Read Online A Heart Decision by Laurie Kellogg - Free Book Online Page A

injury from someone other
than you.”
    Teresa Marino was a fiercely protective Italian
mother who didn’t hesitate to send her kids on an around-the-world guilt trip whenever they gave her a
scare.
    “You’re not telling me anything I don’t know. I
already called her. I had a helluva time convincing her not to race
over to the hospital.”
    Sabrina stepped inside the large mudroom that also
served as a pantry and laundry. She grabbed a can of dog food from
the nearly empty shelves. The only other items were a wide variety
of snack foods. The refrigerator wasn’t stocked any
better—containing only condiments and beverages.
    “How can you live on this garbage?” she called to
him. “I don’t know why you bothered putting in such a fabulous
kitchen when you don’t ever cook.”
    “Resale. As soon as I finish renovating the third
floor, I plan to sell it and start over with another fixer-upper.
That’s why I’ve kept the efficiency apartment in Trenton.”
    She gasped, stepping back into the kitchen. “Don’t
you dare sell this place! I love it.”
    Once he’d finished modernizing the ancient house,
he’d spared no expense in on the upscale amenities and
state-of-the-art appliances. She would kill to have the giant
Jacuzzi tub and stall shower that doubled as steam room in the
master bathroom. Of course, the interior’s beauty was partly due to
her decorating talents. While remodeling the large kitchen and
three and a half baths, he’d dragged her along to help pick out
everything, claiming he had less taste than a stale soda
cracker.
    She’d chosen champagne maple cabinets for the large
kitchen that extended all the way to the nine-foot ceiling. Several
of the doors had glass-paned fronts which, combined with the marble
countertops and wood floor, preserved the Victorian atmosphere.
    Consequently, Luke now lived in Sabrina’s dream
home.
    At the sound of the electric can opener, Dusty
danced around her feet.
    “Brina,” Luke rasped, “when you’re finished with
that, would you take me to bed?”
    Her hands froze as she dumped the dog food into one
of Dusty’s bowls. She glanced over her shoulder at Luke’s mouth
stretched open in a long, wide yawn.
    To sleep, idiot. The poor guy was obviously
exhausted.
    Come to think of it, so was she. She’d only closed
her eyes for about three hours the night before. “Uhhh—sure. Just
let me give Dusty some water.”
    She filled the puppy’s other bowl and set it down
next to his food in the corner. As she pushed Luke’s wheelchair
down the hall and through the living room, she admired the
beautiful job he’d done refinishing the crown molding and hardwood
floor. At the bottom of the wide, curved mahogany staircase she
applied the brake and lowered his footrest. “Okay, I’ll take the
chair upstairs and get your bed ready while you scoot your way up.
Holler when you get to the top.”
    “Okay.”
    As she helped him stand on his good foot and waited
until he’d grabbed the newel post with his left hand to balance
himself, his musky scent wafted around her, making all of her girl
parts ache to press against him. The only problem was, if she gave
in to her body’s yearning, she’d most likely knock him over.
    The moment she was sure he was steady, she backed
her way up the steps, pulling the wheelchair after her. At the top,
she applied the chair’s brakes and hurried to the master bedroom at
the end of the hall. She stopped in the doorway and shook her head
at the heap of clean laundry dumped on the dresser and the mountain
of dirty clothes piled on the floor in the corner. The drawers in
his yard-sale dresser and his closet were probably completely
empty.
    So much for her romantic fantasies about making love
in Luke’s big brass bed. Not one of her erotic dreams had ever
included smelly socks and underwear.
    Evidently, when the antique bed frame was
manufactured, mattresses must have been a lot thinner. His
king-size, pillow-top mattress was so