Destiny's Last Bachelor? Read Online Free PDF Page B

country music. It’s not as fancy as what you’re probably used to, but I think you’d enjoy it.”
    The icy veneer in her eyes spread to her entire body. She pulled free of his hold. “As interesting as that sounds, Mr. Zippenella, I plan to stay in tonight.”
    He liked the sound of his name on her lips, and she even pronounced it correctly. She was also turning him down.
    He watched her walk toward the chair where her clothes lay neatly folded. “Another night, perhaps.”
    She took the pile in her arms and then headed for the door. “I’m aware Destiny is a small town, but I don’t see any reason for us to run into each other again.”
    Hmm, what was that old proverb his nonni always used to say? May you be wise enough to know when to give up the fight. Of course, the words sounded prettier in her native Italian, and it’d been advice he and his brothers had rarely followed. “How long do you plan to be in town?”
    “I don’t really know.” She paused in the doorway. “It really depends on the man I came here to see.”
    A man. And just like that his attempt at a home run fizzled as the third strike whizzed by him. She was in town because of a man.

Chapter Three
    “Y our place is truly spectacular, Bobby.” Priscilla sat at one end of an outdoor sectional sofa, which, along with a pair of matching chairs, defined the entertainment area of an oversize back deck that ran the length of the massive log home. Set in a lush forest on the side of a mountain, the house had taken Priscilla’s breath away when she’d first pulled into the circular drive. “Both inside and out. The pictures in the magazines don’t do it justice.”
    “Thank you.” The former race-car champion set about fixing drinks behind the bar while his wife, Leeann, set a tray of cheese, crackers and fruit on the glass coffee table. “I’ve dreamed of living in a log house since I was kid, so when I finally had the money to do it right—”
    “He went a bit overboard.” Leeann cut off her husband with a smile as she curled up in the opposite corner of the sofa. “As usual.”
    “Lee didn’t like the place when she first saw it.”
    “Hey, I said it was impressive.”
    “Which was her polite way of saying lifeless.” Bobby joined them, handing each woman a glass of iced tea. Then he motioned at Priscilla’s purse. “You sure your friend doesn’t need anything? Maybe some water?”
    Priscilla took a quick peek inside the oversize tote tucked next to her, happy to see Snake curled up asleep. “No, I think the tour wore him out. Even with you carrying him from room to room most of the time.”
    Bobby grinned and reached back for an icy beer he’d left on the bar for himself and then sat next to his wife, wrapping his arm around her. “I felt bad for the guy, trying to keep up on those little legs. And Lee was right. The place was impressive, but sterile. After I won her heart—again—she added life, and love, and made it a home for us.”
    Priscilla smiled as the couple shared a quick kiss. It was easy to see Bobby was truly happy, which hadn’t always been the case in the years before a spectacular crash had ended his successful racing career.
    “Well, you’ve succeeded in creating a warm and inviting home. Leeann, I’m so glad we got the chance to meet and that I could see your place in person.”
    “We’re happy to show it off, but now that the tour is over, you still haven’t said how you ended up in our little corner of the world.” Bobby took a quick swallow from his beer. “Did I tell you how surprised I was to get your call? Not to mention to hear that you were right here in Destiny. The last time we saw each other was just before my accident, when you and Jonathan hosted that charity-sailing gig down in San Diego.”
    Priscilla tried not to squirm on the sofa—Lennox women never squirmed, according to her father—at Bobby mentioning her ex. No, Bobby hadn’t come right out and said he’d been surprised