"Roberts, Nora - The Quinns' Christmas" - читать интересную книгу автора (Roberts Nora)

The Quinns' Christmas
by Nora Roberts

He'd never had Christmas before. Not a real one with a tree and
lights, with presents. Not with family. He'd never had one in a house
filled with music and the smell of fresh cookies and decorations
hanging everywhere.

Of course, he wasn't a kid or anything. Sheesh, he was in sixth
grade. It wasn't like he believed some fat guy in a red suit was going
to pop down the chimney. Get real.

He was just getting into the whole business because everybody else
was making such a production of it. All that whispering and talking in
code and giggling. Well, the guys didn't giggle, Seth corrected, but
the women had let out a few. And little Aubrey was practically insane
waiting for tomorrow morning.

But she was just a baby. Christmas was supposed to be special for
kids.

For himself it was cool to be out of school and to figure a few presents
were going to be tossed his way. He wasn't a maniac about it.

He was only sneaking downstairs to scarf up some cookies. How
was a guy supposed to sleep when there were a million cookies in
the house?

Carrying the sketch he'd framed in one hand, Seth tiptoed in the
dark, a boy of slight build with straw colored hair and cautious blue
eyes. To the dog following him he issued a stern warning to keep it
down or they'd get busted.

There was music playing. He stopped at the top of the stairs,
listening carefully to be sure it was the radio and not Phillip at the
piano. After dinner, his brothers -- he really like that phrase: his
brother. After dinner, they'd all played music until Aubrey had finally
passed out on Grace's lap. Then they'd kicked Seth upstairs to bed.
And that was a gyp because it had barely been 10 and it wasn't a
school night or anything.

Cam had made all those lame Santa remarks, razzing him.

Remembering it, Seth tried to sneer, but it came out as a wide,
delighted grin.

As he crept downstairs, Seth saw they'd left the tree on. He'd never
seen anything like it. Anna had wanted a real one, and in Seth's
opinion, Anna ruled. So they'd hauled in this big pine, and the guys
had grumbled about stringing lights. But Seth knew they'd liked it.