Breathless Read Online Free PDF Page B

with an expensive car.
    “Where is she?”
he asked.
    “She’s out on
the porch,” Casey said, popping a piece of fresh bread into her
mouth. “She said she needed some air.”
    Eli nodded and
headed to the front door. He saw Belinda leaning against the
railing and let the screen door bang shut behind him.
    “Hi,” she
said.
    “Hi. You
okay?”
    She gripped the
wood banister and stared out over the freshly cut grass.
“Fine.”
    “I’m sorry. I
should’ve told my mama you don’t eat meat.”
    “It’s okay.”
She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “They hate me,
don’t they?”
    “No!” Eli hated
that she’d sensed that. His family was warm and loving to everyone.
He couldn’t imagine why they treated Belinda any differently. His
mama routinely brought home strangers from church or invited
temporary ranch hands to break bread with them. She always said
everyone was welcome at their table, so why didn’t that apply to
Belinda?
    “You don’t have
to sugar-coat it for me, Eli. I read people for a living,
remember?”
    “Just give it
time. You’ll find common ground.” Eli couldn’t imagine what that
might be though. If he were being honest, he’d admit he didn’t have all that much in common with Belinda. She didn’t like
sports any more than she liked to sweat. She didn’t like
convertibles because they messed up her hair, and according to her,
pets were a noisy, messy inconvenience.
    “You really
think so?”
    “That depends.
Do you want to?” He didn’t know how she felt about him. They hadn’t
been intimate, which was unusual for him. He told himself he was
taking it slow because he could imagine a future with Belinda, but
after seeing her interact with his family, he wasn’t so sure.
    Family meant
everything to him. Their opinion was important, but it wasn’t the
deciding factor. If he wanted a relationship with Belinda, he would
go to the mat to defend her. But there was only one person he felt
that strongly about: Jamie .
    “There’s my
ride,” Belinda said when a car pulled into the drive.
    “You’re
leaving?” Eli knew he should feel guilty, not relieved, to see her
go.
    “Yeah, I’m
really not feeling very well. I hope your family will understand. I
can go in and explain--”
    “No, it’s okay.
You didn’t have to call a friend.” He glanced at the attractive
blonde behind the wheel of the compact, late-model car. “If you
wanted to go home, I could have taken you.”
    “No sense
ruining your dinner.” She kissed his cheek before stepping off the
porch. “I’ll call you later, okay?”
    “Yeah, sure.”
Eli watched her walk away and tried to collect his thoughts. Would
it always be that way? Would every woman remind him of his
connection with Jamie? As the car spun dirt down the long private
drive, Eli heard the door close behind him.
    “I was just
coming out to tell you dinner was ready,” Casey said, touching his
back. “Where’d your friend go?”
    “She went home.
She wasn’t feeling well.” He didn’t know if that was true. Maybe
she couldn’t stand the thought of sitting down with his family.
Either way, she was gone.
    “I’m sorry if
you feel we drove her away, E. That wasn’t our intent.” Casey sat
on the porch swing and patted the striped cushion. “Sit down.
Telling me what’s going on with you.”
    Eli didn’t know
where to start. He was trying to fill a void by finding a
relationship that made sense. “I met Belinda through a dating
service.” He sat beside his sister. He needed to unburden himself
with someone who knew him well enough to help him.
    “That doesn’t
sound like you,” she said quietly, patting his knee.
    “I thought it
was time to try something different.” He sighed. “When Jamie came
back to town, I really thought it was our time, ya know?”
    “I know you
did.”
    “But the more
time I spent with her, the more I realized that time’s passed, but
nothing’s really changed. She’s still punishing