Yuletide Twins. Renee Andrews

lasts a full week. The crafters will have booths set up around the square through the following weekend, and each of the local stores coordinates activities for the festival, as well.”

      “And they’ve booked all of the rooms at the B and B,” Laura said.

      “As well as all of the hotel rooms in Stockville, which is the nearest city. Not that that would matter, though, since Stockville is a good twenty miles away, and you wouldn’t want to drive that far.” His brows lifted as he apparently thought of something, and then he asked, “About driving...how long will you be able to drive? I’m assuming there’s a certain time when the doctors tell you to stop driving in pregnancy?” He glanced at her stomach and probably wondered how she could fit all of that behind the wheel. Laura had almost doubted the possibility herself, but she’d been able to pull it off by adjusting the steering wheel and seat.

      “I don’t have to stop driving,” she said. “I did ask my doctor before taking the trip here today, not because I thought I couldn’t drive but because I was traveling so far. She told me as long as I took periodic breaks to rest, I’d be fine, and I didn’t have any problems.” Laura had been amazed at how smoothly the trip had gone, but apparently the drive to Claremont wasn’t her biggest dilemma. Thanks to the crafters in town, she had no place to stay. She’d been so worried about getting a job that she hadn’t thought to consider locating a place to live before she traveled nearly four hundred miles. Her mother often said she acted too impulsively, and this was yet another time she’d be proving her right.

      David must have noticed her anxiety because he moved to the seat next to hers and reached for her hand. The warmth of his large palm encircling hers reminded her of all the times he’d consoled her in college whenever Jared had let her down. Why couldn’t her heart have fallen for someone like David instead of always tumbling head over heels for the one who’d treat her wrong? Even in high school, she’d been drawn to the bad boys. They just seemed so intriguing, dangerous and undeniably tempting.

      “Some girls are just drawn to guys that treat them badly,” her mother had said in an apparent effort to make Laura feel better about her situation. It didn’t help. In fact, it only made her more resolute that she would not be hurt again, because she wasn’t going to rely on a guy again.

      Uh-huh, right. Then why did you come running here to David? her mind whispered.

      Laura shook that thought away. She’d never thought of David “that” way. He was her friend and he’d always been there for her, just like he was now. This was a different situation entirely. She wasn’t relying on a guy; she was counting on a friend.

      “We’ll find somewhere for you to stay,” he said, solidifying the fact that she could, in fact, count on him. “Even if we don’t find a place tonight, you have somewhere to go. You can stay in my apartment.” He pointed to the ceiling. “It’s above the bookstore.”

      Laura was touched that he’d offer, but she knew she couldn’t accept. Asking David for help with the job was one thing; living in his apartment would be something different entirely. She’d gotten too close to Jared without the boundaries of marriage, and she’d been left to raise her babies on her own. She was certain that wasn’t what David was offering, but still...the two of them staying together in his apartment wouldn’t give the right impression to the people around town, or to David, for that matter.

      She didn’t need him thinking that she wanted more. She didn’t—not with David or with any guy. Not for a long, long time. The wound inflicted by Jared was still too raw. “David, I don’t think that’s a good idea, for us to stay together....” She searched for the right words but didn’t have to say anything because David halted her progress.

      “Oh, no—” he shook his head “—hey, that wasn’t what I meant. You can stay in my apartment, and I’ll stay with one of my friends in town.”

      She felt her cheeks flush. “Oh, I should have known that wasn’t what you meant.” A little surge of adrenaline, or something, pulsed through her veins as she tried to shake the embarrassment. She was seven months pregnant...with twins! “I’m sorry,” she said, then added, “and embarrassed.”

      Still holding her hand, he tenderly squeezed her palm. “It’s okay. A few years ago, those first three years of college, I’d have been exactly the kind of guy to ask a girl to stay at my place and wouldn’t have thought a thing about it, but that’s the old David.”

      His comment reminded her of the fact that he’d changed during his last year at UT. Something had happened that caused him to turn away from his wilder ways and back to his faith. Laura had been so wrapped up in Jared at the time that she hadn’t thought a lot about what caused David’s rapid transformation. But now she wished she could recall.

      “So you don’t have anything to worry about.” He grinned, and Laura spotted a slight dimple creasing his left cheek. Funny, she’d never noticed it before, but she liked it, very much. And she liked David, even more for making her feel at ease with her crazy presumption.

      She laughed at her foolishness and slid her palm from his. For some reason, it suddenly seemed a little too intimate for their current relationship, friend-to-friend and boss-to-employee. “Okay, then, if you don’t mind, and since there doesn’t seem to be another place in town, I’ll take you up on your offer.”

      The bell on the door sounded as someone entered the shop. “Welcome to A Likely Story,” David called toward the front. Then he stood and held out a hand to help Laura rise from the chair.

      She occasionally had a little trouble off-balancing her weight when she stood, and the support of his strong hand was a welcome addition. “Thanks.”

      “Anytime,” he said, and she knew he meant it. David would help her stand and help her with a job and even help her find a place to live. Already, in less than an hour, he’d done more for her than anyone else had in years, and the gratitude for that compassion washed over her at once. She blinked back the urge to cry.

      Luckily, a blond little boy dashed through the aisle knocking a few books from the endcap as he circled and taking Laura’s attention off of herself and the man currently taking her under his wing.

      “Kaden, please, slow down.” A pretty brunette picked up the dislodged books and tucked them back in place then gave David an apologetic smile. “I told him we needed to hurry if we were going to make it to the bookstore before you closed at six, and I’m afraid he got the impression that we had to run all the way in.”

      “Not a problem at all,” David said, tousling the boy’s blond curls. “What ya so excited about, Kaden?”

      “My teacher says I need some more books because I’m not—what did she say again, Mom?”

      “Challenged,” the lady said. “He’s breezing through the sight word books and because of that, he’s becoming a little disruptive during reading time at school.”

      “And we only get library day on Tuesday, and I can only check out one book for the whole entire week, and I really want more books than just one book, so Mom said we could come and buy some.”

      “I see,” David said to Kaden.

      Laura liked the way he didn’t change his voice to talk to the boy. He spoke to him as though speaking to an adult, and Kaden nodded his head as if he totally believed David did see and understood his dilemma. Then he seemed to forget all about David as his attention zoned in on Laura. “Wow, how many babies are in your tummy?”

      “Oh, my,” his mother exclaimed. “Kaden, that isn’t something that we ask...” She tapped her finger against her chin and seemed as though she didn’t know how to complete her instruction to her son. Then she looked at Laura. “I’m so sorry. We have a baby at home—well, she’s eighteen months now—but I had explained to Kaden when I was pregnant about how baby Mia was in my tummy. However, I forgot to explain how some women may not want to give the details....”

      Kaden’s brows drew together and he shrugged as though he couldn’t figure out what