The Bachelor’s Christmas Bride Read Online Free PDF Page A

walk with you but I have to get all of Cody’s gear ready to take with me to our place.”
    The spacious, luxurious loft was what Hadley was referring to. It was in the building beside the apartment over the garage where Shannon was staying. The same building that housed the work space and showroom for Mackey and McKendrick Furniture Designs on the ground floor.
    Hadley’s urging seemed to have ended the discussion because everyone got up from the table and Meg came to take Tia from Shannon’s lap.
    â€œGive back Shannon’s bracelet and tell her thank you for letting you play with it,” Meg told the three-year-old.
    â€œI could keep it….” Tia whispered to Shannon.
    â€œNo, you can’t keep it,” Meg said before Shannon had the chance to answer, taking the bracelet from Tiaand the other one from where Cody had thrown it, and giving them both to Shannon just before she picked up Tia.
    Shannon said her good-nights while Dag ran upstairs for a jacket. A brown leather motorcycle jacket that made him look every inch a bad boy when he returned with it on.
    But Shannon told herself that wasn’t anything she should be noticing. Or appreciating. And she curbed it.
    She had her own coat on by that time, too, and the next thing she knew, they were out the back door and into the cold, crisp night.
    â€œIt’s so quiet here,” she said softly when Dag had closed the door behind them.
    â€œA nice change from inside?”
    â€œIt wasn’t that dinner wasn’t nice,” she was quick to say as they headed for the garage in the distance, not wanting him to think there was anything about the evening that she hadn’t enjoyed. “I guess it’s just that I’m not used to having so much family around.”
    â€œBecause there was always just your mother, father and grandmother?” Dag said as they fell easily into step with each other.
    â€œYes. And really, until the last few years, it was just my parents and me. But here I am now with a brother and a nephew and Hadley will be my sister-in-law, and there’s all of you McKendricks, too, who seem to be like family to Chase—”
    â€œNot to mention two more brothers if and when you find them,” Dag reminded.
    â€œIt’s a lot for someone who’s always been part of a small group, a small life.”
    â€œA small life?” Dag repeated with a laugh. “What exactly does that mean?”
    â€œYou know, just a small, simple, workaday life. Certainly no living in Italy and France the way Hadley did. Or even the kind of travel Chase and Logan did around the country for years. Teaching kindergarten isn’t a high-powered career. I’ve been to a few fancy parties with Wes, and there was a trip to Europe, but I haven’t done anything that would qualify as a big life.”
    â€œSo far,” Dag amended. “But marrying into a rich and powerful family and possibly becoming the First Lady of Montana? That ought to pump up the volume considerably.”
    Shannon hoped that dropping her head when he said that only seemed to be because she was watching her first step up the outer wooden staircase alongside the garage to the apartment. But really she was hiding her expression so she didn’t give away that she wasn’t going to pump up the volume of her life by marrying Wes Rumson.
    â€œBecoming the First Lady of Montana would be a bigger life all right,” she muttered noncommitally. “And a bigger life is always what I’ve wanted. But we were talking about what I’m used to and neither a bigger life nor a lot of large family gatherings like tonight are it.”
    â€œSo you’ll have some adjusting to do and tonight was good practice,” Dag said as he followed her up the stairs.
    â€œTonight was just nice,” she said quietly again.
    They reached the landing and she unlocked the apartment door, reaching inside to turn on the light and