Once Upon a Family Read Online Free PDF

a challenge in his expression. “Alexa named Brownie.”
    “It’s still a family decision.” Laura braced herself for his anger.
    He frowned. “I’m sure they’ll agree.” He averted his face and focused on the black-and-brown puppy playing at his side.
    As she walked toward the others, her oldest son’s tensed shoulders eased and a look of joy entered his expression as he interacted with the dog. Lady would be good for Sean. Hope glowed inside Laura for the first time in a long while.
     
    “You don’t have to clean up the dishes.” Peter came inside from the backyard. “I invited you and your family to lunch.”
    “The least I can do is this.” Laura rinsed out a glass and put it on the counter above the dishwasher.
    She looked so at home standing before the sink in his kitchen. The impromptu lunch had been a great idea. Her children had wolfed down his whole supply of hotdogs and then spent most of their time playing with his various pets. One of their favorites was his ferret, Digger. “Then let me help.” He took the dishes she was stacking and started putting them in the dishwasher.
    “You know my kids are gonna want a ferret next, and it will be all your fault.”
    “Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised. I even saw Sean playing with him when he wasn’t with Lady.”
    “I’m glad the others are going along with that name.”
    “I like it. I hadn’t picked one out yet. I just got her last weekend.”
    “How?” Laura finished the last glass and wiped down the sink.
    “The same way as the ferret. Someone placed them at my gate. Digger was in a cardboard box with a few holes in it and Lady was tied to the post by a leash.”
    “How long have you had Digger?”
    “A year. He got the name when he kept digging up my houseplants.” Peter gestured toward his living area. “Now I don’t even bother with indoor plants. It was too much of a hassle.”
    “So you’ve ferret-proofed your house.”
    Peter laughed. “I hadn’t thought of it that way, but you’re right. I also had to do something about my electrical cords.”
    “When can we take Lady home?”
    “Today is fine by me. I doubt the kids would let you leave without her.”
    “That’s great. We can stop by the pet store on the way home and get all the stuff we’ll need. I still have some of the things from our last dog so we don’t need much.” Shepeered out the window over the sink. Her twins played with Digger while Sean wrestled with Lady who thumped his chest with the large paws she would eventually grow into. Alexa sat on the step, cuddling Molly in her lap. “This is just what they needed, especially Sean.”
    The wistful tone in her voice underscored the vulnerability he’d glimpsed and touched a place he’d kept suppressed since his former wife had walked away from their eight-year marriage. “I’m glad to see he isn’t giving me scowls anymore even if he did stay on the other side of the yard.”
    She faced him. “As I told you before, this past year has been hard on him. He didn’t take his dad’s death well at all, but he was angry even before his death.” She shook her head. “You can tell I’m really worried. I don’t usually tell strangers things like that.”
    “I’d hope we are past the stranger stage. After all, we just shared an intimate lunch with four kids.”
    The sound of her laughter wrapped around him and left a warm feeling in its wake. “You forgot the cat, three dogs, rabbit and ferret.”
    “Oh, yeah, and them, too.” He got the feeling she hadn’t laughed much lately. He closed the dishwasher and leaned against the counter. “I’m so glad I found a good home for Lady. It probably won’t be long before I have another puppy at my front gate to replace her.”
    “Aren’t you concerned that people seem to be leaving the animals purposely at your ranch?”
    He raked his hand through his hair and lifted onecorner of his mouth up. “Word does seem to have gotten around that I take in