Read Online Forever Santa by Leeanna Morgan - Free Book Online Page A

coffee.
    “Do you want me to hang the decorations you bought on the tree?”
    Gracie let go of the breath she’d been holding and smiled at Trent. “Sounds like a good idea. I’ll give you a hand before I head back to the barn.”
    “You’re not doing more painting are you?”
    Gracie shook her head. “Your mom and I saw some curtain fabric we like. Now that the first two floors are mostly painted, I want to see what the fabric samples look like in the rooms. I might need your help to hold the tape-measure when I check the window sizes.”
    Trent didn’t know it, but she didn’t intend to be anywhere near the painters until they’d finished the barn. Choosing curtains and light fittings would keep her busy until Christmas. And if her plan worked out, she’d be buying nursery furniture as soon as Santa left the ranch.
     

 
     
     
     
    CHAPTER SEVEN
     
    Trent lifted the last bucket of paint off the back of his truck. It was so damn cold that he swore the handle would have stuck to his hands if he hadn’t been wearing gloves.
    “Anything else to bring in?” Jacob grabbed a box loaded with sandpaper, drop clothes, and oil stain. He’d pulled into their driveway not long after Trent arrived home and had been helping to unload the truck.
    “There’s a bag of drill bits sitting on the front seat.”
    Jacob disappeared inside the cab. “Where do you want them?”
    “Put the whole lot in the entranceway.”
    They trudged through the snow, scraping their boots on the mat at the front door.
    “I need coffee.” Trent walked through to the kitchen. “You want some?”
    “Strong and black.” Jacob moved into the center of the living room, staring at what they’d done. “If you ever want to get into property development come and see me.”
    Jacob had made a fortune buying and selling property. He’d started small, purchasing his first residential property while he was still in college. By the time he’d finished his degree he’d bought, remodeled, and sold three houses. He preferred commercial property now, deals that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and added long-term return to his investment.
    “Too much risk for my liking,” Trent said. “Jordan’s worked hard to get the barn to what you see today. ”
    Jacob walked across to the triple height window that dominated the living area. “You’ve made some good design decisions. People will be lining up to come and stay here.”
    “That’s the plan.” Trent took a mug of coffee across to Jacob and looked through the window. Thick snow blanketed the ranch, creating the kind of picture perfect Christmas scene that someone would pay a lot of money to enjoy.
    “How’s Alex?”
    Jacob shrugged. “He’s doing okay. Dad’s coming home next week. Mom’s going to stay until he’s ready to be transferred back home. How’s Gracie?”
    Trent had been wondering the same thing. “She’s tired and not sleeping well. I don’t know whether she’s been working too hard or if she’s worried about Alex.”
    “Knowing Gracie I’d say it’s both things added together.”
    A pair of boots thumped down the stairs. Trent and Jacob both looked up. “I thought I smelled coffee. Gracie’s banned the stuff while she’s in here.” Jordan grabbed a mug out of a kitchen cupboard and a cookie tin out of the pantry. “You want something to eat? Gracie’s been practicing for when Mrs. Davies isn’t here.”
    Trent bit into a cookie and passed the container to Jacob. They tasted better than the last batch he’d tried, not that he’d tell Gracie that.
    “She’s getting better,” Jordan muttered as he reached for another cookie.
    Something bugged Trent about what his brother had said. “Why doesn’t Gracie want anyone drinking coffee in here?”
    Jordan picked up his coffee and took a sip. “Damned if I know. Said the smell was driving her crazy. Are you heading into town tonight?”
    “Hadn’t planned on it.” Trent took another gulp of coffee.