The Last Single Maverick. Christine Rimmer

Читать онлайн книгу.

The Last Single Maverick - Christine  Rimmer


Скачать книгу
could be, yeah. But he’s also… the best, you know?”

      “How?”

      “He’d take a bullet for me. For anyone in the family. That’s how he is. You can count on him. Even in the old days, when you never knew what stunt he was going to pull next, you always knew he had your back.”

      “So you’re saying he’s settled down, then—from the days when he made you kiss that toad?”

      Jace nodded. “He was the bad boy of the family. He drank too much and he chased women and he swore that no female was ever going to hogtie him. But then he met Laila. She changed his tune right quick. Now he’s got a ring on his finger and contentment in his heart. I’ve never seen him as happy as he is now.” He studied her face. His gaze was warm. She thought how she was kind of glad he’d insisted they come here before he took her back up the mountain, how being with him really did lift her spirits. “Your turn,” he said. “Cough up that secret.”

      “I always wanted to get married,” she heard herself say. “Ever since I was little. I wanted… a real family. I wanted the family I never had. A man I could love and trust. Several kids. Growing up, it was always so quiet at home, with just my mom and me. My mom likes things tidy. I learned early to clean up after myself. So our small house was neat and orderly, with a hushed kind of feeling about it. I dreamed of one of those big, old Craftsman-style houses, with the pillars in front and the wide, deep front porch—you know the kind?”

      “I do.”

      “I dreamed of bikes on their sides on the front lawn, of toys all over the living room floor, of spilled milk and crayon drawings scrawled in bright colors on the walls, because the children who lived there were rambunctious and adventurous and couldn’t resist a whole wall to color on. I dreamed of a bunch of laughing, crying, screaming, chattering kids, everybody talking over everybody else, of music on the stereo and the TV on too loud. And I saw myself in the middle of all of it, loving every minute of it. Me, the Mom. And I saw my husband coming in the door and stepping over the scattered toys to take me in his arms after a hard day’s work. I pictured him kissing me, a real, hot, toe-curling kiss, the kind that would make our older kids groan and tell us to get a room.”

      “Wow,” he said. “That’s a lot better secret than kissing a toad.”

      A leaf drifted down into her lap. She brushed it away and confessed, “I always felt guilty about my dream for my life, you know? My mom did the best she could. But all I wanted was to grow up and get out of there, to find my steady, patient, good-natured guy and start having a whole bunch of rowdy kids.”

      “Joss.” He touched her hair again, so lightly, guiding a hank of it back over her shoulder. “I’m beginning to think there is altogether too much guilt going on in your head.”

      “Yeah, probably. But my mom tried so hard, she worked so hard, to do right by me, to make a good life for me.”

      “Just because you dreamed of a different way to be a mom doesn’t make your mom’s way bad.”

      She gave a low chuckle. “You amaze me, you know that?”

      “In a good way, I hope.”

      “In a great way. When I met you I thought you were just another hot guy trying to get laid. But instead, you’re a shrink and a philosopher, with a little Mahatma Gandhi thrown in for good measure.”

      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/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABIAAD/4QxzRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAUAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAhodp AAQAAAABAAAAnAAAAMgAAABIAAAAAQAAAEgAAAABQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIDcuMAAyMDEyOjA4 OjIzIDIyOjQ4OjE2AAAAAAOgAQADAAAAAf//AACgAgAEAAAAAQAABXigAwAEAAAAAQAACL8AAAAA AAAABgEDAAMAAAABAAYAAAEaAAUAAAABAAABFgEbAAUAAAABAAABHgEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAIBAAQA AAABAAABJgICAAQAAAABAAALRQAAAAAAAABIAAAAAQAAAEgAAAAB/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABI AAD/7QAMQWRvYmVfQ00AAv/uAA5BZG9iZQBkgAAAAAH/2wCEAAwICAgJCAwJCQwRCwoLERUPDAwP FRgTExUTExgRDAwMDAwMEQwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwBDQsLDQ4NEA4OEBQO Dg4UFA4ODg4UEQwMDAwMEREMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDP/AABEI AIAAUAMBIgACEQEDEQH/3QAEAAX/xAE/AAABBQEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAADAAECBAUGBwgJCgsBAAEF AQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAEAAgMEBQYHCAkKCxAAAQQBAwIEAgUHBggFAwwzAQACEQMEIRIxBUFRYRMi cYEyBhSRobFCIyQVUsFiMzRygtFDByWSU/Dh8WNzNRaisoMmRJNUZEXCo3Q2F9JV4mXys4TD03Xj 80YnlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vY3R1dnd4eXp7fH1+f3EQACAgECBAQDBAUGBwcG BTUBAAIRAyExEgRBUWFxIhMFMoGRFKGxQiPBUtHwMyRi4XKCkkNTFWNzNPElBhaisoMHJjXC0kST VKMXZEVVNnRl4vKzhMPTdePzRpSkhbSVxNTk9KW1xdXl9VZmdoaWprbG1ub2JzdHV2d3h5ent8f/ 2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AKNM1tDWjSNAFcxMm5g0pc+DrHKlgU1PsDXCdPxVjK+r+S6wWY99zWjsxwBH 3hQhsFs9K+sPTr8gY722Y9xO3bY2BPxVn61YByunMyWtl2E4l/8AxVm1pP8A1q3Z/wBuPWQzBNN9 VuUXZBrsMF/0w2f0e5/521Hz7uou6hZ6OWxlDay52G4H9Jjva5jnD9+z6bdn76V3psgjq87i0Rmj TstjOxC+sQOyz8Cu85LTZW5pju0rX6jY+ukbR2UZK0SFW8/d0941T9KrbXkkWeKP9pe76SeilrrN wOqXF0QJRJbmXjtsMtEiVnZOFodFouc9giUJ5c4awh7gVxAaP//QfBB9QOHyC6Ki1r2BjuewWJ05 oJB8laqyTU27IeHFtUktaC5xPDWta1Q3TYYdUymNyBUbG1bWb7H2aNDZ2j+sr3R3dOzaWWscy63H 3NqsEyNxb6zG/wAl21qot6n0m91dl9rGlurXbHafvfpHNb7Vv4FGEzHa7H9P3+5z2EHd/bkoxslU 9I7Ff0G/uhQfRWdHNBVstB7hQdVPdO4WG2kcLGP+DCb7BjjUMCu+keyiWOCXCOyGk/CxzywILsHG /dV8sPdQdWUOAdk7v//Rh0+9oeAT24W1hGA4s13HULJyelPr3GmZb2HdQws26qzaTLgeO6g3bGz0 zGWbNzG+/v8A6/nLnOv3X4vXseul/o0uYwFlY2Nmfedjfb+cugweoMfBPtfxERr4LF+udMZeNkgc ECU4CgT2Y8ktg6/WH21YAsqeWu01Q+mZN1mK51lkuE6qWa/1+kg+QXOZPUn4lBrYYLh+VEmpDyQB YS2/WrLx73tLg5rTA0TH619Qf7gAAVy1jyXgkySdSiOveNGlDXumg73/ADo6n6kEAtWr0rrgvfsy HBpcdJXL9Mw7s64VtMHldBV9VcgDe95Dm6ghC9U1b//S6kY4cJImFR6n0vGfg5t5qb61WPY9ln5w IaXbmraqYAR4O0TZuMbcHKoYPffRZW3+s5jmt/6ShMWbieH6daW30vcSTMSTPK2frTUbumts/dg/ cq+L9WepCppe6prhBADi7/qWrW6ji2u6U+uwS5rTJbqOE6APAQWOfg5eJkB/S4PYLjuq37sot7NW 1iZThgOaD2XPZJm1zuSgNaPgmJ0REyVf6Zjsvs9+iosALwFt9Ex2GwhwknhCWy6O7sdDwW1Zpewa ALosqnJfUDS4Bw8VndPAoshy1n3gVEt10TYnRkIf/9Pvj0/IY4ip7ba/5RAcP6yjYzdti6vcD4mD /b27UB7W1dJY1jdj7djrR3JeNzhu/O/cWeWMPZLgDchy3FZ49jXy/wBrtilgeGZLGs3mGXVmBP5r XsTvpdS+CR/JcNJWTsD6YPMcnxCCGDbB1RMbSOU/r/8AN/8AQldZ+quHnVvswSzCzHayP5l5P+lr Z/Nud/pav+215r1bpnUOlZrsPqFRrtI3NLTvY9h/wlVjfa9q9LZW02Ma4exzgCRpoTCe3DxrsVwf Lxs3hgOrT7Pzmt/lpvAFHlANOP8A5v8A6E+WYxHqgEGfgV2vRMDaBc6NeArw6GKrvfY97HOApgiS 0t3brAGud/OvZ+krb/N+qrVOK12gMRW10lwLd3+Emxrdu3/R/wDnxNOO+qY8uP3/APm/+hNPqT20 jfMfBAxuuY7WursdGngtW3CqLCQ+RtJmRoQ1rnbtD7dzv/Pao39NYyNXTveDJ7NMM7fnN9300z2d b4vwX+yDoJfg/wD/1O4x209Q6Z9nt7NFVkctc3+bsb9zLGrOZRk1udRkCbajBs/Nc0/QeHI7cjF6 bf6dW6+zRuS+YaANdtbB/hGrQyMenNqZZW/UCarAdCD+ZYP9fTRBdAS9uROvtz1BLmOe0N2N17Sh pOa5jix4LXNMOaeQUxMCU5sBrW2vZfofzRoeCO4KKGtPuBaGnXkaInUOm3UupcC2x1gI2NkOAjfu LXfmoQfZj1zG17WxDpBEnwQ6ojIEXE2ibkVF7mW7TU8QWAtnndu5/earwvxzDtjQZc/lkF5PqN9v 5rG7nqlRk3PfG1gawACGxx8CrL8qyGtIb7SDMamDv11TeiiCdx+LN11QA4dtMySDMku/wj3+5jf8 9V7LmFjIhzmyHuAaNxJ0s9hP9VHGZ

Скачать книгу