the King Notch.” He fingered the
place in his own ear that bore their paternal
birthmark, passed down since the Civil War.
“I noticed.” She gave him a weak smile, gripping his hand even tighter. “Lord, I tried to figure out how to bring up the subject, and you’ve already figured it out. They’re something else, aren’t they?
The girls, I mean.”
Sirens sounded off in the distance.
“I think that’s your ride.”
84
A Perfect Bride for Christmas
“Alex, if you don’t make it up to Zoe, you’ll make the biggest mistake of your life. I don’t mean you have to marry her. I mean…you are marrying
Sydney, aren’t you?”
He wanted to say no, but nodded.
****
Alex sat on one of the black vinyl chairs that
masqueraded as real leather. At least it had a better chance of getting disinfected by the janitorial staff than the couch in the hospital waiting room. Who knew what bodily fluids the hodgepodge of tans, blues, reds, and dark browns disguised. And he
wasn’t about to sit on it to check it out.
He didn’t consider himself germophobic, but
hospitals gave him the willies.
It had been over three hours since his mother
went into surgery to fix her broken ankle, and he was going nuts.
“Alex, how is she?”
He jumped up at the sound of Jesse Saurs’ voice and wrapped her in a bear hug. “Jesse, I didn’t mean for you come to the hospital in this weather when I called.” He glanced over her shoulder in search of her teenage foster child. “Where’s Ethan?”
“Now where would I be with Mom in the
hospital? Ethan’s at home.”
Jesse had spent so much time at the King house
that she’d adopted his mother as her own. How
many days had he and his brothers played and grew up with the proverbial girl next door? Only, they never thought of her as a girl, just another kid to run around on the acreage between their homes.
He’d lost track of how many summers they spent
wading in the creek to hunt for frogs, snakes, or whatever caught their interest.
This was the sister he wanted, not Keeley
Jacobs.
Today, her face looked gorgeous, even free from 85
Dyann Love Barr
makeup. A long black ponytail swished against her bright, multicolored ski jacket. A hot pink bandeau protected her ears from the cold.
“Have the doctors told you anything?” Her
bright blues clouded with concern.
Alex shook his head. “Nothing I didn’t already
know.” Alex rubbed his hand over his hair. “I mean, even I took one look at the thing and could see it wasn’t going to be a matter of throwing on a cast and calling it good. Dr. Singh said she had a superficial head wound, but they were worried about
hypothermia. She felt so cold, Jesse.”
Jesse hugged him again, giving his back a pat
before she stepped away. “Mom’s a fighter, you know that. And stubborn.”
Alex nodded. He felt some of the tension he’d
been holding fade away as she wove her hand
through his. “Yeah, she won’t let me call Clint or Heath until the surgery is over—didn’t want to
worry them unnecessarily.”
“Come on, sit down.”
She headed for the couch, but he guided her to
the chairs instead. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“It’s been a while. I haven’t seen Clint…” Her
eyes lowered to her hands. She pulled her matching hot pink gloves off a finger at a time. “Or Heath, since the funeral.”
“This has been a bad year for the Kings. First
Dad, now this. Mom’s been busy with the wedding plans but—”
“You don’t have to say anything. Mom told me
yesterday how she and Sydney were butting heads over the reception. Speaking of which, shouldn’t she be here with you?”
Alex slapped his hands against his thighs. “I—If you only knew. I’m…”
Before he knew it, he vomited up the whole
sordid mess, Sydney, Zoe, the kids and all.
86
A Perfect Bride for Christmas
“Well, you’re a woman, what’s your advice—
from a woman’s point of view?”
Jesse shook her head.
place in his own ear that bore their paternal
birthmark, passed down since the Civil War.
“I noticed.” She gave him a weak smile, gripping his hand even tighter. “Lord, I tried to figure out how to bring up the subject, and you’ve already figured it out. They’re something else, aren’t they?
The girls, I mean.”
Sirens sounded off in the distance.
“I think that’s your ride.”
84
A Perfect Bride for Christmas
“Alex, if you don’t make it up to Zoe, you’ll make the biggest mistake of your life. I don’t mean you have to marry her. I mean…you are marrying
Sydney, aren’t you?”
He wanted to say no, but nodded.
****
Alex sat on one of the black vinyl chairs that
masqueraded as real leather. At least it had a better chance of getting disinfected by the janitorial staff than the couch in the hospital waiting room. Who knew what bodily fluids the hodgepodge of tans, blues, reds, and dark browns disguised. And he
wasn’t about to sit on it to check it out.
He didn’t consider himself germophobic, but
hospitals gave him the willies.
It had been over three hours since his mother
went into surgery to fix her broken ankle, and he was going nuts.
“Alex, how is she?”
He jumped up at the sound of Jesse Saurs’ voice and wrapped her in a bear hug. “Jesse, I didn’t mean for you come to the hospital in this weather when I called.” He glanced over her shoulder in search of her teenage foster child. “Where’s Ethan?”
“Now where would I be with Mom in the
hospital? Ethan’s at home.”
Jesse had spent so much time at the King house
that she’d adopted his mother as her own. How
many days had he and his brothers played and grew up with the proverbial girl next door? Only, they never thought of her as a girl, just another kid to run around on the acreage between their homes.
He’d lost track of how many summers they spent
wading in the creek to hunt for frogs, snakes, or whatever caught their interest.
This was the sister he wanted, not Keeley
Jacobs.
Today, her face looked gorgeous, even free from 85
Dyann Love Barr
makeup. A long black ponytail swished against her bright, multicolored ski jacket. A hot pink bandeau protected her ears from the cold.
“Have the doctors told you anything?” Her
bright blues clouded with concern.
Alex shook his head. “Nothing I didn’t already
know.” Alex rubbed his hand over his hair. “I mean, even I took one look at the thing and could see it wasn’t going to be a matter of throwing on a cast and calling it good. Dr. Singh said she had a superficial head wound, but they were worried about
hypothermia. She felt so cold, Jesse.”
Jesse hugged him again, giving his back a pat
before she stepped away. “Mom’s a fighter, you know that. And stubborn.”
Alex nodded. He felt some of the tension he’d
been holding fade away as she wove her hand
through his. “Yeah, she won’t let me call Clint or Heath until the surgery is over—didn’t want to
worry them unnecessarily.”
“Come on, sit down.”
She headed for the couch, but he guided her to
the chairs instead. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“It’s been a while. I haven’t seen Clint…” Her
eyes lowered to her hands. She pulled her matching hot pink gloves off a finger at a time. “Or Heath, since the funeral.”
“This has been a bad year for the Kings. First
Dad, now this. Mom’s been busy with the wedding plans but—”
“You don’t have to say anything. Mom told me
yesterday how she and Sydney were butting heads over the reception. Speaking of which, shouldn’t she be here with you?”
Alex slapped his hands against his thighs. “I—If you only knew. I’m…”
Before he knew it, he vomited up the whole
sordid mess, Sydney, Zoe, the kids and all.
86
A Perfect Bride for Christmas
“Well, you’re a woman, what’s your advice—
from a woman’s point of view?”
Jesse shook her head.
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