A Family Under the Christmas Tree Read Online Free PDF

he berating himself again? She felt bad for him. He was in a difficult situation, but he was doing the best he could, wasn’t he? She respected that he was trying. How many single men in their early thirties would give up their freedom to raise a child alone?
    At the walkway to David and Troy’s house, David stopped. “Time to let go of the leash, Troy. We’re home.”
    â€œ Noooo ,” Troy protested. “I want to walk Riggs all the way to his house.”
    David’s jaw tightened for a second. He probably had a million things to do. The guy had to have a job of some sort. At the very least, his patience had to be at its limit. But instead of saying no, he sighed. “All right. If Sophie doesn’t mind.”
    â€œNot at all,” she was quick to assure them both. She wasn’t sure giving into Troy’s demands was the correct path to take, but the pair had been through enough today. No doubt David wanted to avoid another tantrum.
    Over Troy’s head, David said, “Thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate your help.”
    â€œI didn’t do much,” she remarked. “Riggs found him. He’s a smart dog.”
    David smiled but she could see the residual fear and exhaustion in his eyes. The incident in the park had taken a toll on him. “Yes, he is.”He held her gaze. She liked the way the gray light filtering through the overcast sky touched the silver threads in his eyes. “Still, I don’t know if I’d have been able to get Troy to come out from beneath the bush without chopping the thing down if you hadn’t been there. You were amazing.”
    Warm pleasure shot through her. Crazy how his simple compliment made her feel so special. “You’re welcome.”
    When they reached Grandma’s yard, Sophie unhooked the leash from Riggs’s collar. The dog let out a happy yelp and raced around the yard, with Troy close on his heels.
    She sat on the porch steps to watch them play. David sat next to her. He was a hot mess, covered in mud, with debris clinging to his hair and clothes. But he was still so handsome. She had to resist the urge to wipe away a streak of mud from his chin.
    She was cold from the rain, and mud soaked into her jeans and boots. She really should go inside to warm up, but she was content to sit next to David and watch Troy and Riggs play. This was not how she’d expected this day to go at all.
    â€œWhat do you do?” she finally asked, giving in to her curiosity. “Workwise.”
    â€œI’m in I.T.”
    Information technology. A computer geek. “Does that mean if my computer has a glitch or crashes, you’re the guy I call?”
    He chuckled. “Something like that.”
    â€œNot that I’ve turned my computer on since I arrived.”
    â€œNo?”
    â€œNope. I really only use it to upload my photos or send files. I use my phone for everything else.” She took her phone from the pocket of her jacket. The home screen had three notifications. “Ooops. I missed a call from my agent and my dad.” Odd. Dad rarelycalled. She hoped everything was okay. He’d have left a message if there was a problem, right?
    â€œI didn’t know photographers had agents.”
    â€œMost talent industries do.”
    â€œDo you need to call your agent back? Maybe they have a big job for you?”
    â€œShe left a voice message and a text message.” She swiped the screen and read the text. It asked her to check her email. She opened the email program and found the message from Larissa. She felt a smile creep across her face as she read.
    â€œGood news?”
    â€œYes. I’m doing a big shoot in January with a national-brand skiwear company.” She hugged the phone to her chest. “They’re confirming my availability.” She shivered with delight.
    â€œSkiwear, huh? Where will they send you?”
    â€œThe Alps. All that lovely