Dreams Don't Wait (Contemporary romance) Read Online Free PDF Page A

four rooms. And he had it shipped here all the way from—where was it again?" He glanced at Jenny.
    "Paris, London," Jenny answered with a note of importance.
    Cal chuckled. "Yeah. Right."
    Evan looked down at Jenny. The girl's grin was as wide as Cal's. "You can live there if you want," she said to him, obviously delighted at the prospect of giving her hero his heart's desire. Cal lifted his brows at his mom.
    "It's okay, Jen. You keep it, but I'll come and visit you sometime, okay?" he said.
    "Tomorrow?" Jenny was not about to let him off the hook.
    "Yeah, tomorrow." Cal's attention made a rapid shift. "Mom, I'm, uh..." He stopped uncertainly and looked nervously at Maud. She smiled.
    "Hungry, unless I miss my guess." Maud rose from her chair, looking at her watch as she did so. "It's almost six for heaven's sake. Want to help?"
    "Sure, Mrs. Cahane. What can I do?"
    "You can call me Maud to start with, Mister Calvin North, and you can get me the ground beef from the fridge. I think I can rustle up some burgers at least."
    "You got it," he said.
    "Never mind, Cal," a deep voice said from the doorway. "We're going out to eat. Maud's done enough for today. I was thinking Chinese."
    At the sound of her father's voice, Jenny piped up, "Pizza, Daddy. I want pizza." Linc gave his daughter a smile that took Evan's breath away and held out his arms. Jenny leaped into them and he swung her high. "If you want pizza, darlin', pizza it will be."
    * * *
    Three hours later they were back at the house. Evan was in shock; Maud was exhausted; and Cal was disgusted. That left two people who seemed to think everything was perfectly normal.
    "I'm for bed," Maud said the minute they were in the house. "Come on, Jenny. Let's go."
    "I don't want to," Jenny protested, clutching her father around the neck. "I'm not tired."
    "Of course you are, darling." Linc set her on her feet. "It's after nine. Go along with Maud now."
    Maud took the little girl's hand and started her up the stairs, and gave Evan an odd look. Some message in it. Like, be careful. Evan glanced up at Linc and was surprised to find him looking at her, his expression thoughtful.
    "Thanks for dinner. It was a pleasant evening," she lied.
    "No further comment?" he asked. His look was brooding, distrustful.
    She tilted her head in a question. "Comment? About what?" she asked, straining to appear innocent.
    "About how I choose to raise my child."
    "She's your daughter. If you want to indulge her, that's your business."
    Her answer didn't seem to appease him. "Spoil her, you mean." He looked angry now. "That's what you're thinking, isn't it? That Jenny is spoiled and willful."
    Evan's glance fell to study the newly laid carpet. If she were to criticize Jenny's behavior or Linc's child-rearing techniques—or lack of them—it could cost her the cabin.
    "I'm tired. How about we talk about this another time?" Or better yet, never.
    "No. We'll talk about it now. I watched you tonight." He gave her a hard stare. "You don't like Jenny."
    "Don't like..." Evan was stunned. When she found her voice, she went on. "Jenny is a beautiful, bright child. It is not about liking her."
    "What is it about then?"
    She wasn't going to escape this. He wasn't going to let her. God, she'd been in the house less than twenty-four hours, and she'd already had two arguments with the man. Not a good omen. She couldn't understand it. She never fought with anyone. She chose her next words carefully.
    "It's a question of child-rearing, uh, philosophy." Good girl, she told herself, pleased that she'd found exactly the right phrase.
    "Bull! That remark leaves you treading water. I want to know how you feel about Jenny."
    "I told you. I like Jenny. It would be impossible not to."
    "Oh-huh. So you like Jenny. And?"
    She sighed. He wasn't going to let it go. "Okay. I admit to being shocked when you allowed her to crawl over the back of the seat into the next booth."
    "She was restless. Jenny gets like that."
    "You ordered