Read Online The Lost Sheenan's Bride (Taming of the Sheenans Book 6) by Jane Porter - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jane Porter
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you never know…we’re both busy. I might not see you again.”
“Marietta has a population of eleven thousand—if that. It’s kind of hard not to bump into people here.”
She flushed and hoped it was dark enough that he couldn’t see. “That’s true. Our paths will probably pass. Again. Sometime.”
“Or, we don’t wait for our paths to cross, and we make a plan. Set a date. Say for brunch on Sunday? I’ve been told the Graff does a very nice Sunday brunch.”
Her pulse jumped. The Graff, being the Graff Hotel, also known as Troy Sheenan’s hotel. He’d bought the abandoned turn-of-the-century hotel and spent a decade restoring it. Today it was the finest four-star hotel between Three Forks and Yellowstone but it was also a place that she probably shouldn’t go with Shane. “I usually go to church with Harley and the kids on Sunday. It’s kind of our tradition.”
“Brock doesn’t go?”
“The Sheenans aren’t big on attending services, but they say a blessing at dinner, and prayers with the kids.” She looked up at him. “Do you attend church?”
“No.”
“I guess you fit right in then.”
“Except that I’m not a Sheenan,” he retorted.
“Obviously. I didn’t mean that. I just meant—” She struggled to find the right words, and then shrugged. “Never mind. Doesn’t matter.”
“So no to brunch,” he said.
“If we care about what others think,” she said.
“I don’t care, but I know you do, and I respect that.” He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew his car keys. “I’ll see you when I see you. If not at the diner then maybe at Java Cafe.”
Disappointment flooded her. His tone was kind. His words had been kind. He’d said nothing offensive and yet her heart just fell, toppling all the way down. She didn’t want to wait days, or weeks, to see him again. She didn’t want to leave everything so open ended.
She’d loved tonight. Even the uncomfortable and awkward parts.
“I’ve never been to the Graff to eat,” she said hesitantly, feeling her way through this. “I’ve had a drink in their lounge, and I understand at Christmas they do this festive holiday tea on weekends, and a Santa Brunch a week or two before Christmas—” She broke off, gulped air. “Do you think it’s terrible that I want to go to brunch with you?”
“No. But I don’t think you’re someone who can handle disappointing her family.”
“We’re not getting married. We’d be having brunch.”
“This is true.”
She looked away, frowned as she remembered how upset Cormac had been tonight. If he didn’t like her having dinner with Shane in Livingston, he definitely wouldn’t like her meeting Shane for brunch at the Graff. But Cormac wasn’t her brother or her father, and he wasn’t the easiest of men, either. He had a stubborn streak a mile long and tended to do what he wanted to do…regardless.
“The hotel’s history is fascinating,” she said after a moment. She turned her attention back to Shane. “Do you know it?”
“A little. I stayed there for a few days when I first arrived in town. Met Dillon Sheenan in the hotel bar for lunch to discuss leasing the Sheenan place. The bar was nice. It looked like a pub, very masculine but stylish.”
“The entire hotel was recently renovated.”
“I understand it stood empty for years before the renovation.”
She nodded. “Troy bought it because it was his mom’s favorite place. His mother used to take her little boys there for special events, back before the hotel went out of business.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Harley told me the hotel nearly bankrupted Troy, too. It was a huge multi-million dollar renovation but Troy believed in the hotel and I think it’s out of the red now. I hope it’s out of the red.”
“You’re full of information.”
She grinned crookedly. “You can’t help picking up bits and pieces of history when you’re here. My students are proud to be Montanans. Most of them
“Marietta has a population of eleven thousand—if that. It’s kind of hard not to bump into people here.”
She flushed and hoped it was dark enough that he couldn’t see. “That’s true. Our paths will probably pass. Again. Sometime.”
“Or, we don’t wait for our paths to cross, and we make a plan. Set a date. Say for brunch on Sunday? I’ve been told the Graff does a very nice Sunday brunch.”
Her pulse jumped. The Graff, being the Graff Hotel, also known as Troy Sheenan’s hotel. He’d bought the abandoned turn-of-the-century hotel and spent a decade restoring it. Today it was the finest four-star hotel between Three Forks and Yellowstone but it was also a place that she probably shouldn’t go with Shane. “I usually go to church with Harley and the kids on Sunday. It’s kind of our tradition.”
“Brock doesn’t go?”
“The Sheenans aren’t big on attending services, but they say a blessing at dinner, and prayers with the kids.” She looked up at him. “Do you attend church?”
“No.”
“I guess you fit right in then.”
“Except that I’m not a Sheenan,” he retorted.
“Obviously. I didn’t mean that. I just meant—” She struggled to find the right words, and then shrugged. “Never mind. Doesn’t matter.”
“So no to brunch,” he said.
“If we care about what others think,” she said.
“I don’t care, but I know you do, and I respect that.” He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew his car keys. “I’ll see you when I see you. If not at the diner then maybe at Java Cafe.”
Disappointment flooded her. His tone was kind. His words had been kind. He’d said nothing offensive and yet her heart just fell, toppling all the way down. She didn’t want to wait days, or weeks, to see him again. She didn’t want to leave everything so open ended.
She’d loved tonight. Even the uncomfortable and awkward parts.
“I’ve never been to the Graff to eat,” she said hesitantly, feeling her way through this. “I’ve had a drink in their lounge, and I understand at Christmas they do this festive holiday tea on weekends, and a Santa Brunch a week or two before Christmas—” She broke off, gulped air. “Do you think it’s terrible that I want to go to brunch with you?”
“No. But I don’t think you’re someone who can handle disappointing her family.”
“We’re not getting married. We’d be having brunch.”
“This is true.”
She looked away, frowned as she remembered how upset Cormac had been tonight. If he didn’t like her having dinner with Shane in Livingston, he definitely wouldn’t like her meeting Shane for brunch at the Graff. But Cormac wasn’t her brother or her father, and he wasn’t the easiest of men, either. He had a stubborn streak a mile long and tended to do what he wanted to do…regardless.
“The hotel’s history is fascinating,” she said after a moment. She turned her attention back to Shane. “Do you know it?”
“A little. I stayed there for a few days when I first arrived in town. Met Dillon Sheenan in the hotel bar for lunch to discuss leasing the Sheenan place. The bar was nice. It looked like a pub, very masculine but stylish.”
“The entire hotel was recently renovated.”
“I understand it stood empty for years before the renovation.”
She nodded. “Troy bought it because it was his mom’s favorite place. His mother used to take her little boys there for special events, back before the hotel went out of business.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Harley told me the hotel nearly bankrupted Troy, too. It was a huge multi-million dollar renovation but Troy believed in the hotel and I think it’s out of the red now. I hope it’s out of the red.”
“You’re full of information.”
She grinned crookedly. “You can’t help picking up bits and pieces of history when you’re here. My students are proud to be Montanans. Most of them
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