Tears of the Moon by Nora Roberts Read Free Book Online Page A

pampering you can manage. For when the baby comes, you’ll be too busy to remember your name. Remember when Betsy Duffy had her first, Brenna? She fell asleep every Sunday at Mass for two months running. With the second, she’d just sit there, wild-eyed and dazed, and by the time she had the third . . .”
    â€œAll right.” Jude laughed and swatted at Darcy’s feet. “I get the picture. Right now, I’m just dealing with preparing for one. Brenna . . .” She lifted her hands. “These walls.”
    â€œAye, they’re a sight, aren’t they? We can fix them up for you. Clean them up, patch the holes . . .” She flicked a finger over one as big as a penny. “Paint them proper.”
    â€œI’d thought of papering, but I decided paint’s better. Something sunny and simple. Then we can hang prints. Fairy-tale prints.”
    â€œYou ought to hang your own drawings,” Brenna told her.
    â€œOh, I don’t draw that well.”
    â€œWell enough to sell a book with your stories and your drawings in it,” Brenna reminded her. “I think your pictures are lovely, and it would mean more, wouldn’t it, to the baby as it grew to have something its mother had done hanging here.”
    â€œReally?” Jude tapped a finger on her lips, the pleasure of the idea obvious in her eyes. “I suppose I could have some framed, see how they looked.”
    â€œCandy-colored frames,” Brenna told her. “Babes like bright colors, or so Ma always says.”
    â€œAll right.” Jude took a deep breath. “Now these floors. I don’t want to cover them, but they’ll need to be sanded and revarnished.”
    â€œThat’s not a problem. Some of this trim needs to be replaced too. I can make some up to match the rest of it.”
    â€œPerfect. Now, here’s this idea I’ve been mulling over. It’s a large room, so I thought what if we made this corner here a kind of play area.” Gesturing, Jude crossed the room. “Shelves up this wall for toys, a little table and chair that would fit right under the window.”
    â€œWe can do that. But if you were to come ’round the corner with the shelves, you’d make better use of your space, and have it more like a separate spot, if you know what I mean. And I can make them adjustable so you can change the look of them as needs be.”
    â€œAround the corner . . .” Jude narrowed her eyes and tried to picture it. “Yes. I like that. What do you think, Darcy?”
    â€œI think the two of you know just what’s needed here, but it’s up to me to get you into Dublin for some smartlooking maternity clothes.”
    Instinctively, Jude laid a hand on her stomach. “I’m not showing yet.”
    â€œWhy wait? You’ll need them long before the baby needs shelves, and you’re already thinking of those, aren’t you? We’ll go Thursday next, when I’ve the day off.” And the portion of her pay she allotted herself for fun in her pocket. “That suit you, Brenna?”
    Brenna was already taking her measuring tape out of her toolbox. “Suits me for the pair of you. I’ve too much work just now to take a day being dragged around Dublin shops and waiting while you gasp over the next pair of shoes you can’t live without.”
    â€œYou could do with a new pair of boots yourself.” Darcy skimmed her gaze down. “Those look like you wore them to march over to the west counties and back again.”
    â€œThey do fine for me. Jude, tell Shawn to find a place for his junk here, and I’ll start on this room first of next week.”
    â€œ ’Tisn’t junk,” Shawn said from the doorway. “I spent many a happy night in that bed where Darcy’s making herself at home just now.”
    â€œWell, junk’s what it is now,” Brenna shot back with a little sniff. “And in the way. And