Fugitive Heart Read Online Free PDF Page A

times, particularly when he focused on her butt instead of his feet.
    They hiked through the field and went into the woods at the other side. The temperature dropped ten degrees in the shade. No more fighting through the thigh-high plant life—they walked on a spongy surface composed of pine needles. The only sound came from the skittering claws of a squirrel bounding up a tree.
    He let his breath out slowly—and it sounded loud in the strange hush. Only a bit of sun filtered through the tall trees.
    Elliot’s sister spread her hands and smiled as if presenting a really great prize on a game show. “Welcome to the Hundred Acre Wood.”
    “I thought it was twenty-five.” Wasn’t that what the contract said?
    “That’s what I called it when we were kids. Those are the woods in Winnie the Pooh .”
    He shook his head. Cutesy, yech. The woods, though… She was right about them. This place held something special. He glanced around the ground to see if someone—Elliot—might have dug through the thick bed of needles. No signs of any disturbance.
    “We used to pretend we were the first people to ever discover this place.” She spoke in a low voice, as if the trees listened.
    “Yeah, I get it. Sort of primordial here but protected. Like time’s stopped.” He pressed his lips tight. Now who was getting whimsical?
    She nodded vigorously enough to make her curls shake. “Even Elliot said he felt safe here.”
    Ah-ha. Nick suppressed a smile. He knew right where to dig next.

Chapter Four
    Ames watched his appreciation grow. He was so obviously a city boy, but he looked around the woods as if he could see how special they were.
    “Look, there’s this thing in town tonight. I don’t know if you’d be interested. It’s pretty lame. But I suppose you don’t have cable or Internet hooked up yet, so maybe it’d be better than nothing. But maybe you prefer reading. And you did say you wanted to be left alone, so you probably wouldn’t want to go where a bunch of people would be gawking at you and want to meet you.” She bit the inside of her cheek to stop the babbling. She’d been much easier with him back in the house, but when he came near her, the flow of hey-look-a-hot-man hormones and words started up.
    Sam touched her wrist. “What is it? This thing in town? Why don’t you tell me, and then I’ll know if I want to go?”
    “Oh, right. Sorry. It’s Movies in the Park night. It’s something the Chamber of Commerce came up with to try to foster community and drum up more business downtown. Everybody drives to Madison for restaurants or movies. So, all summer long, they’re showing old movies on a big screen in the park to get people to come and hang out together, like at an old-time social. A lot of people bring picnics from home, but the movie nights have increased traffic to the restaurants in town and the shops that stay open late.”
    Ames paused to draw breath and ask herself how she’d managed to move from hating this interloper who’d taken over her house to practically asking him on a date.
    Sam didn’t answer. He was too busy looking around the clearing, and, wow, did he have a striking profile, all sharp features and powerful bone structure. She melted a little bit more inside.
    “Normally I’d be working at the Back Porch, but I happen to have tonight off, so I thought I’d go to the movie. Casablanca tonight, I think.” She lowered her voice confidingly, even though there was no one but birds to overhear. “If I admit something to you, I hope you won’t think less of me for it.”
    His brows shot up, and he turned his full attention on her. “I promise to withhold judgment.”
    She shook her head. “Better wait till you hear it first. It’s pretty heinous. The truth is I’ve always thought Casablanca was way overrated and pretty boring. I think if they’re trying to get young people, especially teens, interested in coming to Movies at the Park night, they should show newer films.