Harlequin Heartwarming: November 2022 Box Set by Cari Lynn Webb

Author:Cari Lynn Webb
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

DAKOTA WAS INSTANTLY CHAGRINNED.

Sometimes he didn’t like himself very much, and it seemed clear from Noelle’s face that she didn’t care for him, either. He remembered her as a quiet squirt who’d skipped grade after grade in school. It couldn’t have been easy for Noelle to be much younger and smarter than her classmates. He even recalled she’d taken online college courses at the same time she was in high school.

She’d changed. In fact, he wouldn’t have known her if she hadn’t introduced herself. She was taller, for one thing. And her hair was a waterfall of dark, rippling gold instead of being a pixie cut, while her brown eyes were now confident, rather than diffident.

“Of course,” he said. “But Daniel may be asleep.”

“I’d still like to come in and say hello.”

Noelle tucked the collar of her jacket more snugly around her throat. As if in response, a chill breeze blew across the porch and swirled through the partially open door. If Dakota had been capable of turning red from embarrassment, he would have. He stepped aside to let her in, awkwardly pivoting on his right leg. Determined not to react, he ground his teeth and didn’t let the twinge of pain show on his face. The specialists had told him his knee and other muscles and bones would strengthen, but they’d never be quite the same as before the mission.

“I didn’t know you were in Montana,” Noelle said as she set her bag on a table. It was worn, with a first responder insignia and a medical symbol. “Are you visiting for the holidays?”

“No.”

Amusement filled her eyes at his curt response and he sighed. He wasn’t accustomed to volunteering information, but he wasn’t a SEAL any longer, protecting military secrets. Not only that, Noelle was his brother’s sister-in-law. They ought to be on civil terms.

Jordan had mentioned that getting along with neighbors and the people in Shelton was important to being a successful rancher, a message his wife had impressed on him from the start of their courtship. Dakota intended to get along with everyone, but he wasn’t a novice; he’d worked on the Soaring Hawk as a cowhand, waiting for his younger brother Wyatt to graduate high school so they could enlist together. And that wasn’t counting all the years when he was a kid, doing chores with Saul as an unrelenting taskmaster. His grandfather hadn’t believed in hiring a foreman or ranch manager. Instead he’d filled the role himself, preferring to be called either ramrod or boss.

“I got in last night,” Dakota said reluctantly. “I’m moving back to Montana. Permanently.”

“I see.”

“Noelle, I can’t believe you’re finally here,” cried Paige, his sister-in-law, as she rushed down the main staircase.

As the sisters hugged, Dakota searched for the fastest polite exit. Paige had insisted he sleep in the house last night, though he’d fully intended to use the foreman’s quarters from the start, regardless of their condition. Jordan hadn’t helped, grinning like a lovesick fool as his wife

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.