Clearly, love agrees with you.”

Because she was looking for it, Cat saw the flash of guilt in Emma’s eyes before she smiled and couldn’t resist poking at her. “Russell tells me he hasn’t met Sean yet.”

“No. He…uh…Sean’s not much of a shopper. And he goes down to the stores in the city when he needs stuff so he can visit his aunt and uncle at the same time.”

At least the girl was consistent. Cat wondered if she’d made up cue cards. “You’ll have to bring him over after the fireworks.”

“Yeah. Maybe. So…have fun.”

She walked away, but Cat caught her looking back with a frown, as if trying to puzzle out why her Gram was choosing to watch the fireworks with the guy who owned the hardware store instead of with her family.

Then they fired a test shot, and Cat put Emma out of her mind as the burst lit up the darkening sky.

They oohed and aahed along with the rest of the crowd, and as the show built toward the grand finale, Russell’s hand bumped hers. It rested there for a moment and then he threaded his fingers through hers.

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