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Book: The Kidnapped Christmas Bride (Taming of the Sheenans Book 3) by Jane Porter
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Authors: Jane Porter
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here soon.”
Chapter Seven
‡
T rey watched McKenna’s gaze follow TJ across the diner, her expression troubled.
“You’re a good mom,” Trey said quietly. “He’s so lucky to have you.”
She looked at him, tears in her eyes. “He’s missed you. So much.”
“He’s a sweet little boy. Smart, too.”
“You’re smart. Very smart. You just never liked following the rules.”
“True.”
“TJ doesn’t, either.”
“That could be problematic.”
“It already is.” She struggled to smile. “I worry about him. I worry that no one will understand him. I worry that people will judge him…much the way they’ve judged you.” Her voice broke and she looked away, swiftly wiping tears from beneath her eyes.
“It’s going to be okay, Mac.”
She looked at him, eyes wet. “Will it?” she asked hopefully.
Her make up had begun to fade and her high cheekbones jutted, her skin pale, gleaming like porcelain.
She looked younger without the blush and lipstick. More like his McKenna, the one he’d met his senior year at Marietta High when she was just a wide-eyed freshman, and the baby sister to Rory and Quinn.
It was impossible not to notice McKenna when school started in September. She was on the Frosh-Soph cheer squad and wore the short uniform red and white skirts every Friday, game day, and with her long bare legs and dark red hair spilling all the way down her back, she looked like a siren, and yet she was only fifteen years old.
He did his best to avoid her. He didn’t want to be attracted to her. He didn’t date freshman. He didn’t even like dating sophomores. But every now and then he’d find her looking at him, and she looked at him in a way no one else ever did.
She looked at him as if she could see him, see who he was, not who he pretended to be.
She looked at him as if he was good. Maybe even wonderful.
It made him feel funny, and his chest would get heavy and tight, and he became protective of her, not just because she was that Douglas girl, and not because she was impossibly pretty, but because she made him believe that maybe he was worth something. That maybe even though he was brash and reckless and in and out of trouble, that there was something still decent in him. Something real that had value.
And so he went out of his way to avoid her, not wanting to be tempted, because he was already far too tempted.
He stopped glancing her way when he knew she was around. He refused to meet her gaze. He wouldn’t get to know her.
He didn’t want to disappoint her, and it was inevitable he’d let her down. In his eighteen years, he’d disappointed everybody else.
But McKenna didn’t take the hint. She didn’t go away. She shadowed him as they took the same path to their respective fourth period classes. She stared at him as he hung out with the other seniors during lunch. She’d stand with her books on the sidewalk bordering the school parking lot waiting for her ride, and yet he sensed she wasn’t as much waiting to be picked up, as waiting to watch him walk by.
From all accounts she was a nice girl, and a smart girl, taking honors courses and getting straight A’s.
Why was she so interested in him?
He’d thought initially it might be the good girl-bad boy opposites attract thing, but she wasn’t one of those sheltered good girls. She wasn’t naïve. A year or so earlier she’d had her world blown wide open with the horrific home invasion on the Douglas Ranch and she was still coming to terms with the unthinkable tragedy.
You’d think she’d want to stay away from trouble.
You’d think she’d feel safer with the nice guys that hit the Honor Roll.
She was the one that approached him between classes, the day before the two week Christmas break. She was selling Christmas ornaments—flat brass angels—as part of a choir fundraiser and she wondered if he wanted to buy one.
Or several.
She was happy to sell him a dozen.
It was for a good cause.
He’d watched her
Chapter Seven
‡
T rey watched McKenna’s gaze follow TJ across the diner, her expression troubled.
“You’re a good mom,” Trey said quietly. “He’s so lucky to have you.”
She looked at him, tears in her eyes. “He’s missed you. So much.”
“He’s a sweet little boy. Smart, too.”
“You’re smart. Very smart. You just never liked following the rules.”
“True.”
“TJ doesn’t, either.”
“That could be problematic.”
“It already is.” She struggled to smile. “I worry about him. I worry that no one will understand him. I worry that people will judge him…much the way they’ve judged you.” Her voice broke and she looked away, swiftly wiping tears from beneath her eyes.
“It’s going to be okay, Mac.”
She looked at him, eyes wet. “Will it?” she asked hopefully.
Her make up had begun to fade and her high cheekbones jutted, her skin pale, gleaming like porcelain.
She looked younger without the blush and lipstick. More like his McKenna, the one he’d met his senior year at Marietta High when she was just a wide-eyed freshman, and the baby sister to Rory and Quinn.
It was impossible not to notice McKenna when school started in September. She was on the Frosh-Soph cheer squad and wore the short uniform red and white skirts every Friday, game day, and with her long bare legs and dark red hair spilling all the way down her back, she looked like a siren, and yet she was only fifteen years old.
He did his best to avoid her. He didn’t want to be attracted to her. He didn’t date freshman. He didn’t even like dating sophomores. But every now and then he’d find her looking at him, and she looked at him in a way no one else ever did.
She looked at him as if she could see him, see who he was, not who he pretended to be.
She looked at him as if he was good. Maybe even wonderful.
It made him feel funny, and his chest would get heavy and tight, and he became protective of her, not just because she was that Douglas girl, and not because she was impossibly pretty, but because she made him believe that maybe he was worth something. That maybe even though he was brash and reckless and in and out of trouble, that there was something still decent in him. Something real that had value.
And so he went out of his way to avoid her, not wanting to be tempted, because he was already far too tempted.
He stopped glancing her way when he knew she was around. He refused to meet her gaze. He wouldn’t get to know her.
He didn’t want to disappoint her, and it was inevitable he’d let her down. In his eighteen years, he’d disappointed everybody else.
But McKenna didn’t take the hint. She didn’t go away. She shadowed him as they took the same path to their respective fourth period classes. She stared at him as he hung out with the other seniors during lunch. She’d stand with her books on the sidewalk bordering the school parking lot waiting for her ride, and yet he sensed she wasn’t as much waiting to be picked up, as waiting to watch him walk by.
From all accounts she was a nice girl, and a smart girl, taking honors courses and getting straight A’s.
Why was she so interested in him?
He’d thought initially it might be the good girl-bad boy opposites attract thing, but she wasn’t one of those sheltered good girls. She wasn’t naïve. A year or so earlier she’d had her world blown wide open with the horrific home invasion on the Douglas Ranch and she was still coming to terms with the unthinkable tragedy.
You’d think she’d want to stay away from trouble.
You’d think she’d feel safer with the nice guys that hit the Honor Roll.
She was the one that approached him between classes, the day before the two week Christmas break. She was selling Christmas ornaments—flat brass angels—as part of a choir fundraiser and she wondered if he wanted to buy one.
Or several.
She was happy to sell him a dozen.
It was for a good cause.
He’d watched her
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