Read Online Red Hot Christmas by Jill Sanders - Free Book Online
Authors: Jill Sanders
Tags: Romance, Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, series, Genre Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, romantic suspense, Family Saga, Women's Fiction, New Adult & College, Collections & Anthologies, Holidays
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his jacket up next to hers, she walked over and flipped on the kitchen lights. The room was flooded with warm light.
“Yeah, looks nice,” he said from his spot at the door.
“Are you going to come all the way in or stand by the door all night?” She turned and walked into the small kitchen to start heating the water. “Make yourself at home,” she called out as she ran the water into the kettle. She listened, but couldn't hear anything from the next room.
When she walked into the living room a few minutes later while she waited for the water to boil and saw him standing by her windows, looking out at the snow and the town.
“It's a great town.” She stood beside him.
“Yeah. I didn't always think so.” His hands were in his jean pockets, and he was wearing his MIT sweatshirt.
“Oh yeah?” She turned and gave him her full attention. “Why?” she asked when he didn't say anything further.
He turned and looked at her, then ran his hands over his face and walked over to the couch and sat down. “When I was eight I was in a bad car accident that killed both of my parents.” She gasped and walked over to sit next to him. “It took me a while to learn how to walk again. I'd broken both my legs and my collar bone. But the doctors got me back on my feet and shipped me off to some grandparents I'd never met. I was angry that first year. Angry that I'd lived while my parents had died. I guess I took it pretty hard and since my grandparents were the only people around, I ended up taking it out on them. But after a year of very hard labor helping my grandfather rebuild half the house, the anger finally settled down inside me.”
She sat there and listened to his story, wondering what he was getting at, not knowing if she should just come right out and ask him what was wrong. But then the kettle whistled, and she went and made them hot chocolate. When she came back in, he hadn't moved a muscle.
After taking a sip, he set it down on her coaster and continued with his story.
“Actually, it was thanks to Iian and some of my other buddies that I finally started liking this place.” He chuckled. “I was really angry that the school didn't have a soccer team at the time. After school one day I spotted a few guys playing basketball, and got even madder. I remember walking over there thinking basketball was a wussy sport, and I'm sure I mouthed off a lot to the boys until, finally, they challenged me.” He laughed. “Naturally, I lost. I ended up walking home with a fat lip and a loose jaw thanks to how rough the other boys played.” He smiled over at her, and for the first time that night, she saw a sparkle in his eyes. “They still play that rough. Anyway, when I'd gotten home, my gran was there with a big batch of her brownies and it finally felt like home.”
She reached over and took his hand. “She seems like a wonderful woman. Luke, is something wrong with your grandmother?”
He looked down at their joined hands and nodded. “They didn't think it was the cancer coming back. All the blood work looked good, at first. But then they did a scan today.” He closed his eyes, and she could tell it was bad.
“I'm so sorry.” She held his hand and wished she could take a little of his pain away.
“They give her two months. That's it. That's all the time I have left with the most wonderful woman I've ever known.”
She didn't realize a tear had escaped her eye until he reached up and wiped it away with his thumb.
“I'm sorry. After dropping her back off at home, I just meant to go for a drive. Some of her friends were at the house and they were going to stay with her. Most likely some of them will live there for the next few months until...” He shook his head. “I drove up to the national park, a place I used to go that first year, when I was still mad. I thought that the anger would come back, like it did when my parents died, but
“Yeah, looks nice,” he said from his spot at the door.
“Are you going to come all the way in or stand by the door all night?” She turned and walked into the small kitchen to start heating the water. “Make yourself at home,” she called out as she ran the water into the kettle. She listened, but couldn't hear anything from the next room.
When she walked into the living room a few minutes later while she waited for the water to boil and saw him standing by her windows, looking out at the snow and the town.
“It's a great town.” She stood beside him.
“Yeah. I didn't always think so.” His hands were in his jean pockets, and he was wearing his MIT sweatshirt.
“Oh yeah?” She turned and gave him her full attention. “Why?” she asked when he didn't say anything further.
He turned and looked at her, then ran his hands over his face and walked over to the couch and sat down. “When I was eight I was in a bad car accident that killed both of my parents.” She gasped and walked over to sit next to him. “It took me a while to learn how to walk again. I'd broken both my legs and my collar bone. But the doctors got me back on my feet and shipped me off to some grandparents I'd never met. I was angry that first year. Angry that I'd lived while my parents had died. I guess I took it pretty hard and since my grandparents were the only people around, I ended up taking it out on them. But after a year of very hard labor helping my grandfather rebuild half the house, the anger finally settled down inside me.”
She sat there and listened to his story, wondering what he was getting at, not knowing if she should just come right out and ask him what was wrong. But then the kettle whistled, and she went and made them hot chocolate. When she came back in, he hadn't moved a muscle.
After taking a sip, he set it down on her coaster and continued with his story.
“Actually, it was thanks to Iian and some of my other buddies that I finally started liking this place.” He chuckled. “I was really angry that the school didn't have a soccer team at the time. After school one day I spotted a few guys playing basketball, and got even madder. I remember walking over there thinking basketball was a wussy sport, and I'm sure I mouthed off a lot to the boys until, finally, they challenged me.” He laughed. “Naturally, I lost. I ended up walking home with a fat lip and a loose jaw thanks to how rough the other boys played.” He smiled over at her, and for the first time that night, she saw a sparkle in his eyes. “They still play that rough. Anyway, when I'd gotten home, my gran was there with a big batch of her brownies and it finally felt like home.”
She reached over and took his hand. “She seems like a wonderful woman. Luke, is something wrong with your grandmother?”
He looked down at their joined hands and nodded. “They didn't think it was the cancer coming back. All the blood work looked good, at first. But then they did a scan today.” He closed his eyes, and she could tell it was bad.
“I'm so sorry.” She held his hand and wished she could take a little of his pain away.
“They give her two months. That's it. That's all the time I have left with the most wonderful woman I've ever known.”
She didn't realize a tear had escaped her eye until he reached up and wiped it away with his thumb.
“I'm sorry. After dropping her back off at home, I just meant to go for a drive. Some of her friends were at the house and they were going to stay with her. Most likely some of them will live there for the next few months until...” He shook his head. “I drove up to the national park, a place I used to go that first year, when I was still mad. I thought that the anger would come back, like it did when my parents died, but
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