Center Street to go home.
Unfortunately Josh couldnât walk as fast as she could drive and within moments she was gaining on him.
Speed up! she ordered herself. Get past him as quick as you can!
But, on its own, her foot went to the brake instead, slowing her down.
She barely managed to refrain from stopping completely and asking him again if he wanted a ride. But despite that, despite the fact that she succeeded in resisting the urge to have just a few more minutes withhim, it didnât change the fact that she wanted those few more minutes with him.
A few more minutes with him that might give her the chance for just one more kissâ¦.
Chapter 5
M EGANâS TEN OâCLOCK DATE with Josh to inter view her neighbors didnât come about. First he called to say he couldnât make it at ten because heâd had a call from the head of the Sheriffâs department and had to meet with him to update him on the case, that they would have to postpone their plans until the afternoon. Then he called at two to say the forensics report was in and he had to go over it with the medical examiner, that he still intended to talk to her neighbors today but that it wouldnât be until later. Megan had assured him she was avail able whenever he was ready.
The delays were good, she decided along the way. They gave her extra time to shore up her defenses against Joshâs appeal.
The delays also gave her time to wash her hair and twirl it up into a spiky topknot that she held in place with tiny clips. They gave her time to give herself a manicure. To press her ankle-length, flowing flowered skirt and the two T-shirts she wore with it. The delays even gave her time to try on beaded neck laces until she found just the right combination in three that picked upthe burnished red, cocoa brown, and autumn gold of her skirt.
But at four-thirty when Josh pulled up in front of her house and got out of his patrol car as she watched for him through the living room window, her whole dayâs worth of shoring up her defenses weakened.
Somehow, when he wasnât right there in front of her, she forgot just how great-looking he wasâall tall and muscular and broad-shouldered. She forgot just how powerfully handsome were those features carved in perfect sharp angles and planes. How striking were his deep, dark-blue eyes. How intriguing those lips that had kissed her the night beforeâ¦
Joshâs knock on the front door helped break her reverie and Megan took a deep breath as she went to answer it, trying to re-shore her crumbling defenses.
She didnât exhale until she had the door open and then she forced a nervous smile, hoping she couldâfor onceârise above the things he churned up in her with just a single glimpse of him.
âHi,â she greeted as she pushed on the screen door to invite him inside.
âIâm sorry for this,â he answered as he stepped across the thresh old, sounding harried. âI didnât mean to keep you hanging all day.â
âItâs okay. I under stand. And since I didnât have any acupuncture scheduled anyway, it was no big deal. I got some things taken care of around here.â
Ha! That was a joke. All sheâd done was get herself ready to see him again.
But she didnât want to think about that.
Josh went into the center of the room but he didnât sit down. He seemed too agitated, too preoccupied, to relax. Instead he just turned to Megan, his brow slightly furrowed.
âI donât suppose youâve heard from your parents yet, have you?â he asked then, still skipping any amenities.
âNo, I havenât,â Megan answered, indulging in the scent of after shave that had come in with him. But she realized even as she did that it wasnât helping her defenses any and wished he was wearing some thing that made him smell like swamp gas so it would turn her off rather than on.
âIâm taking some heat
Unfortunately Josh couldnât walk as fast as she could drive and within moments she was gaining on him.
Speed up! she ordered herself. Get past him as quick as you can!
But, on its own, her foot went to the brake instead, slowing her down.
She barely managed to refrain from stopping completely and asking him again if he wanted a ride. But despite that, despite the fact that she succeeded in resisting the urge to have just a few more minutes withhim, it didnât change the fact that she wanted those few more minutes with him.
A few more minutes with him that might give her the chance for just one more kissâ¦.
Chapter 5
M EGANâS TEN OâCLOCK DATE with Josh to inter view her neighbors didnât come about. First he called to say he couldnât make it at ten because heâd had a call from the head of the Sheriffâs department and had to meet with him to update him on the case, that they would have to postpone their plans until the afternoon. Then he called at two to say the forensics report was in and he had to go over it with the medical examiner, that he still intended to talk to her neighbors today but that it wouldnât be until later. Megan had assured him she was avail able whenever he was ready.
The delays were good, she decided along the way. They gave her extra time to shore up her defenses against Joshâs appeal.
The delays also gave her time to wash her hair and twirl it up into a spiky topknot that she held in place with tiny clips. They gave her time to give herself a manicure. To press her ankle-length, flowing flowered skirt and the two T-shirts she wore with it. The delays even gave her time to try on beaded neck laces until she found just the right combination in three that picked upthe burnished red, cocoa brown, and autumn gold of her skirt.
But at four-thirty when Josh pulled up in front of her house and got out of his patrol car as she watched for him through the living room window, her whole dayâs worth of shoring up her defenses weakened.
Somehow, when he wasnât right there in front of her, she forgot just how great-looking he wasâall tall and muscular and broad-shouldered. She forgot just how powerfully handsome were those features carved in perfect sharp angles and planes. How striking were his deep, dark-blue eyes. How intriguing those lips that had kissed her the night beforeâ¦
Joshâs knock on the front door helped break her reverie and Megan took a deep breath as she went to answer it, trying to re-shore her crumbling defenses.
She didnât exhale until she had the door open and then she forced a nervous smile, hoping she couldâfor onceârise above the things he churned up in her with just a single glimpse of him.
âHi,â she greeted as she pushed on the screen door to invite him inside.
âIâm sorry for this,â he answered as he stepped across the thresh old, sounding harried. âI didnât mean to keep you hanging all day.â
âItâs okay. I under stand. And since I didnât have any acupuncture scheduled anyway, it was no big deal. I got some things taken care of around here.â
Ha! That was a joke. All sheâd done was get herself ready to see him again.
But she didnât want to think about that.
Josh went into the center of the room but he didnât sit down. He seemed too agitated, too preoccupied, to relax. Instead he just turned to Megan, his brow slightly furrowed.
âI donât suppose youâve heard from your parents yet, have you?â he asked then, still skipping any amenities.
âNo, I havenât,â Megan answered, indulging in the scent of after shave that had come in with him. But she realized even as she did that it wasnât helping her defenses any and wished he was wearing some thing that made him smell like swamp gas so it would turn her off rather than on.
âIâm taking some heat
Similar Books
