Driven to Distraction (Silhouette Desire S.) Read Online Free PDF

who were his real targets. Those were the ones Silver would go for if Ben’s predictions proved accurate. If he could wise them up in time, they could go forth and spread the word any way they chose to. Senior citizens’ groups, newsletters—whatever. This was at best a borderline case of fraud, but for individuals on fixed incomes, it could be devastating.
    â€œWhat? Oh, yeah—I’ll take natural hair over nylon any day,” he said as if he knew what the devil they were talking about. He figured at least half the women here weren’t wearing the hair color they were born with. Wigs or not, Georgia, with her white brush cut, and Riley with the attitude and the shaggy, straw-colored hair were probably among the very few who were wearing their natural color.
    â€œSome like a flat, but me, I prefer round.”
    It took him a moment, but he got it. They were talking about brushes, not wigs. He had one. Didn’t remember if it was flat or round, as it came with the set of paints he’d bought. He figured as long as you wet it, rubbed it on the paint and wiped it across the paper, one shape was as good as another.
    Although rice pudding was about six yards down on his list of favorites, he lingered over dessert while the others went out to watch the sunset. Technically, the sun had set about half an hour ago, but according to Janie, there was something special about the last rays of color that shot up from behind the mountains.
    When he saw the two at the back table rake back their chairs, he collected his dishes, stacked them with the others on the table, and headed toward the kitchen. The lady in the kitchen looked as if she could use a hand, and his were available. And if it happened to take him within a couple of feet of Ms. Riley and her haystack hair, so be it.
    She glanced up when he passed by with his hands full of dishes. “Oh, are we supposed to do that?” Rising, she started gathering up the dishes on her table.
    Suzy looked from Ben to Maggie and lifted a brow. “See you later, okay?” she said with what could only be called a smirk.
    Riley followed him out to the kitchen, where the cook was elbow deep in suds. Evidently, the place didn’t run to a dishwasher, mechanical or otherwise.
    â€œHere’s these,” he said.
    Without glancing around, the woman said, “Scrape ’em in the can, leave ’em on the counter.”
    Ben looked at Maggie. Maggie looked at Ben. That’s when he noticed that her eyes had almost as many different shades as her hair. By tomorrow, he might even be able to name a few, but for now he’d have to settle for brown, yellow and blue-green. The eyes, not the hair.
    â€œWhat, do I have dirt on my face?” The multicolored eyes flashed a warning.
    He forced himself to look away. “Sorry—just thinking about tomorrow.”
    â€œOh. Well, sure. Me, too. That is, I’m really looking forward to, uh—wetting some paper.”
    â€œGimme them cups,” the woman at the sink said, and they both reached for the thick white cups they’d just placed on the counter. Ben’s arm struck Maggie’s hand, which struck the stack of cups. They watched them bounce on the sagging linoleum floor. Fortunately, only one broke. They were the thick, white institutional kind.
    â€œSorry,” he said. Quickly, he rounded up the unbroken cups while Maggie ripped off a handful of paper towels and moped up a splash of coffee. They ended up kneeling head to head, and he caught a faint whiff of apples and something else—maybe coconut—that hadn’t been on the menu tonight.
    And neither is she, he reminded himself.
    Fleeing before they could do any more damage, neither of them waited for the thanks that probably wouldn’t be forthcoming anyway, judging from the way the woman was scowling. Maggie said, “Oops.”
    Ben said, “Yeah,” and grinned.
    The others were beginning to