Sleight Of Hand Read Online Free PDF Page A

leather wallet out of the back pocket
of her jeans.
    When she flipped it open to a head shot of
her father, Chance bit the inside of his mouth to stop from
smiling. Cunning little devil, wasn't she? He'd have to keep that
in mind, he decided as he watched for a flicker of recognition on
the waitress's face.
     
    Cindy took the offered wallet and studied the
picture. "He's got an interesting face." She held the wallet
further away from her, her forehead wrinkling with concentration.
"Is he someone famous? He looks kind of familiar."
    Chance saw a cornered look flash in Sarah's
eyes. Great. She didn't know enough to have a back-up story. He
tugged the wallet out of Cindy's hand to look at O'Sullivan's
picture.
    She'd used shadow to catch her father's
charm, and light to emphasize the multiple lines of experience that
creased his face. It was an excellent picture, portraying the older
man exactly as he was: a charmer who knew more than he'd ever
tell.
    Deciding part of the truth might help them
out of the sticky position Sarah had put them in, he laid the
wallet open on the table. "He's Sarah's father." He tapped his
finger on the photo to direct Cindy's attention away from the
surprised expression on Sarah's face.
    "He's missing," he continued. "We think he
might have Alzheimer's. Years ago, he used to come up here to hunt.
I thought...." He spread his hands open in front of him in a
helpless gesture. "The doctor said the illness hasn't reached the
advanced stage yet, so he probably still remembers some things.
Unfortunately, we don't know what places or people he
remembers."
    He made sure his half smile held the right
amount of uncertainty. If they convinced Cindy of the story,
chances were they'd convince the whole town.
    Cindy studied the picture, then turned her
thoughtful gaze on them.
    "Looking for my father must seem like an odd
thing to combine with a honeymoon, but Chance knows I can't be
completely happy until I find him."
    He controlled his surprise at Sarah's
perception. His admiration increased when she looked at Cindy as if
she were sharing a secret.
    Cindy's expression softened as she patted
Sarah's shoulder. "You poor thing. You're going to have your hands
full handling this rogue.
    "And you." She turned on him. "You're a piece
of work, you are."
    Without taking a breath, she swung back to
Sarah. "You take your time deciding what to eat, honey. I'll be
back in a few minutes." She started to walk away, stopped and spun
around. "I'll keep my eyes open for your father. Don't you worry."
With another glare in his direction, she flounced toward the
kitchen.
    "Do you have the faintest idea what that was
all about?" Sarah looked dazed, as if she had stumbled into a
parallel universe.
    "Kind of." Damned if he would explain it to
her, though.
    He studied her baffled face, intrigued she
didn't have a clue that Cindy assumed him guilty of some
unforgivable transgression. Why else would any normal hot-blooded
man spend his honeymoon looking for his father-in-law if not to
atone for his supposed sins?
    He shifted uneasily on the plastic covered
bench seat, remembering more than a few sins he'd committed over
the years.
    "You're not going to tell me, are you?" Sarah
leaned back into the corner of the booth.
    "I'll tell you this much," he said, glad to
vent his anger. "If you ever do something stupid like flash your
father's picture around without telling me first, I'll put you on a
plane so fast, you'll think you dreamed being here."
    Sarah studied her neatly trimmed fingernails,
then curled her hand into a fist and rapped it gently on the table
as she looked around the restaurant. "Looks like a lot of people
come here. Cindy must have the scoop on just about everyone who
passes through town."
    She hesitated, an innocent look on her face.
"I thought she liked me better than you. What do you think?"
    He clenched his teeth, more against the
pleasure of her comeback, than the truth of what she said. He knew
damned well he could