The Hometown Hero Returns by Julianna Morris

Author:Julianna Morris
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Days later, Nicki sat in the high school auditorium, barely able to believe that both Luke and Professor McCade had accompanied her to the monthly lecture series sponsored by the city council.

It was a long-established community event, intended to build cultural awareness. Today’s offering was about Germany. It should have been fascinating, but the so-called expert spoke in a flat, monotone voice that droned on and on. How anyone could make a beautiful country like Germany sound boring was a mystery.

She darted a glance at Professor McCade, who sat on one side, then to Luke, who sat on her other. The professor’s face had little expression, but he seemed to be listening. Luke, on the other hand, was more intent on tickling the palm of her hand.

A warmth that felt traitorous filled her. She had to resist reading anything into his presence, of course. Luke might have apologized for his behavior when they were kids and enthusiastically kissed her a number of times, but he was still the same person. She had to remember that Luke was only flirting with her because she was the only woman around…just like before. Why would he care if people saw them together? After all, he didn’t care about Divine or what people thought of him there, and he needed something to pass the time. But pretty soon he’d go back to Chicago and have trouble remembering her name again.

She wasn’t aware of her sigh, until he leaned over and whispered, “What’s wrong?” in her ear.

“Nothing.” She determinedly removed her hand from his grasp and put it into her lap.

A ripple of laughter went through the audience and Nicki straightened, trying to figure out what she’d missed.

Her eyes widened.

A cat was sitting on the stage, opposite the lectern, his head cocked as he seemed to listen. After a moment he shook his head, yawned broadly and proceeded to lick his rear end.

Nicki choked and covered her mouth. However boring the speaker might be, it would be rude to laugh. Apparently Luke did not share the same compunction. His laughter rumbled heartily, and she nudged him with her elbow.

She might have said something if the cat hadn’t just then stuck his head up and let out a raucous cry.

The lecturer stopped, adjusted his glasses, and stared in peeved astonishment at the feline. “Everyone is a critic,” he said with solemn dignity, yet a small gleam of humor twinkled in his eyes.

At that, the entire place broke down, and in the middle of it all, the cat gazed around with a wary distrust. It was obviously a stray, short on meals, with a scraggly fur coat and travel-weary feet.

“The poor baby.”

Luke knew that tone.

He looked down at Nicki and saw her gaze was fixed on the cat. She was entirely too soft-hearted. She had insisted they use live catch-and-release mousetraps in the attic, even though he’d told her the mice would just come back inside. She carefully put earthworms back in the soil, talking to them when she didn’t think he was around to hear.

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