Talk Me Down Read Online Free PDF

over here to laugh about the column. It had all happened when she was twelve and not quite tuned into the scandal of Mr. Lawson having an affair with a teenager. Mr. Lawson, the high school principal, having an affair with a teenage student. What a nightmare.
    Ben gestured toward the oversize front desk. “During the summer, the station’s always manned. But in the winter, it’s just us locals. Everyone knows where to find Brenda at lunchtime.”
    “Do you guys only work half-time during winter?”
    “No, we have an Aspen officer who works here during the summer. It works out perfectly because they need her for their busy season, then when the pass opens in spring, she commutes here for a few months, and the rest of us get to work full-time during the slow season.”
    “Quinn said there’s a lot more traffic through here than there used to be.”
    Ben nodded. “The mountain biking has really taken off. The rafting companies expanded to include biking and bought more buses. They take the riders and their bikes up to the top of the trail, then meet them back at the bottom to do it again. Helluva way to break your neck, if you ask me.”
    “Professor Logic as always.”
    “God, no one’s called me that since your parents moved away.” He led the way back, giving cursory explanations. “My office.” He waved into a small, plain room with a neat desk. “The other offices.” A larger room with three desks crammed into it. “Holding cell.”
    “Whoa, this is your jail?” She walked up to the big metal door to look through the thick glass window. Nothing very interesting, just a toilet and sink and cot.
    “It’s just a holding cell. Anyone we place under arrest gets put over in the county lockup.”
    “So who’s this for?”
    “Minor violators.”
    She glanced back to find him watching her closely.
    He raised an eyebrow. “Girls who block snowy streets with their tiny, useless, stranded cars even after they’ve been warned by the police.”
    “Ha!” She turned and stepped closer to him, happy when he backed up into the wall. “I’ll be nimble as a little bunny. You’ll see.”
    “I do have experience in this kind of—”
    “Oh, I know you have experience, Chief. But I’m no beginner, either.”
    Clearing his throat, Ben pushed off the wall and headed back toward the front. Unfortunately his coat hid most of his butt, but she could still appreciate the movement of his hard thighs and the tempting sight of the nape of his neck beneath his hat. “Thanks for wearing the cowboy hat for me, Ben.”
    The neck turned pink. “It’s part of my uniform, Molly,” he growled.
    She was almost positive he was more than a little interested in her, but she suddenly had the fear that his blushes were more the “just leave me alone” kind than the “you’re hot, don’t tease me” variation. He’d always been quiet and almost shy, until he loosened up and got funny. So was this shyness or interest? How to find out?
    Well, she’d always believed in the shortest route. “My brother says you’re single.”
    Ben stopped so quickly that Molly reached out to stop herself from bumping into him. Her hand connected with a rock-solid back. When he turned, she felt muscles shifting even under the heavy coat, and then, instead of her hand resting on his back, her arm was actually curled around his waist, her hip touching his. Even Molly was startled at how she’d just made herself at home.
    He raised a meaningful eyebrow at her arm until she removed it.
    “Accident. Sorry. I swear I’m not a hussy.” The word hussy made her laugh until she snorted, and Ben’s eyes crinkled a little in amusement.
    “Look, Molly. I think you’re cute. And I am single. But it’s a small town, you know? Too complicated.”
    “Too complicated? Really? Jeez, you’re a real live wire, Professor.”
    “Come on. You know how it is.”
    “I was only trying to finagle a date. A date. I promise not to chain you to the basement