Undeniable Demands Read Online Free PDF Page A

he’d always had to do, accepting
the fussing as she straightened his hair and inspected him for signs of stress
or fatigue. She always accused him of working too much. She was probably right,
but he’d learned his work ethic from them. “Hey, Mama.”
    “What a surprise to have you here so soon. Is this just a visit
or are you here for the holiday?”
    “For the duration.”
    “That’s wonderful,” she said, her eyes twinkling with happiness
and Christmas lights. “But wait.” She paused. “I thought Heath told me you were
in Jamaica this week.”
    “Plans changed. I’m here instead.”
    “He’s checking up on us,” Ken called from the counter where he
was pouring himself a cup of cider.
    “I don’t care,” she called back. “I’ll take him however I can
get him.” Molly hugged him again, then frowned at her son. “I don’t have
anything prepared for dinner,” she said, aghast at the idea. “I wish I’d known
you were coming. I was just going to feed your father a sandwich.”
    “Whole wheat, fat-free turkey, no mayo, no flavor,” Ken
grumbled.
    “Don’t worry about feeding me, Mama. I was going to run into
Cornwall to meet a couple of the guys at the Wet Hen and grab a few things from
the store. I’ll get something to eat at the diner when I’m done.”
    “All right. But I’m going to the store first thing in the
morning, and I’ll get stocked up on everything I need to feed a household of
boys for the holiday!”
    Wade smiled. His mother looked absolutely giddy at the idea of
slaving over a stove for five hungry men. He recalled times from his youth when
he and the other boys were hitting growth spurts all at once. They couldn’t get
enough food into their stomachs. Hopefully now they would be easier to take care
of.
    “Why don’t you just give me a list and I’ll pick it up while
I’m out.”
    “We don’t need your money,” Ken called from the rocking chair
by the fire, though he didn’t turn to face them.
    Molly frowned at her husband, and Wade could see she was torn.
They did need the money, but Ken was being stubborn. “That would be very nice of
you, Wade. I’ll write up a few things.” She returned to the counter and made out
a short list. “This should get us through a few days. I’ll go into town for a
fresh turkey on Monday morning.”
    “Okay,” he said, leaning down to kiss her cheek. “I’ll be back
soon. Maybe I’ll bring home one of those coconut cream pies from Daisy’s.”
    “That would be lovely. Drive safely in the snow.”
    Wade stepped through the jingling door and headed out into the
newly darkened night in search of pie, a dozen eggs, a sack of potatoes and some
information on Victoria Sullivan.
    * * *
    When Tori got into her truck, she had every intention of
going to Daisy’s to get something to eat. Maybe swing by the store for some
quick and easy-to-prepare food to get her through the holidays when the diner
was closed. And yet before she could help herself, her truck pulled into the
parking lot of the Wet Hen, the local bar.
    “Let’s face it,” she lamented to her dashboard. “I need a
drink.”
    Just one. Just enough to take the edge off the nerves Wade had
agitated. And if it helped suppress the attraction that was buzzing through her
veins, all the better.
    Tori slid from the cab of her truck, slammed the heavy door
behind her and slipped through the door of the Wet Hen. The sign outside claimed
the bar had been in business since 1897. Truthfully, it looked as if it had. A
renovation wouldn’t hurt, but she supposed that was part of its charm. The bar
was dark, with old, worn wood on the walls, the floors and the tables. The
photos on the walls of various local heroes and the sports memorabilia from the
high school seemed to be there more to camouflage cracks in the plaster than
anything else. The amber lights did little to illuminate the place, but she
supposed a bright light would not only ruin the atmosphere but force the