Read Online Yours to Keep by Shannon Stacey - Free Book Online Page B

morning,” she said, injecting a little more cheer into her voice than she felt.
    “Morning.”
    So, not a morning person, then. Since, unlike her, he hadn’t had any problem falling asleep, she didn’t think he was still tired. “If I know Gram, she’s already working on breakfast and I didn’t get my lack of cooking ability from her.”
    “I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
    He didn’t seem inclined to make conversation, so she left the room and followed the heavenly scent of coffee and bacon to the kitchen. “Morning, Gram.”
    Cat paused in stirring a big batch of scrambled eggs in her favorite cast-iron skillet, which had been sadly neglected in her absence. “Morning, sweetie. Is Sean up?”
    “He’ll be down in a few minutes.” Figuring it was something a domesticated woman would do, she fixed him a cup of coffee along with her own. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble for us.”
    “Don’t think I didn’t see the boxes of doughnuts and instant oatmeal in the pantry. And cooking for one isn’t any fun.”
    Emma didn’t think cooking for any amount of people was fun, but she wasn’t going to turn down a homemade breakfast. “I was able to rearrange a few things to get a couple of days off, but Wednesday I have a job I have to do. And Sean, of course.”
    “I knew you’d be busy this time of year, so I wasn’t expecting you to keep me company every minute. I’ll probably go into town and see some old friends.”
    Emma smiled, but a slight tremor racked her insides. The nearest town, where they’d always gone and Emma had gone to school, wasn’t a small town, but it wasn’t big, either. Knowing Gram was probably in contact with old friends, she’d been pretending she was engaged there, too. Her own friends knew the truth, but anybody in Gram’s circle was convinced Emma was engaged, even though they’d never met the lucky fellow.
    It had been a careful balancing act. Sean tended to travel to the town where his family lived so he could visit them at the same, she told people. And sometimes they’d just missed him. Or he’d gone back to Maine for a visit but work had kept her from accompanying him.
    Hopefully all her groundwork wouldn’t crumble under Gram’s scrutiny.
    “Something smells good,” Sean said as he walked into the kitchen. And like any good fiancé, he slid an arm around Emma’s waist and leaned in for a quick morning kiss, smelling of shampoo and shaving cream and toothpaste.
    It was over almost before she registered his intention, but she managed not to jump back like…how had he put it? A virgin at a frat party?
    “You’re in for a treat,” she said in a surprisingly normal voice. “Gram’s scrambled eggs are to die for.”
    “So what’s the plan for today?” Gram asked while dishing up the eggs and bacon.
    “Whatever you want to do.” Emma handed Sean his coffee cup.
    “We should go buy a new grill,” Gram said. “And I’ll see if there’s any decent salmon to be had.”
    Emma nodded. At least grill shopping meant going to the city rather than in to town. One step at a time. One day at a time. That’s how they’d get through the month.
    And, God help her, one kiss at a time.

Chapter Six
    Sean got the summons he’d been dreading in the form of a voice mail left on his cell phone while they were struggling to get the new grill out of the back of the truck.
    “Sean, it’s Aunt Mary.” As if any other woman in his life ever used that tone of voice with him. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but I want to see you. Today. Alone. Don’t make me come looking for you, young man.”
    Yeah, he was in trouble. And it was own damn fault because he should have known his cousins couldn’t keep their mouths shut. They never had. Especially Mikey. He was always the rat growing up.
    He gave Emma and Cat a song and dance about promising his uncle he’d give him a hand changing the oil in his riding lawnmower and made the drive over