Robin in the Hood (Robbin' Hearts Series Book 1) by Diane J. Reed

Author:Diane J. Reed [Reed, Diane J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction
ISBN: 9780984912940
Publisher: Bandits Ranch Books, LLC
Published: 2012-12-04T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

“Do you guys always celebrate robberies like this?” I asked Creek, fanning the smoke from the TNT Twins’ homemade fireworks that stung my eyes and nose. I’d heard wild whoops that made it sound like they already knew we’d brought back a sack of cash.

“Hell no,” Creek laughed, coughing. “If we did that every time some fool committed a crime near Bender Lake, there’d be a non-stop block party going on. But word’s probably gotten out by now. Gossip ’round here is faster than chain lightning. Lucky for us, Bob and his bloodhounds have a healthy fear of the TNT Twins’ explosives.”

He turned to pick up a blouse from the stack of clothes on the tree platform.

“Tonight at Turtle Shores is kind of special. So I, um . . . brought something for you.”

He handed me a lavender blouse. It felt like silk, the kind of designer item my stepmom used to try and buy me off with so I wouldn’t rat to my dad about her affairs. But when I glanced up at Creek, though his features were tanned and scarred—some might even call rough—I could tell by the guarded look in his eyes that his heart was secretly on the line. As much as he’d ever allowed it to be, anyway.

So this blouse is actually a gift? I thought, amazed. That means something to him?

Does that imply I mean something to him, too?

I shuffled my feet for a second on the platform, running my fingers over the pretty flowers embroidered on the blouse’s neckline.

Did Creek steal this? I wondered, my hands all of a sudden feeling tingly. I wrestled inside with whether that nixed any romantic currency.

Creek’s lips tightened, as if he were a bit unsettled by my reaction, and his eyes checked mine. But this time they weren’t cold or warm. They were . . .

Hopeful.

An expression I hadn’t seen flash across his face before. And it pierced my heart.

“I, uh . . . paid for that,” he mentioned with a glint in his eye, as though he’d suspected my thoughts. “With money I got for fixing Old Man Riley’s tractor at the farm up the road.”

Creek gave me a wry smile. “That’s how I got the tractor seat for our motorcycle. He let me have it from his old barn.”

He glanced at the blouse, clearly proud of it. “Go on,” he said softly. “Try it on.”

I held it up for a second and slipped it over my head. The blouse fit perfectly, and it had delicate ruffles down the front and at the bottom of the sleeves. The fabric was almost sheer enough to see through, but not quite. It felt heavenly against my skin, like the whisper of an angel’s wing.

And I didn’t need to ask Creek if it looked good on me. The warmth that bloomed in his eyes told me he thought I was beautiful.

Funny how we could kiss like the dickens in the heat of the moment, on a dare or just before swimming for our lives from Bob’s bloodhounds.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.