Tomorrow's Promise (The Hawks Mountain Series) Read Online Free Page B

she asked crisply.
    Again, he flashed his heart-stopping grin at her. “Being a bachelor, I have shopped for myself a few times. Besides, since the cupboards are bare in Doc’s cottage, it’s a safe assumption that you’ll need bread and milk.” He smoothed Lizzie’s pink cheek with his thumb. “And then there are the staples, like cherry lollipops for this beautiful young lady with the sweet tooth.” Lizzie giggled and kicked her feet.
    Traitor , Faith thought. How was she going to keep this man at a distance if her own daughter wouldn’t cooperate? And how could she possibly argue with his logic?
    “Well, I’d appreciate it if you’d let me do my own shopping.” Faith hated that her voice sounded so harsh, but something told her that Cole didn’t understand subtlety.
    He considered her for a moment, and then, as if he understood that this small concession was important to her, he nodded. “You got it.”
    The rest of the shopping trip went smoothly. Cole pushed the cart, and Faith chose the items that went into it, making sure they were inexpensive essentials so that the bill wouldn’t be too high. Occasionally, he’d slip something into the grocery cart. When she would frown at him, he’d say he was picking up some things he needed as well. It would save him a trip later. She believed him until they got to the checkout, and he heaped everything together on the conveyer belt.
    “You need to keep your stuff separate,” she told him. “Remember, this is going on Doc’s tab until I get paid.”
    “Well, I’ve been thinking about that, and that’s gonna make a lot of extra bookkeeping for Harriet. So, if I pay for everything, then you can pay me.”
    The last thing she wanted was to make any work for Harriet. She and Doc had been so good about extending her this credit so she and Lizzie would have food in the house until she found a job. But she also didn’t want to be beholden to Cole. Besides, his solution didn’t sound all that simple to her. On the other hand, she wasn’t about to make a scene in the middle of the store, and if she and Lizzie were to eat, she’d have to give in on this one point.
    “All right, but make sure you keep the register receipt. When we get in the car, I’ll mark off what’s mine so you know what I owe you.”
    He nodded and continued to pile the groceries on the belt. When he finished, he hoisted Lizzie from the cart and held her to him. To Faith’s astonishment, Lizzie nuzzled her face into his neck and closed her eyes. In seconds, she was asleep.
    With amazing agility, he juggled the sleeping child, fished out his wallet, and paid the cashier, then shoved the receipt in his pocket, never disturbing the child on his shoulder. Faith stationed herself at the front of the loaded cart and, when the last bag of groceries was placed in it, she started pushing it toward the automatic exit doors.
    “I can get that,” Cole declared.
    She looked at him with the kind of expression she reserved for Lizzie’s more rebellious moments. “And do you take over holding the world on your shoulders for Atlas on weekends?”
    Faith planted her feet firmly in front of the grocery cart. “Let’s get this straight up front. I can take care of Lizzie and myself. I don’t need anyone’s help.” Least of all from a man , she added silently. For a moment, he stared blankly at her, then what she’d said must have registered, and he laughed. “Okay. Point taken.”
    With Faith in the lead pushing the cart and Cole carrying Lizzie, they headed for the exit as if they were any other little family doing their weekly grocery shopping. The perfect picture had one serious flaw—they weren’t a happy little family and never would be. Should she remind Cole of that? She decided to let it pass. Contrarily, having been the sole caregiver to Sloan and Lizzie for so long, she found she liked being the one receiving the care for a change. But she’d never tell him that, and if she wanted to