Count on Me (Petal, Georgia) Read Online Free PDF

mean.”
    Caroline nodded. “I do.”
    “Can I see it?”
    Hope lit her gaze but it was wary at the edges. “Why?”
    “I’m going to be honest with you because I’m not very good at lying and I respect you too much to play games. I have never entirely felt convinced of your father’s guilt. I’d like to see what you’ve gathered up.”
    “All right. And then what?”
    “It’s not going to be totally easy, you know, coming back here and pursuing this. People feel threatened when you start hacking away at the foundations of the things they believe keep them safe. If I read what you’ve got and I am convinced of his innocence, you’ll have another person to help. Another person in your corner. But if I read it and I’m not, well, I’ll tell you that too. But I won’t ever make you stop trying to prove his innocence either way. That’s your business and your right.”
    “You’ve got yourself a deal.” Her smile was a little weak but it was there.

Chapter Five
    Royal had come to town pretty much daily since he’d seen Caroline in the grocery store. He hoped he managed to bump into her soon or daily trips to town might be seen as more stalkery and less hey I hope I can bump into Caroline today .
    He’d tried the courthouse and some of the restaurants near her office. A girl had to eat. He knew she was around. Petal was Petal after all and the gossip machine was in full swing. Word was all over the place about her return.
    She was beautiful so that was mentioned a lot in positive and negative terms. A lawyer, also mentioned a lot. Frowned on, though less so, because she’d started with Edward Chase’s firm. Whispers about her father had made him uncomfortable on many levels.
    So he’d come to town. First to grab his aunt’s prescription and to drop off some invoices, and now to stroll by the offices of Chase and Chase to see if he could engineer bumping into a fun-sized brunette with big brown eyes and a fantastic rack.
    It was after six, but he figured she wasn’t one for leaving right at five.
    And like he’d dreamed her up, she pushed out of the doors and settled the strap of her bag on a very well-dressed shoulder.
    Damn her mouth was gorgeous. She wore the ghost of a smile as she turned on the sidewalk and headed in his direction.
    Royal raised his hand and waved, and when she noticed him, her attention settled like a physical thing.
    “Hey now, it’s Caroline Mendoza.”
    That ghost of a smile bloomed into a genuine one. An expression that told him how happy she was to see him.
    “Why hello, Royal.”
    He tipped his chin in her direction. “You’re even better than Friday.”
    One of her brows went up. “You’re pretty good with the flattery.”
    He hadn’t been entirely sure about the Friday line so he was glad she’d liked it. “I do believe you said if I bumped into you around town you’d have a drink with me.”
    “I think I said I’d probably give you my number if you bumped into me around town. However I’m thirsty and it’s been a long week, so let’s pretend I totally did.” She held up a coat and some files. “I need to drop this all off and to change. Because nothing about stockings says relaxation.”
    He gulped. “Stockings, huh? Well I don’t know if it says relaxation, but it sure does say all sorts of positive things to me.”
    She grinned.
    “Did you drive?”
    “I only live four blocks away so I walked.”
    He took her files and coat. “I’ll carry them for you. How about we do dinner and a beer? I’m starving.”
    She shrugged and took up walking next to him. “All righty.”
    For a short person, she moved surprisingly fast. Sort of headfirst. She seemed so very sure about everything she did, right down to walking.
    She led him up a set of back stairs to her apartment, and he barked a laugh. “One of my friends used to live here. A bachelor pad of sorts.”
    She unlocked and waved him in, but he held the door for her. “Really? I guess I should be glad