Read Her Canadian Dream [Her Canadian Dream] (Siren Publishing Classic) for Free Online Page A

as she replied, “I’ll be there at the usual time unless you want me to give you a hand now?”
    Jan shook her head. “No, hun. You get settled in and get yourself acquainted with Aiden. And don’t let him intimidate you! He’s just a big pussycat at heart.”
    Aly’s heart started to race as the reality of her situation started to sink in and she eyed Jan warily.
    “If you say so. I’ll just keep out of his way and he might not notice me.”
    Jan laughed.
    “You have got to be kidding, sweetie. He noticed you a long time ago. You just didn’t realise it.”
    Rather than settle Aly’s mind, the words just served to make her nerves worse. She had only met the man once and he had terrified her. Her reaction to his touch had shocked her. No man had ever made her feel that way before. It had taken the rest of the day before her nerves had settled down and by then all she had felt was guilt at having feelings for another man whilst still with Sean.
     
    * * * *
     
    To calm herself down, once her friend had left, she took stock of her situation. She had a roof over her head until she had to leave the country. She still had her job and could now keep her car, which was a major bonus. As much as possible, she wanted to enjoy what little time she had left here to explore the surrounding countryside.
    Walking back up the stairs she unpacked her two suitcases and hung her clothes in the cavernous wardrobe. To make herself feel more at home, she decided to go down to see whether Aiden kept tea in the house. If not, she would have to go to the store because she couldn’t live without her regular cuppa.
    The massive kitchen was starting to darken as rainclouds were rolling in across the lake. She found teabags in the cupboard and milk in the fridge so set about making her drink.
    In search of something for supper, she opened the freezer in the utility room and found a bag of minced beef. The vegetable rack held onions and potatoes so she decided to make a simple cottage pie. As a thank you to Aiden for coming to her rescue she proceeded to make enough for two. She could eat hers before he got home so that she didn’t need to disturb his evening. His portion would be easy to keep warm or reheat if necessary.
    As the sky darkened and the lake grew ever grayer, she switched on the light and got on with preparing the meal. For the first time in ages she realised that she was actually enjoying cooking. Sean had been home to eat so rarely that she had got out of the habit. Most of her meals were simple ready meals which she would heat in the microwave and eat off a tray in front of the TV.
    Checking the clock, she saw that it was almost five o’clock. Jan had told her that the guys usually worked until around six when the weather permitted. Once winter set in they were forced to work on indoor projects until the snows cleared and they could once again work safely outside.
    Cottage pie in the oven, she quickly cleaned the kitchen and prepared some broccoli and carrots which she had found in the fridge drawer. Once everything was ready she reckoned on having about half an hour in which she could eat and escape to her room before Aiden came in.
    Humming to herself, she made another cup of tea and walked through to the small lounge. Walking along the edge of the room she looked at the collection of books which filled the shelves. There were all sorts. Thrillers, horrors, and popular fiction, along with reference books on almost every subject under the sun.
    Aly would never have thought of someone like Aiden to be a great reader but it seemed that appearances could be deceptive. Her eye caught a book that she had seen in the local bookstore, a book chronicling the history of the area. Pulling it down from the shelf, she curled up in one of the recliners and started to skim through it. Sipping her tea, she marvelled at the beautiful photographs, all of the Huntsville area. She was soon lost and was only brought back to earth by the