Read Online The Christmas Bargain by Shanna Hatfield - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Shanna Hatfield
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inside the house.
A top student in school with a keen mind, Philamena felt like the last decade had been lost to her in so many ways, but one she felt acutely was her education. Her father rarely brought home newspapers or magazines, so she felt completely out of touch with what was going on in the world.
Finishing the dishes, Philamena wiped down the counters and table while Luke leaned against the counter, sipping another cup of coffee, laced heavily with sugar.
“Any other questions?” he asked, trying not to smile. He was delighted by Philamena’s inquiries. He thought it showed her intelligence and eagerness to learn about her surroundings.
“Just one, for now,” Philamena said, with a rare grin on her face. Walking to a door at the end of the kitchen, she opened it and waved her hand toward the inside.
“What do these do?” she asked, pointing to two large machines.
Luke laughed as he walked to the door and stuck his head inside the washroom. “Those are going to make your life so much easier, you won’t even believe it.”
Taking Philamena’s hand, Luke felt a jolt race through him clear to his toes as he led her to one of the identical machines.
“These are washing machines. You fill this tub part with water and soap. When you crank this handle it agitates the clothes and gets them clean. You drain that out and fill it with clean water to rinse. When you’ve got the soap out, you thread the clothes through this ringer, here, to squeeze out the water then you hang them up to dry. The water is piped in, so you turn this knob,” Luke said, showing Philamena the control for the water, “to fill the tub. To drain it, you turn this knob down here on the tub. If you have any questions on how it works, ask Mrs. Kellogg. She usually does my laundry on Wednesdays when she comes.”
Philamena nodded her head, absorbed in the wonder of a washing machine. She could hardly wait to try it just to see how it worked.
Stepping back out of the washroom and into the kitchen, Luke finished his coffee then pulled a watch from his trouser pocket. “We’ve got plenty of time before we need to leave, would you like a tour of the upstairs?”
“That would be nice,” Philamena said, following Luke down the hall. He showed her through each of the upstairs bedrooms. Philamena counted four in all with one bathroom in the middle of the hall.
The last bedroom, Luke said, was the master bedroom. It was a massive room with rich, cherry wood furniture that gleamed in the morning light. Soft shades of green and cream completed the room’s décor. The high windows were covered in thick cream lace with green velvet drapes pulled back to let in the sunlight. A huge closet and another bathroom completed the spacious room. Philamena thought it was the loveliest room she had ever seen.
Never, in even her wildest dreams, had she imagined such comforts, such extravagance. And now it was to be her home. She certainly had a lot to learn before she could feel confident in managing Luke’s household.
“I’ve never seen anything so wonderful,” she said, as they stood looking outside. From the window she could see the barn, carriage house, and fenced acres beyond with several head of cattle.
Luke stood behind her, enjoying the opportunity to show her his home because she seemed to take such pleasure in its beauty. He had long ago stopped seeing it as anything other than a place he went to sleep between work and church, meetings and community obligations. Looking at it through his wife’s eyes gave him a fresh appreciation for all that he had.
Placing a warm hand on her shoulder he gave it a gentle squeeze. “What do you think of Granger House?”
Philamena found it challenging to collect her thoughts let alone form words with Luke’s warmth and manly scent filling her senses. Pulling herself together, she looked at him over her shoulder. “It’s wonderful. Are those your cows out there?”
“Yes. They probably think
A top student in school with a keen mind, Philamena felt like the last decade had been lost to her in so many ways, but one she felt acutely was her education. Her father rarely brought home newspapers or magazines, so she felt completely out of touch with what was going on in the world.
Finishing the dishes, Philamena wiped down the counters and table while Luke leaned against the counter, sipping another cup of coffee, laced heavily with sugar.
“Any other questions?” he asked, trying not to smile. He was delighted by Philamena’s inquiries. He thought it showed her intelligence and eagerness to learn about her surroundings.
“Just one, for now,” Philamena said, with a rare grin on her face. Walking to a door at the end of the kitchen, she opened it and waved her hand toward the inside.
“What do these do?” she asked, pointing to two large machines.
Luke laughed as he walked to the door and stuck his head inside the washroom. “Those are going to make your life so much easier, you won’t even believe it.”
Taking Philamena’s hand, Luke felt a jolt race through him clear to his toes as he led her to one of the identical machines.
“These are washing machines. You fill this tub part with water and soap. When you crank this handle it agitates the clothes and gets them clean. You drain that out and fill it with clean water to rinse. When you’ve got the soap out, you thread the clothes through this ringer, here, to squeeze out the water then you hang them up to dry. The water is piped in, so you turn this knob,” Luke said, showing Philamena the control for the water, “to fill the tub. To drain it, you turn this knob down here on the tub. If you have any questions on how it works, ask Mrs. Kellogg. She usually does my laundry on Wednesdays when she comes.”
Philamena nodded her head, absorbed in the wonder of a washing machine. She could hardly wait to try it just to see how it worked.
Stepping back out of the washroom and into the kitchen, Luke finished his coffee then pulled a watch from his trouser pocket. “We’ve got plenty of time before we need to leave, would you like a tour of the upstairs?”
“That would be nice,” Philamena said, following Luke down the hall. He showed her through each of the upstairs bedrooms. Philamena counted four in all with one bathroom in the middle of the hall.
The last bedroom, Luke said, was the master bedroom. It was a massive room with rich, cherry wood furniture that gleamed in the morning light. Soft shades of green and cream completed the room’s décor. The high windows were covered in thick cream lace with green velvet drapes pulled back to let in the sunlight. A huge closet and another bathroom completed the spacious room. Philamena thought it was the loveliest room she had ever seen.
Never, in even her wildest dreams, had she imagined such comforts, such extravagance. And now it was to be her home. She certainly had a lot to learn before she could feel confident in managing Luke’s household.
“I’ve never seen anything so wonderful,” she said, as they stood looking outside. From the window she could see the barn, carriage house, and fenced acres beyond with several head of cattle.
Luke stood behind her, enjoying the opportunity to show her his home because she seemed to take such pleasure in its beauty. He had long ago stopped seeing it as anything other than a place he went to sleep between work and church, meetings and community obligations. Looking at it through his wife’s eyes gave him a fresh appreciation for all that he had.
Placing a warm hand on her shoulder he gave it a gentle squeeze. “What do you think of Granger House?”
Philamena found it challenging to collect her thoughts let alone form words with Luke’s warmth and manly scent filling her senses. Pulling herself together, she looked at him over her shoulder. “It’s wonderful. Are those your cows out there?”
“Yes. They probably think
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