Spring River Valley: The Spring Collection (Boxed Set) Read Online Free PDF

anything. He doesn’t mind coming to pick me up.”
    “To spend an evening at a pub that’s lousy with gorgeous men and call your brother to drive you home is missing the point of going out. You realize that, don’t you? What about Taylor? He’s cute and obviously much less prowly than Tanner.”
    “He’s nice and…in case I didn’t say it before—my God, there are two them! I thought I’d pass out when you showed up at the table with both of them.”
    “I know.” Evie fanned herself. “It’s a bit overwhelming. All that good-looking in one family.”
    “Right? Like I said, Taylor is really nice, but I’m just not up for seducing anyone tonight.”
    Evie growled. “Who said seduce him?” Hadn’t she been trying to stop herself from fantasizing about seducing Tanner for the past hour? What was wrong with her? “Just hang out with him.”
    “No, really. I’m exhausted, and I just want to go home and relax. This place is noisy and crowded. I can only take so much.”
    “So you’re abandoning me here?”
    “We came in your car, dear. Which is why I called my brother. I would never leave you here without wheels.”
    “Fine. I’ll just have to manage.”
    “To ward off Tanner? Really ? Like you want to do that. I’ve been watching you. You can’t stop staring at him.”
    “Because I can’t get over how utterly rude and—”
    “He’s gorgeous, and in case you hadn’t noticed, he can’t take his eyes off you either.”
    “In case you hadn’t noticed, he looks at every female that way.”
    Bailey lifted her chin defiantly, a superior smile on her lips. “Actually, I hadn’t noticed. In fact , he’s barely made eye contact with me at all. It’s you he wants. Only you.”
    “He’s a player.”
    “So play a little.”
    “This coming from the woman who swore off men for a year?”
    “I’m going to live vicariously through you. Go have some fun.”
    “He’s not my type. We’ve been over this.”
    Bailey grabbed Evie by the shoulders and spun her toward the main room. “Go. Have. Some. Fun. Say good-bye for me. Aiden’s probably here by now, so I’m heading outside.” Bailey made a phone shape with her fingers and mouthed the words Call me before disappearing through the crowd and leaving Evie to “fend” for herself.
    Heart thudd ing wildly, she realized she was finally on her own. Amid the wall-to-wall people, it was just her and Tanner. She should have been appalled, but instead, her pulse raced and her palms grew damp. She rubbed them on her skirt, took a deep breath, and headed for their table, hating herself for hoping he hadn’t lost interest and left while she and Bailey were gone.

Chapter Five
     
     
    Relief washed through Tanner when Evie reappeared at the table, alone. He made a show of looking around, certain Bailey was lurking nearby. “Where’s your chaperone?” he asked finally.
    “She called her brother to pick her up. She’s not used to the crowds , so I’m on my own.”
    The challenging look in her eye told him this too was some kind of test. Would he let her go just to prove he’d caught her independent vibe, or would he step up and play the knight protector?
    “Taylor left too. Too bad. I think he and Bailey would make a perfect match.”
    “I was thinking the same thing. Maybe we should try to arrange to get them together again.”
    That wasn’t exactly what had been on his mind, but at least it was an excuse to see Evie again. “We could meet here, on a less crowded night and all have dinner together.”
    “That’s not a bad idea.” She took out her cell phone. “Give me your number , and maybe we can talk later in the week and arrange something.”
    He took the phone from her and entered his number, but rather than putting his name in her contacts he typed in The Evil Twin . He saved the entry before she had a chance to look at it, and she tucked the phone back into her purse.
    They spent the next few moments in semi-awkward silence while the