A Hero for Tonight Read Online Free PDF Page B

most of it behind his desk doing paperwork.
    His cell phone chimed as he unlocked the front door. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
    Got any cold ones?
    Texting back an affirmative, he knew his neighbor would be over momentarily. Dave was one of his oldest buddies. Two years ago, the house next door to Dave and his wife went up for sale. It didn’t take much persuasion to convince Shane it was time to move from his folks’ place to his own. Although his mother tried her best to “help” him with decorating, he’d held her off and done his own thing. Glad he did, too. The last thing he wanted was to come home every night to another version of his parents’ house. Not that there was anything wrong with it, just not what he wanted his to look like.
    After a quick change of clothes, he grabbed two beers and headed out the back door. Dave was already on the small deck. His buddy turned as he closed the sliding glass door.
    “Hey.”
    “Hey, yourself. What’s up? Where’s Karen?”
    “Her sister went into labor. She’s picking up her kids to bring them back here for the night.”
    “Fun.” Shane smirked and lifted his beer to his lips.
    “I don’t mind. We’ll probably take them over to the farm tomorrow morning. You running the tractor?”
    “Nope. I’ve got drill all weekend.”
    Dave sank to one of the lawn chairs Shane hadn’t put away for the winter yet. “How’re things going with Melissa?”
    Shane shrugged. “Okay, I guess. We’ve been out a few times.”
    “Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good.”
    “What?”
    “You. You sound like you’re just going through the motions.”
    “Maybe…I don’t know. I don’t know that I’ve given it long enough. We hardly know each other.”
    Dave laughed. “What more do you have to know? She’s hot. She’s obviously intelligent. Is it the daughter?”
    Shane drank some more of his beer. He didn’t feel any driving need to take the relationship another step, but had no clue why.
    “Karen was going to see if you two wanted to come over for dinner this weekend, but since you aren’t going to be around…” Dave swatted at a bee that hovered nearby.
    “Maybe next weekend; we’ll see how it goes.” Shane followed the path of the bee, watching it land on the deck rail across from him.
    “Hey, do you know if Krista’s seeing anyone?”
    He swung his head around at Dave’s question. “Why ask me?”
    “My cousin’s in town this weekend, and I thought maybe I’d introduce them.”
    “Who? Ken?” Shane snorted. “She’d never go out with Ken.”
    “Why not?” Dave frowned. “What’s wrong with Ken?”
    “Nothing. That’s the issue. He’s got nothing wrong with him; nothing she can fix. Krista likes the damaged guys she thinks she can change.”
    Dave drained his beer and set it on the rail. “Maybe she just hasn’t met the right guy yet. I think I’ll give Ken her number.”
    “Your call, but I don’t see why you have to ruin Ken’s life.”
    “Krista isn’t the witch you like to think she is. She’s got a great personality, she’s fun to be around, and isn’t hard on the eyes either. You’re just biased.”
    Shane finished his beer and pointed the empty bottle at his buddy. “Familiarity breeds contempt. Want another?”
    “Yeah. How about pizza? No clue what time Karen will get back.”
    “Works for me.”
    Dave’s phone chimed as Shane walked through the sliding glass door to the kitchen. When he heard him talking with Karen, he decided he better wait before ordering the pizza.
    “Hey, Shane. Karen’s at the sub shop already; you want her to bring you one?” Dave called through the back door.
    “Nah.” He picked up two more beers and walked back on the deck as Dave hung up the phone.
    “You sure? She’s still in line; said she’d grab one for you.”
    Shane twisted the top of his beer and set it on the deck rail. “Had one for lunch. I’ll go into town and see what the special is at the diner.”
    Dave