An Aussie Christmas Angel Read Online Free PDF Page B

you.” He chugged it, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed.
    Her gaze lingered on his face before she tore it away. “How do you normally spend your Sundays? I assume you don’t work.”
    “No, I have every weekend off. Sunday’s we go to church first thing, well the service starts at half past ten. Then Dorrie, her husband Fraser, and the kids come over to Mum and Dad’s for the day. Or we go to them. We play a couple of board or card games after lunch. Then it’s tea then back to church for the evening service.”
    “What do you play?”
    “Uno or phase ten mainly, or we play football with the kids. My nephew, Taylor, is football mad. Eats and sleeps it. Dorrie hates it.”
    Jo laughed. “Does he get his love of the beautiful game from his dad then?”
    He grinned. “You know the Brit term for it?”
    “The internet is a wonderful thing sometimes.” She wasn’t going to admit to having deliberately looked it up.
    John shook his head, his deep chuckle thrilling her. “To answer your question, nope, he doesn’t. Fraser hated football at first, which Dorrie thought was wonderful, but now he seems to love it. She reckons she’s going to end up as a football widow in a few years’ time.”
    “Probably. What about you?”
    “Love football.” He winked at her. “I may have had more than a passing hand in corrupting both Taylor and Fraser.” He sipped his juice. “What about you?”
    “I love football. Aussie football that is. What you call football, we call soccer.”
    “Ah. See that’s not true football then.”
    She raised an eyebrow, loving the simple banter. “Why’s that?”
    “It’s football, the clue is in the name.” He winked. “ Foot. Ball. See, anything you throw is hand ball or throw ball. Or rugby.”
    Jo tilted her head. “Perhaps.”
    Pip came over and joined them. “You two look cozy.”
    Jo felt heat rush to her cheeks. “Just discussing the differences between football and soccer.”
    Pip rolled her eyes in mock shock. “I’m not sure which is more shocking, Jo. You knowing the difference or actually discussing them.”
    She must have looked as uncomfortable as she felt because John leapt to her rescue, changing the subject.
    “I love your Christmas tree. Though it’s a little early to put it up, isn’t it? It’s only the middle of November.”
    “Pip’s away in the UK for Christmas, so we’re going to celebrate this month instead. But I love Christmas. God did so much for us then. Set a whole chain of events in motion purely because He loved us.”
    John nodded. “After all, if there was no Christmas, there’d be no Easter.”
    “Exactly.”
    He looked at Pip. “Are you going anywhere nice?”
    “England,” Pip grinned. “Going to stay with Gran for Christmas itself. She’s too frail to put me up the whole time, so I’m doing the tourist bit before I get to her place on Christmas Eve. Rob’s on call otherwise he’d come with me. I’m going to miss him like crazy and I wish he were coming. Next time, maybe.”
    “Lunch is ready,” Rob called. “Come and get it before Pip eats it all.”
    “That’s totally uncalled for.” Pip laughed, crossing over to thump him playfully on the arm.
    Jo tried to push down the spark of envy as the two of them fought over the spatula. She sighed and looked away.
    “What’s up?” John asked, concern masking his dulcet tones. “You look really sad. Are you worried about Pip going away?”
    “No. She’s a big girl. She can take care of herself. I was just thinking how nice it’d be to have someone like Rob in my life. He looks out for Pip, plays with her, laughs with her.” She sucked in a deep breath, then setting her glass down, pushed her hands roughly through her hair. “It’s just hard being single at times.”
    “I know how that goes. Two sisters married, the other sister married to her job, and all my mates are taken. My social life consists of watching a movie once a month with Dorrie and