Read Online I Want to Hold Your Hand by Marie Force - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Marie Force
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brought the truck to a stop next to the chicken coop where Dude was spreading feed, oblivious to her visitors.
Skeeter got out of the truck and barked out a greeting to her.
She spun around and met him at the waist-high chicken-wire fence with a warm, suggestive smile. “Back so soon, lover?”
Oh my God . Nolan’s stomach turned, and his eyes darted around the cluttered yard, searching for anything to look at besides the kiss Dude was planting on Skeeter’s willing lips. Christ, have mercy . She had to duck her head to even get to his lips. Stop looking!
“Nolan wants to see the pups,” Skeeter explained when they came up for air.
She looked over Skeeter’s shoulder at Nolan. “That right?”
Nolan nodded.
“For you?”
“For a friend.”
“I need to know who before I’ll consider giving one up.”
“Hannah Guthrie.”
“Oh,” Dude said, her face softening again. “Of course. Come have a look.” She stepped out of the chicken coop and led them across the yard to a barn that had a sagging roof and rusty old farm implements discarded outside. To the far left was a tractor that had seen much better days.
Maisy and her pups were inside a stall lined with wool blankets. The new mother was lying on her side as her babies climbed all over her, some of them attached to her extended teats to feed while others wrestled with their siblings. Maisy raised her head to check out the visitors, caught sight of Dude, and relaxed again.
Nolan smiled with delight at the tiny, energetic puppies. They had patches of brown, black and white, their breed impossible to determine on sight. “Any thoughts on their lineage?” Nolan asked.
“Nope,” Dude replied. “Maisy is very private about her love life, so I have no idea who the daddy is. And God only knows what she is. My guess is part beagle, part shepherd, part Doberman, but I honestly haven’t the first clue. She’s a sweet girl though. Wonderful disposition. She’s a lover, too. Very snuggly.”
Mesmerized by the frenetic activity in the stall, Nolan noticed one of the puppies stood off to the side of the fray, taking it all in as his or her siblings carried on. “What’s up with that guy?”
“He’s a bit aloof, that one. Likes to watch the others act like asshats while he remains above it all.”
The description reminded Nolan of the way Hannah was with her siblings. She was quieter than the other nine Abbotts, reserved, more likely to observe rather than seek the center of attention. “Is he spoken for?”
“Not yet.”
Nolan watched the puppy as one of the others approached him, wanting to play. He nuzzled the intruder and sent him on his way with a gentle nudge that made Nolan smile. “I think Hannah would adore him.” He hoped he was right about that. In truth, he had no way to know whether or not she’d welcome the puppy so soon after losing Homer.
“I’ll keep him for her,” Dude said. “They need another week or so with mom before I start finding homes for them.”
“You’ll let me know when I can come pick him up?”
“I will.” She rested her hand on Nolan’s arm. “It’s a sweet thing you’re doing for her. Every time I’ve lost one of my precious fur babies, I always get another one right away. I like to think I’m honoring the memory of the one I lost by giving a good home to a new friend. Your Hannah will think so, too.”
At hearing Hannah called “his” Hannah, Nolan’s heart skipped a happy beat even as he wondered what she’d have to say about being called “his” anything. He’d wanted her for such a long time, and after last night, he wanted her more than ever. It wasn’t even the physical part, which was amazing. It was her. Just her. Being around her calmed him and completed him in a way that nothing or no one else ever could. He’d accepted that fact of his life quite some time ago, when he began to understand it would be her or no one.
“We oughta get back to work,” Skeeter said, jarring
Skeeter got out of the truck and barked out a greeting to her.
She spun around and met him at the waist-high chicken-wire fence with a warm, suggestive smile. “Back so soon, lover?”
Oh my God . Nolan’s stomach turned, and his eyes darted around the cluttered yard, searching for anything to look at besides the kiss Dude was planting on Skeeter’s willing lips. Christ, have mercy . She had to duck her head to even get to his lips. Stop looking!
“Nolan wants to see the pups,” Skeeter explained when they came up for air.
She looked over Skeeter’s shoulder at Nolan. “That right?”
Nolan nodded.
“For you?”
“For a friend.”
“I need to know who before I’ll consider giving one up.”
“Hannah Guthrie.”
“Oh,” Dude said, her face softening again. “Of course. Come have a look.” She stepped out of the chicken coop and led them across the yard to a barn that had a sagging roof and rusty old farm implements discarded outside. To the far left was a tractor that had seen much better days.
Maisy and her pups were inside a stall lined with wool blankets. The new mother was lying on her side as her babies climbed all over her, some of them attached to her extended teats to feed while others wrestled with their siblings. Maisy raised her head to check out the visitors, caught sight of Dude, and relaxed again.
Nolan smiled with delight at the tiny, energetic puppies. They had patches of brown, black and white, their breed impossible to determine on sight. “Any thoughts on their lineage?” Nolan asked.
“Nope,” Dude replied. “Maisy is very private about her love life, so I have no idea who the daddy is. And God only knows what she is. My guess is part beagle, part shepherd, part Doberman, but I honestly haven’t the first clue. She’s a sweet girl though. Wonderful disposition. She’s a lover, too. Very snuggly.”
Mesmerized by the frenetic activity in the stall, Nolan noticed one of the puppies stood off to the side of the fray, taking it all in as his or her siblings carried on. “What’s up with that guy?”
“He’s a bit aloof, that one. Likes to watch the others act like asshats while he remains above it all.”
The description reminded Nolan of the way Hannah was with her siblings. She was quieter than the other nine Abbotts, reserved, more likely to observe rather than seek the center of attention. “Is he spoken for?”
“Not yet.”
Nolan watched the puppy as one of the others approached him, wanting to play. He nuzzled the intruder and sent him on his way with a gentle nudge that made Nolan smile. “I think Hannah would adore him.” He hoped he was right about that. In truth, he had no way to know whether or not she’d welcome the puppy so soon after losing Homer.
“I’ll keep him for her,” Dude said. “They need another week or so with mom before I start finding homes for them.”
“You’ll let me know when I can come pick him up?”
“I will.” She rested her hand on Nolan’s arm. “It’s a sweet thing you’re doing for her. Every time I’ve lost one of my precious fur babies, I always get another one right away. I like to think I’m honoring the memory of the one I lost by giving a good home to a new friend. Your Hannah will think so, too.”
At hearing Hannah called “his” Hannah, Nolan’s heart skipped a happy beat even as he wondered what she’d have to say about being called “his” anything. He’d wanted her for such a long time, and after last night, he wanted her more than ever. It wasn’t even the physical part, which was amazing. It was her. Just her. Being around her calmed him and completed him in a way that nothing or no one else ever could. He’d accepted that fact of his life quite some time ago, when he began to understand it would be her or no one.
“We oughta get back to work,” Skeeter said, jarring
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