Her Dakota Summer Read Online Free PDF

them, then he re-entered the kitchen with the first aid kit.
    “Let me see.” Dakota peeled off the impromptu dressing and dropped it onto the table. After a moment of examination, he nodded. “It’s not that bad. You don’t need stitches.” He picked up a tube of instant glue and showed it to her. “We’ll put this on first, then apply the bandage.”
    “You’re going to glue it shut.” Her voice was flat.
    “It’s a slice. They don’t close very easily. The glue’ll keep it closed until it heals.”
    Tension stiffened her body and she tried to take her hand back but he held on tight. “Will it hurt?”
    “No.” He laughed a little. “It’s not a deep cut, so no.” He pulled the cap off the glue, distributed four dots along the cut and swiped his finger across it, sealing it closed. “Superman or Batman?”
    “What?”
    “Your bandage.”
    “Oh. Ah, Batman.” The application was quick and efficient. She examined her new Batman bandage and grinned like a teenager. “It’s very nice. I like it.”
    “It suits you.” He cleaned up the area. “Going downstairs to make sure all is well.”
    “I’ll let you know when dinner is ready.”
    Celeste sat at the table for a moment to gather herself before she pushed back from the table. Dinner wasn’t going to make itself.

Chapter Six
     
     
     
    That night, Celeste lay awake, staring at the rotating ceiling fan. The cool of the central air conditioner irritated her and she closed her door before opening her bedroom windows. Warm summer air drifted in, fluttering the soft cotton of her nightgown and she rubbed her bare arms, remembering the touch of Dakota’s hands as he’d bandaged her cut. The one she wore actually glowed in the dark and she smiled a little at the display. Not wanting to turn on the light, she lay in bed, tossing and turning. Sleep continued to elude her so she gave up, threw on a tank top and a loose skirt then went downstairs to the patio. Tomorrow was Sunday, and she could afford to indulge her night owl tendencies, especially since Dakota was holding it down with the boys. After a short time, the three of them had become as thick as thieves. Jackson insisted on reading his favorite short chapter book to a patient Dakota every night. Celeste was even more amazed when she caught Malcolm—who thought directions were for babies—perusing the instruction booklet for a new model car kit at Dakota’s offhand suggestion.
    Here in the warm summer air, she could relax. The bundles of citronella and various dried plants she’d hung around the patio to repel mosquitoes, lent the summer night a cozy, herbal smell and she sank into her favorite padded chair. It was quiet enough to hear Jackson if he called out in his sleep. Other than that, she doubted she would be disturbed.
    The rasp of the sliding door in its track awakened her and she jumped to full alert. She started to call out in panic until she recognized the long-haired silhouette as Dakota’s. He was carrying something that he set down on the deck steps. Even as she settled back in her chair, she planned on saying something cheeky about not being able to sleep. In fact, she actually leaned forward to speak when he stopped at the edge of the pool, peeled off his shorts and dove in naked.
    In the dark corner of the patio, her eyes widened in shock. The lighted pool and the similarly lit landscaping around the backyard left nothing to the imagination. Celeste remained rigid in the lounge chair, feeling both as if she were the worst kind of peeping Tom and the winner in a dream-come-true contest.
    He’d entered the water without making a splash. If she’d been in her room overlooking the pool, she wouldn’t have heard it at all. Though she was not one for poetry, he swam like a dolphin gliding through the water. Dark hair streamed behind his head like a tail on a comet.
    Celeste sat back in the chair and put her hand over her mouth. She didn’t want to make any sound that