Dustin's Gamble Read Online Free PDF Page B

later months of her life, Gran made a point of sending her homemade muffins. Tears clogged Shannon's throat. God, she missed the old woman.
    One by one, she explored the rooms, reminiscing. Everything looked as it had the day she left. Even her childhood bedroom remained pink and frilly—a total girl's room. She sank to the comforter and stared around her. Posters of boy bands cluttered the white walls, and her favorite mystery books still perched on the bookshelves. If she closed her eyes, she could easily imagine herself as a little girl again.
    The front door slammed shut.
    She jumped to her feet, her heart racing. Someone was in the house.
    Grabbing the baseball bat from her closet, left behind from her days of playing ball, she crept down the hallway. A shadow danced on the kitchen wall. Bottles clanked in the refrigerator and then the door closed. The intruder was in the kitchen...and raiding the refrigerator? What the hell?
    Shannon lowered the bat slightly and peered around the kitchen door. Dustin stood by the sink, a bottle of beer dangling from his long fingers. She sighed, her heartbeat returning to normal, and propped her hip against the door jamb. “What are you doing here?"
    He looked up from his beer and grinned. “There you are. I was on my way to town when I saw all the lights on. Figured I'd make sure Carolyn hadn't gotten back in."
    "You were afraid my mother was here?"
    He shrugged. “Gran asked me to keep an eye on the place and told me under no circumstances was ‘that woman’ allowed back on the property."
    Shannon laughed. Gran was very protective of her home. “And the beer?"
    Dustin had the grace to blush. “I figured if I was going to keep checking the place, I should at least keep my favorite beer on hand."
    That was Dustin, always dependable and practical. Her heart swelled, her pulse kicked into overdrive. His presence filled the room. “In that case, wanna toss me one? I could use a drink right now."
    He obliged, and they went into the living room. They sat side by side on the flowered couch, feet propped on the coffee table. The ceiling fan clicked and whirled, muffling the chirping crickets outside.
    "This is your first time back, isn't it?” The question was more a statement as Dustin took a pull from the bottle. “Are you doing okay?"
    Shannon twirled her bottle on her knee. Define okay. “It's a little weird. I still expect her to be in the kitchen, ya know?” She swallowed back tears. “I never should have gone to Paris. If I'd only listened to my instincts. I knew she was sick, and I told her I would come home..."
    Dustin put his large hand on her thigh. Heat scorched to her pussy, and she wanted to grab his hand and move it farther up.
    "Stop. Gran wanted you to go. If you had missed out on that part of your dream simply to tend to her, she would have felt horrible, and you know it."
    Tears filled her eyes. “But she died alone."
    He shook his head. “No, she didn't. Mom and I were here with her all the time. Don't feel guilty, Shay, not for a minute. She was so proud of you.” He brushed a tear from her cheek.
    "You were with Gran?” Even more guilt assuaged her. “You took care of her when I was out traipsing around the world.” She hung her head. “You both must have hated me for leaving you here.” And for the first time, his behavior struck a chord. “Why aren't you more upset with me? Since I got here, you've been friendly and flirty and like nothing I expected."
    "So, what? You want me to waste energy on being bitter?"
    It would have made her feel better if he had.
    He set his beer on the table and cupped her cheeks, his palms cool from the chilled bottle. “Look at me, Shannon.” When she looked up, he said, “We all knew that leaving was what you needed to do. You had to follow your dream."
    "You were so mad at me,” she whispered, her chin trembling. The anger in his eyes was burned in her memory. Her heart clenched. “You told me to leave and never