Hometown Star Read Online Free PDF Page B

around the truck and opened the passenger door for Star.
    Star finally separated from her sister. “Thanks,” she said as she climbed into the truck.
    Cade closed her door. A minute later they pulled out.
    “I don’t think you’ve officially met Brad,” Cade said, giving a head nod toward the back seat. “Brad, this is Star White, the woman you nearly scared to death last night.”
    Star twisted around. “Hi, Brad.” She extended her hand.
    Cade glanced in the rearview mirror, watching as his son shook her hand.
    “Sorry about last night,” Brad said, the words clipped and forced—expected. “We didn’t know anyone was there.”
    “No harm done,” Star said in a business–like tone. She twisted back around, but Cade didn’t miss the way Brad’s eyes roved over Star. The kid thought Star was hot.
    Cade stole a glance at her. She was hot . Her long legs were poured into dark denim jeans, and like yesterday, her strappy black sandals had absurdly high heels. Wasn’t there a lewd name for shoes like those? The shoes were totally inappropriate for a town where people lived in boots much of the year. A soft pink T–shirt hugged her breasts. She’d always had great curves in all the right places. And nice legs. His body tightened. His hands clenched the steering wheel. Man, he couldn’t control his own reaction to her. No wonder his kid looked all love sick.
    “Catch many fish today?” Star turned her pretty green eyes on Cade, and he instantly remembered every mean thing he’d ever done to her. Even now he didn’t fully understand how things had spiraled so out of control between them. When he looked at her now, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt or embarrass her. Despite how he’d treated her, Star had managed to shake off her awful childhood and rise above it. She didn’t belong here, she never had. And maybe that was one of the reasons he’d given her such a hard time. Even dirt poor, with a family so lousy you couldn’t have made them up, she’d always held her head high, always letting him know that she was as good as he was, better than he was. He knew it. She knew it. End of story.
    “The boat limited,” he said, forcing the past from his mind. “This is our busy time of year.”
    “I remember,” she said almost wistfully.
    “We need to make a quick stop at Logan’s to drop off the fish,” Cade said.
    “Logan’s,” Star said. “They do the packaging for you, right?”
    “Right. How many summers did you spend here?” Cade asked, wondering if her memories of her time spent here were as vivid as his.
    “Four, maybe five?” She sounded uncertain. “I’m not sure. We came and went from here so many times. I do remember I turned seventeen that last summer. The following summer I started college at the University of Washington. That much I remember.”
    His mouth went dry. “I remember, too.” He remembered how she’d driven him crazy in her short shorts and halter tops. By then, she was totally off limits. He’d already met Marissa, already gotten her pregnant and was headed down the aisle.
    “You were home from college that last summer. You worked on the boat.” Star turned to Brad. “Looks like you’re following in your dad’s footsteps.”
    “I guess,” Brad said sullenly.
    “It’s nice you have a family business,” Star said with obvious envy. “The closest thing I’ve got to a family business is a mother who deals blackjack and a sister who’s a Vegas showgirl.”
    “You have a sister who’s a showgirl?” Brad asked, suddenly interested in the conversation. “Cool.”
    Cade exchanged an amused look with Star.
    “What do you do, Star?” Cade asked, curious about the woman Star had become.
    “I’m the production manager for Update This! ” she said with obvious pride. “Have you heard of it?”
    “Nope.”
    “It’s a cable show. We take a room in an older house and update it. You should tune in sometime.”
    “I don’t watch much TV,” Cade