Read Online Her Minnesota Man (A Christian Romance Novel) by Brenda Coulter - Free Book Online
Authors: Brenda Coulter
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consultant be eating ice cream straight from the carton?" he asked conversationally.
She rapped his knuckles with the back of her cold, sticky spoon. "Calling attention to the imperfect manners of one's dining companion is the height of rudeness," she said primly.
"Is it?" Rubbing his abused knuckles, Jeb feigned confusion. "Then why are you correcting me?"
She chuckled, and for an instant he thought he'd succeeded in cheering her up, but then her smile flattened again.
"I'm just no good at romance. I mean, look how I messed up with Tom and Nathan." She sighed. "And let's not forget Luke."
Oh, he hadn't forgotten the veterinarian who'd strung her along for the better part of a year, telling her he loved her but wasn't ready to think about marriage. If Jeb had been in Owatonna when Laney discovered the man she loved was seeing her close friend Megan behind her back, he'd have broken the jerk's nose.
"I feel so stupid." Laney shook her head sadly. "Why do I keep falling for men who are completely wrong for me?"
"Don't be so hard on yourself. You're lonely, that's all."
The thought of her marrying always made Jeb's stomach hurt. But she was a loving, giving, family-oriented woman and she deserved to be happy.
"It's more than simple loneliness, Jeb. I think there must be something wrong with me."
"There's nothing wrong with you." He pushed another cherry toward her. "You just haven't found the right guy yet."
"What if I never find him?"
"You're only twenty-five." Jeb infused his tone with a hint of impatience. "Give it time."
"You don't understand," she muttered.
He was trying to. So hard that he inadvertently allowed some extremely foolish words to slip out of his mouth.
"Tell you what. I'll help you find a husband."
Laney's gloomy expression morphed into one of wry amusement. "Oh, thank you. I'd dearly love to marry a tattooed, stringy-haired drummer who wears muscle shirts and drinks tequila straight from the bottle."
Jeb's lips twitched because she had just described Skeptical Heart's Taylor Benson, whom she had never met.
"I appreciate the thought," she went on, looking forlorn again. "But can you honestly see me with any of the guys you associate with?"
"Of course not," he said repressively. He hoped she would never guess just how much effort he expended to protect her innocence. He had even instructed his band's booking agents to avoid any venue within a three-hour drive of Owatonna, ensuring that she would never attend one of his shows and expect to go backstage and meet the band. Sweet Laney had no business anywhere near those rowdy, profane guys.
"I see you with a good Christian man," he said. Not a confused, just-barely-saved guy like himself, but a strong, confident man. One who was worthy of her admiration and love. "And I'm going to help you find one."
Just as soon as he figured out where to start looking.
Laney arched her tawny eyebrows. "Meet a lot of good Christian men in your line of work, do you, rock star?"
Jeb blinked at the bitter, mocking tone that was as foreign to her nature as the self-pity she'd displayed a minute ago. What was wrong with her? His instincts told him it was something far more serious than a little depression over her latest disappointment in love.
"Talk to me, Laney." He slipped a hand under her silky hair to cup the back of her neck and squeeze some encouragement into her. "What's going on with you, hmm?"
She bowed her head, hiding her eyes beneath a mass of flaxen curls. "Since Mom's been gone everything just seems so hard," she said quietly. "And lately I . . ." She shook her head and drew a shuddery breath.
Jeb moved his hand, tucking his knuckles under her chin to lift her face. Her eyelashes fluttered as she looked everywhere but at him.
"What is it, princess?" He'd fix it for her or die trying.
"I'm having a crisis of faith," she blurted, looking miserable and embarrassed.
"A crisis of . . ." Jeb dropped his hand and struggled to
She rapped his knuckles with the back of her cold, sticky spoon. "Calling attention to the imperfect manners of one's dining companion is the height of rudeness," she said primly.
"Is it?" Rubbing his abused knuckles, Jeb feigned confusion. "Then why are you correcting me?"
She chuckled, and for an instant he thought he'd succeeded in cheering her up, but then her smile flattened again.
"I'm just no good at romance. I mean, look how I messed up with Tom and Nathan." She sighed. "And let's not forget Luke."
Oh, he hadn't forgotten the veterinarian who'd strung her along for the better part of a year, telling her he loved her but wasn't ready to think about marriage. If Jeb had been in Owatonna when Laney discovered the man she loved was seeing her close friend Megan behind her back, he'd have broken the jerk's nose.
"I feel so stupid." Laney shook her head sadly. "Why do I keep falling for men who are completely wrong for me?"
"Don't be so hard on yourself. You're lonely, that's all."
The thought of her marrying always made Jeb's stomach hurt. But she was a loving, giving, family-oriented woman and she deserved to be happy.
"It's more than simple loneliness, Jeb. I think there must be something wrong with me."
"There's nothing wrong with you." He pushed another cherry toward her. "You just haven't found the right guy yet."
"What if I never find him?"
"You're only twenty-five." Jeb infused his tone with a hint of impatience. "Give it time."
"You don't understand," she muttered.
He was trying to. So hard that he inadvertently allowed some extremely foolish words to slip out of his mouth.
"Tell you what. I'll help you find a husband."
Laney's gloomy expression morphed into one of wry amusement. "Oh, thank you. I'd dearly love to marry a tattooed, stringy-haired drummer who wears muscle shirts and drinks tequila straight from the bottle."
Jeb's lips twitched because she had just described Skeptical Heart's Taylor Benson, whom she had never met.
"I appreciate the thought," she went on, looking forlorn again. "But can you honestly see me with any of the guys you associate with?"
"Of course not," he said repressively. He hoped she would never guess just how much effort he expended to protect her innocence. He had even instructed his band's booking agents to avoid any venue within a three-hour drive of Owatonna, ensuring that she would never attend one of his shows and expect to go backstage and meet the band. Sweet Laney had no business anywhere near those rowdy, profane guys.
"I see you with a good Christian man," he said. Not a confused, just-barely-saved guy like himself, but a strong, confident man. One who was worthy of her admiration and love. "And I'm going to help you find one."
Just as soon as he figured out where to start looking.
Laney arched her tawny eyebrows. "Meet a lot of good Christian men in your line of work, do you, rock star?"
Jeb blinked at the bitter, mocking tone that was as foreign to her nature as the self-pity she'd displayed a minute ago. What was wrong with her? His instincts told him it was something far more serious than a little depression over her latest disappointment in love.
"Talk to me, Laney." He slipped a hand under her silky hair to cup the back of her neck and squeeze some encouragement into her. "What's going on with you, hmm?"
She bowed her head, hiding her eyes beneath a mass of flaxen curls. "Since Mom's been gone everything just seems so hard," she said quietly. "And lately I . . ." She shook her head and drew a shuddery breath.
Jeb moved his hand, tucking his knuckles under her chin to lift her face. Her eyelashes fluttered as she looked everywhere but at him.
"What is it, princess?" He'd fix it for her or die trying.
"I'm having a crisis of faith," she blurted, looking miserable and embarrassed.
"A crisis of . . ." Jeb dropped his hand and struggled to
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