The Awakening Read Online Free PDF Page B

I’ll leave it on until he’s caught.”
    Tanner walked out of the barn and she followed behind him and closed the door. They walked silently back to the house, and she couldn’t help wondering what he was thinking. Had he felt the same charge she had when he’d touched her hand?
    She hoped not, because if he made a move on her, she was afraid she’d abandon her vow to swear off men. And then she’d regret it.
    Getting involved with men always led her to regret.
    * * *
    T ANNER LOOKED OUTSIDE his bedroom window across the silent lawn. The light from the barn windows created a dim glow around it. When he’d told Josie that he didn’t think the vandal would return that night, he hadn’t been lying, but there was an uneasiness in the air that he didn’t like.
    Something was out there...watching, waiting.
    Someone thought they were being clever, but to what end was the question. Josie was hiding something from him. He’d known that from the beginning. Maybe after the scare with her horses, she’d be willing to part with whatever she was withholding.
    He stepped away from the window and shrugged off his jeans and shirt. What he needed to do was follow his own advice and get some rest. He’d just been thinking about a hot shower when he’d heard the noise earlier, but after seeing Josie all wet and wearing only a towel, a cold shower might be more in order.
    Even earlier in the barn, she was still gorgeous. No makeup, wet hair, baggy sweats and she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Over the years he’d seen her in magazine ads, usually for clothes, perfume or jewelry. He knew that usually those pictures were altered with filters and software, but for Josie, it wasn’t necessary. She was just as perfect now as she’d been when she was a teen.
    It had been a mistake to touch her. He could have told her to leave the light on. He didn’t have to grab her hand. Certainly, he didn’t have to hold it, but he hadn’t been able to resist making even the smallest contact.
    Her hand had been so warm, despite the outside chill. Her skin was soft and smooth, just as he’d imagined it would be, and his body had stirred from that tiny bit of contact. For a moment, she’d stared at him, then looked confused and just a tad nervous. He’d like to think it was because she was attracted to him, but he knew that was a high school fantasy that his overactive imagination had dug up from the place he’d buried it long ago.
    And that’s just where it belonged.
    He strode into the bathroom and turned the cold water on full blast. Any and all thoughts about Josie Bettencourt that didn’t have a direct bearing on the case had to go. He wasn’t about to disappoint his brothers by screwing up his first case.
    Making a fool of himself wasn’t on his list of things to do, either.
    * * *
    J OSIE WAS UP BEFORE DAWN and out the door to check on her horses. Although she’d agreed with Tanner’s assessment that the vandal wouldn’t return that night, she was still relieved to see everything was in order in the barn. She doled out feed, hay and head rubs to all four of her beauties, then headed back inside to clean up and get ready for the breakfast conversation she’d tossed and turned about all night.
    She pulled off her boots in the utility room, put coffee on to brew and hurried upstairs for a quick shower. By the time she came back to the kitchen, Tanner was already standing at the back windows, looking out across the lawn and drinking coffee.
    He turned when she came into the room and raised his cup. “I hope you don’t mind that I helped myself.”
    Despite all the stress, Josie found herself smiling. It was hard to be overwrought with worry when there was a sexy man in your kitchen drinking coffee.
    “Please help yourself to anything when you want it,” she said.
    Tanner smiled and she felt a flush run up her chest when she realized the double meaning of that statement. She turned to pour herself a cup of