Coming Home Read Online Free PDF

haunted by a broad-shouldered,
long-limbed god with probing blue eyes that looked directly into her soul.  She
awoke to late afternoon sunlight filtering through the window.  She had lied
quite creatively to herself about why she’d come to Boston.  But the truth was
that she had come because she wanted Danny Fiore.  She wanted to kiss the long,
slender fingers with their blunt tips, wanted to taste the pulse that beat in
his wrist.  Wanted to explore with her fingertips all that silky hair, wanted
to rest her head against his chest and feel the rhythm of his heart.
    But a personal relationship between them was out of the question. 
He had his career, and she had Jesse.  Their futures were planned, their fates
sealed.  There was no place in her life or his for an extracurricular love
affair.  In twenty-six days she would marry Jess.  She would go on with her
life as planned, and Danny would go on with his, and if they were very
fortunate, their paths wouldn’t cross again.
    It was the bleakest proposition she’d ever faced.
    If she had any common sense she’d get on the next bus home and
forget she’d ever met Danny Fiore.  She would grab Jesse and rush him to the
altar so quickly his head would spin.  And then she’d throw away Dr. Grimes’
damned pills and see to it that Jesse planted a baby in her right away.
    Except that, somewhere along the way, her traitorous common sense
had deserted her, leaving her ready to toss away her entire future for a man
who would almost certainly break her heart.
    She flung aside the bedcovers and snatched up her robe, tied the
belt and yanked free her cascade of dark hair.  If Danny wanted songs, then by
God, she’d give him songs.  But she would draw the line at that.  She wasn’t
about to let any man destroy her life.
    She found Travis in the kitchen, eating Froot Loops from a chipped
bowl.  Casey ruffled his hair as she walked by, and he dropped his spoon into
the bowl with a clatter.  “Where the hell were you all night?” he said.
    “At Rob’s house.  Got any coffee?”  She touched the side of the
percolator to see if it was hot, then began opening cupboard doors in search of
a cup.
    “Left side, over the sink.”  He watched her pour the coffee.  “You
sat up all night with those bozos?”
    She took a sip of coffee, then smiled ruefully at him over the rim
of the cup.  “Danny’s very persuasive.”
    “Yeah.  Like a loaded .357.”
    “Don’t shatter my illusions, Trav.  I happen to like him.”
    “That’s fine, as long as you don’t like him too much.”
    She busied herself at the refrigerator.  “Jesse and I are getting
married in a month, remember?”  She checked the date on a container of yogurt. 
“I’m immune to the charms of other men.”
    “Danny’s not like other guys,” he said.  “The Virgin Mary would
have a hard time resisting him.”
    She searched the jumbled mess in the drawer for a clean spoon. 
“Speaking purely hypothetically,” she said, “is that necessarily a bad thing?”
    “Hypothetically or otherwise, you’re my sister, and you’re damn
right it’s bad.”
    She raised an eyebrow.  “Do I detect a trace of Neanderthal
peeking out from beneath that mild-mannered exterior?”
    “Maybe I should be a little more explicit.  Danny’s idea of a long-term
relationship is about two hours.”
    She ate a spoonful of yogurt.  “What makes you so sure I’m not
looking for a last mad fling before I get married?”
    “I know you too well.  You’re not the type.”
    For some reason, his comment irritated her.  “You know what,
Trav?  One of these days, I might just surprise you.”
    Her brother ran a hand through his dark hair and sighed.  “Look,
you’re my sister.  I care about you.”
    “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a big girl now.  I don’t need a
guardian.”  And she patted his arm on the way to the telephone.
    Rob MacKenzie’s younger sister answered the phone, then dropped