Reckless Hours: a Romantic Suspense novel (Heroes of Providence Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

room.”
    “You have a way with people, don’t you?”
    “The room was already booked last year. I woke up to a knock on my door and when I opened it, I saw the manager and some old guy, who hadn’t bathed in about a week, standing there with a suitcase, waiting to get in,” he insisted impatiently.
    “I hope you were wearing underwear.”
    His gaze narrowed for a moment and then he laughed. The smile transformed his face completely and made him much less menacing.
    Her comment was abrupt and she’d immediately questioned it the moment it came out of her mouth. But it had worked at defusing this man.
    The man propped his hands on his hips. “I suppose the clerk also told you there aren’t any other vacant rooms within miles, right?”
    “He did.”
    “If you insist on finding a room outside of town, instead of staying in your own house, I’ll be happy to help you find a place to stay since I have to do that as well. But before we do that, just answer a few questions about Cash.”
    Frustration wound its way through her. “Wait. My own house? What are you talking about? I’ve never been to this town before and I’ve never met anyone named Cash. But I have been on the road for a while and I’m exhausted. So while I appreciate your offer to help me find a room, I think I’ll just do that myself.”
    “Fine. I get it. You’re still freaked out and I don’t really blame you. But let’s at least talk for a bit.” He pointed across the street to a small diner that doubled as a convenience store. “I’ll buy you a cup of coffee or hot chocolate or iced tea. All I’m asking for is ten minutes of your time, and then I’ll be out of your hair. I promise.”
    “I can’t help you. I have no idea who this Cash is or what you’re talking about.” She yanked at the car door again, but the man pressed his back against it, keeping her from opening it completely.
    “You say you don’t know Cash. Then how do you explain this?”
    He pulled a photo out of his back pocket and thrust it in front of her, and her blood went cold. The color snapshot had been taken during the winter months. Two people were standing knee-deep in snow, a man wearing a dark green parka, a woman in a cream fur-lined one. She didn’t recognize the man in the picture, only that he bore a resemblance to this man who seemed determined to harass her.
    But the face of the woman made her swallow hard. The eyes, the complexion, the slight indent on her cheek. It was hers. It was like looking in a mirror.
    “Ten minutes,” the man pleaded softly. “That’s all I’m asking.”
    Tammie’s stomach growled. After her red-eye flight from the West Coast and the hassle of getting a rental car and finding her way out to Eastmeadow, her body had already burned off the energy from the coffee and donut she’d picked up before renting her car.
    Her plan this morning had been to find a hotel in town and sleep the day away to recover from jet lag. She hadn’t counted on a flight delay, a long line at the rental counter and difficulty in getting a room. If she was going to drive even another half hour to find a place to stay, she was going to need to refuel.
    I have to be mighty tired to be considering a cup of coffee with a crazy man.
    She glanced across the street. There were cars in the parking lot of the diner. That meant people. Safety was already an issue, it seemed, and this guy hadn’t proven his intentions were honorable. And there was a good chance that, whatever move she made, he was just going to follow her anyway.
    She shut the car door. She wouldn’t let him know that seeing the picture had rattled her even more than that episode on the road. He said he had questions, and now she had a string of her own.
    “I’m walking across to the diner to get a cup of coffee for myself, and if you happen to walk with me, then I’ll listen. But that’s all. If you start badgering me again, or make any threats, I’m calling the police.”
    His lips