The Giving Season Read Online Free
spread even wider. “When it comes to bad jokes, I just get a bovine inspiration.”
“Please—” Jessy said as she laughed. “You’re milking this thing to death.”
Michael lost his semi-straight face and laughed with her. Their gazes caught for an instant and held, the smiles lingering just a moment longer than they should have.
Jessy sobered instantly. This wasn’t good. Not good at all. She was starting to like this man, and she knew from past experience exactly what road that would lead to. First, she’d start liking liking him, then she’d start acting really dumb and stupid around him—and then she’d say something that would send him screaming for the hills. After all, what man wanted a 220-pound woman interested in him? None that she’d ever found. Charlie had taught her that much.
“What about your wife?” she asked quietly. Not the most subtle approach, but she was too tired to be discreet. She dreaded his answer almost as much as she wanted to hear it. “How does she like living on a dairy farm?”
“She didn’t.” Michael smiled, but his eyes were strangely flat. “It was the whole Green Acres thing—I loved the farm, but she loved the city. She’s still in Chicago, a reporter for the Tribune . The kids are with me at the farm.”
“Oh,” Jessy murmured, slowly nodding. So he wasn’t married. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that—despite the fact that every nerve in her body was doing a quiet little happy dance.
“And I think I just got a little too up close and personal,” he said abruptly, changing the mood with a grin that was just way too cute for Jessy’s comfort. “So what’s your story, morning glory?”
Jessy’s smile held a few moments longer. She really didn’t want to get into the whole sorry saga of her trek North. What could she say? I uprooted my entire life and moved hundreds of miles away from home for a guy who didn’t bother to tell me he was engaged to somebody else ? Bad enough that she already thought she was an idiot for being so naïve; she couldn’t stand the thought of Michael thinking the same thing.
“Okay,” she said quietly, hoping she sounded casual enough. “Let’s see—I’m from Kentucky, I’m a third grade teacher—and, well—I guess that’s about it. The end.”
“So you’re a teacher from Kentucky.” Michael’s smile widened. “Hold on while I try to process that overload of information.”
“I told you I was boring.”
“Well—where are you going?”
Jessy shifted slightly, uncomfortable with the conversation’s sudden change of direction. “I’m just— going .”
“I suppose that’s your polite way of saying it’s none of my business, right?”
“Guess so.” Jessy abruptly stood, absently pulling at her sweatshirt to loosen it. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror over the dresser and grimaced. Dear Lord, but she looked horrible. Her hair hung in lank chunks around her puffy face, and the rest of her looked as wide as a house. It was a reality slap that she hadn’t particularly needed at just that moment. But it brought her back to Earth, like it or not.
She turned away from her reflection and busied herself by digging through her small suitcase, coughing harshly into her balled fist. She felt as bad as she looked—if not worse. All she wanted was to take a hot shower to clear her aching sinuses and unkink her muscles. Then she wanted to sleep—preferably for days. She wanted to forget about the last few days of nonstop traveling. She wanted to forget that Charlie Wilks had ever existed. More than that, she wanted to forget that she could possibly be as gullible and dumb as she had been over him.
“Something tells me that you’d rather I change the subject,” Michael said quietly, sitting up. Jessy forced herself to casually look at him again. Something about his expression confounded her; he actually seemed to be interested in what she had to say. He actually seemed to want to
“Please—” Jessy said as she laughed. “You’re milking this thing to death.”
Michael lost his semi-straight face and laughed with her. Their gazes caught for an instant and held, the smiles lingering just a moment longer than they should have.
Jessy sobered instantly. This wasn’t good. Not good at all. She was starting to like this man, and she knew from past experience exactly what road that would lead to. First, she’d start liking liking him, then she’d start acting really dumb and stupid around him—and then she’d say something that would send him screaming for the hills. After all, what man wanted a 220-pound woman interested in him? None that she’d ever found. Charlie had taught her that much.
“What about your wife?” she asked quietly. Not the most subtle approach, but she was too tired to be discreet. She dreaded his answer almost as much as she wanted to hear it. “How does she like living on a dairy farm?”
“She didn’t.” Michael smiled, but his eyes were strangely flat. “It was the whole Green Acres thing—I loved the farm, but she loved the city. She’s still in Chicago, a reporter for the Tribune . The kids are with me at the farm.”
“Oh,” Jessy murmured, slowly nodding. So he wasn’t married. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that—despite the fact that every nerve in her body was doing a quiet little happy dance.
“And I think I just got a little too up close and personal,” he said abruptly, changing the mood with a grin that was just way too cute for Jessy’s comfort. “So what’s your story, morning glory?”
Jessy’s smile held a few moments longer. She really didn’t want to get into the whole sorry saga of her trek North. What could she say? I uprooted my entire life and moved hundreds of miles away from home for a guy who didn’t bother to tell me he was engaged to somebody else ? Bad enough that she already thought she was an idiot for being so naïve; she couldn’t stand the thought of Michael thinking the same thing.
“Okay,” she said quietly, hoping she sounded casual enough. “Let’s see—I’m from Kentucky, I’m a third grade teacher—and, well—I guess that’s about it. The end.”
“So you’re a teacher from Kentucky.” Michael’s smile widened. “Hold on while I try to process that overload of information.”
“I told you I was boring.”
“Well—where are you going?”
Jessy shifted slightly, uncomfortable with the conversation’s sudden change of direction. “I’m just— going .”
“I suppose that’s your polite way of saying it’s none of my business, right?”
“Guess so.” Jessy abruptly stood, absently pulling at her sweatshirt to loosen it. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror over the dresser and grimaced. Dear Lord, but she looked horrible. Her hair hung in lank chunks around her puffy face, and the rest of her looked as wide as a house. It was a reality slap that she hadn’t particularly needed at just that moment. But it brought her back to Earth, like it or not.
She turned away from her reflection and busied herself by digging through her small suitcase, coughing harshly into her balled fist. She felt as bad as she looked—if not worse. All she wanted was to take a hot shower to clear her aching sinuses and unkink her muscles. Then she wanted to sleep—preferably for days. She wanted to forget about the last few days of nonstop traveling. She wanted to forget that Charlie Wilks had ever existed. More than that, she wanted to forget that she could possibly be as gullible and dumb as she had been over him.
“Something tells me that you’d rather I change the subject,” Michael said quietly, sitting up. Jessy forced herself to casually look at him again. Something about his expression confounded her; he actually seemed to be interested in what she had to say. He actually seemed to want to
Readers choose
Valerie Mendes
Francine Prose
Zane Grey
Rachel Carrington
Nancy C. Weeks
Kathi S. Barton
Jillian Michaels
Alex Connor
Lexi Connor
April Smith