Undeniable Demands Read Online Free PDF

local
fire department to condemn it.
    The place was pretty quiet for six on a Friday. She imagined
business would pick up later unless people were tied up in last-minute holiday
activities. She made her way to the empty bar and pulled up a stool. It was from
her perch that she heard the laughter of a group of men in the back corner. When
she turned, Tori quickly amended her plans. She needed two drinks. Especially
with that cocky bastard watching her from the back of the bar.
    What was Wade doing here? It was a small town, but wasn’t there
somewhere else he should be? At home with his all-important family, perhaps? But
no, he was throwing back a couple with an odd assortment of old and young men
from around town. She recognized her lawyer, Randy Miller, and the old bald
sheriff from one of the local television advertisements about the dangers of
holiday drinking and driving. There were a couple others there she didn’t
recognize.
    And at the moment, every one of them was looking at her.
    Had Wade been talking to them about her? The arrogant curl of
his smile and the laughter in the eyes of the other men left no doubt. The
irritation pressed up Tori’s spine until she was sitting bolt upright in her
seat.
    She wanted to leave. Not just the bar, but the town. Maybe even
the state. In an hour she could have the trailer hooked up and ready to go. Part
of the beauty of being nomadic was that you could leave whenever things got
uncomfortable. That’s what her parents had always done. Hung around somewhere
until it got boring or awkward and then moved on to someplace else. Tori had
always had trouble imagining living in one community her entire life. There was
no place to go when things blew up in your face.
    But there were also advantages to being settled: longtime
friends and neighbors. People you could count on. Stability. Roots. A place to
call home and raise a family. After toying with the idea of having that kind of
life with Ryan and then having it all collapse around her, Tori had decided she
was tired of running. She might not have the life and family she’d dreamed about
with Ryan, but she could have it with someone else if she sat still long enough
to have a meaningful relationship.
    Cornwall spoke to her. This was where her family had come from
and this was where she wanted to stay. But if she was going to build her dream
home here, she’d better learn how to tough it out. There was no towing off a
house. Being the new girl in a small town was hard enough. Lacking in coping
skills wasn’t going to help the situation.
    If Wade thought he could bully her into selling by turning the
town against her, he was in for a surprise. She wasn’t going to play along with
his charade. If he could play dirty, so could she.
    “What can I get you?” The bartender had finally made his way
over to her end of the bar. He looked like the kind of guy you’d find at a
115-year-old bar named the Wet Hen. Thin, leathery and gray-haired with an
ancient, blurry anchor tattooed on his forearm. The tag pinned to his apron said
his name was Skippy. She’d never seen anyone less like a Skippy in her life.
    “Gin and tonic with lime.” Strong and to the point without
stooping to shots. She was tempted to just chug a few big gulps of tequila so
she’d no longer care about Wade and his cronies. But she couldn’t lose control
of her inhibitions, either. Lord knew what kind of trouble she’d get into.
    Skippy placed a bowl of peanuts and a napkin on the counter for
the drink he quickly poured. He looked as though he had a solid fifty years of
experience mixing drinks. When the lowball glass plopped down in front of her,
she took a large, quick sip. Damned if that wasn’t the best gin and tonic she’d
ever had.
    Go Skippy.
    The alcohol surged straight into her veins. She’d been too
agitated to eat anything since Wade left, and her empty stomach gladly soaked up
the wicked brew. Three sips into her drink, her worries from earlier had