face him straight on, her mouth agape and her eyes widened. "Certainly not."
"Why not? It'll be a gift from Santa."
"It would be a gift from you. Look, I appreciate the offer, but there are lots of things Kristen wants that she doesn't get. It's not like she could possibly get everything on her Christmas list." Lauren took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. "What list? All she asked for was a daddy and she's not going to get that, either."
She turned and climbed the stairs until she reached the top landing. Kyle noticed the sudden heaviness in her step and regretted bringing up a subject that had caused her unrest.
Her smile had been so bright when she walked into the family room, almost as bright as when the town Christmas tree was set ablaze. He wondered what she had been thinking to make her expression so radiant. But now, she seemed as down as she had the first night they met and it was eating at his insides.
Kyle opened the door a crack, and then pulled back after he heard the heavy thump of a charging dog on the other end. "Better let me go first. This dog...well...Max is kind of mammoth," he warned.
As usual, Max met Kyle at the door with slobbering licks, a heavy tail wag that could knock out a cow, and repeated gnawing on the sleeve of his coat to get his undivided attention.
"You weren't kidding, he's big!" Lauren gasped.
"Down, Max." The dog continued jumping. "I said down!" Kyle commanded in a deep authoritative voice.
Lauren kept her distance. "Have you had him long?"
"He's a stray. I've only had him a few weeks." He picked up one of his old running shoes that Max had apparently used as an afternoon snack. "As you can see, he's not exactly trained. Okay, boy, what else did you eat?"
Kyle looked around and assessed the damage while filling the dog's dish with food and water. Thinking it was safer all around to let him out, he put the dog in the side yard on a run while Lauren stayed in the apartment.
When he returned, Lauren had her coat off and was seated at the pedestal kitchen table reviewing a set of blueprints he'd left out earlier. His footsteps startled her. She darted a glance up at him like a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar and carefully placed the blueprints back on the table.
"I'm surprised Max didn't eat them," Kyle said. "What do you think?"
"Of...the blueprints?"
"Yeah."
"It's a beautiful house."
He smiled with pride. "I could take you by to see it some time."
Her eyes widened. "You mean...it's yours?"
"Yes. I have a twenty acre lot over on Tower Hill Road. It's still under construction, but it's close to being completed." Well, that was true enough, he thought. He'd been working on the house for the past two years, making so many changes that he thought he'd never finish. In a way, the thought of the project coming to an end depressed the hell out of him. What was he going to do in a big house all alone? That wasn’t the way it was supposed to be when he started the project.
Lauren picked up the plans and began studying them.
"I've put a line of full view windows off the family room," he said, pointing to the blueprints. "There's a great view of the hills from the back of the property. A nice flat backyard that goes back a ways before it drops."
“Nice for kids," she noted.
“That was the idea. I’d hoped to have a few.”
She lifted her head from the blueprint and quirked an eyebrow.
“I had been seeing someone for a while when I decided to build the house,” he informed her, recalling that it had been Debra who’d actually pressed him to build a house of their own. He would have preferred staying in the carriage house until they decided to start a family. But Debra insisted she’d feel too “confined” and wanted something of her own.
“So the house was for you and her?”
He nodded. “I was too deep into construction to stop the project
"Why not? It'll be a gift from Santa."
"It would be a gift from you. Look, I appreciate the offer, but there are lots of things Kristen wants that she doesn't get. It's not like she could possibly get everything on her Christmas list." Lauren took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. "What list? All she asked for was a daddy and she's not going to get that, either."
She turned and climbed the stairs until she reached the top landing. Kyle noticed the sudden heaviness in her step and regretted bringing up a subject that had caused her unrest.
Her smile had been so bright when she walked into the family room, almost as bright as when the town Christmas tree was set ablaze. He wondered what she had been thinking to make her expression so radiant. But now, she seemed as down as she had the first night they met and it was eating at his insides.
Kyle opened the door a crack, and then pulled back after he heard the heavy thump of a charging dog on the other end. "Better let me go first. This dog...well...Max is kind of mammoth," he warned.
As usual, Max met Kyle at the door with slobbering licks, a heavy tail wag that could knock out a cow, and repeated gnawing on the sleeve of his coat to get his undivided attention.
"You weren't kidding, he's big!" Lauren gasped.
"Down, Max." The dog continued jumping. "I said down!" Kyle commanded in a deep authoritative voice.
Lauren kept her distance. "Have you had him long?"
"He's a stray. I've only had him a few weeks." He picked up one of his old running shoes that Max had apparently used as an afternoon snack. "As you can see, he's not exactly trained. Okay, boy, what else did you eat?"
Kyle looked around and assessed the damage while filling the dog's dish with food and water. Thinking it was safer all around to let him out, he put the dog in the side yard on a run while Lauren stayed in the apartment.
When he returned, Lauren had her coat off and was seated at the pedestal kitchen table reviewing a set of blueprints he'd left out earlier. His footsteps startled her. She darted a glance up at him like a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar and carefully placed the blueprints back on the table.
"I'm surprised Max didn't eat them," Kyle said. "What do you think?"
"Of...the blueprints?"
"Yeah."
"It's a beautiful house."
He smiled with pride. "I could take you by to see it some time."
Her eyes widened. "You mean...it's yours?"
"Yes. I have a twenty acre lot over on Tower Hill Road. It's still under construction, but it's close to being completed." Well, that was true enough, he thought. He'd been working on the house for the past two years, making so many changes that he thought he'd never finish. In a way, the thought of the project coming to an end depressed the hell out of him. What was he going to do in a big house all alone? That wasn’t the way it was supposed to be when he started the project.
Lauren picked up the plans and began studying them.
"I've put a line of full view windows off the family room," he said, pointing to the blueprints. "There's a great view of the hills from the back of the property. A nice flat backyard that goes back a ways before it drops."
“Nice for kids," she noted.
“That was the idea. I’d hoped to have a few.”
She lifted her head from the blueprint and quirked an eyebrow.
“I had been seeing someone for a while when I decided to build the house,” he informed her, recalling that it had been Debra who’d actually pressed him to build a house of their own. He would have preferred staying in the carriage house until they decided to start a family. But Debra insisted she’d feel too “confined” and wanted something of her own.
“So the house was for you and her?”
He nodded. “I was too deep into construction to stop the project
Similar Books
