It's In His Smile (A Red River Valley Novel Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Protecting the innocent. Saving the world. But if anyone saw them . . .
    Gah! When would she learn that she couldn’t trust herself to be alone with Talmadge?
    She’d made that mistake seven years, three months, and twelve days ago.
    She wasn’t going to make it again.
    The dirt over Bea’s grave probably wouldn’t even have time to settle before her grandson left town and returned to his life on the West Coast. If he didn’t leave on his own, some silicone hotel heiress who wore dresses so short she’d have to shave up to her eyebrows would waltz in and drag him away. Again.
    “Excuse me.” Her chin notched up. “Your sense of direction must be off, because your hand seems to have wandered too far south.”
    “So it seems.” He looked down at her from beneath shuttered lids.
    She shook off the squeeze of lust that made her want to pull his head down and cradle him against her neck.
    The warmth of his expansive palm fell away, and the cold spring breeze returned to bite at the back of her thighs. She cringed and returned a splayed hand to her butt. At the loss of his heated fingers, a swooshing breath of disappointment escaped before she could stop it, and his silver-blue eyes shimmered with amusement.
    A knowing gleam danced in his eyes, as if he could tell that she really didn’t want him to stop. He looked away and studied the squeaking chairlift. “Sorry, but your fingers running through my hair definitely didn’t scream ‘let me go.’”
    He pulled on the lapel of his jacket and reached under to adjust the sling again. The flash of a grimace coursed across his features for a fleeting moment, then it was gone, and he stood there. Staring at her in complete command of his presence and not the least bit flustered.
    “It won’t happen again,” he assured her.
    “Okay. Good,” she said with her mouth, but her brain and her quivering girl parts shouted, Use both hands next time! She looked away for the briefest of moments, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. When she looked back at him his gaze dropped to her mouth, and his eyes went all dark and cloudy.
    She had a sudden urge to lick her lips.
    Dammit.
    “Then you have my word I won’t touch you again.” One side of his strong, lush mouth lifted into a self-assured half-smile. “Unless you ask me to.”
    Her lips parted at the innuendo. The memory.
    As though he’d read her thoughts, amusement flickered in his eyes.
    “I assure you I won’t be asking.” She tried to brush past him but stopped at his side and looked up at him. “About your inheritance—” A twinge of guilt feathered through her when she glanced down at Lloyd. Unfortunately, he had become an innocent pawn in their game of wills.
    She gathered her courage and shoved the little football-sized dog into the crook of Talmadge’s arm. His arm and hand naturally closed around Lloyd.
    This time she did brush past him. Ears burning, hand trying desperately to cover the opening in her pants—thank the angels in heaven she’d worn new panties today—she climbed the wooden stairs. Her boots clicked against the back porch. With a firm push, she sent Bea’s old swing into motion again and jerked open the screen door. Time to put on some new pants and tend to her guests before she changed her mind about giving him the dog and about asking him to grope her backside again.
    Because she’d enjoyed that part much more than she should have.

C hapter T hree

    Miranda andher sweet little backside disappeared into the inn.
    Thwack, thwack, thwack. The thud of the screen door lessened with each bang until it slowed to a stop. Miranda’s soft lips against his and her greedy fingers spearing through his hair like she’d been waiting to do that again for years had caused his brain to make the same sound.
    Talmadge tried to pull air into his aching lungs. The last time the wind was knocked from his chest he’d fallen through a thin layer of earth and hit the floor of an undiscovered