Orchard Valley Grooms by Debbie Macomber Read Free Book Online Page B

found Sherry—or for that matter, Norah—boring. He enjoyed their company in an entirely different way.
    But Valerie kept him on his toes. She didn’t takeanything at face value, but challenged and confronted until she was satisfied. He admired that. In fact, he admired her. But that wasn’t the end of it. This was a woman he could grow to love.
    He’d gone off the deep end, he told himself. Worked too many hours without a real break. He’d listened to David Bloomfield once too often. There could never be anything between him and Valerie. She wasn’t what he needed in a woman; not only that, she’d never be content with life in Orchard Valley again.
    He knew that as well as she did.
     
    The next morning, with Norah at the hospital, Valerie felt comfortable about leaving for the first time since her arrival from New York. She desperately needed a change of clothes. She was still wearing the business suit she’d had on when she’d received Norah’s message two—no, three—days earlier.
    She drove to the family home, down the mile-long driveway that led to the colonial house. She took a moment to glance at the hundreds of neat rows of apple trees, all in fragrant blossom. Then she hauled her suitcase up to her old bedroom, showered and changed into a pair of jeans and a soft blue sweater.
    When Valerie returned to the hospital she felt a thousand times better. Norah was still asleep, curled up on the sofa, her knees tucked under her chin. She was so blonde and delicate that Valerie had an almost overpowering recollection of their mother. She came to anabrupt stop. The words of greeting froze on her lips and she turned into the hallway.
    Quietly she fought back the tears. She’d barely managed to compose herself before she saw Colby striding intently down the wide corridor, heading straight toward her, his face taut.
    “Have you got a moment?” he asked stiffly.
    “Sure,” Valerie said, puzzled by his obvious tension. “Is something wrong? Is it Dad?”
    “No, this is between you and me.” Colby actually seemed angry. Furious, even, although he hadn’t raised his voice. This was certainly the most emotion she’d seen in him.
    He marched toward the elevator, with Valerie following, and then down the narrow passageway to the back entrance of the hospital and the employee parking lot. He was several yards ahead of her.
    “Where are we going?” she demanded. His pace was too swift for her to keep stride with him.
    “Outside.”
    “In case you hadn’t noticed, we already are.”
    “I don’t want anyone to hear this.”
    “Hear what? ” she practically shrieked, losing her patience.
    Colby whirled around to confront her. “I want to know exactly what you said to your father.”
    Valerie was confused. “About what?”
    “Us.” The simple little word resonated with anger, contempt, disgust.
    Well, so much for her assumption that Colby Winston felt any attraction for her.
    “Us?” she repeated. “Don’t be ridiculous. There isn’t any us.”
    “That’s precisely my point,” he snapped. “Perhaps you can tell me why your father suddenly announced that you were falling in love with me—and that he expected me to do something about it.”
    “He what? ” she exploded.
    “You heard me. What in the name of heaven did you say?”
    “Nothing.” Except for the time she’d seen him yesterday evening, her father had been asleep. At least, his eyes had been closed and his breathing was shallow but regular.
    “He knew we’d talked in the cafeteria,” Colby informed her coolly.
    “He did?”
    “He mentioned it himself.”
    “Maybe Norah—”
    “Norah, nothing. It came straight from the horse’s mouth. That and a whole lot more.”
    Valerie frowned, staring down at the ground in an effort to think.
    “Valerie!”
    “I…thought he was asleep.”
    “What did you say?” he demanded a second time.
    She was flustered now, which happened so rarely that it unnerved her even more. “Uh…just