A Present for Christmas by Patricia PacJac Carroll

Author:Patricia PacJac Carroll [Carroll, Patricia PacJac]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: PacJac Publishing
Published: 2020-11-05T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Diane awoke the next morning with new hope. Perhaps her life was not to be left in shambles because of Jeff and his family. She saw the sun rise over the hill and hurriedly dressed. For once, she felt joy at going to the shop. She had new business coming in. The new schoolteacher was an interesting addition to the town and Claire’s boarding house. She hoped he’d be down for breakfast.

Claire had told her that he generally liked to take his meals in his room. He was a shy one. Then Diane remembered his eyes. They were an intelligent brown but warm at the same time.

She got the impression that he knew she was struggling to keep her tears in check when Carrie had asked about her day, and Claire had announced wedding bells. She thought Adrian had come to her rescue and the honest strength of his gaze and voice helped steady her until she could respond without falling apart. For that, she would forever be grateful to him.

Diane ran downstairs to the dining room and sat beside Carrie and was disappointed to see that Adrian wasn’t there. He must have had breakfast in his room. Some of the hope for the day dimmed. He was just being nice. That was all.

After breakfast, Diane made her way to the dress shop. How had her life become so mixed up? Finding her long lost love only to have Jeff disappoint her again. And now, Adrian. Yes, she enjoyed saying his name to herself. It was sophisticated and strong.

Well, at least, she would get some new business which she really needed. She had to make sure she paid Addy back even if her friend had told her she didn’t need to worry about it. At least Addy was truly happy with a man she loved.

Diane prayed that someday, she would find a man who cared for her. She shrugged and thought that perhaps it was Jeff. He did care for her. She’d felt sure of a future with him that night they danced at the social.

She opened the store and glanced at the clock. In thirty minutes, Adrian would come in with his shirts. Diane straightened the shelves to make a good impression on her new client. She went into the back of the store to gather some samples of colors that might make a nice shirt for a man. She held up the blue. It was light and bright and would contrast nicely with Adrian’s dark hair. She smiled as she remembered the way his hair curled at the base of his neck. Funny, she couldn’t think how Jeff’s hair looked. Straight she supposed.

Bringing the samples to the front of the store, she glanced out the window. It was such a glorious day. Bright and sunny and—her heart stopped. What were they doing in town? And on Jeff’s horse?

She didn’t want to admit it, but she hated George and Abel. They were evil men and good for nothing. As she would expect, the two of them were walking to the saloon.

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