Read Online Kicks for a Sinner S3 by Lynn Shurr - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lynn Shurr
Ads: Link
of the time difference, the children, all talking at once, crowded the computer screen when they connected for a Skype visit.
“Snow, you have snow to play in, and we gotta stay home and go to school. Not fair,” Dean complained.
“Did you get those babies yet? What kind are they?” Jude asked.
“Not yet, honey. And we won’t know for a while what kind they are,” Nell answered.
“Why not?” Annie questioned in her quiet but always perceptive way.
“We’ll discuss that when your dad and I get home. How about you, Tommy? What are you doing?”
“Getting better at kicking. Wait until you see, Dad!”
“Can’t wait, son. Be home in two more weeks.”
A pair of competent hands lifted one of the twins aside. Must have been Annie since Jude would have protested loudly. Nadine’s strong face filled the screen. “We finished up our novena las’ night, so you all set with God and Mother Mary. You go get my grandbabies outta the freezer and bring them on home, you hear.”
“We’re all set up for Tuesday, Mama.”
“Off to bed, children,” Nell prompted. “Nighty-night.”
A chorus of nighty-nights echoed back. As the children departed for bed, they could see Cassie lurking behind them. She slipped in front of the screen for a moment. She looked fresh and young, perfectly made up, and beautifully clothed in a draped turquoise blouse.
“Joe, what great pictures. I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon. It would be a wonderful place to spend a honeymoon, don’t you think?”
Nell elbowed her husband aside and took over. “Yes, we sort of had a second honeymoon in front of the fireplace while the snow came down this afternoon.” She delighted in seeing Cassie blush from so far away. “Now we’re going nighty-night, too. Sleep tight, Cassie.”
Nell disconnected and looked at Joe. “Between that conniving little bitch and your mother, I think I will get drunk at the Super Bowl party tomorrow.”
Joe grinned at her, one of those wicked grins that melted the bones of so many women. “Aw, you don’t mean that, sugar. It’s just the hormones talking.”
* * * *
She did mean it. Didn’t take much to get Nell drunk, she was such a little thing. Three glasses of champagne, and she grew tiddly. Two more after their favored team won left her with a hell of a headache in the morning. She had little memory of the orgy that followed. Joe, having more or less sworn off champagne after winning his first Super Bowl and conceiving Dean with the repugnant Margaret Stutes, stuck to beer and did enjoy the festivities. The aftermath, not so much.
As he steered the rented car from the snowy verge of the canyon toward Phoenix, Nell sat beside him with her eyes covered by oversized sunglasses purchased when they stopped for gas. Periodically, she rubbed a cool, damp bottle of water across her forehead. “No music,” she’d begged, unless he put on something classical or maybe easy listening. Anything else made her head throb. So, they rode along in silence, utter silence, as they passed from the uplands to the red rock region and on to the desert saguaro cactus forest outside of Phoenix. Nell slept a good part of the way, and he took care not to wake her.
Bored, Joe got out his cell phone and thumbed out a message while throwing quick glances at his sleeping wife. She did not approve of texting while driving, but he always figured his superior coordination let him get away with it. One arm relaxed on the steering wheel, he texted Howdy.
How R U and Cassie getting along?
An answer returned promptly: Better.
Good news. In what way?
Tommy likes me, so she does. Showed me her barrel-racing. She’s good.
Yes. Take her riding.
Have done. All the kids went with us.
Without kids!
Nell stirred and raised her sunglasses. Gotta go. Joe disconnected in a hurry and shoved the phone into a slot.
“Were you texting while driving? And you want more children. I could end up a widow with seven babies to
“Snow, you have snow to play in, and we gotta stay home and go to school. Not fair,” Dean complained.
“Did you get those babies yet? What kind are they?” Jude asked.
“Not yet, honey. And we won’t know for a while what kind they are,” Nell answered.
“Why not?” Annie questioned in her quiet but always perceptive way.
“We’ll discuss that when your dad and I get home. How about you, Tommy? What are you doing?”
“Getting better at kicking. Wait until you see, Dad!”
“Can’t wait, son. Be home in two more weeks.”
A pair of competent hands lifted one of the twins aside. Must have been Annie since Jude would have protested loudly. Nadine’s strong face filled the screen. “We finished up our novena las’ night, so you all set with God and Mother Mary. You go get my grandbabies outta the freezer and bring them on home, you hear.”
“We’re all set up for Tuesday, Mama.”
“Off to bed, children,” Nell prompted. “Nighty-night.”
A chorus of nighty-nights echoed back. As the children departed for bed, they could see Cassie lurking behind them. She slipped in front of the screen for a moment. She looked fresh and young, perfectly made up, and beautifully clothed in a draped turquoise blouse.
“Joe, what great pictures. I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon. It would be a wonderful place to spend a honeymoon, don’t you think?”
Nell elbowed her husband aside and took over. “Yes, we sort of had a second honeymoon in front of the fireplace while the snow came down this afternoon.” She delighted in seeing Cassie blush from so far away. “Now we’re going nighty-night, too. Sleep tight, Cassie.”
Nell disconnected and looked at Joe. “Between that conniving little bitch and your mother, I think I will get drunk at the Super Bowl party tomorrow.”
Joe grinned at her, one of those wicked grins that melted the bones of so many women. “Aw, you don’t mean that, sugar. It’s just the hormones talking.”
* * * *
She did mean it. Didn’t take much to get Nell drunk, she was such a little thing. Three glasses of champagne, and she grew tiddly. Two more after their favored team won left her with a hell of a headache in the morning. She had little memory of the orgy that followed. Joe, having more or less sworn off champagne after winning his first Super Bowl and conceiving Dean with the repugnant Margaret Stutes, stuck to beer and did enjoy the festivities. The aftermath, not so much.
As he steered the rented car from the snowy verge of the canyon toward Phoenix, Nell sat beside him with her eyes covered by oversized sunglasses purchased when they stopped for gas. Periodically, she rubbed a cool, damp bottle of water across her forehead. “No music,” she’d begged, unless he put on something classical or maybe easy listening. Anything else made her head throb. So, they rode along in silence, utter silence, as they passed from the uplands to the red rock region and on to the desert saguaro cactus forest outside of Phoenix. Nell slept a good part of the way, and he took care not to wake her.
Bored, Joe got out his cell phone and thumbed out a message while throwing quick glances at his sleeping wife. She did not approve of texting while driving, but he always figured his superior coordination let him get away with it. One arm relaxed on the steering wheel, he texted Howdy.
How R U and Cassie getting along?
An answer returned promptly: Better.
Good news. In what way?
Tommy likes me, so she does. Showed me her barrel-racing. She’s good.
Yes. Take her riding.
Have done. All the kids went with us.
Without kids!
Nell stirred and raised her sunglasses. Gotta go. Joe disconnected in a hurry and shoved the phone into a slot.
“Were you texting while driving? And you want more children. I could end up a widow with seven babies to
Similar Books
