Southern Comfort Read Online Free PDF Page B

important to Turtle Creek and that meant they were important to her.
    She sat with her chin up and pretended she couldn’t feel his gaze roving over her. Almost like a touch, a caress.
    After what seemed like an eternity, they agreed to take the black out of the school colors, and just leave them green and white for the time being. Mainly because no one wanted to buy new uniforms for the school. She’d have to talk to someone about some donations to the school to help jump-start that program. Every time the teams went somewhere they looked as if they were in mourning, instead of playing high school basketball. The cheerleaders looked like generic cans of peas all lined up in a row. White uniforms, blocky black letters, a big TC across their chest. It was sad really, but it been that way since Natalie had been a cheerleader here in this very gym.
    But she didn’t have time to think about that right now. She had to make sure that her brother knew—mayor or not—that he was spending the night at Aunt Bitty’s house tonight. She started toward him where he stood talking to the principal, but didn’t make it more than two feet before she was stopped.
    “Natty Nat.”
    She closed her eyes at the sound of that voice. The last person that she wanted to talk to. Ever. She whirled around and opened her eyes. “Darrell Hughes. So nice to see you.” She almost choked on the words. And where Darrell was, there was also Gilbert. She nodded to his twin. She had been at odds with these two fellows since high school. They teased her mercilessly and in general made her life harder than it needed to be. They were always asking for money for one project or another, trying to get her in on the “ground floor” of whatever big scheme they had going on at the time. There had been the plastic cow vomit prank idea they had come up with, along with the skunk flavored gum and the spun-sugar t-shirts for spring break. That had been a doozy. The girls would be hosed down and the t-shirts would melt. Natalie rolled her eyes at the thought.
    “Listen, fellows,” she stated as nicely as she possibly could, “If you have another product idea, then bring it to the office tomorrow, okay? I have some business to take care of here tonight and I don’t have time to listen to your pitch.” If they brought something in tomorrow she doubted very seriously it would be a product she could get behind. But still she would listen. She always did.
    “Oh, we ain’t here to talk about that,” Gilbert said. Neither one of them had the sense God gave a goose, but they were good old boys at heart. They were slightly mischievous, a little on the ornery side, but thank heavens they weren’t mean. Each one was like a mountain and both were strong enough to crush rocks.
    Natalie somehow kept herself from wilting in relief. “Oh?”
    “Yeah we got this other thing going—” Darrell broke off as Gilbert elbowed him hard in the ribs. “Hey, why’d you do—” but he didn’t finish the sentence as his brother’s look cut him off but quick. Natalie was sure all the secrecy had to do with it being such a fabulous idea that they didn’t want anyone else within earshot to hear it. But she didn’t say as much.
    “Well, that’s nice then.” She smiled at each of them in turn, so very aware that Newland Tran was right behind her, absorbing every word of their exchange.
    “Hey, you that reporter from Chicago?” Gilbert asked.
    Newland nodded. “I am.”
    Darrell dragged a hard gaze over Newland, starting with his tan corduroy blazer that had seen better days to his Falling in Reverse t-shirt and ratty blue jeans, and on to his equally ratty Converse Chuck Taylor All Star shoes. “You don’t look like a reporter from the big city.”
    “Gotta keep things interesting.” He chuckled, and Natalie hated that she liked the sound.
    In fact, there wasn’t a whole lot about Newland Tran that wasn’t likable, except that he was here. And breathing the air