Scrimmage Gone South (Crimson Romance) Read Online Free PDF

aunt agreed, and if there is someone to see after you, I could arrange it.”
    “Fine by us,” Janice said. She seemed startled by her own eager tone and quickly added, “Of course, they’d have to be decent people.”
    Like you?
Tolly wanted to say. But she didn’t let it show. She
never
let it show.
    “Kirby, do you know someone?” Harris asked. “Someone in your church, maybe? Or are you close with the parents of a friend?”
    “Not like that,” Kirby admitted.
    “Then that’s it.” Janice rose and gathered her papers. “Kirby, I don’t want to hear one more word out of you. You don’t have to like this, but you have to shut up. There is no one in this town to take care you.”
    Tolly’s heart raced. She took in the hateful contempt in Janice Johnson and the lazy apathy in her husband. Then she looked at the devastated grieving boy sitting beside her. Watching dreams die was a hard job. She didn’t think about it at all. With only her feelings to guide her, she spoke.
    “I’ll do it.” Four pairs of shocked eyes and at least one dropped jaw turned toward her. She focused on Kirby’s face. He looked like someone who had fallen off a mountain and just realized he was going to land in a net instead of on jagged rocks.
    “Tolly … ” Harris said with quiet warning. She could read all the
oh, nos,
the
you aren’t thinkings,
and the
you can’ts
in his face. But she did not question her decision.
    “I’ll take care of him,” she said with the strength of a lion — no, a lioness. This wasn’t her cub, but, damn it, he ought to be somebody’s.
    She wanted to jump up from her chair, hit Janice Johnson over the head with her laptop, leap on the conference table, and scream,
“We don’t want or need anything from you, but you can bet your sweet ass you’ll be getting a hefty bill, payable before you take your sorry self out of this town. Now get the hell out of my law office!”
    But she didn’t. The ice saved her from herself, as it always did. She smiled coolly and said in an even cooler voice, “This will be so much better for everyone, don’t you agree, Janice?”
    Janice Johnson tried and failed to keep the glee and relief off her face as she nodded her consent.
    This probably was not what Nathan had in mind when he’d told her to stay away from his QB-One.

Chapter Four
    It was Tolly’s turn to host book club tonight, but Missy had agreed to do it instead, in spite of her advanced pregnancy. She claimed she had never felt better.
    Which worked out well for Tolly, considering her charming, usually perfect carriage house was in utter chaos. The house belonged to town grand dame Caroline Brantley. Tolly had fallen in love with the house and Miss Caroline right after moving to town almost three years ago and it had been a perfect fit — the carriage house and living behind Miss Caroline’s Victorian home. Of course, at the time she had not known she would be moving a 6’4", 225-pound teenager in with her.
    It had happened fast. After their meeting at the law office two days ago, she’d driven Kirby home, they’d packed up his clothes and personal items, and he’d been with her ever since. Harris had taken care of the legal end of things and here they were. She really should be home putting her life back in order tonight, but Missy had pressured her and it had been easy to agree. She hadn’t seen her friends in days — and she was exhausted.
    Missy opened the door before Tolly had a chance to ring the bell. In some ways Missy was like all the other girls Harris had dated throughout his high school years — blonde, tall, and beautiful, but that’s where it ended. She loved Harris without worshipping him. Harris had a tendency to believe his own press and Missy kept him in check.
    “Come in.” Missy led her to the sunroom where Lucy Mead and Lanie Avery, who was about six months pregnant, sat in club chairs sharing an ottoman.
    “How’s parenthood?” Lanie asked with a grin. Lanie