Bad Girl Bill (Atlantic Divide) Read Online Free PDF Page A

to chortle to each other, while the rest of the adults continued with their own conversations. Only the green-eyed blond watched with a lazy stillness. And Mac observed the blond with cautious hostility.
    She knew what her brother was thinking, Here’s someone to protect my sister from so she doesn’t get hurt. But it made Bill wonder what Michael thought, with his cool expression and his close attention. She felt as though he hadn’t stopped watching her since the moment they met. He made her feel uncomfortable and a little naive really. She felt as though she’d made a huge issue out of nothing and now every time she glanced over, his gaze was on her, and she could feel the heat creep up her neck into her cheeks. Wriggling in her chair, Bill glanced around the rest of the table.
    She realized no one else was taking any notice of her, and it seemed to give Lydia a break when she entertained the kids as she had been. They weren’t so bad, and they were easy to keep happy just as long as she was willing to make a fool of herself. She’d found it so easy to act the clown all her life, it covered up what she really felt. So she turned her attention back to them and ignored the man on the other side of the table.
    *
    “She gives the impression she’s as hard as nails, with her swagger and her deep voice and bad language, but she’s not…” Michael murmured to Jack as he watched Bill with the kids. “She acts like a teenager. Like she hasn’t quite grown up. How old is she?”
    Jack pinned him with a long, thoughtful look. “Twenty-four. And don’t let her fool you. She is as hard as nails. She’s my best deputy, and the first person I would want at my back when the shit hits the fan.”
    Michael felt Jack’s contemplation and noticed his dark brown eyes narrow.
    “If I needed her to shoot someone…” His voice hardened, “She would…without hesitation.”
    Michael turned his face and he met Jack’s troubled gaze. He heard the warning, took it in, and filed it away. Interesting. That was two men in the room who had warned him away.
    Smiling slightly, he let his attention wander back to Bill, who was showing the kids how to balance a spoon on their noses.
    If Jack thought that little bit of information was going to deter him, he could think again. Inadvertently, he’d just made Bill ten times more attractive. There was nothing sexier than a woman in charge. A woman with a gun strapped low on her hip. Nothing there so far made him feel like running for the hills. Nope. He only hoped to God he never gave her a reason to shoot him.
    He smiled to himself as he looked down at the food on his plate. She acted tough and in charge, and by all accounts she was. Ideal for a no-strings-attached fling.
    Jack leaned back and studied Michael a moment longer, opened his mouth to speak, closed it again. Thought for a moment, made up his mind, nudged Michael to get his attention and opened his mouth again. “Bill means a lot to me.”
    Michael nodded.
    “I think you should steer clear of her.”
    Michael’s eyebrow raised at his brother-in-law.
    “I mean…if you’re looking for a little fun, there are plenty of girls around here to oblige.” He gave a furtive, sideways glance at his wife to make sure she hadn’t overheard the comment. She’d slay him with one of her deadly stares if she knew he was encouraging her brother to seek out female companionship. “But…” He nodded in Bill’s direction. “Leave Bill alone. She’s not what she seems. I wouldn’t want to see her get hurt.”
    Michael settled back as he considered Jack’s words.
    “So, Michael,” Mac drawled from his other side, and his sharp elbow dug him in the ribs to gain his attention. “I hear you’re around for some time, so what are you doing here? Apart from visiting your sisters.” Perhaps they thought it strange he planned on being there a while. It didn’t matter to him if they knew he had to work. After all, they would find out when