A Home for Christmas Read Online Free PDF Page B

lot of scars?” Cam asked.
    “Cameron,” Jenna said, “he just said he was shot
four times.  What do you think?  He could have bullet wounds with no
scars?”
    Cam flashed a cheesy grin.  “Well, can I see
some of them?”
    “Cameron!”
    Riley laughed.  “That’s OK, Jenna. 
Yeah, you can see the ones on my back.”
    Jenna’s eyes widened and Cam froze. 
    “You got shot in the back?” Cam cried.
    Riley pulled his shirt over his head and turned
so Cam could see.
    “Whoa…” Cam said, standing on the couch so that
he was close enough to Riley’s back to see.  “Mom!  You gotta see
this!”
    Jenna was having a hard time pulling her gaze
from Riley’s perfect washboard abs and the dusting of slightly darker blonde
hair on his chest.  Once she got over looking at his muscles, she noticed
that his chest and side was covered with scars. 
    “Oh, Riley,” she gasped, raising trembling
fingers to touch one really long, jagged, nasty looking scar that ran along his
ribs.
    “Got tangled up in a razor wire fence,” he said,
watching her touch him.
    “Wow, sick!” Cam exclaimed, clearly impressed by
Riley’s battle scars. 
    Jenna could see another scar that disappeared
into the waistline of his pants, likely from the same razor wire.  He had
a tattoo on his left upper bicep, a sort of tribal looking design that, while
she wasn’t much of a tattoo fan, she had to admit looked really cool on him.
    “So many,” she whispered.  She noticed one
on his jawline she hadn’t seen before because it ran right along the
underside.  Overcome with emotion, she rocked up on her toes and placed a
brief, but tender and heartfelt kiss there.  “Thank you, Riley, for your service.”
    “Yeah, dude,” Cam said, “thanks!  It’s cool
that, you know, you didn’t die from any of these.”
    Jenna laughed.  She couldn’t help it. 
Leave it to her son to say something so ridiculously crazy.  Riley was
chuckling, too as he pulled his shirt back on.
    “I’m glad I didn’t die from any of these,
either.  Then I wouldn’t have been there to get your mom’s purse back this
morning.”
    “I’m really glad you were there,” Cam told him,
suddenly solemn.  “I worry about her sometimes.”
    “Cam,” Jenna began but stopped when Riley spoke.
    “That’s good.  You should always look out
for your mom.”
    She watched Cameron beam under the praise. 
Another reason why she wanted to strangle Wade Blackwell: Cameron missed having
a male influence in his life.  That was obvious to her today, watching him
work with Riley to hang the Christmas lights and put together the archway.
    “Cam, you need to get in bed now.  You’ve
got a big day tomorrow.”
    “But, Mom, Riley and I need a rematch.”
    “I’ll be here tomorrow, too,” Riley told
him.  “You want to be rested for your race, right?”
    Cam sighed, “Yeah, all right.  Thanks for
everything today, Riley.  Getting my mom’s purse back and the Christmas
lights and stuff.”
    “You’re welcome.”
    “’Night, Mom.”
    “Goodnight, Cam.”
    “’Night, Riley.”
    “Goodnight.  See you tomorrow.”
    Riley watched the boy walk down the hall and
disappear into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.  Turning his
gaze back to Jenna, he was painfully aware that they were now alone.  In
just a few short hours spent with her, he found himself just as drawn to her as
he’d been when he first saw her this morning.
    “You’re very good with him,” Jenna said, breaking
his thoughts.
    “He’s a good kid,” he said, studying her. 
She looked a little nervous now that Cam was gone, but he didn’t think she was
going to ask him to go just yet, which was good, because he really didn’t want
to go.
    “Would you like some hot chocolate?” she asked,
backing away from him a step.  “I always like to have a cup at night when
the Christmas tree is up and everything is all sparkling and cozy.”
    He smiled.  “Sounds good.”
    He followed