A Rare Gift by Jaci Burton Read Free Book Online

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    And speaking of the kitchen…
    She took a swallow of coffee, then set it aside. “Let me get started on that soup I promised.”
    “You don’t have to do that.”
    She bent down to grab her soup pot and grinned up at him. “Sure I do. I’m starving.” She put the pot on her stove, then went to the freezer to dig out the chicken stock she was so glad she had on hand.
    She put the container in the microwave to defrost, then opened the refrigerator, also happy she’d gone to the grocery store yesterday.
    “What can I do to help?”
    “How are you with a knife?”
    He went to the sink and rolled up his sleeves to wash his hands. “Expert.”
    “Good.” She laid celery and carrots on the cutting board. “Start slicing.”
    While he got busy with that, she tossed the chicken in the stock, added a little garlic and ginger and a few more spices. Soon the soup was bubbly and thick and she put a loaf of bread in the oven to heat up, then added the carrots and celery Wyatt had sliced.
    She had a few minutes to rest while the soup simmered and the bread cooked, so she refilled her coffee. Wyatt was sitting at her table, one she’d found at a garage sale.
    “You rent this house?” he asked.
    She shook her head. “No, I’m a homeowner.”
    He arched a brow. “Really. This and the day care center.”
    “Well, this place is tiny. Only a one-bedroom. But it’s a house and it’s what I wanted when I moved here.”
    “Why not an apartment? I mean, you’re young and single. I would think a condo or apartment would suit you better.”
    “That’s just pissing money away every month.”
    He laughed. “A lot of young people do that.”
    She took a sip of coffee. “You make it sound like I’m sixteen and you’re my dad. I’m twenty-six and I wanted the investment. I bought this little cracker box of a house because it was all I could afford. When my grandmother died and left half her money to me, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it—invest it in the day care center.
    “But I also wanted a house. I didn’t want to throw money away every month on an apartment. I found this place. It was so small, but what else did I need? I’m single, have no kids, no husband, no boyfriend. So as an initial investment it was perfect.”
    He was staring at her with that unfathomable expression on his face that told her nothing of what he was thinking.
    “What?”
    “You surprise me.”
    She turned to stir the soup. “Yeah? In what way?”
    “I always think of you as being a kid. But you’re not. You’re all grown-up.”
    “I’ve been a grown-up for a long time now, Wyatt. Maybe it’s past time you realized that.”
    “Yeah, I guess it is.”
    She felt his gaze on her, but didn’t turn around. He could just simmer on what she’d said.
    The soup and bread were ready, so she served it up and they ate, drank, and what was most surprising of all—they actually talked.
    Wyatt told her about the progress on the room addition at the center, as well as other ongoing projects their construction company had going. She could tell he really loved his family business, even though his brothers seemed to irritate him.
    “I understand familial relationships,” she said as they moved from the kitchen to her living room after they finished eating. She had poured them a snifter of her favorite winter naughty indulgence—brandy. Maybe she could get him drunk and take advantage of him. “Families can test you under the best circumstances, but underneath I know you love your brothers.”
    He nodded and swirled the brandy around the glass. “They try my patience—I’m sure on purpose at least half the time. Brody likes to tease and Ethan eggs him on. The two of them gang up on me.”
    “Most likely to irritate you on purpose because you’re so naturally cranky.”
    He tilted the glass in her direction. “People who throw those kinds of words at me generally live to regret them.”
    She leaned back against the sofa and