Read Online Harlequin Medical Romance December 2015, Box Set 1 of 2 by Tina Beckett - Free Book Online Page B

back painful memories. For Jess’s dad. For himself.
    Her dad came out of the kitchen wearing a ruffled apron that could only belong to his daughter. The queasy sensation stalled, and then subsided.
    â€œSorry for the frilly gear,” the other man said. “I’ve been telling Jess she needs to buy some gender-neutral things if I’m to do much cooking.”
    Dean brushed the words aside with a smile, reaching out to shake her father’s hand. His grip was solid, putting Dean at ease almost immediately. He wasn’t the alcoholic. But he had experienced what it was like to be at one’s mercy.
    They had something in common. And he got the feeling that Jess’s father would have kept his family safe from anyone or anything that threatened it.
    â€œNorman Black. Nice to meet you.”
    â€œYou as well. I’m Dean Edwards.”
    Jess made a little sound in her throat, hands gripped tightly together. “So what are we having?”
    â€œShepherd’s pie, remember? Your mum did the majority of the work tonight. I simply made the salad.”
    Shrugging out of his coat when Jess reached toward it, Dean let her hang it up by the front door, where several others were—one he recognized as the coat she’d worn to the Indian restaurant and to the pub. With a quick flick she draped his over the top of that very one.
    A peculiar flash of awareness crept up his spine. He shot her a glance to see if she’d done that on purpose, but she was already moving farther into the room, laughing at something her dad had said. He threw another look at the winter gear and then shrugged. They were just coats. Not a metaphor for anything else.
    â€œI think Mum is ready.” She was back at his side. “I hope you like shepherd’s pie.” There was an uncertainty to her voice that made him take a closer look.
    â€œAdore it. My mum didn’t seem to...”
    He’d almost said that his mother didn’t like to cook, unless she knew her husband was on his way home. And that was only because she knew what would happen if dinner wasn’t on the table when he arrived.
    â€œShe didn’t seem to...?”
    â€œNothing. She was just never keen on fixing things that didn’t come from a tin.”
    â€œDid she work?”
    He shook his head, blasting himself for even going there. And he wasn’t sure why he had. There was just something about Jess that invited confidences, shared secrets...and aroused his protective instincts, evidently.
    Besides, hadn’t she just finished sharing a pretty big secret of her own—about her grandfather’s drinking? It was human nature to want to mirror what someone else did.
    He wasn’t quite satisfied with that explanation, but, since they were now in Jess’s minuscule dining room, he didn’t have time to formulate any other theories.
    And his growling stomach reminded him that he’d skipped lunch. Something smelled delicious.
    Right on cue, Gloria hurried out of the kitchen. “Jess, would you put some ice in the glasses and get the drinks ready please?”
    â€œIs there anything I can help with?” he asked.
    She waved him away. “No, just have a seat. I’ve put you to the left of where Jess normally sits.”
    Another thing he didn’t know about her. Before he had to guess, Jess went around the table and picked up a glass. “What would you like to drink? Something fizzy?”
    Okay, so that was where he was to sit. Thank you, Jess.
    â€œJust give me whatever you’re having.”
    Soon they were all situated around the table. Needing a drink of something stronger than the water he’d been served, he sucked down a mouthful, only to have bubbles assault his throat. He swallowed in a hurry, fighting the need to cough. Losing.
    Jess laughed. “I wondered why you wanted tonic water. You normally hate it.”
    He jerked around to stare at her before realizing