Letters and Lace (The Ronan's Harbor Series) Read Online Free PDF

dance.
    ****
    Sarah was shell-shocked. She furnished polite responses to her friends’ conversation, but her mind reeled with images of what had happened on the dance floor.
    Her brain teased her with thoughts of her brazen body and how it had smothered everything she believed about herself. It rattled her. She ran her hands over her clothing as though smoothing out wrinkles, but it was really her feeble attempt to cast off the general effect of this stranger named Benny.
    Sarah saw that Gigi had switched to diet soda. She grabbed the glass from her and took a big swallow. The cold, fizzy liquid chilled her insides. Hopefully it could quench the damned flame therein.
    “Pete’s doing quite a job tonight,” Gigi said. Sarah knew by the sultry tone that the comment meant more than a mere compliment to the combo’s rendition of Sinatra. She and Gigi were in sync enough that Sarah knew the reference was for her daring behavior.
    “It’s getting late, though, Gigi. Maybe we should head out.” Sarah did her best to keep the pleading tone out of her voice. She wanted to get far away from this man that turned her into a hussy—a shameless one.
    “So, Benny, what brings you to Ronan’s Harbor?” Gigi asked sweetly, ignoring Sarah’s request entirely.
    “My brother and I bought a little place down on Ocean.”
    “Oh?” she said with exaggerated interest. “So, you’re a permanent import.”
    “Not exactly,” Benny said.
    “Fair warning, once you come to Ronan’s Harbor, the town and its people get into your blood,” Gigi said. “Right, Sarah?”
    She smiled at her friend, instead of wringing her neck.
    “Norman here has been the mailman in town all his adult life, haven’t you Norman?”
    “Yes, ma’am. I have the happenings of the whole town with me every day in my leather bag. Everybody’s news comes through me, good or bad.”
    He turned to Sarah. “Sorry, by the way, about your news, Sarah. Word’s out you’ve got some problems but I’m sure you’ll work them out.”
    “Thanks, Norman. I’m sure I will.”
    “Well, Norman, you might want to come down to town hall for the meeting on Monday,” Gigi said. “Together Sarah and I are going to challenge that stupid complaint. You might see a free fireworks display.”
    She turned her attention to Benny. “Some idiot filed a complaint against Sarah’s bed-and-breakfast.”
    He focused his piercing gaze on Sarah. She felt an urge to elaborate, one of her nervous habits. “All I want to do is make a nice space so I can host my daughter’s wedding. I’d like to know why that should be a problem for anybody.”
    He nodded his angular head, as though he’d quickly assessed her words and found them sound. She guessed it was probably a cop thing. But, whatever prompted his approval didn’t matter.
    She liked that he saw the validity in her protest. She liked him .
    His eyes locked onto hers again, holding them, wooing them.
    Her heart raced, her mind reeling with quickly-flashing possibilities for the meaning of the message she read in his dark orbs. It was like peeking in though a darkened doorway. She was too curious to turn away.
    Finally, Benny spoke and the spell released. It was only then that Sarah realized she’d been holding her breath. “I should say good night.”
    It was as if a faucet had been turned to stop the flow of her body’s reactions. A crazy sting of disappoint snapped at her.
    As if in slow motion she watched Benny’s hand misjudge the proximity of the bar’s surface. His half-full beer glass tipped at the edge and crashed to the floor. The glass cracked in chunks, the liquid spilling at his feet.
    Sarah reached for the paper towels left from the stack she’d used to mop up her own spilled drink. She handed them to Benny and their eyes met again.
    “I’m an idiot.”
    Something in his apologetic sound warmed her, but a warning in her brain blew it cold. Don’t, her mind cautioned. She knew she’d be a total goner if