Read Irresistible Stranger for Free Online Page A

her to follow him.
    All right, all right, so she had more curiosity than could kill any cat. After a word with his kids, Griff led her into the so-called vault. “You can test one of the new flavors I’m experimenting with,” he said.
    She tasted. Then tasted again. The flavor had some peach, some pecan, some vanilla bean, some unique and tantalizing other flavor. She took another spoonful, thinking that when she left this darned town, she was going to be fatter than a pig.
    Which didn’t stop her from more taste testing, even as she turned in a slow circle, examining his “vault.”The room was long, clean as a new penny, all stainless steel and bright light. A one-way window supervised the shop—so that was how Griff knew exactly what was going on with the customers and kids—and inside were counters and a bunch of futuristic appliances she couldn’t identify. Ice-cream making equipment, obviously. She would have asked a dozen questions, except that Griff clearly was in the middle of something, had put on gloves, had some kind of quietly vibrating blender that he was supervising—so he got in his grilling first. “How’d your visit with the sheriff go?”
    â€œPretty much the same as the other times. I raised questions. He called me a fool. I thanked him.” She gave him more rave reviews for the new flavor, but he still had questions.
    â€œWhere are you going after this?”
    â€œI figured either the newspaper office or the library. Wherever I can dig into old copies of newspapers the easiest. I assume old editions will be available online—”
    â€œMaybe not online. But likely on microfiche.”
    â€œWhat’s microfiche?”
    He chuckled. “Spoken like a Yankee. We just don’t do technology at the same rate you northerners do, sugar.”
    â€œHey. Virginia isn’t north.”
    â€œIt is, compared to a small town in Georgia.”
    â€œBut I was born here. Don’t I get credit for being true Southern?”
    â€œWith those legs, in those short shorts, you can get all the credit you want.”
    She didn’t think he’d noticed. “Speaking of which…”
    â€œSpeaking of your legs, or of credit?”
    â€œCredit. You’ve been giving me a lot of free ice cream. I was thinking I should go the same path as the other women in town and fall at your feet.”
    His eyebrows lifted. “I like your thinking.”
    â€œSo…I’m asking you to dinner.” Actually, Lily had no intention of walking in here and making that suggestion, but now that it was out, she was going with it.
    â€œHmm. I’m guessing you’ve been stuck with restaurant food since you got here. So how about dinner at my place?”
    â€œThat’d be okay—but it doesn’t solve the problem of my being in debt to you.”
    â€œI don’t need to solve that problem. I love women in debt to me.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Your place. But I cook—to erase the ice-cream debt.”
    â€œThis is sounding complicated. On the other hand, I like complicated. How about if I pick you up from Louella’s around five. We can grocery and wine shop together. Then go back to my place and sip something tall and lazy while you cook.”
    â€œA reasonably good plan,” she said, “except for not knowing where you live.”
    â€œClose enough for you to walk home if I come on too strong, sugar.”
    Â 
    Several hours later, Lily was just starting to seriously consider that question. It seemed unlikely that Griff would actually come on at all—much less, come on too strong. Yeah, there’d been those kisses on the darkveranda, but maybe she’d built those up in her mind. Unlike her sisters, she’d never attracted a hot kind of guy. Good men, yes. Gentle guys, decent guys with all the important boy scout qualities—but never scoundrels.
    At least other women seemed