Snowbound - Harlequin.com
Snowbound - Harlequin.com Snowbound - Harlequin.com
94 SNOWBOUND Her laugh was a lovely cascade of notes. “But he must have courted her, once upon a time.” “No, I think she courted him. She asked him to marry her, and he nodded.” Fiona giggled. “What does he do? For a living, I mean.” “Plumbing. Has his own business.” “Did he want you to go into it?” “Fallon and Son? Don’t know.” Solemnly she concluded, “He never said.” This time, they laughed together. John was astonished by the sound. No, not just the sound, but the feeling. It took him a minute to identify it. Happiness, or something close. He felt carefree. She’d opened the dishwasher and begun loading it. “So what do they think of your taking up innkeeping?” He tried to stay relaxed. “They’re puzzled.” You’re not yourself, his mother had said. Johnny, what happened to you? He hadn’t been able to tell her. I killed too many people. Some I didn’t mean to kill. Mom wouldn’t have understood. She wouldn’t have had any words to put in Dad’s mouth. “Your brother or sister?” Fiona asked, as casually as if the conversation hadn’t become emotionally loaded. “Or do you have both?” “Two sisters. They’re puzzled, too.” That wasn’t entirely true. Mary, much like his mother in personality, was. Liz, quieter and more thoughtful like John, had come to him and said, “I’ve been reading things. I know lots of soldiers have been coming back
JANICE KAY JOHNSON 95 traumatized. Whatever happened must have been awful, to change you like this.” Words had stuck in his throat, even with his favorite sister. She’d given him a swift hug. “We love you, John. I’m so glad you’re safely home.” He had feared being called up again, knowing he couldn’t endure it, but in the end his emotional state was moot; he’d never be physically able to serve again. He was glad, but felt guilty, too, because he had friends who would be going back. That was his idea of hell: another tour in Iraq. Before Fiona could ask more questions, the swinging door opened and Hopper came in. “Hey, that smells really good. When’s dinner?” “Gosh, it might be quicker if we had help,” his teacher said with clear mischief. “The garlic bread needs slicing, doesn’t it, John?” “No fair! You already said we have to clean the kitchen!” She laughed at him. “Just trying to scare you. John, when will dinner be ready?” “An hour.” The boy came over to the stove, dipped a finger in the sauce and tasted, dancing out of the kitchen just ahead of the towel Fiona snapped at him. “Glass of wine?” John asked. She looked wistful, but said, “I shouldn’t. I’m still on the job. Sort of. I don’t want the kids going back and telling anyone I drank when I was in charge.”
- Page 44 and 45: 44 SNOWBOUND ing a smile. “Amy be
- Page 46 and 47: CHAPTER THREE WILLOW AND ERIN came
- Page 48 and 49: 48 SNOWBOUND didn’t seem in any h
- Page 50 and 51: 50 SNOWBOUND figure it out. They se
- Page 52 and 53: 52 SNOWBOUND Fiona winced and hoped
- Page 54 and 55: 54 SNOWBOUND She laughed. “Hopper
- Page 56 and 57: 56 SNOWBOUND Her eyes widened. “O
- Page 58 and 59: 58 SNOWBOUND “I don’t need it.
- Page 60 and 61: 60 SNOWBOUND each other, all blurre
- Page 62 and 63: 62 SNOWBOUND She laughed with them.
- Page 64 and 65: 64 SNOWBOUND although neither of th
- Page 66 and 67: 66 SNOWBOUND “Gee, why don’t I
- Page 68 and 69: 68 SNOWBOUND As, she supposed, it w
- Page 70 and 71: 70 SNOWBOUND “Period starting?”
- Page 72 and 73: 72 SNOWBOUND “Daddy…I mean, my
- Page 74 and 75: 74 SNOWBOUND Downstairs, Kelli and
- Page 76 and 77: 76 SNOWBOUND games that went on for
- Page 78 and 79: 78 SNOWBOUND that he quickly hid.
- Page 80 and 81: 80 SNOWBOUND “Really?” Dieter l
- Page 82 and 83: CHAPTER FIVE JOHN COULDN’T REMEMB
- Page 84 and 85: 84 SNOWBOUND “Fiona.” She slept
- Page 86 and 87: 86 SNOWBOUND “Not what the physic
- Page 88 and 89: 88 SNOWBOUND It took her a bit long
- Page 90 and 91: 90 SNOWBOUND mother. I was afraid s
- Page 92 and 93: 92 SNOWBOUND John dumped burgundy w
- Page 96 and 97: 96 SNOWBOUND He nodded, unsurprised
- Page 98 and 99: CHAPTER SIX AFTER DINNER, Willow di
- Page 100 and 101: 100 SNOWBOUND “Willow’s period
- Page 102 and 103: 102 SNOWBOUND you looking at her wh
- Page 104 and 105: 104 SNOWBOUND Amy lay flat on her b
- Page 106 and 107: 106 SNOWBOUND “No,” Fiona said.
- Page 108 and 109: 108 SNOWBOUND “Amy was mad becaus
- Page 110 and 111: 110 SNOWBOUND woman since he was wo
- Page 112 and 113: 112 SNOWBOUND the bathroom, then re
- Page 114 and 115: 114 SNOWBOUND “Yeah!” they said
- Page 116 and 117: 116 SNOWBOUND would that constitute
- Page 118 and 119: 118 SNOWBOUND Tabitha, both blond a
- Page 120 and 121: 120 SNOWBOUND “Snow falling off a
- Page 122 and 123: 122 SNOWBOUND water up to her neck,
- Page 124 and 125: 124 SNOWBOUND Crap. Oh, crap. He’
- Page 126 and 127: 126 SNOWBOUND the girls’s, a litt
- Page 128 and 129: 128 SNOWBOUND their path having rea
- Page 130 and 131: 130 SNOWBOUND “Does it happen oft
- Page 132 and 133: 132 SNOWBOUND steady, he took out a
- Page 134 and 135: CHAPTER EIGHT FIONA NOTICED that Jo
- Page 136 and 137: 136 SNOWBOUND was proving surprisin
- Page 138 and 139: 138 SNOWBOUND “Are you sure? I do
- Page 140 and 141: 140 SNOWBOUND While he, she couldn
- Page 142 and 143: 142 SNOWBOUND She flushed at the id
JANICE KAY JOHNSON<br />
95<br />
traumatized. Whatever happened must have been awful,<br />
to change you like this.”<br />
Words had stuck in his throat, even with his favorite<br />
sister.<br />
She’d given him a swift hug. “We love you, John. I’m<br />
so glad you’re safely home.”<br />
He had feared being called up again, knowing he<br />
couldn’t endure it, but in the end his emotional state was<br />
moot; he’d never be physically able to serve again. He<br />
was glad, but felt guilty, too, because he had friends who<br />
would be going back. That was his idea of hell: another<br />
tour in Iraq.<br />
Before Fiona could ask more questions, the swinging<br />
door opened and Hopper came in.<br />
“Hey, that smells really good. When’s dinner?”<br />
“Gosh, it might be quicker if we had help,” his<br />
teacher said with clear mischief. “The garlic bread<br />
needs slicing, doesn’t it, John?”<br />
“No fair! You already said we have to clean the<br />
kitchen!”<br />
She laughed at him. “Just trying to scare you. John,<br />
when will dinner be ready?”<br />
“An hour.”<br />
The boy came over to the stove, dipped a finger in<br />
the sauce and tasted, dancing out of the kitchen just<br />
ahead of the towel Fiona snapped at him.<br />
“Glass of wine?” John asked.<br />
She looked wistful, but said, “I shouldn’t. I’m still<br />
on the job. Sort of. I don’t want the kids going back and<br />
telling anyone I drank when I was in charge.”
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