Hannah (The Hawthorne Sisters) Read Online Free PDF Page A

she’d become. She stepped up when her father died , trying everything she could to keep the farm. She was a woman with fire, and those liquid blue eyes were something he could get lost in for days. He respected her desire to stand on her own two feet, and knew she was something special.
    Her slender thighs, the way her jeans were practically painted onto her skin , left nothing to the imagination. The way they gripped the curve of her bottom, it was hard not to stare when she turned and walked away. The curves of her body spoke to him, and the softness in her face and smile said she was a woman he wanted to hold.
    Her soft, blonde hair cascaded down just below her shoulders. He wanted to lie beside her naked and run his hands through the silk of her hair, reminding him just how feminine she was. Bryce looked down at his hands, all weathered and worn. He wasn’t aging well. He had lines showing in his face from years of working outside, and he’d have gray in his hair soon enough, he was certain. She hadn’t come back, and wouldn’t return those feelings. He was simply an older man, the guy who was friends with her father. Bryce scoffed and climbed onto Ruby. Taking her out for a good run would do them both good.
    He felt like a dirty old man picturing her naked. He should be ashamed. Sure it was natural, but no matter how he sliced it, it was his friend’s daughter. She wasn’t somebody he should be thinking of that way. He led his mind back to work , slowly peeling it away from Hannah.
    Tuc would understand, right? Tucker Hawthorne was a fair man. He would have seen the chemistry between them, would know that Bryce would treat her well…right?
    This was ridiculous. If he wanted to meet a woman, he should go into town more often, not hit on his neighbor’s girl.
    He knew at the end of his ride what he needed to do.
    Stopping by their home, he wrapped his knuckles on the door. Gretta answered with a surprised smile. “Bryce, what can I do for you? Please come inside.”
    “Afternoon,” he greeted. Removing his hat, he stepped inside. “I wonder if I might have a word with Hannah. Would she be around?”
    “Hannah?” She was surprised, not sure what this was about. That’s when it hit her. Could it be?
    “She’s out in the back . You can let yourself through the kitchen door.”
    “Thank you, ma’am.”
    “Ma’am? I’m much too young to be a ma’am,” she teased.
    “I reckon, Gretta.”
    “Much better.”
    Bryce? Was it possible? She didn’t want to pry or peek or listen in, but what business could Bryce Callahan have with her daughter? And was this the man that had been in her mind for the last few weeks, when she’d find her lost in thought?
    Gretta peeked out the kitchen window, and then thought better. She knew it wasn’t right, and left them alone. Sitting on the living room sofa, it about killed her to know what was going on. She had no idea there was something between them. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions, because she hadn’t seen either together, but…no. No, it’s not that.
    She waited, itching to know what was going on. Sarah would have been nosy, peeking out the window, but she wasn’t home.
    When Hannah came back inside, Bryce was gone.
    “What was that about?” She tried to remain as calm as possible, not to give anything away. Hannah could almost smell the curiosity on her mother.
    “Nothing important.”
    “Oh? I didn’t realize the two of you were friends.”
    Hannah shrugged. “He asked me on a date.”
    “A date ?” Gretta couldn’t hide her surprise. Trying to refrain from overreacting, she swallowed. “What did you say?”
    “I said no.”
    “No? Isn’t he the one you’ve been…” she stopped herself, realizing that she’d leaked more than she intended to.
    “I said no,” Hannah answered . “I figured you’d want to know. If Sarah was home, you’d have sent her to be the nosy one.” Her mother didn’t need to know she said yes, not yet