Brenda Harlen

A Wife for One Year


Скачать книгу

her finger and into her pocket.

      She knew they had to tell David and Jane about their marriage, but she didn’t want to steal the spotlight from Andrew and Rachel. Or maybe she was worried that having the light focused on Daniel and herself would reveal that they weren’t head over heels in love as his brother and fiancée obviously were.

      Nate showed up just as dinner was being put on the table, so the story of Andrew and Rachel’s engagement was told again—in great detail by seven-year-old Maura—as platters and bowls of food were passed around.

      No one made roast beef with all the trimmings like Daniel’s mom, and it was usually one of Kenna’s favorite meals. But today, as she listened to the discussion about potential dates and venues for Andrew and Rachel’s wedding, she found herself moving more food around her plate than she put in her mouth.

      Everyone was thrilled about the engagement. Of course, Andrew and Rachel had been dating since February—not a long time, really, but long enough to be sure that this was what they wanted. As Kenna watched their interactions, she couldn’t help but see that there was a connection between them, so real it was almost tangible.

      Beneath the table, Daniel gave her hand a questioning squeeze. She knew he was eager to share their news, because it was a prerequisite to accessing his trust fund, but the timing just seemed wrong to her. Or maybe, seeing the secretive looks and warm glances that passed between Andrew and Rachel, it was the marriage that seemed wrong.

      Thankfully, with so many people around the table, there was rarely a lull in the conversation. There was discussion about Thomas Garrett’s impending retirement and Nate’s expected move to the CFO’s office when he was gone; Andrew asked Kenna if she was looking forward to the end of the school year and her summer vacation, which prompted Maura to regale them with her plans to play soccer and take ballet classes and go to horseback riding camp; and then Jane happened to mention that she needed to go shopping for a new dress for Lukas and Julie’s wedding.

      Lukas Garrett was one of Daniel’s cousins who lived in Pinehurst, New York; Julie Marlowe was his fiancée, originally from Springfield, Massachusetts. Long before they’d decided to get married themselves, Daniel had asked Kenna to attend with him because he hated going to weddings on his own.

      “When is the wedding?” David asked.

      His wife rolled her eyes. “June twenty-first. Don’t worry, I put the date in the calendar on your phone.”

      “That seems fast,” Andrew noted. “They only met seven months ago.”

      Nate shook his head. “The Garrett men are dropping like flies. I think maybe I should lie low until this epidemic passes.”

      “Stop it,” his mother admonished. “You should be so lucky to fall in love and share your life with someone one day.”

      “I’d say that Daniel and I are the lucky ones,” Nate countered.

      “Don’t drag me into this,” Daniel protested.

      “Birds of a feather,” his brother said. “With no intention of having our wings clipped.”

      “Do you feel as if your wings have been clipped?” Rachel asked Andrew.

      “Only by choice,” her fiancé assured her.

      “And that’s great for you,” Nate said. “But it’s not my choice.”

      “Never say never,” Daniel cautioned.

      “Whose side are you on here?”

      “I’m not taking sides—I have nothing against marriage.”

      “Since when?” Nate demanded.

      Under the table, Daniel gave her hand another squeeze. “Since Kenna and I got married.”

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEBLAEsAAD/4Q/XRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAUAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAhodp AAQAAAABAAAAnAAAAMgAAAEsAAAAAQAAASwAAAABQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIDcuMAAyMDE0OjA2 OjExIDA3OjQwOjAwAAAAAAOgAQADAAAAAQABAACgAgAEAAAAAQAABkugAwAEAAAAAQAACgAAAAAA AAAABgEDAAMAAAABAAYAAAEaAAUAAAABAAABFgEbAAUAAAABAAABHgEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAIBAAQA AAABAAABJgICAAQAAAABAAAOqQAAAAAAAABIAAAAAQAAAEgAAAAB/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABI AAD/7QAMQWRvYmVfQ00AAf/uAA5BZG9iZQBkgAAAAAH/2wCEAAwICAgJCAwJCQwRCwoLERUPDAwP FRgTExUTExgRDAwMDAwMEQwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwBDQsLDQ4NEA4OEBQO Dg4UFA4ODg4UEQwMDAwMEREMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDP/AABEI AIAAUQMBIgACEQEDEQH/3QAEAAb/xAE/AAABBQEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAADAAECBAUGBwgJCgsBAAEF AQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAEAAgMEBQYHCAkKCxAAAQQBAwIEAgUHBggFAwwzAQACEQMEIRIxBUFRYRMi cYEyBhSRobFCIyQVUsFiMzRygtFDByWSU/Dh8WNzNRaisoMmRJNUZEXCo3Q2F9JV4mXys4TD03Xj 80YnlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vY3R1dnd4eXp7fH1+f3EQACAgECBAQDBAUGBwcG BTUBAAIRAyExEgRBUWFxIhMFMoGRFKGxQiPBUtHwMyRi4XKCkkNTFWNzNPElBhaisoMHJjXC0kST VKMXZEVVNnRl4vKzhMPTdePzRpSkhbSVxNTk9KW1xdXl9VZmdoaWprbG1ub2JzdHV2d3h5ent8f/ 2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/APUAAW+SAbQ122Z8FWfkuLhRO1x5PkFM1MBD3mQ3UTxP7xUd8R0UlNkEHv28 VG3KrxqjZe4VsHxJJP5rWN3Pc5DNsHT6T+J5+JWR1DKdZk2UGCxsMkOO6CN9sNq27HPd6bP5z+a9 RPJEQoCy3cjMwM9hxsnHdZQ8bjILXAf6Rtftvb/r+YuVZ0vL6V1Bz6XfaMRr4Zewg+w+79I1vuY9 n0XrRulzSJikwXbnbGEgBkujdbZ7WfRb6aHIZLsYN9UCZY0tLgNdu23+camGp+C7hp6uh7H1NLT2 lBdmVUUvJdDySJHis/B6iL8RxY5ri120bQWx/Jc137rvzlZd095xC9wkwTHio5GURoLlR+xbSR2c DSC7lCtzG1gEyJ1hNV0vIZXuJAPIbzCq5nSc621r/WisCNkDk/yk3imasEWFN/8AbtH7p/D+5JZv 7CzP9Mz/ADSkj7k1P//Q75+M91oE6nl3gEW+xlTC4+2usaD4Kw8skkCFg9WyBdl0YhJ2O3OeBpMD 2bk2EeEEk2SkCzSXEufkWvyXaVsb7R8fFYjepYzS4Cch5c7c1n0Znc71L/zv6ta23MZTgGoCQ8wQ deSN2q5rCorcHFrCAHEEE+BOn5qh5g1wsuKNktpmTn32hwa2hnZjGA6f1rA5y1casu9zgG+QAVKt 1dTd73BoHdxV/GzcEkMbcw2O4ZME/Dco8ZJO5ZpRAGyzcd1GQ0Y8gXOO5n5skb/UP+btW/SLXM22 RA0kd1Qw3VHJLSZcxu8iD3Pt930W/vLRGTTJl20jmVOKGpkAGtk3qmbvbCFcPbt2l26Jjw8U9l1T 6XEOE9vigY2Y02miwxaNW+Dh/JRJs6VR2O6yxsWz6VX+pKSf1R4FJOqPYfYp/9H0XItFdRd3PCwm 1vfl12nlpdZb/VjbTX/ad71fy7y8n90aBqqMe2uk3zuJ3PPmGexg/tWlNuz5LwKHmnvALA0GY7ec sLljMsbUSIj3H8pWvrsYO4aSfiT/AOYLKtqlz/Hc78pVbmTsWxy/VK7DZnM2stfRYOHVu2lLE6VX 0x4sJNr7Hh1jnEn2j833uenw3Gk73wGt7kwEa91uRcNj2uaduxhdtAdP9rduTYEGFVrfRkkPVd6U lb9i6NudY7b9te++27UbrHnQPaN30Kx6fqoJv+11lzLxDTLT3IHiFW+sGFZkWk+pvNTA01NMtDhO 7b/KcuV+y59eUK2ktcPc2t+mhSMscp5BIX0IOkfq5eQy4jR0t9C6X1WhzvStbuMfSGsR7dVYzHYb H13VGHzqweffaforhcPqVtQe2uasxh5Gv/Vexy1sLqbr+oV1ZtoBsZ+iIEB1k/RcW/yUzFKUY+14 +m/4q470O70v2oeP4FJZ/q/y0lPxZf3fxT9X/9LrMpz9wrZ/O2Haz4u/O/zUsgA2NoZpW0Bo/qs+ l/0lcxsGrecp5NlxBa13AE/S2t1+knfRR6gDRuc6BqezdSmgUF5IJ8kDx+k28bWtEeCw7MwU5dtd vBeS13bUzDl1QxGEudGryNSTz/VC5jrOPXX1O5jNGnYT82tlRcxC4g+LNy8hxEeCYOrurdS8NfXY IcxwBaR4OaVodHw7G2sbxVUdGyXST7vzj+bCy+nuxLKKi5rSbS81AyHbGk1sedsfzrmWPYtrGzas RgbVXIPYHx/PJM7tybhHCaJTlncSANS5rMirDuflWsIdZY71ajodxc4+5v7yyPrBlW5OXXmhnptY NtbB9Izq5zv6y2sro2R1b