Spark of Desire ; All for You
Page 41
“You just haven’t met the right woman.” She smiled, but it faded as she went into a coughing spell. Covering her mouth with one hand, she gestured toward the glass of water on her nightstand with the other.
He handed her the glass, watching her as she took a few long sips. When the coughing subsided, she handed it back to him and he returned it to its resting spot.
“How long can you stay, Troy?”
He heard the weariness in her voice as she asked the question, and the familiar pangs of guilt wrenched his lower abdomen. “I’ll be here for a while, Mama Jeannie. I just took a job here in town.”
A bit of the old sparkle returned to her gray eyes. “Really? Where?”
“I’ll be working over at the Chance spread as a lead rancher. Great benefits, good pay.”
She nodded. “Benefits, you say.” She paused. “I’m sure you know Robyn is still there, don’t you? Only she’s ‘Dr. Chance’ nowadays.”
“I know, Mama Jeannie.” Yes, he was well aware that his junior-year girlfriend was still in Grandeza. “In a town as small as Grandeza, there are very few secrets.”
“Even for someone who only comes through once in a blue moon, huh?”
He grimaced. I guess I had that coming. “What are you getting at?”
“I’m not getting at anything.”
He tilted his head, giving her a look.
“I’m serious. Why should I meddle in your life? Fate always takes care of things. You’ll see.”
He sighed and gave the only acceptable reply. “Yes, ma’am.”
She yawned, then snuggled down deeper into the mound of pillows. “I’m tired, Troy. Will you stay around for a while, until I take a little nap?”
He nodded. “I’ll be here.”
Her droopy eyes slipped shut a moment later. Standing, he leaned over her and placed a soft kiss on her weathered brow. She’d lived eighty-nine years, and in that time, she’d buried her husband and her only biological son, and seen more than her share of hardships. While Mama Jeannie and Uncle Carver got along pretty well, their contact with each other was infrequent at best. Despite his wandering ways, Troy loved his grandmother fiercely. The two of them were the only living members of this branch of the Monroe family tree.
Sitting back down, he watched her sleep as he pondered what fate had in store for him.
Can I finally find what I’m looking for?
A true home?
Copyright © 2019 by Eboni Manning
ISBN-13: 9781488034435
Spark of Desire & All for You
Copyright © 2019 by Harlequin Books S.A.
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holders of the individual works as follows:
Spark of Desire
Copyright © 2019 by Sheryl Lister
All for You
Copyright © 2019 by Leslie Wright
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