The Bachelor’s Christmas Bride Read Online Free Page B

find,” Meg reminded, obviously attempting to inject something lighter into the conversation.
    Shannon looked at her newly discovered brother. “Whatever I can do on that score…” she said to him.
    â€œI’ve hit a wall trying to find the twins,” Chase said. “I’m thinking about hiring a private investigator after the first of the year. But we can talk about that later.”
    To change the subject completely then, Shannon said, “So I know Chase and Logan grew up together as best friends and then traveled the country and ended up starting Mackey and McKendrick Furniture Designs, but were you all friends in school?”
    â€œActually, no,” Meg answered. “I know—small town, you’d think we would have lived in each other’s back pockets. But I was younger than Chase and Logan, so I was barely aware of who they were and they say the same thing about me. I knew Hadley a little better, but again, we weren’t the same age, so we didn’t hang out together.”
    â€œBut, Hadley, if Logan and Chase were close, you must have known Chase,” Shannon observed.
    â€œOh, she knew him all right,” Dag said, goading his half sister.
    Hadley didn’t rise to the bait beyond throwing her cloth napkin at him before she said, “I knew Chase. I had the biggest crush on him ever . But we didn’t get together until this past September when he moved back here—”
    â€œWhen I really got to know her,” Chase contributed, putting his arm around the back of Hadley’s chair and leaning in to kiss her.
    And why, when Shannon averted her eyes, her gaze landed instead on Dag, she didn’t know. But there they were, suddenly sharing a glance while the soon-to-be-married couple shared a kiss. And to Shannon it almost seemed as if something couple-ish passed between them, too.
    Which, of course, couldn’t possibly have been the case and she again questioned what was going on with her.
    Wanting whatever it was interrupted, she focused on Logan to say, “And there are three more McKendrick sisters with unusual names, right?”
    â€œAnd another McKendrick brother—Tucker,” Logan answered. “You’ll meet them all tomorrow night at the rehearsal and dinner.”
    Cody threw Shannon’s bracelet then, letting everyone know that he was no longer content.
    â€œOh-oh, I think it’s past a couple of bedtimes,” Meg said.
    â€œNot me!” Tia insisted. She was still on Shannon’s lap but now she’d taken off her shoes and was trying unsuccessfully to put both of her feet through Shannon’s bracelet.
    â€œYes, you, too,” Logan interjected.
    â€œAnd that’s our cue for dish duty,” Chase added with a grimace tossed at his friend.
    â€œThat was the deal,” Hadley reminded. “Meg and I will put kids to bed, Logan and Chase get to show what they learned as dishwashers on their grand tour of the country, and Dag and Shannon are off the hook because the dinner was for them.”
    â€œI don’t mind helping with clean-up,” Shannon said.
    â€œShhh,” Dag put in. “Don’t ruin a good thing.”
    â€œBesides,” Meg added. “You’ve had a long day, Shannon. You drove the whole way in from Billings and had the closing, and all of us plying you with questions tonight. You have to be worn out. I know I would be.”
    â€œHow about if I walk you out to the apartment?” Dag offered before she could respond to what Meg had said.
    â€œOh. You don’t have to do that,” Shannon demurred, not because she didn’t want him to, but because the minute he suggested it she wanted him to too much….
    â€œI think that’s a great idea—Dag should walk Shannon to the apartment so she doesn’t just have to trudge out there alone,” Meg agreed. “Really—”
    â€œGo on,” Hadley urged. “I’d