Loco Read Online Free PDF Page B

something was bad wrong."
    "Lassie syndrome?"
    She grinned, eager for once to quote him. "Something like that."

    * * * *

    Forty minutes later, they trotted along the course in the midst of other runners. Oakley admitted to being a bit surprised when Tanner showed no inclination of sprinting ahead, leaving her behind to run her own race with Hercules. Instead, he matched her pace, breathing easily, as if running came second nature to him. Considering his physical condition, it probably did.
    "Marine?"
    "Huh?" He looked down at her as if her voice pulled him from a daydream. More than likely his gaze latched onto one or more of the beautiful female runners with curvy rears and his imagination took him to places with those backsides. Such a horny toad.
    She shook her head. "I take it you were a Marine?"
    He shot her a grin. "Once a Marine, always a Marine."
    "But you're retired from the military now?" Her breath came in pants from trying to hold a conversation and jog at the same time. His breathing remained even. Not fair.
    "Something like that."
    "Gonna tell me what you do for a living?"
    "Nope."
    Good grief. It was like talking to a rock.
    "Why do you run?" he asked, out of the blue, obviously changing the subject.
    She considered his question for a moment. "As a kid, I was overweight. The kids teased me a lot, called me names. By the time I hit junior high, I knew I had to do something. My parents helped get me started on the path of health. It's become a habit. A good habit."
    Tanner's eyes roamed over her for a few beats before giving a slight nod. "That would explain you being such a health nut."
    She snorted at the unflattering term. "I sense you have objections to my cooking?"
    A true smile covered his face. "No. Not at all."
    "Uh-huh." They turned a corner; Hercules easily kept up with his long legs. She shunted the conversation back to him. "Do you have family?"
    "Yes."
    "Ever married?"
    "No."
    "Kids?"
    "No."
    "Like your job?"
    "Yes."
    "Can you say anything besides yes and no?"
    "Yes."
    She growled in frustration. "Now I know why they call you Loco. You'd drive a person insane with all those one-word answers."
    He laughed. "Loose lips sink ships."
    "I thought you were a Marine?" She gestured to the word written boldly in red across his shirt; his race number bib fluttered with movement just below.
    "Something like that."
    Her frustration rose. "I'm amazed you can pick up women with such limited verbal skills."
    He smiled so widely that both dimples appeared. "Oh, baby. Don't you know? I'm a hot tamale on a stick."
    "Humble too." Oakley bit her lip to keep from laughing at his overabundant confidence. She might agree with his assessment, but no way would she add to that inflated ego by admitting it.
    "A man has no need for humbleness."
    "Shakespeare?"
    "Tanner Owens." He chuckled. "Come on, you're slacking." He surged ahead, increasing his speed and challenging her to keep up.
    "I'm not slacking, you loon. Your legs are longer than mine." Oakley sprinted after him, determined to stay abreast with the hyena. Her heart rate and breathing increased twofold as she sped up to keep pace with his longer and faster stride.
    "Excuses, excuses."

    By the time they hit the finish line, she sucked in great gasps of air, having to bend over for a couple of minutes to catch her breath. Her lungs burned while her stomach turned in a semblance of nausea. Fatigued legs wobbled under her weight.
    Hercules appeared none the worse for wear, doing his usual pant and drool routine following a run. Her eyes lifted to Tanner, finding him breathing a bit hard, but nothing compared to her struggles. Not for the first time, she envied his conditioning.
    "Going to check your time?" he asked, bending down to remove the timing chip from his shoestrings.
    "Yeah. First… water… Herc," she managed to get out, following suit and handing hers over to Tanner. Heading to the nearest watering station, she grabbed a Styrofoam cup and four bottles of