Reunited by a Secret Child by Leigh Bale

Author:Leigh Bale
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2018-05-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

This was a mistake. Katie felt it in her bones. She never should have agreed to this fishing trip. Because the more time she spent with the man, the more she liked him. And that would only lead to more pain when he finally left town.

“How come we had to get up so early?” Chrissy grumbled as she rubbed her eyes.

Morning sunlight streamed from the azure sky, and a mild breeze blew from the east. Dressed in shorts and a sweatshirt, the girl stood in the back alleyway and hugged her stuffed teddy bear close. Katie wasn’t thrilled by the early time, either. It was her one morning to sleep in.

Reese loaded their things into the back of his truck. He’d stopped at the motel to pick them up promptly at seven o’clock. In spite of the hour, he was freshly shaven, looking lean and strong in his faded blue jeans, boots and T-shirt. His dark hair had just a hint of gel in it, parted down the right side and slicked back. He looked good. Too good.

Katie averted her eyes.

“Early morning is when the fish bite the most,” Reese said.

He laid a couple of lawn chairs in the back, then took the picnic basket and first aid kit from Katie’s hands. She caught his scent, a subtle mixture of spicy cologne and oranges.

Yesterday in the restaurant, he’d looked pale and startled. Like he was lost and didn’t know how to act anymore. Katie wasn’t sure how bad his PTSD was. She figured he needed a friend to talk to, but she didn’t want it to be her.

He glanced at her oversize bag and gave her a lopsided smile that shot darts of charm straight to her heart. “What have you got in there, the kitchen sink?”

She laughed and adjusted the straps of the heavy bag. “No, just some extra towels, in case Chrissy wants to go swimming. I also brought you the morning newspaper, but you may not like what you see. There’s a picture of you inside.”

His eyebrows quirked. While she rummaged around in her bag for the paper, he stood nearby, wearing a deep frown.

“What picture?” he asked.

She unfolded the paper and held it up for his view. He took it and scanned the article. The front page showed a picture of him standing in Mrs. Watkins’s yard with the headline Local Hero Mends Fences.

He jerked his head up and stared at Katie. “Did you take this snapshot?”

Katie heard the accusation in his voice and shook her head. “No, I did not.”

“Then who did?”

She pointed at the small print, which listed the photo credit. “Bruce Miller. When Chrissy and I saw you at Mrs. Watkins’s house yesterday, I noticed a blue sedan parked down the block. Someone was inside, smoking. The man looked vaguely familiar, but I wasn’t sure. Then when I saw the article today, I knew it was him.”

Reese’s eyes narrowed on the article and he shook his head in disgust. “Bruce Miller.”

“Do you know him?” she asked.

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.