large stone fireplace and
paused to savor the feeling.
Branson put his arms around Katie,
hugging her to his body. “Don’t tell me my little ice cube is
cold?”
Katie tried to wiggle loose. “Agh!
Your mom and sister!”
Branson laughed. “What? Do you think I
told them you were my tutor—you’re here as my girlfriend.
Relax.”
“ I’m shy.” Katie batted
her eyelashes.
“ You ? Shy?” He laughed. “Since when has Katie Harrington ever
been afraid of anything? You’d charge hell with a water
pistol.”
“ Then why are you so dry,
sir?” Katie raised one eyebrow and grinned.
“ Okay, sassy-mouth, if you
want to see my devilish charms—” He pulled her in close and began
tickling her.
“ Stop! You win!” She
laughed breathlessly.
“ Are you
hungry?”
Katie nodded.
Lunch was served buffet style along a
large black slate island. A trio of salads: chicken, tuna, and
pasta were offered along with a steaming pot of chicken and sweet
potato chowder. Katie filled a bowl and took a small sampling of
each of the salads.
“ Where’s Dad?” Branson
asked.
“ He’s picking up some
things from the grocery that I missed when I went out earlier. I
had a list and still missed three things!” She rolled her eyes and
chuckled.
Katie ate every bite of the chowder.
“This is delicious.”
“ Thank you.” She raised
her eyebrows and grinned at her children. “Cooking’s not usually my
strong suit. So, Branson tells us you’re in nursing
school.”
“ Yes, ma’am.”
“ Do you have a
specialty?”
“ I loved my emergency room
rotation and the intensive care unit, so hopefully I can find a job
in one of those areas.”
Jennifer’s eyes lit up. “What kinds of
things did you see in the ER?”
Katie wondered if they were the type
that could handle details, or if she should keep her stories vague.
Some of her friends had weak stomachs and always asked her to stop
talking about her clinical rotations in front of them.
“ Mostly homeless folks
that drank themselves to death. I was allowed to attempt
resuscitation on five people in one night—three were successful.
Others came in for strange things. One had spilled boiling water on
her bare feet, another lost his—” Katie stopped short. She’d
started rambling about all of the exciting things she had seen in
the ER and got carried away. Telling friends at school about these
stories was one thing, but this would not make a good first
impression with Branson’s family.
“ What! What did he lose?”
Jennifer pressed.
“ Sorry, I’m rambling.
Branson told me you just ran your first 5K.”
“ Yes, but you’re not
getting out of this. You have to tell me what he lost.” She
smiled.
Katie took in a deep breath. “Okay, he
lost his finger.”
“ How?”
“ You don’t have a weak
stomach, do you?” Katie looked at Branson, pleading with him for a
rescue, but he grinned and waved his hand, encouraging her to
finish.
“ Nope.”
“ Apparently, he was
climbing off of his deck to the pavement below. Some buddies were
playing basketball, and instead of taking the stairs he decided to
show off and jump down. For some reason he chickened out at the
last minute, tried to grab onto the deck to keep from falling, and
his wedding ring got stuck.” Katie grimaced waiting for the ooh, gross comments.
“ That’s awful, but so cool
that you got to see it. Were you able to save it?”
“ Yes, they were able to
reattach it.”
Branson stood and asked Katie if she
would like to see the rest of the house. First he took her toward
the sunroom off the back of the house. “Do I need my
coat?”
“ No, it’s
heated.”
The view was spectacular. “You live on
the lake? It’s so beautiful.” Everything but the water was covered
in snow, but you could tell the landscaping was perfectly arranged
around the path toward the dock. Rolling hills surrounded the
water, and Katie imagined sitting in this room every morning with a
cup of
paused to savor the feeling.
Branson put his arms around Katie,
hugging her to his body. “Don’t tell me my little ice cube is
cold?”
Katie tried to wiggle loose. “Agh!
Your mom and sister!”
Branson laughed. “What? Do you think I
told them you were my tutor—you’re here as my girlfriend.
Relax.”
“ I’m shy.” Katie batted
her eyelashes.
“ You ? Shy?” He laughed. “Since when has Katie Harrington ever
been afraid of anything? You’d charge hell with a water
pistol.”
“ Then why are you so dry,
sir?” Katie raised one eyebrow and grinned.
“ Okay, sassy-mouth, if you
want to see my devilish charms—” He pulled her in close and began
tickling her.
“ Stop! You win!” She
laughed breathlessly.
“ Are you
hungry?”
Katie nodded.
Lunch was served buffet style along a
large black slate island. A trio of salads: chicken, tuna, and
pasta were offered along with a steaming pot of chicken and sweet
potato chowder. Katie filled a bowl and took a small sampling of
each of the salads.
“ Where’s Dad?” Branson
asked.
“ He’s picking up some
things from the grocery that I missed when I went out earlier. I
had a list and still missed three things!” She rolled her eyes and
chuckled.
Katie ate every bite of the chowder.
“This is delicious.”
“ Thank you.” She raised
her eyebrows and grinned at her children. “Cooking’s not usually my
strong suit. So, Branson tells us you’re in nursing
school.”
“ Yes, ma’am.”
“ Do you have a
specialty?”
“ I loved my emergency room
rotation and the intensive care unit, so hopefully I can find a job
in one of those areas.”
Jennifer’s eyes lit up. “What kinds of
things did you see in the ER?”
Katie wondered if they were the type
that could handle details, or if she should keep her stories vague.
Some of her friends had weak stomachs and always asked her to stop
talking about her clinical rotations in front of them.
“ Mostly homeless folks
that drank themselves to death. I was allowed to attempt
resuscitation on five people in one night—three were successful.
Others came in for strange things. One had spilled boiling water on
her bare feet, another lost his—” Katie stopped short. She’d
started rambling about all of the exciting things she had seen in
the ER and got carried away. Telling friends at school about these
stories was one thing, but this would not make a good first
impression with Branson’s family.
“ What! What did he lose?”
Jennifer pressed.
“ Sorry, I’m rambling.
Branson told me you just ran your first 5K.”
“ Yes, but you’re not
getting out of this. You have to tell me what he lost.” She
smiled.
Katie took in a deep breath. “Okay, he
lost his finger.”
“ How?”
“ You don’t have a weak
stomach, do you?” Katie looked at Branson, pleading with him for a
rescue, but he grinned and waved his hand, encouraging her to
finish.
“ Nope.”
“ Apparently, he was
climbing off of his deck to the pavement below. Some buddies were
playing basketball, and instead of taking the stairs he decided to
show off and jump down. For some reason he chickened out at the
last minute, tried to grab onto the deck to keep from falling, and
his wedding ring got stuck.” Katie grimaced waiting for the ooh, gross comments.
“ That’s awful, but so cool
that you got to see it. Were you able to save it?”
“ Yes, they were able to
reattach it.”
Branson stood and asked Katie if she
would like to see the rest of the house. First he took her toward
the sunroom off the back of the house. “Do I need my
coat?”
“ No, it’s
heated.”
The view was spectacular. “You live on
the lake? It’s so beautiful.” Everything but the water was covered
in snow, but you could tell the landscaping was perfectly arranged
around the path toward the dock. Rolling hills surrounded the
water, and Katie imagined sitting in this room every morning with a
cup of
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