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

Now it was loaded with what seemed like a thousand ornaments, and
presents with big bows and miles of ribbon were stacked under it.

Some of them had his name on them.

Probably dopey stuff like underwear and socks, he told himself,
struggling against the sheer thrill of seeing those brightly wrapped
boxes sparkle under the lights. Like they belonged there.

Like he belonged there.

He started to walk over, just to shake one, but spotted Anna sleeping
on the couch.

Seth cursed under his breath, whipped what he had in his hands
behind his back. He flushed at the idea of getting caught doing a
baby thing like poking at boxes that would be unwrapped in a matter
of hours anyway.

He stood indecisive, but the excuse of wanting cookies had become
reality. He grabbed the dog's collar before Foolish could live up to his
name and dash over to stick his wet nose in Anna's face. Seth hissed
at the dog to sit. Then, because Anna had kicked off the throw, he
crept over to pull the cover back over her.

She'd been square with him, Seth thought. No, more than square.
She'd been everything good, everything decent he'd stopped
expecting. She and Grace and the Quinns had given him hope when
he'd come to believe hope was just on more fist in the face.

And Seth wished there was something he could do to pay her back.
He hoped she liked the scarf he'd gotten her. It was really red, and
Anna liked wearing red things. But he wished it was, like diamonds or
something.

"Yeah, right." He thought to himself.


He backed away from the couch, then snuck like a thief into the
kitchen with Foolish trailing behind him. He had a smug grin on his
face and his hand in the cookie jar when the back door swung open.
Yelping, he whipped the frame behind his back.

Cam cursed and blocked the door. "Seth." He said it loud enough to
warn his brothers to hide the bike they'd spent the last two hours
assembling. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"Looks like petty thievery to me." Cam heard his brothers' swearing