Nicola by Indiana Wake & Belle Fiffer

Author:Indiana Wake & Belle Fiffer [Wake, Indiana & Fiffer, Belle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christmas, Historical, holiday, Mail Order Bride, Romance, Western
ISBN: 9798553704926
Google: xfABzgEACAAJ
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: 2020-10-26T08:46:54.711841+00:00

Chapter Seven

“Linda!” Matthew looked up at the squeal to find Linda swatting a duster at Nicola, who was trying to bat it away. “You’re supposed to be dusting!”

“I am.” Linda laughed as she jumped up and down, waving the duster in Nicola’s face. “I’m dusting Nicola.”

Nicola sneezed and batted the duster aside, darting away with a laugh. Matthew rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t help but smile. Linda was being more mischievous lately, but he preferred it to her angry tantrums and throwing things.

“Linda.”

Linda stopped short, looking at her father with wide eyes. But Matthew couldn’t get rid of the smile. It simply wouldn’t fade away, and he found himself sharing a conspiratory grin with his daughter for the first time in months. Linda burst out giggling and attacked Nicola with the duster again. Nicola squealed and tried to get away, but Linda was too fast.

Matthew had to laugh. Nicola shot him a glare.

“You are really not helping, Matthew!”

“I wasn’t born to help with this.”

“I figured that out.” Nicola pouted, dodging away from Linda again. “You’re so mean.”

Matthew simply shrugged and laughed again as Nicola was backed into a corner by Linda, who was now actively trying to tickle her. Then Nicola was tickling her back, lifting Linda off the floor as Linda shrieked with laughter. Matthew couldn’t take his eyes off them. Even when Iris was here, this sort of thing had never happened. If Linda tried to fool around with her mother, Iris would be telling her off and sending her away.

Had she ever loved her daughter? Matthew had thought so once. But Iris had left with her new man abruptly, and as soon as the divorce was final she was gone. There had been no word to Linda.

Matthew swallowed, it had been hard on him, but it must have been just as hard on Linda. He sighed, all the while he had been struggling with his own feelings, his own sense of loss and betrayal and he hadn’t been able to connect with his daughter. Things had just been getting worse. Nicola had changed all that, and now Linda looked like her old self. She was back to a being a fun-loving and carefree child, just as she should have been.

It wasn’t just Linda. Matthew was feeling like his old self too, his pre-Iris self. He was glad that Nicola was there, making things feel a little brighter.

Part of him knew he shouldn’t have apologized for the kiss that morning. It was a mistake. Matthew had wanted to take it back when he saw the look on Nicola’s face. He might as well have slapped her. Then she avoided him immediately afterward. It was only in the last few minutes that she was starting to relax again, looking like her old self. Matthew wanted that more often.

He was going to have to swallow his pride and admit to Nicola what had been warring in his gut all day. Or rather, for the last six months. It looked like he was very slow on the uptake.

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