Sherryl Woods - Wind Chime Point

Здесь есть возможность читать онлайн «Sherryl Woods - Wind Chime Point» — ознакомительный отрывок электронной книги совершенно бесплатно, а после прочтения отрывка купить полную версию. В некоторых случаях можно слушать аудио, скачать через торрент в формате fb2 и присутствует краткое содержание. Жанр: unrecognised, на английском языке. Описание произведения, (предисловие) а так же отзывы посетителей доступны на портале библиотеки ЛибКат.

Wind Chime Point: краткое содержание, описание и аннотация

Предлагаем к чтению аннотацию, описание, краткое содержание или предисловие (зависит от того, что написал сам автор книги «Wind Chime Point»). Если вы не нашли необходимую информацию о книге — напишите в комментариях, мы постараемся отыскать её.

When life gets complicated, New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods proves family—and love—can make all the differenceFacing a personal crisis, ambitious and driven Gabriella Castle retreats to the welcoming arms of her family. Everything she's worked for has been yanked out from under her, and she seeks the serenity of her grandmother’s home on the North Carolina coast. With difficult decisions to make about her future, the last thing she wants is an unexpected love.Wade Johnson fell for Gabi the first time he saw her. It's not the only time he's found himself in the role of knight-in-shining-armor, but Gabi isn't looking for a rescuer. To get her to stay, Wade will need a whole lot of patience and gentle persuasion…and maybe the soothing sound of wind chimes on a summer breeze.“Charming characters . . . a satisfying, heartwarming conclusion to the Chesapeake Shores series.”—RT BookReviews on The Summer Garden

Wind Chime Point — читать онлайн ознакомительный отрывок

Ниже представлен текст книги, разбитый по страницам. Система сохранения места последней прочитанной страницы, позволяет с удобством читать онлайн бесплатно книгу «Wind Chime Point», без необходимости каждый раз заново искать на чём Вы остановились. Поставьте закладку, и сможете в любой момент перейти на страницу, на которой закончили чтение.

Тёмная тема
Сбросить

Интервал:

Закладка:

Сделать

Then he was struck by another, far more disturbing thought. Had Gabi gotten married? Surely that was something Cora Jane would have mentioned, rather than encouraging Wade’s interest in her with a litany of less-than-subtle hints. Nor could he imagine why Cora Jane hadn’t mentioned the pregnancy to him, since she knew perfectly well he’d been hanging around not for pie, but for scraps of information about her granddaughter. Was it possible this was going to be news to her, too?

He noted that Gabi still hadn’t budged. Her eyes could be adjusting to the dim lighting, but it seemed to him she was actually reluctant to step into the dining room. He guessed she wasn’t looking forward to seeing Cora Jane. After she’d hesitated for what seemed like an eternity, she finally drew in a deep breath, then walked briskly into the room, an expression of grim determination on her face.

“Looking for Cora Jane?” Wade inquired when Gabi would have walked right past him.

She gave a startled little gasp, then managed a halfhearted smile. “Wade! I didn’t see you there.”

“And I wasn’t expecting to see you today, either,” he said, then cast a pointed look at her tummy. “Guess we’re both full of surprises. Who’s the lucky daddy?”

She visibly flinched at the question. “Unfortunately, the daddy doesn’t consider himself to be all that lucky. Haven’t seen him since I broke the news.”

She said it blithely, as if the man’s irresponsible behavior was no big deal, but Wade detected the hint of hurt in her eyes.

“The man’s a fool,” he declared with feeling. “You know that, don’t you?”

“There’s a growing consensus about that,” she admitted.

His gaze narrowed. He might as well ferret out the whole truth here and now. There’d been mention of a boyfriend back in August, but when the man had never shown his face, Wade had been as skeptical about the relationship as her sisters clearly were. They’d been pretty outspoken on the subject, though usually out of Gabi’s hearing. While he’d worked on custom cabinetry, he’d kept one ear tuned to their conversations, especially whenever Gabi’s name came up. Okay, sure, there were rules about eavesdropping, but come on, this was Gabi and he was just a little bit infatuated with her. Was he supposed to tell them to lower the volume a notch?

“Were you in love with him?” he asked, keeping his tone neutral and his gaze on her face.

He saw the surprise in her eyes before she slid into the booth opposite him.

“You know you’re the first person to ask me that.”

“Seems like an obvious question to me,” he said. “Or did your family know better all along?”

She smiled at that. “I think they did. Samantha said she knew he was a jerk when he wasn’t here helping out after the storm. I’m not sure why I was still making excuses for him then. I imagine on some level I knew he would never really fit in.”

Wade nodded. “So, what’s your plan? Before you try to deny having one, remember that the word around here is that you started making plans in grade school and never lost the habit.”

She chuckled. “Actually, it was high school, but point taken. Amazingly, though, I’m still figuring things out. I got hit with too many unexpected changes all at once. A baby, the discovery that my significant other is a jerk, losing my job.”

Wade whistled. “You lost your job, too? Talk about a trifecta, and not the winning kind.”

“My boss wasn’t impressed with my moral character.”

Thus that weariness he’d noticed, he concluded. Wade was surprised she looked as good as she did with that many blows all landing at once. He suspected she’d come to Sand Castle Bay to spend time with the family and heal, but this might be his one and only opportunity to show her that not all men were idiots.

“You know what you need?” he declared, impulsively seizing a moment that might never come his way again.

“Aside from a plan?” she asked wryly.

“That’ll come,” he said with confidence. “You need dinner and a movie. It’ll take your mind off everything. How about tomorrow night? I’ll pick you up at six, unless you’d like to go for an early bird special. I remember when Kayla...” He tripped over the mention of his wife’s name, shifted gears. “When Lou was pregnant,” he corrected hurriedly, “all she wanted to do was sleep.”

“Lou? Your wife?”

He laughed at the disapproving expression that accompanied her question. “Not all of us are jerks, sweetheart,” he said, glad he’d not opened the whole sad tale about his wife. “Don’t you remember Louise, my big sister? She has five kids now, all of them little hellions, which if you ask me is exactly what she deserves for all the grief she gave me when we were kids.”

Her expression brightened. “Of course I remember Louise. Five kids? Wow! I thought she planned to be a lawyer.”

“She did and she is. The two of you are a lot alike, both driven. Not much gets in the way of what you want. I’ll have to get the two of you together. She can tell you what to expect when your baby turns your life upside down.”

“This baby’s already accomplished that,” Gabi reminded him.

“So, about dinner? Will six o’clock work?” he pressed, determined not to let this opportunity slip away. In his opinion, Gabi not only needed family right now, she needed a friendly, impartial ear. He could provide that.

A frown settled on her face. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Wade,” she said. “My life’s just too unsettled.”

“And you think if you stay home tomorrow night and concentrate real hard, you’ll figure everything out?” he asked skeptically.

“No, but’”

“Okay, then. I’ll see you at six,” he said, sliding out of the booth and dropping a casual kiss on her forehead. “Don’t even think about standing me up. I have allies.”

He could tell by her resigned expression that she knew exactly who those allies were. Maybe if she hadn’t taken so many hits recently, she’d have fought him harder. As it was, she merely sighed.

“See you at six,” she said, then glowered at him. “I want my own bucket of popcorn.”

He grinned. “Of course you do.”

He couldn’t seem to stop smiling as he paid Cora Jane, who’d remained suspiciously out of sight during his entire exchange with Gabi.

As she handed him his change, she threw in a piece of advice free of charge. “You hurt that girl and there will be no place around here for you to hide,” she said. It was a pretty fierce warning from a woman who stood five foot two in her sneakers.

“Got it,” he told her somberly, dropping a kiss on her cheek. “No worries.”

“If I didn’t believe that, you wouldn’t have spent five seconds alone with her just now,” she said, proving that her avoidance of his table had been deliberate. “Not when she’s this vulnerable.”

“You want to come along tomorrow night to chaperone?” he asked, only half in jest.

“Don’t think I wouldn’t do just that, Wade Johnson, if I didn’t think you’re going to be exactly what she needs. Don’t prove me wrong.”

“Understood.”

Even more than Cora Jane probably realized. He’d seen for himself just how fragile Gabi was. Seeing her like that when he knew firsthand the sort of confident, successful woman she’d been just a few months ago had made him want to smash his fist into something. That idiotic ex’s jaw came to mind as the perfect starting point.

* * *

Cora Jane found Gabriella exactly where Wade had left her. She looked as if the weight of the world rested on her shoulders. Cora Jane leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek before nudging her over to make room beside her in the booth. Cora Jane settled close, then cupped Gabi’s chin in her hand.

Читать дальше
Тёмная тема
Сбросить

Интервал:

Закладка:

Сделать

Похожие книги на «Wind Chime Point»

Представляем Вашему вниманию похожие книги на «Wind Chime Point» списком для выбора. Мы отобрали схожую по названию и смыслу литературу в надежде предоставить читателям больше вариантов отыскать новые, интересные, ещё непрочитанные произведения.


Sherryl Woods - Courting the Enemy
Sherryl Woods
Sherryl Woods - Come Fly With Me
Sherryl Woods
Sherryl Woods - Marrying a Delacourt
Sherryl Woods
Sherryl Woods - Daniel's Desire
Sherryl Woods
Sherryl Woods - Swan Point
Sherryl Woods
Sherryl Woods - Along Came Trouble
Sherryl Woods
Sherryl Woods - Ask Anyone
Sherryl Woods
Sherryl Woods - Driftwood Cottage
Sherryl Woods
Sherryl Woods - The Pint-Sized Secret
Sherryl Woods
Отзывы о книге «Wind Chime Point»

Обсуждение, отзывы о книге «Wind Chime Point» и просто собственные мнения читателей. Оставьте ваши комментарии, напишите, что Вы думаете о произведении, его смысле или главных героях. Укажите что конкретно понравилось, а что нет, и почему Вы так считаете.

x