Buried (Twisted Cedars Mysteries Book 1) Read Free Page B

occupied them during the day, holding hands across the table. Jamie’s diamond caught the last of the brilliant rays from the setting sun and glowed as if with magical powers.
    I wish , Jamie thought. I wish we could always be this happy . She supposed all brides had the same hopes and expectations at the beginning of a marriage, though not all of them were lucky enough to fall in love with a man like Kyle.
    Looking at him now, she had to catch her breath. Not just because of his good looks, his blond hair, bronzed skin and sparkling green eyes. He was also a loving father and a successful businessman. Too good to be true? The best thing was—he was all hers.
    Jamie moved her foot until she touched his leg. As she’d hoped he would, Kyle reached down to stroke her bare calf. She felt a pleasurable shiver and was glad she’d worn a dress, and heels, and a dab of perfume.
    “I can’t wait until we’re living together,” he said.
    “Sleeping together...”
    “Waking up together...”
    She laughed softly. “Yes. Waking up together.” They’d only had that luxury twice, when both Cory and Chester had been invited to sleepovers on the same night.
    “We get so little time without my kids.”
    “Don’t worry. I get it. And I love them, too, you know.” Kyle didn’t want more children, but he might change his mind, eventually. And if he didn’t, Jamie could live with that. She already had so much to be grateful for.
    “I’m just so glad you all get along. Asking Cory to be a flower girl was a smart move. She’s so excited she can hardly sleep at night.”
    “The dress Stella designed for her is beautiful.” Winning Cory over would be easy. His son was another matter. Chester was more guarded than his sister. Cautious. Jamie knew she had to prove to him that she was in his life to stay.
    “Your children are easy to love, Kyle.”
    “And so are you.” He waited as the server came to top up their wineglasses. Once they were alone again, he leaned in closer. “Have you thought about what our life will be like after the wedding?”
    “You mean whether we’ll move into your house or my trailer?” When Kyle frowned, she was sorry she’d made the joke. “Just kidding. But what’s to discuss? We’ve listed my trailer for sale and I’ve already started packing.”
    She would have a couple weeks to settle in to her new home, and then after school let out for the summer and the kids had gone to camp, she and Kyle would honeymoon in San Francisco.
    “What about your job?” he asked.
    “I’m not following.”
    “I have a good income. Our expenses are low. You don’t have to keep working.”
    The suggestion shouldn’t have come as such as shock. Yet, she hadn’t seen it coming, at all. “I’ve been working for as long as I can remember.” As a kid she’d delivered fliers and bagged groceries at Sam’s Market. When she was in college she’d delivered pizzas. There had never been a time in her life when she hadn’t had a job. “What would I do for money?”
    Kyle touched the diamond ring on her fourth finger. “Don’t you get it? We’re going to be a family. I guarantee money won’t be a problem.”
    “But I like my job.” Putting herself through college had been a struggle. So had the early years as a junior with the local CPA firm. Now, finally, she’d been promoted and was earning at a level that made all those sacrifices seem worthwhile.
    “Some women find it rewarding to be home with kids. You might, too, if you gave it a try. And if you wanted something part-time, you could always take over the bookkeeping at Quinpool Realty for dad and me.”
    “But Olivia’s been your accountant for years. I’d be doing her out of her job.”
    “Family comes first. But you don’t have to make up your mind now. Just think about it.”
    The sun had slipped away, leaving a quiet aquamarine glow in its wake.
    Jamie thought about what Kyle wasn’t saying. His kids had been through a lot. Just a year