Judy Christenberry

Mommy For A Minute


Скачать книгу

found the candles and matches and they ate their dinner by candlelight. Outside, the storm raged.

      “I like this dinner, Lauren. What did you call the casserole?” Jack asked.

      “Chicken spaghetti. It was one of Mom’s favorites.”

      “Yeah, I love it,” James said, smiling at Cheryl.

      “I’d love the recipe,” Cheryl said softly, looking at Lauren.

      “Of course. Mom got it out of a church cookbook, so it didn’t originate with her. But it’s very filling and has a lot of good things in it,” Lauren explained.

      “It’s a good thing you fixed a lot of it,” James said, “since Bill and Barry arrived.”

      “You think we shouldn’t check on Lauren?” Barry demanded.

      “You know I always come on Friday,” James pointed out.

      “Yeah, but this is a bad storm. We were afraid she might find she had a leak or something like that,” Bill said. “You never know in a new place until it’s tested.”

      A crack of thunder emphasized his words.

      “Ooh, that was close,” Lauren said, staring out the window.

      Ally whimpered, and her father comforted her. “We’re okay, baby. Don’t worry.”

      Cheryl said, “I haven’t seen a storm like this before.”

      “I remember a bad one when we were little,” Bill said. “We were frightened, but Mom and Dad calmed us down.”

      “Yes, they were good at that,” Lauren said. “It’s different when you’re the adult. It’s easier to convince a child.”

      “Yeah,” James agreed. “You used to tell me everything was all right.”

      “But I was right, wasn’t I?” Lauren asked.

      “Yeah, but—” Just then a booming crack of thunder resounded. “Do you want to tell me again?”

      “I don’t think it works as well when you’re an adult.”

      Lauren almost ducked at another loud boom of thunder. “Maybe we should just pretend it isn’t storming.”

      Jack gave her a skeptical look.

      She squared her jaw and got up from the table. “How about dessert? I made carrot cake.”

      Her brothers showed enthusiasm, but Cheryl and Jack looked a little unsure.

      James leaned over to Cheryl. “You’ll love it, honey. It’s one of Lauren’s specialties.”

      “I’m willing to try it, but I’ve never had it before.” Cheryl gave Lauren a smile.

      “Don’t worry. I won’t be upset if you don’t like it. James, will you get some saucers, and Bill, some clean forks, please?”

      She took one of the candles from the table into the kitchen. The cake was heavy and she realized she couldn’t carry it and the candle at the same time. “Barry? I need some help here.”

      She heard footsteps and assumed Barry had come to assist her. “Thanks. The cake is too heavy and—”

      Turning around, she almost dropped the cake when she realized it was Jack who had followed her to the kitchen. “What happened to Barry?”

      “He was still eating chicken so I volunteered. You needed help?”

      Help was just what she needed. Help from her brother, not Jack. Somehow just being alone with him in the kitchen was making her nervous. She could feel her heart pick up the pace, and her voice was breathless when she finally responded, “You can take the cake.”

      Jack reached out for it and, underestimating the heft, nearly dropped it. Acting on instinct, she flung out her arms and they met his hands as he got a tighter grip on the plate.

      From the mere contact she felt a sizzle course from her hands up her arms, jolting her with its intensity. Pulling back as if burned, she grabbed the candle and spun toward the door, trying not to let Jack know she was running away.

      The quick motion extinguished the flame on the candle, plunging the kitchen into darkness.

      In her haste to escape, she ran into something hard, warm and…all male.

      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/JRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAUAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAhodp AAQAAAABAAAAnAAAAMgAAAEsAAAAAQAAASwAAAABQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIDcuMAAyMDE1OjA4 OjExIDA3OjQ3OjAzAAAAAAOgAQADAAAAAQABAACgAgAEAAAAAQAAB0CgAwAEAAAAAQAACgAAAAAA AAAABgEDAAMAAAABAAYAAAEaAAUAAAABAAABFgEbAAUAAAABAAABHgEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAIBAAQA AAABAAABJgICAAQAAAABAAAOmwAAAAAAAABIAAAAAQAAAEgAAAAB/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABI AAD/7QAMQWRvYmVfQ00AAf/uAA5BZG9iZQBkgAAAAAH/2wCEAAwICAgJCAwJCQwRCwoLERUPDAwP FRgTExUTExgRDAwMDAwMEQwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwBDQsLDQ4NEA4OEBQO Dg4UFA4ODg4UEQwMDAwMEREMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDP/AABEI AIAAXQMBIgACEQEDEQH/3QAEAAb/xAE/AAABBQEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAADAAECBAUGBwgJCgsBAAEF AQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAEAAgMEBQYHCAkKCxAAAQQBAwIEAgUHBggFAwwzAQACEQMEIRIxBUFRYRMi cYEyBhSRobFCIyQVUsFiMzRygtFDByWSU/Dh8WNzNRaisoMmRJNUZEXCo3Q2F9JV4mXys4TD03Xj 80YnlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vY3R1dnd4eXp7fH1+f3EQACAgECBAQDBAUGBwcG BTUBAAIRAyExEgRBUWFxIhMFMoGRFKGxQiPBUtHwMyRi4XKCkkNTFWNzNPElBhaisoMHJjXC0kST VKMXZEVVNnRl4vKzhMPTdePzRpSkhbSVxNTk9KW1xdXl9VZmdoaWprbG1ub2JzdHV2d3h5ent8f/ 2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AMAJwmCkEXpQtJc6Ait2sHmhN9pPmo7zKSbpP6imHFAYZKsNEpLgbZtcDoVO S2O4QToUVh3MLe8ILwUzfdp4qNdxY7Y/UdiljmQU91ct3hJfZoENjkSD81HceI1Q8d8jaeyMgvvS 3//Q55wkJMeeCpBRLO4Rek13CYAOH8UJ1NkyBu+CTSQfBFbYRyku0O6q6bO+gR9GCBqUMPc7RqmB 96S6IrZfnUqVR94CZxACeoa7jwNUFw3CagQCfEn8EVmoc3wKHT9AHxU6jNjx8EGWPTxRV+16tSq5 H6Qo/wCb8kUxGhD/AP/R58AqQJTBPqi9KFwfKVIbf3J+KYbvFTAsPdJcHT6R0yvPa83PfWGZGHQA yBLcq19Nrvc13vY1n6JP0fp9Gfc2p73tDsunGJZH0LW5T3u9zXfpP1RmxBoz7MfEZRiVii/1q77s suNjrHUOfbiN9Gz9DSyh9nu2fz6sV9Ypxsii/Fw6sVtVzcmyptj3i21osYz32S6imv17vTpr/wBJ +egxyGb11pxfJrH0cP8A6sWwsPpmfW68OvxGVOYy8WvZY1rb91OPlC4VY3sqytjMqh1f8w/1ar0L qGN9ifXguP641s5jWuDmse4zXjNLR7n11bbL3+o9n6X0/wDBIOXn13YxwsPGbg4jyHWNa99r7HND m1+rdd7vTq3v9OljGMRLLXZWXfnWMDH5D3WFjeGl3O2Ul8IzMtyI66HWUf8AC/x//G2QhrfgFHGM vcVC1+m0fNExhDSfFLo2AfUB2U4fpCj9vkhATYUVBeOr/9LG6bjV5fUsTEseWVZN9dVjm8hr3Bp2 zPvd9Fiv9NyK87rDcLJoxsXHYMqaW0N3U+nRk7fULGfbL/Rez1HerY977mLJLGuBBEg6FX7etdZv YxlubZYK52ucGF2rH4533bPWt/QW21fpX2fTSehnCRuq1iRv8h/ei6OJidPZiYtlF9OZNmeXZVlD 2taasL16GW03stsurot/Wf5u3/i0V9XT68HIysmmrIZVV02667HYKmXNtvu+0uxGfovs/q0NZiX+ zF9S2iz9FSsCq3KqqFNdhbU0vLWCIBtZ9mvPH+Fx/wBCj4+Z1HHYxlGQ+pjNuxrYgem9+TV+b/g7 7rbf+uJUtOHIf0zuOvDpx8e8XY6bji3rnTDYMPO6Z1N72VWNxaqg9tPqepW/GdUH499Njme9v87X 6f6e1U8e3Hf0FuZkW4mJk23XsBdhV2GwMpxzXVV6VOzG2vs+n7P0lvqIDs/qNmZXn2ZLjlUiKrQG t2DUbaq2NbSz6T/8GjYXUuoYFDsfDyHU0uJc6sNYQSRsc79Ix7voNSXjBPf036f6vy8f9SX72P8A yf6Do3dMwnudbj1MY7DwoyqANDvwXZGN1Hjbv+1u9G7/AIb7Nf8A4RXfs3T3ZFVDGU2vrt6d6mO2 kVupru9Bl77b9o+3Ny7L2sfS/fs9X1f8GudObe1z7PVdvsr9B7tPdUWij0X6fzfpMYz/ANSKVnV+ qXClj8l7m47mvoaA0bX16Uv9jG+o6qP0freokk4ZigJ7Ct+u/wDL5P8Av9H9Ufk9R9HIw7Ps1Dyy 04gZXQ77TVVFlP2ez7Q/0jsbb6Nq1K8LDY70xXRWH9QqocLKg4Wsdj122VYmlzcZmXa718f9LR6f q/ztf82sO3qXU8lpGZkuu3NLHAtYPa5zLXM/RsZ9Kyqt6Z2dmPDGG5xFT2WVjQbX1tFVNggfTqra 1iS6PL5K1kAT/wCg8P6EP3W8RiHAd1FmO1jy5/T247ho1+trM1/7+TXh/oH/APdv9YWduG/Z3iUW zKuNbm22FzH2m97TEOucNrrePpvVHed+/vMoNgRMQYk2ZHudI/u2/wD