Read Online Harlequin Heartwarming May 2016 Box Set by Rula Sinara - Free Book Online Page B

buddies back in school. But he had always enjoyed giving her a hard time. If it was at all possible for a sexy wink to be aggravating, he’d just pulled it off. Why did that not surprise her?
    â€œYou look a lot like Mac did when I first met him, Nick,” Mugi said with a deep chuckle. His accent was highlighted with a different quality than Kesi’s musical voice. Tessa couldn’t place it. He sat down at the end of the table and eyed Mac to his left and Nick to his right, then scratched his graying sideburns. Tessa had no idea why, but the scene struck her oddly as one of grandfather, father and son.
    â€œI look like my dad,” Nick said, raising his chin as if to uncover his face and prove his point. He totally had his mother’s chin.
    â€œI’m not surprised, given your uncle carries the same blood,” Mugi pointed out. “I never met your father, but I can already see pride runs deep in your family. It makes a man strong, if not stubborn.”
    â€œStop giving our Mac a hard time.” Kesi laughed at the opposite end of the table, closer to Tessa. She wore pants and a white cotton top embroidered around the neck. A printed scarf was wrapped around her head and beaded earrings added beautiful traditional touches to her outfit. Her style would have made a great subject for one of Tessa’s fashion columns. Kesi couldn’t have been much younger than Mugi, yet her warm skin had such a youthful glow.
    â€œAre you two calling me stubborn? Me? ” Mac asked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He took a piece of chapati, tore it and offered half to Nick. Nick took one bite and immediately reached for another piece.
    â€œOh, should I tell embarrassing stories of the first time you landed here?” Kesi smiled as she waved her hand across the table. “Please, everyone, fill your plates and don’t be shy. There’s enough for seconds and thirds.”
    â€œI think I need to hear this story,” Tessa said.
    â€œYeah. Embarrass Uncle Mac. Please. ” The way Nick’s lopsided smile mirrored Mac’s was uncanny. She wished she had a camera.
    â€œDid he run out of gas and get stranded?” Tessa ventured.
    â€œWorse. He ran out of gas on the wrong side of the river,” Kesi said. “You tell them, Mugi. I love hearing this story.”
    â€œThey don’t want to hear it,” Mac insisted.
    â€œYes, we do,” Tessa and Nick said simultaneously.
    Mugi laughed and put his elbows up on the table. He leaned a few conspiratorial inches toward Nick and jerked his head at Mac.
    â€œYour uncle here was out on his first flight in the area. No passengers. Just him...a fledgling.” Mugi chuckled. “So he had lost his bearings and realized he was too low on gas to make it back safely. According to him, he had been told over the radio that there was a camp nearby, but the trees had just greened up, lush enough to make spotting this place from the air difficult. So he went for a clearing...but not the one where you landed today. No, this one was across the river. Kesi and I were sitting at the edge of the camp watching the various herds make their way upstream for water when we saw him land. Now, mind you, where there’s prey, predator is not far behind.”
    â€œSo you called out to him?” Nick asked, chewing more slowly.
    â€œOf course not. We just watched to see what he’d do. After all, even lions have babies to feed. He was just part of the food chain we were observing in action. There’s no television out here. A guy needs entertainment.”
    At that, Nick stopped eating and stared at the older man. Kesi covered her mouth with one hand to keep from laughing out loud and squeezed Tessa’s arm with the other. Tessa struggled to keep a straight face.
    â€œRemind me never to put my life in your hands,” Mac said, spooning curry onto the rice in his dish. He looked like