One More Storm (Mistletoe Matchmakers of Clearwater County #6) - Bonnie R. Paulson Page 0,28
couldn’t take care of his grandmother and fall for the Dean woman at the same time.
It wasn’t smart and it wasn’t possible.
Even if they were surrounded by a town that believed in Christmas miracles.
Chapter 15
Amanda
Amanda grabbed her fleece lined jacket as Tommy pulled up in front of the Dean family ranch in an old Ford pickup that had a rusty bumper and different wheels in the back.
And yet, Amanda didn’t care. She only noticed because the comfortable style fit the man behind the wheel. It seemed suitable to what she knew of him.
She half-jogged to the truck, pulling open the door to the cab and smiling as she climbed in. “Thanks for picking me up. I’m sorry it’s under such bad circumstances, but I’m glad I can go.” She was grateful for any change to spend time with him, paid or otherwise.
Her sisters would never let her live it down, if they found out Amanda had a crush on a man she was paying to spend time with. By the hour. There was so much wrong with that statement.
Amanda tucked her hair behind her ear and peeked at Tommy from the corner of her eye.
His features were set in a frown, but he smiled each time he glanced at her. That had to mean something, right?
Did she want it to mean something? Maybe that was something she needed to ask him.
She cleared her throat. “So…” But she chickened out. “How old is your grandmother?” Was that okay to ask? Amanda’s grandparents had all been dead a long time. She wasn’t sure what was okay and what wasn’t in the type of situation they were in.
Was it okay to be familiar with him when they had a payment plan at other times?
“She’s in her eighties. She’s very active that’s why I’m surprised I got a call from the hospital and not from her.” He shook his head, the brim of his hat moving and casting a slight shadow across his eyes.
“I’m sure she’s okay. They probably just want to make sure she sees you.” Amanda didn’t know what else to say. She wasn’t familiar with the situation and that meant she couldn’t say for sure one way or the other. Was it bad to want to be reassuring? She just hated being inept at it.
He sighed and nodded, turning the truck onto the north traveling highway. “Yeah, you’re probably right. She might have just fallen or something. The ranch is big and she still demands to do a lot of the work. The last time I was home, she got up at five AM and went out and gathered eggs from the chickens. I didn’t know she had decided to add to the number of animals she had.” He shook his head, laughing, the sound delightful to Amanda’s ears. “Anyway, sorry. I don’t mean to make it all about me. How are you?”
Amanda shooed his comment away. “Please. It’s always all about me. I like hearing about you and your life. I think that’s one of the defining things about being from Montana. The self-reliance trait is buried deep in the marrow of our bones. Sometimes that’s not a good thing, but it’s a necessity. How long have you lived in Montana?” She’d always assumed he was a lifer, but what if he wasn’t? That wasn’t really a fair assumption to make.
“My whole life. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Did you know that there are some towns and states that have never seen snow?” Tommy’s eyebrows raised and he draped his wrist across the top of the steering wheel, turning to slightly face Amanda. “This is true. I can’t imagine going more than six months without seeing snow. That just seems like a personal kind of torture.” He laughed and shot a cockeyed grin her way.
Dang it all, her heart melted. She nodded in spite of the fact that he hadn’t asked her anything.
“Um, Tommy, can I ask you something?” Amanda bit her inner cheek, waiting until he nodded at her. “Do you… Have you ever dated someone you work with?”
“Someone I work with? No. I don’t need my life scrutinized. Can you imagine?” He laughed, glancing behind him at traffic and passing the car in front of them.
“I mean…” Oh, great, she was going to sound like a bigger idiot than she already did.
“What’s going on, Amanda? Are you okay?” Tommy’s concern gave Amanda the courage she needed to ask him straight out what she was wondering.