Her Gentle Giant, Part 2: Remember to Dance Read Online Free PDF Page A

if you want to rest for a little while,” he said as he held the back door open for them so they could go inside.
    He slipped into the bedroom to put the guitar away in the closet. Rachel followed him in and kissed him thoroughly.
    “I didn’t know you could play the guitar.”
    He smiled self-consciously and simply said, “Yep.”
    “You have a beautiful singing voice, too.”
    “Oh, you heard that, huh? My croaking?”
    She rubbed her hands across his chest, enjoying the feel of his hard, warm muscles. “Don’t say that. I think you have a beautiful singing voice.”
    “Thank you, angel. That means a lot. Matthew seemed to enjoy it.”
     Kelly came down the hallway. “Hey, if we’re gonna go soon, I’d better nurse this boy. I’m about ready to explode here.”
    “Yeah,” Eli said dryly, “thanks for sharing, sis,”
    “Hey, at least I’m not flopping it out right in front of you, big bro,” Kelly quipped, sticking her tongue out.
    “Thank you for that mental image—”
    “Burned into your brain. Yeah, I know, smartass.” She laughed and carried the baby into the other bedroom.
     
     
    * * * *
     
     
    Eli noticed something was on Rachel’s mind as he drove her and baby Matthew to the restaurant, arriving as Jack and Adam pulled up in Adam’s truck. Grace and Kelly pulled in beside them.
    “Eli, you know what I need to do?” Rachel asked.
    “What’s that, angel?”
    “I’m cleared to drive after next week when my cast comes off. I need to shop for another vehicle.”
     “We can look tomorrow, if you want. What do you think you want this time?”
    “I remember what it felt to look that deer straight in the eye the second before I hit him. I think I want a truck this time.”
    “I don’t blame you. Are you coming up to the club later?” he asked as he parked on the other side of Adam’s truck.
    “That depends on Kelly and Matthew. I’d like to come up, though. I want to sit with you up at the front. I’ve missed doing that.”
    “Me, too, but I’ll understand if Kelly wants to stay up late talking.” He unlatched the harness on the baby’s car seat and carefully lifted his infant nephew out of it. “Oh, your dad called with info on the hog hunt at the end of the month.”
    “Are you looking forward to going hunting?”
    “Yeah, I haven’t been in several years. I’m also looking forward to meeting your old boyfriend.” Eli tucked the tiny baby under his chin and tickled her ribs as he put his arm around her waist. Matthew squeaked, snuggled closer, and fell back asleep.
    “I wouldn’t exactly call him my old boyfriend. Remember, they were all a little in awe of my dad and didn’t want to piss him off. Mitchell is just an old classmate who I dated a few times.”
    “Well, I love hunting, and I like your dad, but I never would have been able to keep my hands off of you if I’d dated you in high school.”
    “Yeah, Daddy definitely would have met you at the door with his hunting knife and shotgun. You have trouble written all over you,” she snickered. “But I admit I might have tried sneaking out my bedroom window to see you, if he hadn’t let me date you.”
    Eli looked shocked. “Did you sneak out of your bedroom window to date boys?”
    “Never. None of them ever motivated me enough to get the guts to try it. The one mistake I made in dating was after I was already on my own when I was nineteen.”
    “Your parents let you move out at nineteen?” He was surprised Peter had allowed her to move out that young.
    She nodded her head, grinning. “Eighteen, actually. I worked evenings at Cheaver’s Western Store during my junior and senior year, so when I graduated, I already had three thousand dollars in the bank and a steady job, plus I did ad sales for the Divine Courier . I went to college online and got my degree in accounting while I worked. When I wasn’t working, I was studying, so I didn’t have many opportunities to get into mischief.”
    “I’ll bet