Take Me Home Read Online Free PDF Page A

her stand-in. How could Claire say no?
    “A woman of many talents. Are you free Friday night?”
    “A man of great persistence,” she echoed.
    “I learned young that when you want something, you keep after it. It works nine times out of ten.”
    “What is it you want—the painting or the date?”
    “It seems to be a nice package deal, so both.”
    His eyes glinted with both humor and a challenge. Claire hadn’t had this much fun flirting since...well, since she’d married Milo. Temptation slithered through her brain. Frank was always home on Friday nights, so Holly wouldn’t want her there. She’d be all alone in the converted barn she rented.
    “All right, I’m free Friday night, but there will be no false expectations. I’m not going to sell the Castillo to you.”
    “I’ll pick you up at six thirty. You’re renting Ms. Hauser’s place, aren’t you?”
    “One thing about small towns—no one needs GPS.” Claire rolled her eyes. “Where are we going?”
    Since only four restaurants in Sanctuary didn’t serve fast food, she would be familiar with whichever one he named.
    “Not sure yet. I’ll let you know if you give me your number.” He pulled out a silver cell phone and typed in the digits she gave him. “No need to show me out.”
    She nodded. She wanted to spend a few moments alone with the Castillo anyway. She’d been looking at the man more than at the painting. “Thanks for stopping by to keep me posted about Willow. I’ll see if I can locate another Castillo for sale before Friday.”
    A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. As he reached the door, he looked over his shoulder and said, “One other thing I learned young—never say never.”
    She waited for the sound and vibration of his footsteps to recede before attempting to engage with the painting. Shoving away thoughts of anything other than Julia Castillo’s brushstrokes, Claire fought her way into the tranquil world of the artist’s vision.
    Just as she could almost hear the swish of horsehair and the buzz of lazy bees in the sunshine, the phone shrilled. Claire jumped and let out a startled “Oh!” before crossing the room to pick up the handset from the wall. The caller identification said it was Holly, and Claire’s throat went tight. Her sister never called her on the business phone, only on her cell.
    “Holly, are you okay? Are the kids all right?”
    “No...I mean, yes, I’m fine, or I’m not hurt or anything. The kids are fine. I just...I just heard...I mean, Frank just...”
    “Is Frank okay?” Holly’s voice was so choked with tears that Claire could barely understand her.
    “Yes...I mean, no, I hate him, but he’s fine.”
    “What?”
    “Frank just told me he wants a divorce.”

O UTSIDE THE GALLERY , Tim climbed into his pickup truck. His vanity had gotten the better of him during his conversation with Claire. He could tell she thought he was a simple country horse doctor. Which shouldn’t have bothered him, since he worked hard to project something close to that image. But it had, so he’d name-dropped his catalog of artists and invited her out to dinner just to show he was as sophisticated as she was. He shook his head at himself as he put the pickup truck in gear and eased the big vehicle out into what passed for traffic on Washington Street.
    Last night, he’d dreamt about Anais for the first time in a month, and he was sure it was because of his encounter with Claire Parker. As he lay awake at two a.m., staring at the shifting shadows on his bedroom ceiling, he decided the only way to put Anais’s specter back to rest was to face Claire again. He would prove to himself she was nothing like his dead wife.
    So when he saw an empty parking space right in front of the art gallery, he’d followed up on his middle-of-the-night decision and pulled in.
    His resolution had wavered as he stood waiting in the empty gallery. In fact, when he heard Claire’s footsteps behind him, he had taken a deep breath and