Read Christmas at Candlebark Farm for Free Online Page B

obviously busy with the farm, but he’d taken a significant portion of the morning off to make sure she was okay… and to make her breakfast !
    She was a shrew. It wasn’t his fault her insecurities had momentarily got the better of her.
    She bit her lip and glanced around, as if this country street could provide her with inspiration for how to make amends.
    Her eyes lit on the Chinese restaurant across the road. She sucked her bottom lip all the way into her mouth. She could cook dinner tonight, couldn’t she? That would at least save Luke some of that precious time of his.
    Her spirits started to lift again. Maybe this evening Luke and Jason could eat together. Last night they’d simply seized their plates and shot off to separate parts of the house—Luke to what she guessed was his study, and Jason to watch television in the living room. She’d watched in stunned amazement and sworn that she and her child would never end up like that. But if Luke had more time…
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    The chicken and hokkien noodle stir-fry she’d prepared was ready to serve at precisely the same moment Luke walked through the back door. Keira took it as a good sign—all the planets magically aligned, or something.
    â€˜Hi.’ She turned from the stove with a grin she hoped hid the nerves that unaccountably assailed her.
    She had absolutely nothing to be nervous about. This dinner—it was nothing more than a friendly gesture.
    Luke stared at the table set for three, and then at the foodsimmering on the stove. There was a lot of it. She’d figured a man of the land and a growing teenage boy would have hearty appetites.
    He raised an eyebrow. Keira suddenly hated that eyebrow with a vengeance.
    â€˜Expecting company?’ he drawled.
    â€˜Of course not.’ But it was hard to get the words out because her throat had started to close over. ‘I… This…’ She swallowed. Did he hate chicken, or had he taken an unaccountable dislike to her since this morning?
    She cleared her throat and gestured across the hallway to the living room, where Jason lay sprawled on the sofa with the television blaring. ‘I thought I’d cook dinner for everyone tonight.’
    She couldn’t stand the way he was looking at her, so she grabbed a plate and turned away to start dishing out food. Luke moved to stand behind her. Close. Keira stilled, her hand trembling as his heat beat at her. She hadn’t even heard him move.
    â€˜I don’t want you doing this ever again.’ His voice was low, but its fury sliced through her. ‘You hear me?’
    She swallowed and nodded.
    â€˜Jason and I don’t need your charity, and we sure as hell don’t need your pity. You can go practise your home-making skills somewhere else. Got it?’
    The unfairness of his accusations had her spine stiffening. ‘Loud and clear,’ she snapped, shoving the laden plate at him. ‘Believe me, I won’t make the same mistake again.’ She pushed the serving spoon under his nose. ‘But while we’re on the subject of home-making, from what I can see I’m not the one who needs to brush up on that particular skill set.’
    His mouth opened and closed but no sound came out.
    â€˜And, for your information, cooking dinner was my oh-so-stupid attempt to try and make up for throwing your routine out this morning. Nothing more.’
    And then she lifted her voice, so it could be heard over the television in the next room. ‘There’s food here if you want it, Jason.’
    With a cut-off oath, Luke spun and stalked from the room. Jason slouched in. He stared after his father. ‘What’s up with him?’
    She shrugged. ‘Beats me.’
    â€˜Yeah, well, I wouldn’t worry about it,’ he mumbled. ‘He’s an old grump.’
    He could say that again!
    Jason took his laden plate back into the living room. Keira collapsed at the table, her heart