Read Know When to Hold Him for Free Online

took Anita up on the offer to use the house phone and call the office.
    “Rainey White,” her friend chirped.
    “Hey, it’s me.”
    “Spencer? Where are you? What happened? Are you okay?”
    Spencer rolled her eyes. “I’m fine.”
    “This isn’t your number. What number is this?”
    “This is the Buchanan land line. My cell phone took a swim in the pool, so it’s temporarily disabled.” A strange, muffled sound came through the speaker. “Rainey?” Spencer asked, not sure if the sound was typical for a landline. “Are you there?”
    There was a squeak and a “MMm-hmm” and the sound of whispers. “So you were thrown in the pool?” Rainey asked, a bit loudly. Another squeak. Spencer sighed.
    “Put Nora on speaker. I hear her laughing.”
    “Not laughing!” Came Nora’s breathless voice over the speaker phone. “Just sad for you. No cell phone at JT Buchanan’s birthday party. What ever will you do?”
    A flash of a shirtless, wet Liam raced through Spencer’s mind. “Well, I can’t leave yet, I haven’t had any cake.” Spencer drawled. “How are things there?”
    As Rainey had promised, the business had managed without Spencer’s guidance for twelve hours. “Good,” Spencer said. “Have I gotten any personal calls? Since my phone drowned and all.” Another flash–of Liam dropping said dunked phone into her hand, the water rolling off the back of his long, tanned fingers. Distracted once again by thought of his body, she didn’t pay much attention to Nora.
    Glancing down at her wrinkled clothing, she decided it was time to make herself a bit more presentable.
    …
    The Buchanan ranch house had grown quiet about four o’clock in the afternoon, as guests returned to their rooms to sleep off their beers and shower and change for round two. Liam showered quickly, throwing on a favorite college T-shirt and his best jeans.
    For the fortieth time that afternoon, Spencer’s face flashed through his mind. Not that he was super religious, but it seemed kind of like a miracle that she’d walked out on the pool deck like that, a vision in white with legs that went on forever. And she’d literally been thrown into his arms.
    If that wasn’t a sign, Liam didn’t know what was.
    This woman was different. He’d seen it at the party the other night. Knocked down, she came right back up, ready to fight or, alternatively, take care of business in a scarily efficient way.
    There was a toughness to her, as well. After being thrown in a pool, many women would have shrieked, or stormed off, or shrunk into a corner, bemoaning their ruined hairdo or makeup. Spencer laughed it off, played it cool, and calmly informed the dunking perpetrator that he’d have to replace her phone. And he’d said yes. Liam bet that most men agreed to do whatever Spencer told them to do. After having held her in his arms, he knew he’d be putty in her hands, too. Willingly. Often. Nightly, in fact.
    He headed down to the party, feeling better than he had in months.
    …
    Ten of JT’s closest friends had gathered in the large great room of the ranch house, overlooking a valley and a breathtaking spring sunset. A buffet of barbeque brisket, beans, coleslaw, rolls, and cobbler was laid out, and most of the guests were pouring themselves drinks at the well-stocked bar in the corner of the room.
    Spencer sat quietly on the hearth of the large stone fireplace that anchored one end of the room. JT settled himself next to her. “I can see you plotting.”
    Spencer shook her head. “Not plotting. Assessing.”
    “Assessing what?”
    Spencer used her glass to point to the group at the bar. “Your future political donors.”
    “These are my friends, Spence,” JT sighed. She ignored him as she continued to analyze the room.
    “There are three close relatives to Texas presidents. Two of your friends are related to people who control approximately one-third of the crude petroleum in the United States. There are five Colorado winter