Read Online That McCloud Woman by Peggy Moreland - Free Book Online Page B

Ophelia
McCloud had hated the Double-Cross Heart Ranch and the family's required summer
visits there. The house was old, she'd complained to her husband, with few
amenities, and certainly lacking in refinement. And there was nothing to do in
the country, she liked to remind him, but watch the grass grow. To appease her,
Alayna's father had allowed his wife to completely redecorate the Pond House.
The project had kept her busy for two years—and stopped her complaining for
almost that long.
    Alayna
chuckled. In spite of her parents' differences, they loved each other, sharing
that love with their children. And Alayna wanted to continue that legacy by
sharing her love with children who had never known love as she had.
    She
stepped back, studying the long table, already imagining her own brood of
children gathered around it. There would be laughter and teasing, and plenty of
love to pass around.
    "Alayna!"
    "Up
here," she called. She quickly wiped her palm down her thigh, cleaning off
the dust she'd gathered, feeling as if she'd been caught skipping school. When
she'd slipped off to the attic, she'd left Jack alone to work on a loose
spindle on the staircase banister. That he would seek her out was yet another
indication that what had transpired between the two of them on the pier the
night before had left no adverse effects, and for that she was thankful.
    At
the sound of his steps on the stairs, she turned, smiling.
    He
stopped with one foot planted on the top step and braced his hands on either
side of the door frame. He leaned forward, peering inside the room. "What
are you doing up here?" he asked, frowning.
    The
bulge of biceps was impossible for Alayna to ignore. That and the way his jeans
hugged his thigh. And the endearing manner in which his hair fell across his
forehead was, to her, simply irresistible. She told herself it was merely a
motherly instinct that made her want to cross to him, comb the dark hair aside
and place a kiss on his forehead to erase the frown lines there.
    Thankfully
she was honest enough to recognize the excuse for what it was—a lie. She may
not be able to have sex with a man, she reminded herself, but she certainly
still found them attractive. Especially, it seemed, this particular man.
    "Looking
for treasure," she replied. She laughed at Jack's startled expression.
"Furniture," she clarified. "Things I might be able to use
downstairs."
    "Oh."
He pushed from the doorway and stepped inside the low-ceilinged room. He lifted
the corner of a dust cloth and raised a brow. "Nice stuff. Old, but
nice." He dropped the cloth. "Do you want me to haul anything down
for you?"
    Alayna
turned to the table, studying it closely, while Jack crossed to stand beside
her. "I'd like to take this down, if you think we could manage it."
    He
fitted his hands around the table's edge and lifted, testing its weight.
"I don't know," he said doubtfully. "It's pretty heavy. Might
need help with this one." He squatted down, peering beneath it. "We
might be able to take the legs off. Would make moving it easier." He stood
and tossed back the rest of the cover for a better look.
    Alayna
gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "Oh, no," she murmured,
reaching to press her fingertips against the buckled wood he'd exposed.
    Jack
glanced up at the rafters overhead. "Roof must've leaked," he said.
"I'll give it a look later." He lowered his gaze to the damaged wood
again, shaking his head with regret. "A shame, too."
    "Do
you think it can be repaired?"
    Jack
heard the hopefulness in Alayna's voice, and suspected she'd had her heart set
on using the table. He stepped closer, rubbing a hand along the damaged wood,
praying it wasn't as bad as he'd first thought. "I'm no professional
regarding furniture," he said hesitantly, "but I'd think it'd be
cheaper to replace it, than to try to repair it. But if you want, I can haul it
into town and get an expert's opinion."
    She
sighed heavily. "No. I trust your opinion." She touched his