Love Finds You at Home for Christmas Read Online Free Page A

this bare room started to fade. He was right. A few personal effects, and she’d be right at home. “I’ll have this place looking cozy in no time.”
    â€œOh, and there’s a kitchen down the hall,” Hazel said. “I’ll bet when you bake a batch of your famous cookies, you’ll be the hit of the dorm.”
    â€œCookies?” Cliff raised his eyebrows. “Did someone say cookies?”
    Ruby giggled at his expression. “I have a secret recipe that my mama and I came up with a few years ago.”
    â€œSecret being the key word,” Hazel said. “But if you wanted to give your recipe to me as a wedding gift, I’d promise not to share it.” She grinned.
    â€œOr if you wanted to whip up a batch so I can give them my stamp of approval, that’d be fine too.” Cliff’s blue eyes twinkled.
    She laughed. “Hazel, I would be honored to pass my recipe along to you.” She turned to Cliff. “And I’ll be sure and put you on my cookie list.”
    â€œThanks,” he said.
    Cliff and Hazel said their good-byes and left her alone in the sparse room. It sure would be a quiet night. Lola, the girl she’d be sharing the room with, wouldn’t be moving in until tomorrow. The woman in the administration building said she’d be arriving by bus from Fayetteville.
    Ruby unpacked her things and carefully placed her radio on the wooden nightstand next to her twin bed. Maybe a little music would keep her from feeling so alone.
    As the faint strains of Glenn Miller filled the tiny room, she grinned.
    Cliff’s favorite.
    She might know what kind of music he liked, but she didn’t know much else about him—like why he wasn’t serving overseas alongside most of the other men his age.
    Or why he’d made her heart race when, just before he’d walked out of her door, he’d winked and told her he’d see her soon.
    * * * * *
    Cliff dropped Hazel off at Troy’s house and then drove down the dirt road that led to his aunt’s and uncle’s place. Between giving Ruby a ride from Searcy and then listening to Hazel chatter on about her upcoming wedding, he was thankful for a few minutes alone.
    He enjoyed the quiet of the car for a long moment but knew he couldn’t linger. If he sat outside for too long, Aunt Ida would come out to see what was wrong. She was always hovering, offering to cook him meals or trying to get him to talk about his parents and Charlie. She meant well, but sometimes Cliff wished he could just be left alone.
    He climbed out of the car and headed toward the white frame house, shaking his head at the hound dog on the porch. Old Blue didn’t even bother standing up, much less barking. He just raised his head in acknowledgment and went back to sleep.
    â€œWorthless thing.” Cliff reached down and scratched the dog’s head as he passed by.
    â€œHow was your trip?” Aunt Ida met him at the door. “Did you like Hazel’s friend? Is Hazel coming home for supper, or is she going out with Troy?”
    Aunt Ida’s gray hair was pulled back in a bun, and she wore a faded flowered apron over her dress, a clear sign she’d already started on supper. Sometimes it seemed like her main goal in life—besides trying to get Cliff to talk about his life—was to make sure he and Uncle Fred ate as much as possible.
    Cliff kissed her cheek. “Ruby’s a swell girl, and Hazel and Troy are going to see a movie tonight. She said she’d be home later.”
    Aunt Ida gave him a stern look. “Well, why didn’t you invite Ruby to supper? She’s a long way from home, and Hazel says she doesn’t know anyone here.”
    Cliff shook his head. “I’m sure she wants to fend for herself. She seems like the kind of girl who doesn’t like to be fussed over.”
    â€œAll girls like to be fussed over.” Aunt Ida smiled. “Mark my