The Fireside Inn Read Online Free PDF Page B

of snow geese flew by. From where he stood, he could see most of Sanctuary Island laid out at his feet. The salt marshes and small lakes spread up to the north, bordered by shell beaches and protected coves.
    Standing there alone at the top of the island, Leo had a brief, disorienting sense of being the only human being in the world.
    Certainly, Serena Lightfoot was nowhere in sight. Leo grimaced and jingled his keys in his pocket as he debated retracing his path down the winding gravel road to the inhabited heart of the island. He thought he’d followed Greta’s directions, but he had to admit he’d spent part of the drive distracted, mulling over Miles’s parting shot back at the hardware store.
    As Leo had pulled away from the curb, his friend had come to the door to see him off. “Heading out to meet a beautiful, single woman at one of the most scenic spots on the island? I have a feeling I know which of you boys is going to lose the bet first. You’ll be in love before nightfall. She’s a lucky girl.”
    Miles hadn’t quite hidden his smirk behind the coffee mug he’d raised to his lips, and Leo knew he was only joking. The knowledge that Miles wasn’t purposely trying to mock him gave Leo the ability to smirk back and say, “Isn’t there a quaint American colloquialism about counting chickens?”
    Laughing, Miles had waved him off and gone back inside to watch his fiancée work. And Leo drove away thinking about exactly how he knew he’d be winning this bet. After all, no matter what happened with Serena Lightfoot, no matter how much her mixture of intelligence, sensuality, and ambition called to him—their connection could never be more than skin deep.
    There was no chance of developing a real relationship with someone who could never know the deepest truth about him.
    He didn’t want to contemplate just why the knowledge of his imminent win filled him with nothing more than grim resignation. It wasn’t as if he’d ever wanted more than a few nights of passion with a woman before. At least he’d have easy access to the Billionaire Club and a lovely custom helicopter to console him when this affair was ended.
    Leo sighed and plucked his cell phone from his inner jacket pocket. But just as he was about to take his chances with the cell signal gods and try to GPS his way to the actual place where Serena had asked to meet him, he heard the crunch of footsteps behind him.
    “You made it!” Serena beamed at him, a little out of breath but stunningly gorgeous in cargo pants, hiking boots, and a tight, fleecy long-sleeved shirt with a short zipper that exposed the delicate wings of her collar bones. Wisps of hair curled free of her messy braid and her skin glowed from the exertion of hiking up the hill.
    Leo raised his brows. “If you needed a ride, I could have swung by the library to pick you up.”
    Laughing, Serena shrugged off the straps of a full, heavy-looking backpack. “We have to take advantage of these unseasonably warm winter days, and plus, I needed the exercise. Reading to kids and reshelving books all day doesn’t burn as many calories as you might think.”
    Leo’s gaze traveled down the length of her slim legs, heat that had nothing to do with the sun simmering under his skin. “You look to be in quite good shape, from what I can see.”
    He wished he could tell if the rosy flush in Serena’s cheeks was the result of her hike up the hill or the sensation of his eyes on her body. “Thanks,” she said, ducking her head a little. The sweep of her dark lashes against the pink of her cheeks made her look like a china doll—but there was nothing delicate or fragile about the frank female interest sparkling in her eyes when she glanced up at him.
    Brimming with optimism for his seduction’s prospects, Leo gave her a slow, suggestive smile. “Not that I don’t appreciate the view, but may I ask why we’re meeting up here rather than in your library?”
    “You said you’re not a