Read Online Christmas Star (Contemporary, Romance) by Roz Denny Fox - Free Book Online
Authors: Roz Denny Fox
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Family Life, Christmas, holiday, Marriage, rancher, Wishes, affair, misunderstanding, Determined, Adopted Daughter, New Father, Headstrong, Married Brother, Family Traditions, Mistaken Belief
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she murmured.
Clay frowned. “How is it you have a job but don’t ever seem to work? And who’s Wicked Wanda?”
“Wanda Manning. SeLi’s case worker.” Starr broke off suddenly. What had struck her in the midst of her preoccupation was the odd way her daughter was acting toward Clay. Yesterday she’d all but had Starr married to him. Today she couldn’t seem to escape the man fast enough. Fear gripped Starr’s heart.
“Please leave,” she told Clay. “I have to run. I—I forgot to give SeLi lunch money.”
“Fine. Vanessa promised me breakfast in exchange for helping her move.”
Tight-lipped, Starr acknowledged this new information with nothing more than a nod. She didn’t want to hear about his breakfast arrangements. Or his sleeping arrangements. Right now she needed to stop SeLi. It would be a touchy situation, but if she didn’t ask the girl about Clay’s missing wallet, she’d have this knot in her stomach all day.
Not caring that she still wore her bathrobe, Starr ignored the elevator and ran down the three flights of stairs. She caught up with the children as they were about to leave the building. Asking the boys to hold the van, she motioned SeLi back.
The girl’s guilt showed in her reluctance. Starr’s heart spiraled downward as she realized the time for finesse had passed.
“Do you have something to tell me about Mr. McLeod’s wallet, SeLi?” she asked gently.
SeLi ducked her head. “I was gonna tell you ‘bout it last night. Till you made such a big deal over Buffy Jordan’s purse.” Defiant eyes rose to meet Starr’s troubled ones. “I didn’t take her old purse.”
“Forget Buffy’s purse for now. What about Mr. McLeod’s wallet?”
Narrow shoulders shrugged. “He didn’t even have it buttoned in his pocket. Somebody downtown coulda heisted it easy.”
“But they didn’t, did they, SeLi? It was gone before he went downtown, wasn’t it?” Starr ignored the van driver’s impatient honking and smoothed back strands of dark hair that had already escaped SeLi’s braid.
“It’s under my mattress,” the girl mumbled. “Can I go now?”
Starr sighed, stepped back and gathered the lapels of her robe beneath her chin. For a moment she closed her eyes. This compounded yesterday’s theft at school. It was serious business, and she didn’t know what to do.
“I didn’t take any of his money,” SeLi stated defensively as she ran toward the van.
Starr’s eyes sprang open. “I sincerely hope not,” she said, even though SeLi probably didn’t hear her as she boarded the van. Once it was under way, Starr turned leaden feet toward the elevator—an elevator on its way down from the top floor and the penthouse where Barclay McLeod was no doubt about to enjoy breakfast.
Oh, Lord, she hated the thought of facing him! She hadn’t the foggiest idea how to go about returning his wallet. But Starr knew she’d go to any lengths to protect SeLi. With all her heart she believed permanence and stability in SeLi’s life would ultimately erase her compulsion to steal. All Seli needed was a chance to prove herself.
But if Wanda got so much as a hint of this, SeLi would be instantly whisked away. To keep that from happening, Starr would face ten Clay McLeods if she had to.
CHAPTER FOUR
S TARR RAN UPSTAIRS , went inside and straight to SeLi’s room. She found the wallet tucked beneath the mattress, as SeLi had said. She handled it gingerly, like a hot potato, even though the smooth black leather was cool. She placed it on the kitchen counter while she cleaned up the breakfast dishes. But the wallet bothered her; it seemed to mock her efforts as a parent. So Starr took it to her bedroom and stuffed it in her purse until she could decide what to do.
The simplest and most expedient approach, she decided as she showered and dressed for work, would be to march upstairs and hand it to its owner. And tell him what? That was the tricky part.
She straightened the collar of the
Clay frowned. “How is it you have a job but don’t ever seem to work? And who’s Wicked Wanda?”
“Wanda Manning. SeLi’s case worker.” Starr broke off suddenly. What had struck her in the midst of her preoccupation was the odd way her daughter was acting toward Clay. Yesterday she’d all but had Starr married to him. Today she couldn’t seem to escape the man fast enough. Fear gripped Starr’s heart.
“Please leave,” she told Clay. “I have to run. I—I forgot to give SeLi lunch money.”
“Fine. Vanessa promised me breakfast in exchange for helping her move.”
Tight-lipped, Starr acknowledged this new information with nothing more than a nod. She didn’t want to hear about his breakfast arrangements. Or his sleeping arrangements. Right now she needed to stop SeLi. It would be a touchy situation, but if she didn’t ask the girl about Clay’s missing wallet, she’d have this knot in her stomach all day.
Not caring that she still wore her bathrobe, Starr ignored the elevator and ran down the three flights of stairs. She caught up with the children as they were about to leave the building. Asking the boys to hold the van, she motioned SeLi back.
The girl’s guilt showed in her reluctance. Starr’s heart spiraled downward as she realized the time for finesse had passed.
“Do you have something to tell me about Mr. McLeod’s wallet, SeLi?” she asked gently.
SeLi ducked her head. “I was gonna tell you ‘bout it last night. Till you made such a big deal over Buffy Jordan’s purse.” Defiant eyes rose to meet Starr’s troubled ones. “I didn’t take her old purse.”
“Forget Buffy’s purse for now. What about Mr. McLeod’s wallet?”
Narrow shoulders shrugged. “He didn’t even have it buttoned in his pocket. Somebody downtown coulda heisted it easy.”
“But they didn’t, did they, SeLi? It was gone before he went downtown, wasn’t it?” Starr ignored the van driver’s impatient honking and smoothed back strands of dark hair that had already escaped SeLi’s braid.
“It’s under my mattress,” the girl mumbled. “Can I go now?”
Starr sighed, stepped back and gathered the lapels of her robe beneath her chin. For a moment she closed her eyes. This compounded yesterday’s theft at school. It was serious business, and she didn’t know what to do.
“I didn’t take any of his money,” SeLi stated defensively as she ran toward the van.
Starr’s eyes sprang open. “I sincerely hope not,” she said, even though SeLi probably didn’t hear her as she boarded the van. Once it was under way, Starr turned leaden feet toward the elevator—an elevator on its way down from the top floor and the penthouse where Barclay McLeod was no doubt about to enjoy breakfast.
Oh, Lord, she hated the thought of facing him! She hadn’t the foggiest idea how to go about returning his wallet. But Starr knew she’d go to any lengths to protect SeLi. With all her heart she believed permanence and stability in SeLi’s life would ultimately erase her compulsion to steal. All Seli needed was a chance to prove herself.
But if Wanda got so much as a hint of this, SeLi would be instantly whisked away. To keep that from happening, Starr would face ten Clay McLeods if she had to.
CHAPTER FOUR
S TARR RAN UPSTAIRS , went inside and straight to SeLi’s room. She found the wallet tucked beneath the mattress, as SeLi had said. She handled it gingerly, like a hot potato, even though the smooth black leather was cool. She placed it on the kitchen counter while she cleaned up the breakfast dishes. But the wallet bothered her; it seemed to mock her efforts as a parent. So Starr took it to her bedroom and stuffed it in her purse until she could decide what to do.
The simplest and most expedient approach, she decided as she showered and dressed for work, would be to march upstairs and hand it to its owner. And tell him what? That was the tricky part.
She straightened the collar of the
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