Smokin' Hot Read Online Free PDF Page A

Thursdays.” She touched the side of Julia’s plate. “Want that to go? It makes a great midnight snack.”
    “I’ll come with you and take care of it.”
    Julia followed Dolly to the kitchen. She nodded to Dolly’s helper, Rosa, who she’d met when she first arrived at Boot Scootin’. To Julia, Rosa looked like a Mexican version of Alice from the old sitcom, The Brady Bunch .
    Dolly handed Julia a Styrofoam container for her food, then gave Dusty’s platter to Rosa. “Make this to go and fix another container the same way. Hannah McGettis will pick them up on her way home from work.”
    “Chips and salsa, too?” Rosa asked in her lovely accent.
    “Yes. Double on the salsa. Hannah really likes it.” Dolly turned to Julia. “She’s expecting her and Dusty’s first child in two months. Once her morning sickness phase ended, she started craving hot and spicy.”
    “I crave hot and spicy, too, but I can’t blame that on pregnancy.”
    Dolly laughed out loud. “Well, then, you’ll be happy to know there are chips in my pantry and salsa in the fridge.”
    “Great.” She closed the lid to her container. “Thank you for the delicious meal.”
    “You heading out?”
    Julia nodded. “I’m a little tired. I think I’m still recuperating from the long drive.”
    “I’m sure you are.” Dolly gave her a quick hug. “Go home and relax. I’ll see you in the morning.”
    Two couples entered as she left the bar. The dark-haired men looked so much alike, they had to be brothers. One dipped his head in greeting while he held the door open for her. The other man and the two women smiled at her.
    One thing Julia could say about the people in Lanville—everyone had been incredibly friendly to her.
    Once inside her car, she draped her arms over the steering wheel while trying to decide what to do with the rest of her evening. She hadn’t lied to Dolly about being tired, but it wasn’t the kind of tired where she’d fall asleep if she went to bed early. She felt . . . restless, edgy, as if she needed to do something but had no idea what.
    Julia started her car, backed out of her parking space. More vehicles entered the lot while she made her way to the exit. It appeared what had started out as a slow night at Boot Scootin’ would soon turn livelier.
    Meeting a lot of people might jerk her out of her restlessness, but Julia didn’t have the energy to smile and make small talk tonight. She simply wanted to be alone.
    She entered Dolly’s house through the back door into the kitchen. After putting her container of food in the refrigerator, she wandered into the living room. The sun would set soon, so she turned on a couple of lamps to fight off dusk’s gloom.
    In no mood to watch television, she went to her bedroom to retrieve the book she’d started reading last night. After helping herself to a glass of white wine from the kitchen, she returned to the living room and curled up in a corner of the couch.
    No more than ten minutes passed when she saw the flash of headlights through one of the windows. How odd. Dolly told her the bar closed at two a.m., so she usually didn’t get home until almost three-thirty. She shouldn’t be home for hours yet.
    Deciding Dolly must have forgotten something and came home to get it, Julia turned her attention back to her book. A moment later, footsteps crossed the wooden porch, then the doorbell rang.
    A shiver of fear galloped up and down her spine. Dolly lived in the country on land surrounded by trees. Julia had no idea how close a neighbor lived, or how quickly she could get help if she needed it.
    Laying her book on the end table, Julia rose and walked to the front door. No peep hole. Dolly might trust everyone in Lanville, but Julia didn’t know the people here well enough to do that. She leaned close to where the door met the frame. “Who is it?”
    “Hey, Julia, it’s Stephen.”
    As quickly as the fear formed, it disappeared. She flipped the deadbolt and opened the