It Had to Be Love (An It Had to Be Novel) Read Online Free PDF

anything out of line, but his gut felt the same way it had when he’d been checking out Josh, his sister Meg’s fiancé. It was all a bit too clean and perfect. Like Josh’s had been. Later they’d found out Josh had been an undercover FBI agent.
    Maybe he’d ask Tara a few innocent questions. She jogged around the lake every day just after he did. She might not like it, but she was going to have some company on her daily runs.
    A ding sounded, alerting him of an incoming e-mail. It was from his aunt again.
    Your pie is at the diner waiting for you. Tara added hers too. I think that shows she likes YOU, not Ben! :0)
    He smiled, happy his pie had been rescued, and typed back, I think it means she’s a dentist and probably doesn’t eat sweets. I’ll drop by tomorrow and pick it up, meddler.
    He’d miss his family if he moved to Denver, there was no denying that. Especially his matchmaking Aunt Gloria, who, because she’d divorced Uncle Brewster, wasn’t technically his aunt on paper, but would always be to him. But he’d never meet someone he could have a serious relationship with if he stayed in Anderson Butte.

    The next morning, Ryan changed up his routine by going to the gym first. He did a hard workout, finished up by seven, then headed out to the boat ramp on the other side of the hotel where Tara usually started her run. When he rounded the corner, there she was, dressed in something snug-fitting and pink, stretching out her long, tanned legs.
    She popped her earbuds in and took off at a brisk pace. He jogged in the opposite direction, intending to run into her at about three-quarters of the way on the paved path, so it wouldn’t look like he was shadowing her.
    After twenty minutes at a full run, he spotted a guy just ahead. By the man’s build, deep spray tan, and girly highlighted hair, he must be the celebrity his sister Casey mentioned had checked into the hotel the night before.
    Then he spotted Tara’s pink outfit running toward them. As the action hero in front of Ryan passed Tara, her eyes grew wide. The shirtless celebrity, white cords from his earbuds bouncing against his shoulders with every step, lifted a hand at Tara as he passed by her.
    Tara took a few more steps and then her feet turned 180 degrees to follow him. Ryan increased his speed to catch up with her. She must’ve forgotten the rules about giving celebrities their space.
    When he got close behind her, he called out softly, but she probably couldn’t hear him with the music playing in her ears. He didn’t want the movie star to know they were following him, so he slipped a hand on her shoulder and gave a soft squeeze to get her attention.
    Her sharp elbow whipped back and jabbed him in the solar plexus, stopping him dead in his tracks, doubling him over. Then she stomped on his foot. Before he could straighten up and catch his breath, the heel of Tara’s hand slammed up and into his nose so hard he saw stars.
    Blinding pain made his fingers fly to his face. His nose wasn’t sitting the way it should be.
    Tara’s hand slipped over her mouth. “Oh, it’s . . . just you.” She yanked out her earbuds.
    He didn’t know what ached worse, his nose or his pride. He’d just been beaten up by a woman. “What the hell was that about?”
    Tara ripped off the pink cloth thing that held her hair back and stuck it under his nose to stop the bleeding. “You grabbed me from behind and I . . . reacted.”
    Yeah. He probably shouldn’t have done that. She was from the city. “Sorry.” He took the lump of fabric from her and pressed harder against his nose. “I was trying to stop you from following Mr. Academy Award there.” He pointed down the shore as the oblivious man ran the opposite way.
    A slow wave of pink rose up her neck and cheeks. “I wasn’t going to talk to him, I was just going to . . . look.”
    If his face hadn’t ached like he’d been hit with a baseball bat he might have laughed. “I’m gonna go.” He