Spring River Valley: The Winter Collection (Boxed Set) by Clarice Wynter Read Free Book Online Page B

what?”
    “Worry about what people are going to think or say. We’ve been over this. You let other people’s opinions control you too much. Who cares if you start dating someone a week after Brad bailed on your wedding? The wedding police are not taking notes.”
    “Maybe not , but everyone else is. Uncle Mel was there—”
    “You kissed him in front of your uncle?”
    “No, he’d left, but he was there, fixing the pipes, and he kept looking at me like someone had died. I actually felt bad calling him.”
    “You felt bad about calling your uncle the plumber, to come and do plumbing for which he got paid? You lost me.”
    “I felt bad, like he was doing me a favor because he felt sorry for me. Everyone feels sorry for me.”
    “They should. You got dumped.”
    Harper cringed. “Thanks.”
    “You know what I mean , and you did.”
    “People treat me like Brad died.”
    Audrey grinned wickedly. “We can arrange that.”
    “Stop.”
    “Harper, darling, you have to stop trying to read everyone’s mind. I’m sure Uncle Mel does feel bad for you. Everyone does. I don’t get why that makes you feel guilty. You’re not taking anything from anyone. You still deserve their sympathy even if you don’t feel as bad as they think you feel.”
    “I didn’t know you were a psychiatric nurse.”
    “I might as well be.” Audrey picked up her mug again and sipped. “Grant is hot. He told you he wants you.”
    Harper nodded. His words had oozed into her brain like warm honey. His voice had been low and sexy, and she’d wanted so badly to say she wanted him too, but Mrs. Dawson’s face had popped into her head at that very moment, and something in the back of her brain told her she had no business with another man’s big strong hands on her ass until she had put things to bed with Bradley. They hadn’t officially broken up. They hadn’t spoken since that desperate phone call the night of the rehearsal dinner. She didn’t, for a second, believe she owed him anything, but she owed it to herself to end one relationship before she even dared to think about getting into another. “I think I need to slow down and deal with one thing at a time.”
    “Start with Grant.”
    “I can’t do that. If something is meant to happen between us, it’ll wait until things have settled down a bit and I know what I’m doing. Right now I’m still in free fall. I know it’s over with Brad, and I’m strangely okay with that, but I don’t think I’m ready for anything else.”
    “I wish I could say the same. I’m ready for everything else. If there was even one halfway normal guy out there, I’d be all over that.”
    “I think you’re becoming too picky.” Harper relaxed back into the cushions of Audrey’s couch, relieved the focus was off of her and Grant for the moment.
    “Don’t go there.”
    “Come on. What was so wrong with Jim from the Gym?”
    “His gun collection freaked me out.”
    “A lot of men go hunting.”
    “They were Nerf guns.”
    Harper fought not to laugh into her cocoa. “Commendable. He can’t hurt anyone with a Nerf gun.”
    “He’s twenty-seven. Still plays with Nerf guns.”
    “ He’s young at heart?”
    “Maybe I’m not. I’m an old fogey at heart. I want to date a grown -up who doesn’t cook brains or name goats or have weird sexual hang-ups.”
    “Good luck.”
    “Tell me about it.”
    “Oh, wait a second. I have an idea.”
    “Don’t say you’re giving me Grant, because I might just take you up on it, and I know you’d regret it.”
    “No.” Harper set her mug down and reached for her purse where she still carried Cassie Hall’s business card. “ Remember I told you I ran into the cupcake girl at the expo?”
    “Cassie something?”
    “Yeah.” Harper pulled out the pretty pink business card. “She told me she does matchmaking on the side.”
    Audrey burst out laughing. “Are you kidding?”
    “No, that’s what she said. She matches couples up. Maybe she can find