Caroline Anderson

Mother of the Bride


Скачать книгу

because he had things to do, things that only he could do. His daughter was getting married, and he had to hold it together until then. And dragging Maisie into his arms and breathing her in wasn’t an option, either.

      ‘We’re all here now,’ he said to Mrs McCrae. ‘Can I give you a hand?’

      ‘Aye, that would be kind, Robert. You can stir this while I put the bread out.’ And having trapped him so easily, in a trap he’d walked into with his eyes wide open, she then started on him in her oh, so unsubtle way.

      ‘She’s looking tired.’

      ‘She is tired. She’s been travelling all night. She looks better now she’s had a shower and changed into fresh clothes.’

      ‘She’d look better still if she’d come home and let me feed her up a bit,’ she said, wielding the bread knife like a weapon. ‘Poor wee thing.’

      ‘I’m sure Maisie’s perfectly capable of feeding herself,’ he said firmly, drawing the pot off the heat and closing the lid of the range. ‘And she has a home in Cambridge,’ he added, reminding himself as much as Mrs McCrae as he glanced at the bare table. He frowned. ‘Where are we eating?’

      ‘In the dining room,’ she said, her eyes flashing with indignation. ‘Robbie, she’s come back, wherever you say her home might be! She can’t be eating in the kitchen—not today.’

      He opened his mouth to argue, shut it again and sighed softly in resignation. ‘I’ll carry this,’ he said, and followed her up the stairs.

      ‘Here we are, hen,’ she said, setting the bread down on the table as Maisie sat down. ‘And mind you eat plenty!’

      She did. She was still starving, the half-eaten pastry just a memory now, and she had two bowls of the delicious hearty soup, a good chunk of cheese and two slices of the soft, warm oat bread that was Mrs McCrae’s forte. And while she ate, Jenni took the opportunity to fill her in on the wedding plans to date.

      ‘OK. I’ve had a few ideas,’ she said, making Alec splutter into his soup, which earned him a loving swat from his fiancée. ‘You’re not here for long, Mum, so I thought we should spend today planning and having a brainstorming session, and then tomorrow we’re going to Glasgow to look at dresses. I’ve made some appointments, and I’ve made sure they know that there’s only two months, but the places we’re going all have samples which they can sell us, so we won’t have to go through the business of ordering them, which takes ages. Now, they’ll probably need altering, so … ‘

      Rob watched her in wry amusement. She’d been planning this for ages, he knew, and Alec’s proposal had been like a breath on a hair trigger. He just hoped that Maisie was ready for it.

      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/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcU FhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgo KCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAg0BdwDASIA AhEBAxEB/8QAHwAAAQUBAQEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQFBgcICQoL/8QAtRAAAgEDAwIEAwUFBAQA AAF9AQIDAAQRBRIhMUEGE1FhByJxFDKBkaEII0KxwRVS0fAkM2JyggkKFhcYGRolJicoKSo0NTY3 ODk6Q0RFRkdISUpTVFVWV1hZWmNkZWZnaGlqc3R1dnd4eXqDhIWGh4iJipKTlJWWl5iZmqKjpKWm p6ipqrKztLW2t7i5usLDxMXGx8jJytLT1NXW19jZ2uHi4+Tl5ufo6erx8vP09fb3+Pn6/8QAHwEA AwEBAQEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAECAwQFBgcICQoL/8QAtREAAgECBAQDBAcFBAQAAQJ3AAECAxEEBSEx BhJBUQdhcRMiMoEIFEKRobHBCSMzUvAVYnLRChYkNOEl8RcYGRomJygpKjU2Nzg5OkNERUZHSElK U1RVVldYWVpjZGVmZ2hpanN0dXZ3eHl6goOEhYaHiImKkpOUlZaXmJmaoqOkpaanqKmqsrO0tba3 uLm6wsPExcbHyMnK0tPU1dbX2Nna4uPk5ebn6Onq8vP09fb3+Pn6/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwD23bmh uF4oJO6kc5HSqKIicVHJ605sk0xyc80CGZNJnnNOJFNPWmIXJxT0OTzUecU5PbrQBZU46d6eMio0 55qU5xSGN5zSY55oII5pCfWkMcaaDzzTieM0z7xo3EI/SoQcHIqZ+mKhx2p2ExWwxpf4eKCoApAM GmA9TxSnikTAP1pzdeKQAM44p+7jFNXpQOTS82MUNluaVjzmkxSk8e9A7hupvBpVHrQRjpQAYHWl ByKaDzzT1xQAgJzTic8UpXjimY4pDQE0oJpFHNK3tQAhpDyaUHijP5mlsxiEY5FB5HzUEEEmkOcU 9wI3AqJyR0qbrUTrzTRJH25pCtKV55NIRjvTQhpJPFIBilxz1pGBxxQAHrmmsaU5xSHpSdikiJzV K461akODVO4NNalMqymowRg5pzdSaYSCeatESI2XB46VKnFREnPFPGa2WpjJl+1YDnvWtA2RWFC+ MZrTtXJxiuWtTujopSuai89akGB0qvEc96m6d64JeZ0ocTTgaZRSV3sMfkDnvSltxxSL70EYOadx CnIpOtGSxxSEYp2CwjZzzScYpw560HGeKBEe2msuakbrxSYwKauBDtpGHNS96TbmnoIgZDTdmTVg KcnNIEwTSvYZGE496Qx7hU4GBS7eaE22IgSL0pwjJNTBcdKeoyaOYCJY8Gn7akZcUoHHNNAMI9KC DTguDmlNT0GAzTiSRQvQ0AZ70AJk54qRT60LinDrQgExzTjwtHTmmsctVpAPzkUlJnPSnZyKpMRH nJwaaRk4FPoHBrRAOHA4puMjPelzk0g61ce5O4AHrQ69zTzkc00gnJqiWR9+aZKoPSn9cikxg802 IYo2jnrTHHennBalPI9KEIgxnpSYp7Dbx60bfegBjKTijZx71KOKMHOe1AiEpTcEmrDLimBaTQyI DnmkK85qQjrSAGlsMiK96AuTU2OaaRzxSYIiaM03yyOTVrnHNCjdQUVWTpinBMdandcdKaUIXPrS 1QEJTJoEeDxUwGOppCOeKQ0yFkweaUJxT2BNIc9qG+gyJlpAM9amA9aQpzkUtgIHDAYp0Y2jmpCO cUFcUtQAHAp4welRHOaXBo5hjyeKiz81PJwKYBls0r3Aep+annHemEdxQOaa1AkB5pSMDNRHINKW OOtHqAq8nNDPTd4VfemB89aYDnY5pm/bSMxJ4ppBPagCQHuaQtmonY9KTJUUbBYlJB4puNp4phfm mSZPQ0CJS2abnFNU4HNDHuDTCw80zgmjJPSmEEHij0Fck5zTJeRSkkDFR5PegNhMDtTGAPFIz4Y0 3qetPcBwUIc5pQcmmbTmn9qbfcGhHXPIpjAFcd6lYgDNRM4bpSSuMi4U0o+Y5FMc5NSDCrkdTTvc Qm4Z5qGZwDinsOM1DJz2oAikJIqEkgECnynj0qIPxg9aaeodBhwM1l6jxk1qSjAzWZeEMpzVJtg3 1OK1/lWrzzWGG4iu+8RPtLAV57qoy7HNXK9rmMjGY/MamtZSsgqB+CaEPNZJ9TM9Y8BX671UkV7D p8gMantXzl4QuzDdpk96998PXCy2yHOa7I6x1En0Ox0yVS+K2gK5izfZKCDXSW53Rg1k/II9h0gz 0qCQ46dasEVEwG7mkhkAUg0pXnmnPw2QaU9MtTAaq/MKtkny+aqhssKsyH911pAV3IPWoMHdz0p9 MYnPrTB2HYxytLjHJ60sZG3J4NA9DSAkV2YY7VLGRnFV+QcLUicnnikBPIN30qrKMcDpVpRkHmoZ RngUICJOBhetOAAOe9M+4cKeakztGTyTTAso2Bz1p+R171FD83WpcYNLQQrc9aEP5UZxTd3NAiQE inMMoc9aYpz1qQ/dxQMy