The Awakening by Lorhainne Eckhart Read Free Book Online Page A

the house, carrying Danny, who grinned and cooed at his mother.
    “No, but I did hire a young girl to come and work for us.”
    Jed stared at Diana in that hard way of his and handed her their baby. “He’s hungry and doesn’t like the bottle. He wants the real thing.” Jed lifted two bags of groceries and started toward the house. Then he stopped and smiled at his wife. “And what is this girl going to be doing?”
    Diana followed her husband inside their warm and cosy house. Unzipping her coat, she lifted her sweater to nurse her son. She sat in the rocker as Danny sucked noisily, making it clear to his mama that he’d been put out. Diana toed off her boots and gazed up at the one man who still had the power to scramble all her reasonable thoughts with just a look. She loved this man more than her next breath. “I don’t know, Jed. But she’s got a little boy, and I overheard her in the grocery store, with a desperation I know, looking for a job. And she looked so hungry. I took them for breakfast.”
    Diana held her breath, waiting for Jed to shout at her because, right now, they didn’t have a plum nickel to spare. It was so tight, and Jed used everything extra to outfit the necessary repairs to the barn, adding in three extra stalls.
    He set the bags on the table and strode to her until he looked down on her. He took off his ratty cowboy hat and ran his fingers through his wavy brown hair. “Diana, I know you better than I think you know yourself. You may as well tell me all of it, because I also know that once you’ve made your mind up about something, nothing will change it. You’ve got a good heart, but you can’t save the world, baby.” The way he said it had her eyes filling with tears.
    Jed sat on the stool in front of her and reached over, shifting her and the baby onto his lap. She leaned her head on his shoulder.
    “I love you. I’m sorry… I know we can’t afford it, but I couldn’t leave her… Who was going to help her?” Her voice caught when her husband sighed.
    He tilted up her chin, the baby still latched on, and kissed her. “So, when does she start?”
    “I love you.”
    “Yeah, well, that’s a good thing, since we’re well on our way to the poor house.”
    Danny took that opportunity to squeal and smack his lips, milk dribbling from his mouth.
    “Jed, I’d go anywhere with you, as long as we’re together.” She leaned against her husband and gazed at her baby, unable to shake her worry for a young girl named Laura and her child.

Chapter Ten
    Andy sat in his truck until one of the hired hands tapped on the window. He cranked it down.
    “Everything okay, boss?” asked Ben, the young stable hand.
    Instead of replying, he opened the door and stepped out, staring at the back door of the house the servants used. “Fine, Ben. Did you get those stalled cleaned out?”
    “Almost done, sir,” he said eagerly.
    “Well, get to it,” he snapped at Ben, heading toward the back door and dreading each step. He wondered how much worse things could get.
    He stood outside the kitchen and then took a breath. He pushed open the door and took in the chaos. Jules, Aida, and three other servants all stopped and stared.
    It was Jules who spoke first. “Sir, is there something I can get for you?”
    “Everyone, out. I need to talk to Aida.” Andy didn’t really care how he sounded, because the fact was he was worried about Aida. Any person with the gumption to stand up to him for anyone the way she did… Well, that person mattered.
    The other servants left, but Jules stopped in front of him, wringing her hands. “Sir, your mother is entertaining through the holidays, and this is not the time to lose the cook…”
    “Jules,” Andy interrupted in a sharp voice filled with irritation, “leave us now!”
    Jules’ face tinged pink, and she nodded, skirting around Andy and leaving the kitchen. Aida glanced up at Andy and then continued rolling out pastry dough. She said nothing but