The Great Texas Wedding Bargain by Judy Christenberry Read Free Book Online Page B

interested in dogs,” Faith muttered.
    “I’m going to pack a few things, then I’ll be ready,” Megan said, heading for the bedroom she shared with her mother. One of the benefits of their move would be a room to herself. She loved her mother and the children, but she needed some privacy occasionally.
     

    T HEY UNPACKED THE children’s belongings first. The bed in Torie’s room was full-size, and the little girl rolled all over it.
    “I get the whole bed, Aunt Megan? No one else will sleep with me?”
    “That’s right, Torie. You’re a big girl now, and you can have your own room.”
    “I can have tea parties, and everything!”
    “Yes, you can, baby. Maybe soon we can find a small table for you.”
    “Megan?” Faith called. She’d gone to the kitchen and Megan could hear her coming up the stairs.
    “Yes, Mom?”
    Her mother appeared in the doorway. “I’ve been looking at the bedroom downstairs.”
    “Rick’s? You shouldn’t have—”
    “I think I should take that room. Then he can move all his computer equipment to the master bedroom where there’s more room.”
    “But—”
    “He’s going to be much too crowded downstairs. And the king-size bed will fit him better. Unless you object to giving it up?”
    “No, I don’t object, but I think we should wait until Rick gets here to make a decision.”
    “I’m going to move his clothes back upstairs and settle in. The boy is so generous, he’d probably refuse to change. But this is for the best.” With a wave of her hand, Faith sailed out the door, full steam ahead.
    Actually, Megan agreed with her mother. She’d thought the same thing. And it seemed only fair, with all Rick was doing for them, that he be comfortable. So she didn’t protest her mother’s decision. She, Megan, needed to be upstairs to take care of Drew if he awoke during the night. Or occasionally Torie had bad dreams.
    She didn’t want her mother having to get up to tend to the children. She needed her rest.
    So, the decision was a good one. She continued unpacking for Torie, her mind on other things than her husband-to-be.
    Until it occurred to her that there was only one bathroom upstairs. She was going to have to share a bathroom with Rick Astin, who looked great in a bath towel.

Chapter Five
    When Rick pulled up beside the house that evening around seven, he knew Megan and her family were there. The car, of course, told him someone was there, but there were lights on all over the house.
    As he stepped into the kitchen, he sensed movement and liveliness that chased away the normal loneliness he felt when he came home. Daisy, beside him, raised her nose and sniffed, as if she too could tell a difference.
    “Oh! You’re back,” Faith exclaimed as she stepped into the kitchen, beaming at him. “You go clean up. I’ll have your dinner on the table in five minutes. I made Megan wait to eat with you, even though the children and I ate earlier. Shoo, now! You don’t want it to get cold.”
    Rick smiled and stepped past his future mother-in-law. Good thing he agreed with her plans, because he didn’t think she’d be easy to derail. He automatically turned to the stairs before remembering that he’d been moved. Changing directions, he went to the downstairs bathroom and stripped out of his dirty clothes.
    He felt years younger when he stepped out of the hot shower. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he opened the door to go to his new bedroom. Once there, he pulled open a drawer for clean underwear and found his choices to be silky and lacy.
    He frowned, surveying the drawer. Not his underwear. Surely Megan hadn’t decided to cohabit without telling him? Somehow he didn’t think so. Especially when he couldn’t find any of his clothes.
    Were they going to hide his belongings each day? Did he have to have a treasure hunt to find his underwear?
    He strode back into the hall, a frown on his face, as he heard Faith calling Megan to come to dinner.
    “Is Rick here?”