care if he was a hottie biker-man, he was aggravating her beyond belief. “Do not encourage them. They’re perfectly capable of starting a riot all on their own.”
“I told you, that incident in Orange County wasn’t entirely my fault,” Angel said. “I didn’t realize things would get out of hand that quickly.”
“I don’t want to talk about that,” Julia said, instead focusing her attention on Luke. “You.” She jabbed her finger at him. “Inside.”
“I just love it when you speak librarian to me,” he drawled.
Once they were alone in her kitchen, she barely took time to notice how incongruous Luke looked—tough and sexy in her warm and cozy kitchen with the heart-stamped canisters that had been a gift from the town welcome wagon—before asking him, “What are you really doing here?”
“You ordered me inside.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I heard about the riot and had to come check it out.”
“Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes. “Like you care what goes on in this town.”
“When it involves you, I do.”
“Why? So you can have a good laugh at my expense?”
“Well, that’s part of it, sure.”
“I’d prefer if you just left me alone.” It was all she could do not to grimace at how prissy and Marian the Librarian she sounded. She needed a Pop-Tart. Pronto.
She still had a hidden stash that her health-maniac mother and sister hadn’t found.
But no way she was stuffing her face in front of Luke.
“And I’d prefer not to leave you alone,” Luke replied, reaching to slip a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.
Help. She was coming completely undone here.
And okay, so it wasn’t entirely Luke’s fault. Her family was playing a huge factor in her unravelling. But Luke wasn’t helping matters any by tempting her to do something she’d regret.
She could still feel the warmth of his thumb brushing her lower lip from the night before. Feel his fingertips grazing her jaw. Both were minor incidents that didn’t merit the attention she’d given them.
He didn’t seem the least bit affected by her presence. Not that her outfit—khaki pants and navy polo shirt—would impress anyone. But he appeared to get a kick out of pushing her buttons, out of making fun of her. Was she just some big joke to him? Was that it?
“I don’t care what you prefer,” she said, belatedly getting back to his previous comment.
He raised one eyebrow. “No?”
“No. I’m tired of being pushed around in my own house, in my own backyard. If I say I don’t want something, then that’s what I mean. And if I say I like Cool Whip, then that’s also what I mean.”
“I like Cool Whip, too.” His voice turned rough-and-tumble sexy. “Spread all over you, it would be especially sweet.”
She had no comeback for that comment.
Which was the only reason it was quiet when her sister popped her head in the back door and said, “I hate to interrupt you two, but the media has arrived.”
Julia blinked. “What media?”
Skye shrugged. “Looked like the local CBS affiliate, but I didn’t pay that much attention to what was written on the side of the TV van. The reporter is a Diane Sawyer wannabe right down to the haircut and black turtleneck. She’s chatting with Sue Ellen now. She’s already spoken with Angel.”
“No!” Julia raced outside.
The glare of the spotlight pinpointed the reporter’s location immediately. She was speaking into the microphone. “The holidays are fast approaching. And here in Serenity Falls, a miracle may be unfolding.”
“This is my daughter Julia,” Angel told the reporter. “She’s a librarian.”
“Really? In that case, how would you classify today’s events?”
“As fiction.”
“You aren’t a believer, then?” the reporter asked.
“I believe this is all a big mistake.”
“There you have it.” The reporter returned the mike to her perfectly lip-lined mouth. “Two sides of this llama legend. A miracle? Or a mistake? This is
“I told you, that incident in Orange County wasn’t entirely my fault,” Angel said. “I didn’t realize things would get out of hand that quickly.”
“I don’t want to talk about that,” Julia said, instead focusing her attention on Luke. “You.” She jabbed her finger at him. “Inside.”
“I just love it when you speak librarian to me,” he drawled.
Once they were alone in her kitchen, she barely took time to notice how incongruous Luke looked—tough and sexy in her warm and cozy kitchen with the heart-stamped canisters that had been a gift from the town welcome wagon—before asking him, “What are you really doing here?”
“You ordered me inside.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I heard about the riot and had to come check it out.”
“Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes. “Like you care what goes on in this town.”
“When it involves you, I do.”
“Why? So you can have a good laugh at my expense?”
“Well, that’s part of it, sure.”
“I’d prefer if you just left me alone.” It was all she could do not to grimace at how prissy and Marian the Librarian she sounded. She needed a Pop-Tart. Pronto.
She still had a hidden stash that her health-maniac mother and sister hadn’t found.
But no way she was stuffing her face in front of Luke.
“And I’d prefer not to leave you alone,” Luke replied, reaching to slip a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.
Help. She was coming completely undone here.
And okay, so it wasn’t entirely Luke’s fault. Her family was playing a huge factor in her unravelling. But Luke wasn’t helping matters any by tempting her to do something she’d regret.
She could still feel the warmth of his thumb brushing her lower lip from the night before. Feel his fingertips grazing her jaw. Both were minor incidents that didn’t merit the attention she’d given them.
He didn’t seem the least bit affected by her presence. Not that her outfit—khaki pants and navy polo shirt—would impress anyone. But he appeared to get a kick out of pushing her buttons, out of making fun of her. Was she just some big joke to him? Was that it?
“I don’t care what you prefer,” she said, belatedly getting back to his previous comment.
He raised one eyebrow. “No?”
“No. I’m tired of being pushed around in my own house, in my own backyard. If I say I don’t want something, then that’s what I mean. And if I say I like Cool Whip, then that’s also what I mean.”
“I like Cool Whip, too.” His voice turned rough-and-tumble sexy. “Spread all over you, it would be especially sweet.”
She had no comeback for that comment.
Which was the only reason it was quiet when her sister popped her head in the back door and said, “I hate to interrupt you two, but the media has arrived.”
Julia blinked. “What media?”
Skye shrugged. “Looked like the local CBS affiliate, but I didn’t pay that much attention to what was written on the side of the TV van. The reporter is a Diane Sawyer wannabe right down to the haircut and black turtleneck. She’s chatting with Sue Ellen now. She’s already spoken with Angel.”
“No!” Julia raced outside.
The glare of the spotlight pinpointed the reporter’s location immediately. She was speaking into the microphone. “The holidays are fast approaching. And here in Serenity Falls, a miracle may be unfolding.”
“This is my daughter Julia,” Angel told the reporter. “She’s a librarian.”
“Really? In that case, how would you classify today’s events?”
“As fiction.”
“You aren’t a believer, then?” the reporter asked.
“I believe this is all a big mistake.”
“There you have it.” The reporter returned the mike to her perfectly lip-lined mouth. “Two sides of this llama legend. A miracle? Or a mistake? This is
Similar Books
