Always My Hero Read Free Page A

paying her mother for the room she’d lived in since she was born. She checked it out on her lunch break and had signed the lease and received the keys by the end of the day.
    Rather than get all melancholy over her daughter’s decision to move out of the house, Lyssa was thrilled for her. Perhaps a little too thrilled, when she boxed up all of Bree’s clothes, knickknacks, and personal belongings while she was at work the next day. They each took turns dropping a few boxes off at a time, during the day. Bree had the utilities switched over and spent her first night in her new place Thursday evening.
    It was a lot quieter than she was used to. No little brothers running around like maniacs, body slamming each other off the walls and using every surface of the house as their own private jungle gym. The first night in her new place, she couldn’t sit still. Pouring herself a glass of wine, she walked from room to room, touching a couch cushion, the toaster oven, a roll top desk in the study, the carved wooden bedpost … “Mine,” she said with every caress. It was a great feeling.
    Bree had been looking forward to her date with Foster on Saturday night. She was still riding the high she’d gotten from having the nerve to ask. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she’d been on a date and was abysmally aware that her wardrobe showed that. Just one more thing to add to her to-do list of what she’d need as she started her new life. Shopping for clothes and shoes was not her idea of a good time, but this was a year for changes. She’d find a way to make it fun.
    He’d brought her flowers, held the door for her, and been incredibly attentive all evening. But as the night wore on, Bree waited for that connection, the spark that told her he was “the one.” She wanted to eagerly await the good night kiss on her doorstep. She wanted to feel … something. But the only time her heart started racing was from nerves and embarrassment, not heat and passion.
    Foster was a great guy and she hoped he found the perfect woman to make him happy. All the same, she was disappointed, frustrated, and a little scared that she would have to put herself out there again in order to find her Mr. Right. Worried she hadn’t given the guy enough of a chance, she glanced over at him.
    He flashed her those wicked dimples and she smiled back at him. Without saying a word, he reached over the console and squeezed her knee. Nope. Nothing. Oh dear Lord, what if she was broken? If a sexy guy like Foster couldn’t get her hot and bothered, who could?
    “Looks like you have a new neighbor.” Foster pointed as he pulled into the snowy driveway.
    “Who on Earth would choose to haul stuff around at this hour?” Bree didn’t wait for Foster to come around to her side. She opened the car door and headed for the stranger whose face was hidden behind a huge box.
    “Excuse me. Can we help you?” Bree slipped her mittens off and stuffed them in her coat pockets, so she could get a better grip on the cardboard boxes.
    She reached out and placed her hands on the box her new neighbor was carrying up to the porch. Her chilled fingers made contact with the stranger’s, the electric current of awareness causing her to gasp. She hadn’t felt that kind of reaction since ...
    “I’m almost done here. But if you really want to help, there are a couple of boxes left on the tailgate.” He shifted the box to the side to peer around the edge. “I appreciate the ... Bree? Bree Adams?”
    Even with a ski cap covering his hair and a thick wool scarf muffling his words, she recognized those soulful brown eyes, that gravelly voice. No, no, no. Not him. Anyone but him. Not here. This was her new sanctuary. Her new start. No old mistakes allowed. Realizing she still had her hands around the box he was carrying, Bree let go and took a few steps back.
    Too late, she remembered the snowy edges to the driveway and the fact that she wore heels and hose. She