Secrets Gone South (Crimson Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page A

live.

Chapter Three
    It took a full three days after seeing Will for Arabelle’s anxiety to subside, but she was mostly back to normal. He had come to the office today to have his wound checked, but Karen, their new nurse practitioner, had taken care of that.
    She’d been lying low but it was time to get out. Maybe she would take Avery out for dinner. He loved Lou Anne’s chicken and dumplings. It was cold out, but not so cold that she couldn’t push Avery’s stroller to the diner. She needed the exercise and he could use some fresh air.
    With every step, she felt lighter. How ridiculous was it that she’d been afraid to leave her apartment? She’d been in Merritt for a month now and had not casually bumped into Will once. There was no reason to think that would change.
    By the time she settled Avery into a booster seat and herself beside him in a booth, she was downright cheerful.
    “Coat off!” Avery demanded.
    “Yeah,” she said. “How silly was it of Mama not to do that before putting you in the seat?” Someday, she’d learn all the tricks. “You’re going to have to put Jiffy down for a minute.” She took the stuffed giraffe and laid it on the table.
    As she was working his arms out of the sleeves of his little blue duffle coat, she felt a presence looming over her.
    She knew before she looked up. Maybe it was something about the way he smelled or maybe it was her deep fear detector, but she knew as she raised her face that the eyes that would meet hers would be moss green.
    And they were. The smile that was framed by dimples was warm and sweet. Her heart slammed into her ribcage.
    “Getting some dinner?” he said. He must have come from the back of the diner because he was holding a ticket in his hand. Clearly, he had already eaten, so at least he wouldn’t try to join them.
    “Yes.” She almost said that Avery liked the chicken and dumplings but, stupid as it was, she thought maybe if she didn’t draw attention to her child, Will wouldn’t notice him.
    On cue, Will shifted his eyes and Arabelle watched him look at Avery for the first time.
    He smiled broader and said, “Hi, pal. You gonna have something good to eat?”
    Avery nodded. “Dump trucks!”
    Will laughed, clearly delighted whether or not he understood that Avery meant dumplings—too delighted. The anxiety was back, full force.
    Relax,
Arabelle admonished herself.
This is just a sweet man being kind to a child. Nothing more.
    “How’s your hand?” she asked, though she knew. She had looked at his chart.
    He held up his left hand. “Good. Keeping it dry, just like the doctor ordered. No sign of infection. I thought I might see you today when I came in to get the dressing changed.”
    “I was tied up,” she said. “But they took good care of you?”
    “Yes.” He gestured to the table. “You’re eating early.”
    “Yes. That’s the way of a toddler. But no earlier than you. In fact, we’re eating later.”
    “Eating early is the way of a carpenter too—at least one who goes to bed early and gets up early.” Did the pink on the apples of his cheeks darken just a bit? Maybe he was remembering the time the carpenter went to bed early with the doctor. He hastened to change the subject. “I usually eat at home but after I left your office, I had to go to the bank … ”
    Will looked a little sad. This conversation had nowhere else to go and there was nothing for him to do but pay his bill and leave. Small talk would only last so long and she had nothing else to give him. In a way, that was a shame.
    He might have left then but Lou Anne came up with drinks and flatware.
    “I know what this handsome young man wants.” Lou Anne set a small plastic cup of milk with a lid and a straw in front of Avery and a glass of water in front of Arabelle. Lou Anne prided herself on remembering what her regular customers liked to drink. “Arabelle, do you need a menu?”
    “No, thank you. Just bring a large order of chicken and