AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But, Garret, I can’t stay. We’re strangers and I can’t impose on you.”
Strangers?Maybe, but it didn’t seem that way. “I don’t qualify as a friend?”
“Of course you do.” Darcy’s expression softened, her coffee-colored eyes filled with regret and wry amusement as she glanced over her shoulder at him, the light from the window turning her hair into an angel’s halo. “But I wouldn’t blame you if you wished you’d never stopped to help me.”
This was a test. It had to be. He’d dragged his feet where Joss and commitment were concerned and now he was being tested. He faced a snowy weekend alone with a pretty woman who tempted him to think about her mouth.
He forced the direction of his thoughts into a U-turn. He wouldn’t treat Darcy the way the baby’s father obviously had. Nor would he subject Joss to the hurt that stemmed from betrayal. How had one simple act of kindness become so complicated?
Things are only as complicated as you let them get.
He watched Darcy nibble her lower lip. She was a worrier. The baby, the wreck, the snow and getting to wherever it was in Indiana she was going. The best thing for him to do was make things here asuncomplicated as possible for them both.
Drawn even though he warned himself to keep his distance, he moved to stand behind her and stare out at the snow. “I couldn’t have lived with myself if I’d left you sitting by the side of the road last night, Darcy. Just like I couldn’t have left you sitting in the cafeteria. I’d do it again without question. Stop worrying.” He managed a strained chuckle and backed away when the smell of her made him want to step closer. “Admit it, you slept a lot better in my bed.”
The image of which was now firmly ensconced in his head. He scraped a hand over his face, picturing her warm and drowsy, the two of them spooning.
“You know I did.”
He had to clear his throat to speak. “So, we’ll make the best of the situation until the roads clear up.” And he’d keep his distance, ignore the scent of her that drew him like a bee to a flower and—
See if I pass the test.
JOCELYN PIERSON SHIVERED as she pulled her keys from her pocket to let herself into the back door of her dream-come-true. Her art gallery was the bane of her father’s existence. It was scheduled to open in a couple months—albeit later than she’d hoped, thanks to a series of delays—and she was extraordinarily proud of her achievement. Not bad for someone with “a soft little brain and poor judgment” according to her father.
The wind whipped up the moment she pulled her keys from the lock, and the force of it rocked her already-unsteady stance. She fell against the door with a muffled gasp, the keys tumbling through the metal-grate stairs into the snow below.
Muttering words guaranteed to get any good Southern girl’s mouth washed out with soap, she turned to retrace her steps and found herself staring down at Garret’s best friend.
“Go on inside, I’ll get them.” Tobias Richardson jerked his head toward the building to confirm his words, his nose and cheeks red from exposure.
She grabbed the handle to open the utility door and then had to fight the wind to close it behind her. Her hair stuck to her lipstick, her eyes watered after being out so long and her toes had gone numb twenty minutes ago while getting breakfast. She’d packed a bag but hadn’t thought to bring snacks to eat. Luckily the diner was open. She tossed her bagged brunch aside, wishing she’d brought something warmer and more comfortable to wear.
Joss hurried to repair the damage and make herself presentable, but the hair clip caught in the tangles created by the wind. Just when she’d gathered the mass into some semblance of order, the door behind her opened. The wind blew snow through the back room, strewing papers, scattering the dirt she’d swept into a pile but hadn’t disposed of. The blast of cold air ripped her hair from her hands, and all attempts at fixing her appearance vanished.
Tobias pushed the door shut and stomped his feet on the rug.
Desperate, Jocelyn smoothed her hair as best she could and tried to pretend it wasn’t a disaster. “Thanks for getting my keys.”
He moved toward her with a slight smile on his big, dopey face, her keys dangling from his hand. She’d always considered Tobias handsome in an awkward, gauche sort of way. He had a tall, lean body with the rolling gait of a western wrangler and sun-streaked, mud-brown hair that was forever in need of a trim. By far his eyes were his best, and worst, feature. They were a startling golden brown so light they looked yellow. Hawk’s eyes, Garret had once said. The term fit.
“Here.” He held out the keys and she looked down. His hands were chapped, the calluses on the sides of his fingers white with age.
“Thank you. How’s Maria? I heard they were going to induce her on Wednesday if she didn’t go into labor this weekend.”
“She had the baby at one o’clock this morning. A girl, just like expected.” Tobias released the keys. Their fingers brushed during the exchange and, as if the act had tainted him with some incurable disease, he rubbed his hand discreetly against his leg, then lifted it and pushed his hair back from his face.
She turned, absurdly hurt by his behavior. With a silent, appraising glance he criticized her clothes, her appearance, everything, making her well aware that he thought her less than worthy of Garret. Once more she tried to gather her hair without making too much fuss.
“Leave it down. It doesn’t look as stiff.”
Stiff?She hesitated for a split second, then continued with her task. “Daddy always says professional women do not have wild hair, nor do debutantes.”
“And you are that.”
She turned, her gaze narrowing on him. “Pardon me?”
“A professional woman.” Tobias lifted one of his ugly hands to indicate their surroundings. “The place seems to be coming together.”
