A Man to Trust Read Online Free PDF

be, but if he asked her now, that would extend the tour and delay his coffee break. He’d figure it out later.
    She motioned toward the next shelf. “This is our prayer, devotional and gift book section.”
    “Okay.” At least he knew what that meant.
    “And over here we have the Bible studies and reference tools, like commentaries, concordances and Bible dictionaries.”
    He scanned the titles and pulled a large, heavy book off the shelf. “Wow, Strong’s Concordance.” He chuckled and raised it like he was pumping weights. “Just toting this around would make you strong even if you never cracked open the cover.” Grinning, he waited for her reaction, but her serious expression didn’t change. He sighed and replaced the book.
    Ever since they’d started working together this morning, he’d been trying to get her to smile or at least relax a little, but none of his usual methods seemed to work.
    “This is our fiction section,” she continued. “We have a wide range of novels for men, women and teens—everything from suspense and legal thrillers to gentle Amish stories, along with a lot of historical, women’s fiction and romance.”
    “Ah, now there’s a topic I need to read up on.” He winked and sent her a teasing grin.
    Her cheeks flushed, and she led him around the corner, bringing them closer to the café again. The scent of something freshly baked floated past.
    He rubbed his rumbling stomach. “Would you mind if we took a break for a few minutes?”
    She frowned slightly and checked her watch. “All right, but we open in ten minutes.”
    “This won’t take long.” He rounded the café counter. “Would you like some coffee?”
    “I don’t drink coffee.” She followed him into the café prep area.
    He lifted his eyes to the ceiling and sighed. He should’ve known. “What do you drink?”
    “I prefer tea.” Her voice carried a hint of a challenge.
    “I can make tea.”
    “I don’t think so. Not for me.”
    Why did she have to be so difficult? Couldn’t she just try to get along? He turned to face her. “What’s so hard about pouring hot water in a cup and adding a tea bag? I may be a newbie at the bookstore business, but I think I know how to make a cup of tea.” He took a deep breath, trying to calm his thundering pulse. Why was he getting so upset?
    A slight smile tipped up one corner of her mouth. “I’m sure you do, just not the way I like it.”
    Determined not to let her get the best of him, he said, “Well, then why don’t you teach me?” He pointed toward the bookshelves. “You have to train me in every other facet of bookstore management, you might as well show me how to make the perfect cup of tea.”
    A dimple appeared in her left cheek as she smiled. “Okay. If you really want to know, I’ll show you how I learned to make tea in Kenya.”
    “Fine.” He crossed his arms and studied her as she took a pan from the cabinet and set it on the small stovetop. His irritation dissolved as he watched her fluid, graceful movements. The overhead lights made her long wavy hair glow with golden threads of fire. He frowned and glanced away. Appreciating her beauty was one thing, staring at her for an extended time was only going to get him into more trouble.
    “First thing you need to know is that we call it chai. ”
    He’d heard of chai, but he thought it was Indian not African.
    “You pour in a cup of milk, and then add a cup of water. Next you add two teaspoons of tea leaves.” From a small metal tin, she scooped out two spoonfuls, and dumped them right into the pan.
    “Yikes! You drink the leaves?” He leaned forward to take a look.
    She laughed softly. “No, you strain them out. But you’re getting ahead of me.” She popped the lid off the sugar container. “Next you add some sugar.” She poured two heaping spoonfuls into the pan and stirred. “Now you let it simmer for a few minutes.”
    He stepped closer and looked over her shoulder as she swirled the tea