Discovering Pride (Pride Series) by Jill Sanders Read Free Book Online Page A

causing her to be frustrated. Her cheeks had heated to a toasty red by the time they reached the checkout. She had been so frustrated; she had forgotten half of the items on her list.
     
    Now, as she stood in her kitchen and added more flour to her cinnamon rolls, she thought of how the whole town was probably talking about her and Aaron.  She remembered how Mary, from church, had discreetly followed the pair around the store, at a safe distance of course, listening to them.
     
    Aaron didn’t help matters, it seemed he was always touching her: either her elbow while they were walking; holding her hand; or even touching the back of her neck below her hair line. Remembering, she stopped stirring her dough and reached up with a flour covered hand to feel the spot on her neck.
     
    Taking a deep breath now, she continued to stir the dough mixture with more vigor.
     
    She had spent years building up her spitfire reputation around town.   She was sure this was going to hurt it.  
     
    Dumping the dough out of the bowl she started to knead it and thought about how Aaron had helped her take  her groceries out to her car and kissed her. Kissed her! Right in front of the large store windows.  In front of everyone!
     
    Lacey swore she had   heard a hush fall over the town in that very moment and that the moments  following were filled with a buzz that flew outwards as the event was retold to everyone within a hundred mile radius.
     
    Feeling her checks burn she looked down and realized she was holding the dough in her hands as if her small fingers were wrapped around Aaron’s neck.  Plopping it back on the counter she proceeded to beat the heck out of it.
     
    Her rolls were probably going to be tough and dry all thanks to Dr. Stevens.
     
    Before he came into town she prided herself on her reputation. She was sure that was the reason most people kept clear of her and her personal life.  But now,   after a kiss outside the mart, she might as well   be wearing a sign on her chest that   read, “ Give me any and all advice on dating ”.
     
    Her building frustration almost got the better of her earlier when someone attempted to give her advice on how to maintain a good relationship.
     
    Relationship? Dating? Was that what they were doing?
     
    She paused as she placed the dough in a big bowl. 
     
    Just because she felt funny when she saw Aaron did not mean she wanted a relationship with him? Did it?
     
    She shrugged and set a cloth on top of the bowl and set it aside to let it rise.  Starting her clean-up process   before she started making her famous cinnamon and sugar glaze she tried to relax. Baking always made her feel more centered.
     
    How could a doctor, let alone a very attractive man be after her? She always tried to keep her head down and  had learned in the past to stay clear of “beautiful” men. What little experience she had in the past with the opposite sex never seemed to turn out for the best. It wasn’t that she was scared of men; she had learned her lessons early in life to be wary of men with promises and big smiles.  Aaron’s smile was one of the biggest and brightest she’d ever seen.
     
    She was halfway through cleaning when she realized she was using window cleaner on the counter where she had mixed her dough.  Looking down she saw the big blue glob of cleaner and dry flour.  She couldn’t even clean properly without Aaron getting in the way. Throwing her rag down in frustration, she started cleaning up the mess correctly.
     
    What was a man like that doing here? More importantly, what would it take to keep a man like that interested in staying in Pride?
     

     
    What the hell was he doing here?
     
    Looking across the large space that was soon to be his kitchen, he came up blank.   He could just close his eyes and see what it was he wanted, yet when he opened them, nothing seemed right.
     
    The place stilled looked empty, but thanks to the Jordan brothers, he now