Read Feels Like Home: A Southerland Family Contemporary Romance Book 1 for Free Online Page B

doctor and he knew he was
screwed. It was the same tone Mary, his momma’s housekeeper, used
to use on him or his brothers when they’d tracked mud across her
clean floors or eaten the pie that was meant for dinner.
    It was no use arguing. Retreat seemed the
best choice. Out of options, he bowed his head to her and turned
and walked away without another word or backward glance.

Chapter
4
    Autumn gave herself a couple of days after
the peeping Tom incident to screw up enough courage to stop by
Jude’s office. She told herself it was to thank him for taking care
of her gran, but she hadn’t been able to get him out of her head.
He kept sneaking in when she wasn’t paying attention.
    He should be embarrassed, not her, but the
expression on his face when she caught him watching her had been so
raw – so full of desire. It had shaken her more than she was
comfortable admitting. What would it be like to be wanted that
much?
    She took a deep breath and opened the office
door. Just a quick word of thanks to the doctor and she could be on
her way.
    When the frazzled woman behind the desk saw
she wasn’t a mother with a sick child, her relief was palpable.
“He’s not here,” she said, digging through the mountain of papers
on the desk and muttering. “And when he comes back, I’m going to
quit.” She blew out a breath and ran a hand through her hair. “I’m
sorry. My name is Kristen. Can I help you with something?”
    “ I was going to ask you the
same thing.”
    “ You don’t have a secret
affinity for paperwork do you?”
    “ As a matter of fact,
paperwork is a specialty of mine,” said Autumn.
    Kristen looked at her like her like she was
holding a winning lottery ticket. “Seriously? You wouldn’t mess
with a woman on the edge, would you?”
    “ Tell me what you need,”
said Autumn with a smile. “I’d be happy to help.”
    “ God, I owe you. You have
no idea,” said Kristen. “But I have to hire you. You can’t handle
patient records unless you’re an employee. Just until Nancy comes
back from maternity leave. Please say yes.”
    Autumn thought for a moment, but a job would
be a Godsend in so many ways. It gave her an excuse to stay in town
and would keep her from depleting her already thin savings.
    “ Yes.”
    Kristen eyes lit and her face split in a
grin. “Perfect,” she said reaching over the desk to give Autumn an
impromptu hug. “Let me show you where to start.”
     
     
    Jude blew through the back door after his
house call to Mr. Stevenson, prepared to face the wrath of Kristen.
The old man had been a friend of his grandfather’s, and Jude made a
point to stop in to see him every few months. He was still healthy
as a horse but lonely and he kept Jude much longer than he’d
planned.
    “ I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” he
said, pushing open the office door. “I know I’m late.” He turned
the corner and ran head on into Autumn Maddox.
    The stack of papers she was carrying flew out
of her arms and scattered over the floor.
    “ What are you doing here?”
He hadn’t meant to sound like he was accusing her of something. He
also hadn’t expected to run into the woman who was playing a
starring role in his dreams at night.
    “ Kristen hired me,” Autumn
said, dropping to her knees to gather the papers. “She said you
needed office help until Nancy comes back.”
    “ I do. I’m sorry. I’m glad
you’re here,” he said, scrambling to get his foot out of his mouth
and pick up the papers. He looked up so she could see he was
sincere and ended up staring down the front of her
dress.
    He tried to close his mouth and look away.
Really he did, but his brain stuttered over the way her pale blue
bra held her gorgeous full breasts. Regardless of his best
intentions, his eyes stayed glued to the blue lace framing her
creamy curves.
    He could tell the moment she realized what he
was looking at because she leaned back, clutching the papers to her
chest. She hurried to her feet, reaching out to