Women on the Edge of a Nervous Breakthrough Read Online Free PDF

stance. Broad shoulders, nicely fi tting jeans, T-shirt half covered by an open green fl annel work shirt that looked worn and soft. Underneath she could see the bulge and valley of developed pecs, mmmm. That solid masculine landscape under soft cotton was a total turn -on. Features: strong, handsome. Hair: short, dirty blond. Expression: solemn and unreadable.
      "Hi." She stopped at the edge of her driveway and tipped her head, looking him over as if she hadn't already made her assessment. "I'm Vivian."
      "I know."
      Still no reaction; she wasn't used to that. One way or the other, Lorelei generally made an impact. "I'm your new murderess neighbor."
      "I know that, too." He lifted his beer, took a swig.
      "Well, you are a veritable encyclopedia, aren't you."
      A grin lifted one side of his mouth. That was good. She liked men who could take a joke.
      "I'm Mike."
      "Hello, Mike."
      She let the silence linger, watching him calmly, allowing the hint of a smile on her mouth so he'd know she was interested, amused, in control.
      He took another swig of beer and watched her back, apparently comfortable with the silence. If his eyes weren't so intense, she'd say there wasn't much going on in the brain department.
      "Aren't you going to offer me a beer?" Okay, she was impressed. She'd had to break the silence fi rst.
      "This is my last one."
       Brrrrr . All was chilly on the southern front. Apparently Mike belonged in the she's -a-murdering-bitch camp along with most of the country. "All righty then. Nice meeting you."
      She turned toward her car, suddenly exhausted and near tears, which freaked her out. She hadn't cried during this en tire ordeal except when her cellmate socked her once and the tears had been from surprise and pain. Maybe now that the stress had let up, she'd be able to grieve, deal with the fact that Ed was dead and her life had to go on without him.
      Oh, she was so looking forward to it.
      "Need help unloading?"
      She pivoted on one heel. "What?"
      "Do you need help unloading your car?"
      Vivian put her hand to her hips and narrowed her eyes. "Was that really your last beer?"
      "That's what I said."
      She looked over at her grandmother's white one -car garage, and brought the look back to him. "Help would be nice. Thank you."
      He set his bottle on the railing and came off the porch with light, easy steps. "Been driving awhile today?"
      "From Indiana. Nice traffi c."
      "You must have started at dawn."
      "Before."
      He stood next to her while she unlocked her trunk, a solid, silent presence. She was amused to find herself desperately grateful for his offer of help. Lorelei Taylor, who had faced police interrogation, relentless prosecutors, crazed prisoners, angry crowds, Ed's bloodthirsty relatives, and hostile erstwhile friends without flinching, dreaded going into her grandmother's house.
      Until the moment she crossed that threshold, the entire nightmare of the last year could have been just that, a horrible fantasy. Once inside, the changes in her life would be undeniable. Kettle, Wisconsin, would be her new home.
    Oh. Goody.
      She reached into the chaos of suitcases, loose clothes, and bags of shoes and jewelry, and grabbed an armful, waited while he did the same.
      "Not enough suitcases?"
      "I had to leave in a hurry."
      "Right."
      His unquestioning acceptance was a relief. She didn't want to share details of the last few days with anyone, not that she would have hesitated to tell him to butt out if he asked. She marched toward the back door with her load of clothes, leaving the sexy saunter for when she wasn't at risk of tripping over whatever her currently invisible feet might encounter.
      March, march, march to the end of the driveway, up three steps, pressing the load of clothes against the door with her body so she could reach the keys the tenant had left in the newspaper box. Tight security around here.