A Little Country Christmas - Carolyn Brown Page 0,95

reminded of what Mom went through when Daddy got real sick.” Tracy slipped off the stool. “I’m going to make coffee. Do you want some?”

“Sure,” Collier said, plunging his hands into the sink filled with warm, soapy water.

He knew Tracy didn’t like talking about their parents. Their deaths had impacted her much more than him because he hadn’t been there to see the gradual changes in his father’s physical appearance before he was finally admitted to the VA hospital. However, he did remember coming home on leave to find the kitchen sink filled with dirty dishes, unmade beds, and trash cans overflowing with garbage. When he broached the subject with his fastidious mother, she admitted cleaning her house was secondary to caring for her husband.

Garrett had become a mere shadow of himself before succumbing to the disease he’d contracted when exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam. Grief-stricken because she’d lost the man who’d been responsible for saving her life after the fall of Saigon, Nicole Ward refused to eat, and within three months she had lost half her body weight. Collier, approved for a second emergency personal leave, returned to Sanctuary Cove to bury his mother alongside her husband.

Tragedy had struck his family not once or twice, but three times when Tracy found herself in a legal entanglement with her estranged husband, who’d wanted full custody of Layla. Collier found a barracuda of a divorce attorney who exposed Layla’s father’s past arrest record and drug history, resulting in the judge’s denying him custody. Larry waived his right for visitation and moved out of the state, but he continued to pay child support. Tracy sold her Charleston condo, moved back to Sanctuary Cove, and contacted a contractor to renovate the house where she’d grown up.

The distinctive aroma of brewing coffee wafted through the kitchen when Tracy asked, “What do you think of Iris?”

Collier’s mouth curved into a smile. He didn’t think his sister would want to hear what he actually thought of her sexy friend. “I think she’s delightful.”

Tracy gave him a sidelong glance. “Delightful? That’s a word I’ve never heard you use before when describing a woman.”

“That’s because she’s the only woman I’ve met who is as delightful as she is refreshingly beautiful.”

“She’s single.”

Bending slightly, Collier rearranged several plates on the lower rack of the dishwasher to accommodate the pots. “What are you trying to say, sis?”

“I’m saying maybe you should ask her out while you’re here.”

He stood straight, his gaze boring into Tracy’s. “Why are you matchmaking?” There was a thread of hardness in his voice. He’d never had a problem meeting women and certainly didn’t need his sister acting as a go-between.

Tracy pulled herself up to her full five-three height. “Don’t get your nose out of joint, Collier. I’m only suggesting you ask her out because she’s had a rough time with men.”

“Rough how?”

“Her ex-husband was abusive. It started with emotional abuse, then progressed to physical. Iris said she tried to make a go of her marriage, but once he hit her she knew she had to get out before things got worse. And because she’s not looking for anything long-term or a commitment, I thought you taking her out would help restore her trust in men. Come on, Collier,” Tracy pleaded softly. “You’re not going to be here long enough for the two of you to get that involved, and I know you’d never hurt her.”

Collier didn’t mind dating Iris if she was willing to go out with him, but the revelation that she’d been in an abusive relationship made him uneasy. Her glib response that she and her husband didn’t see eye-to-eye on a lot of things so they’d ended it hadn’t been an indicator that she was abused. Tragically, seeing him in the throes of one of his nightmares could elicit a flashback of what she’d experienced with her ex.

“I’ll have to give it some thought,” he said. He wanted to date Iris for the duration of his leave, yet his repeated violent flashbacks were certain to make even a short-term relationship problematic. And hurting her was not an option.

Chapter Four

Corn-Bread Stuffing with Sausage

1 pound ground sausage

2 cups chopped celery

2 large onions, chopped

5 cups crumbled corn bread

5 cups seasoned bread crumbs

2¾ cups chicken broth

1½ teaspoons poultry seasoning

1 teaspoon sage

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the sausage, celery, and onion in a large deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly browned. Drain, crumble the sausage, and set aside. In a large bowl combine the sausage