Small Town Girl Read Online Free PDF Page B

planning on bringing the boys up here once I get settled in."
    Jo noticed a stubborn set to his mouth when he said that. She had customers waiting for her and didn't have time to wrestle it out. "So you'll take Sally's pig?"
    "I don't think so," he said with all the appearance of regret and none of the sincerity. "It's good meeting you, Miss Benton. Maybe we can talk later." He walked off to speak with one of the lawyers who liked his cup kept filled.
    Sally looked crestfallen. "I know she isn't the prettiest of the pigs, but you'd think someone would take her."
    Jo patted her shoulder. "He will. He just doesn't know it yet."
    "Hey, Jo, what's your sister saying about the mill closing?"
    Silence descended as everyone waited to hear her answer to George Bob's accusatory question.
    One good thing about being off work these past weeks had been avoiding spiked questions like that. Negative rumors got the town nowhere. "Same as she's telling you, I reckon," she called, filling all the cups on the counter. "Been to church lately to ask her?"
    With that explosive topic closed, she laughed and joked her way through the morning rush hour. Her new boss seemed to favor his left hand and was a bit slow on the uptake, but Charlie had been slower, so Jo wasn't complaining.
    She had a hard time putting the sexy swinger from last night into the shoes of crummy-cafe owner today, but by the time Flint had wiped a few spills and dished a few doughnuts, she was mentally adjusting. Physically, she was a hive of buzzing hormones every time she had to brush by all that virility in the tight space behind the counter. He even smelled better than a Krispy Kreme. She detected a distinct note of vanilla in his aftershave that made her want to rub her nose against his chest.
    Business slacked off after the doughnuts ran out. People hardly ever came to the Stardust for Charlie's cooking. The lawyers were still in the corner, reading their newspapers and mooching pots of coffee for the price of a cup, but they weren't occupying valuable real estate at this hour.
    "I'll call the bakery and order the deliveries resumed tomorrow," Flint said, coming up behind her.
    His customary growl sounded almost apologetic, so Jo forgave him. "Didya think the food was delivered by magic fairies overnight?" she teased.
    "It's not? And here I thought I'd discovered the magic genie who's going to make my life all better if she wants to keep her job." He gave her nonsexy Stardust apron bib a wicked once-over, but she heard the sarcasm just fine.
    "Oh, right, I forgot genie duty." She untied the apron and flung it aside, leaning her elbows back on the counter so he could get a good look. It seemed they needed to clear the air after last night's little fiasco. "Any other magic acts you want me to perform?"
    He inspected the goods she blatantly revealed. "Do you make magic by jiggling those instead of your nose?" He held up his palm to halt her scathing reply. "Don't answer that. I was over the line. Pax."
    She ought to slap him silly, but she'd stuck her breasts in his face first to get the obvious out of the way. "Guess that makes us even, then." She tapped his hard chest in retaliation, and electricity crackled and zapped. She hid her grin as he tensed all over. At least she wasn't the only one suffering. "Down, boy."
    He growled and spun around to clean the coffeepot. "Charlie told me this was an open operation," he said, as if she hadn't just scorched them both with that tap, "and all I had to do was show up and pay the bills. How long have you been closed?"
    "Two weeks." Well, so much for making nice. "Charlie had a heart attack. He meant to keep things up until you arrived, but he couldn't." She grabbed a dishcloth and started wiping down the faded Formica.
    "And I'm guessing I have to do a little more than pay the bills?" he asked wryly, dodging the dishwasher door when it dropped to the floor, just missing his boot toe.
    "You could hire another waitress." She shrugged as