Read Only You for Free Online Page B
Authors: Deborah Grace Stanley
darkness toward her neighbor’s house. “Miss Estelee?”
“Howdy-do, Josie,” she said.
“Is everything all right?”
“Right as rain. The cold’s kept me cooped up so long, I missed lookin’ at the stars, so I thought I’d rock a spell.” Her old chair creaked with the motion. “You workin’ late again?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Who’s that with you there?”
“It’s me, Miss Estelee. Cole Craig.”
“Oh, howdy-do, Cole. You still fixin’ things for Josie?”
“Uh, no. Just seein’ she gets home safe.”
“That’s a nice boy. She needs tendin’. Well, gittin’ late. Time for an old lady to be in bed.” The squeak of her rocking chair stopped as she rose slowly to her feet. Her silver-blue hair glinted in the moonlight as she peered over the porch railing at them.
“Is there anything I can do for you, ma’am?” Cole asked.
“Oh, no. You two young’uns enjoy your evenin’ now, hear?”
“Good night, Miss Estelee,” Josie said.
“Night…” her voice trailed off. The bang of a screen door announced that she’d retreated into the house. Josie wondered what Miss Estelee would read into Cole Craig “seein’ her home.” People shouldn’t get the wrong idea. She regretted the thought almost immediately. Why did she care what people thought? Just because most people on the Ridge thought that way didn’t mean she had to.
She retrieved the keys from her purse and unlocked the door. Luckily, the lock wasn’t temperamental tonight. She opened the door and reached inside to turn on the foyer light. Josie leaned against the doorframe, not inviting Cole in. She held the bag containing Dixie’s apple pie between them like a buffer.
“So, what are you doin’ tomorrow?” he asked.
“Working. What else is there?”
“You know,” he trailed a finger down her cheek, “there’s a whole world outside books just waitin’ for you to explore it.”
Her cheek tingled where he’d touched her. She liked the feeling. Explore the world. For the first time in her life, she’d been thinking the exact same thing, but she wouldn’t admit it. Thoughts like that led to distractions she couldn’t afford. Not now.
“Maybe I’ll get to that some day.” Her voice sounded weak.
Where was her resolve? All she could think was that it wouldn’t take much for him to lean down and kiss her. In fact, the way he focused on her mouth seemed to indicate that was just what he intended. If he did, she had a feeling it wouldn’t be nearly as disgusting as when Martin had kissed her. Cole’s kiss would be unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
Cole rested a hand on the doorframe near her head bringing his tempting body even closer to hers. “After you deal with your problems at the library?”
Problems at the library? She nearly missed his meaning when all she could think about was what it would be like if he did kiss her. “Yes . . . library . . . problems . . . yes.”
He smoothed the backs of his fingers from her cheek down to her chin. “You’ll work it out, Josie. I have no doubt.”
Mesmerizing. He had the most mesmerizing eyes.
“And when you do, I’ll expect you to take me to dinner. Since you didn’t have to buy tonight, you still owe me.”
“ Mmm .” She moistened suddenly dry lips with the tip of her tongue.
Finally, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. A too brief caress that ended almost as soon as it began. “Goodnight, Josie Lee.”
She watched him turn and walk away. Disappointment left a hollow feeling inside her. She shifted from one foot to the other. She didn’t want him to go, but she knew he should before she lost all sense of any kind of resolve she might have a tenuous grip on. Still, she called out, “Cole?”
He stopped on the bottom step and looked back up at her. Silhouetted in the glow of her porch light, he looked like an angel come down to earth.
She held out the bag of pie. “Why don’t you take this?”
“You keep it. For those
“Howdy-do, Josie,” she said.
“Is everything all right?”
“Right as rain. The cold’s kept me cooped up so long, I missed lookin’ at the stars, so I thought I’d rock a spell.” Her old chair creaked with the motion. “You workin’ late again?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Who’s that with you there?”
“It’s me, Miss Estelee. Cole Craig.”
“Oh, howdy-do, Cole. You still fixin’ things for Josie?”
“Uh, no. Just seein’ she gets home safe.”
“That’s a nice boy. She needs tendin’. Well, gittin’ late. Time for an old lady to be in bed.” The squeak of her rocking chair stopped as she rose slowly to her feet. Her silver-blue hair glinted in the moonlight as she peered over the porch railing at them.
“Is there anything I can do for you, ma’am?” Cole asked.
“Oh, no. You two young’uns enjoy your evenin’ now, hear?”
“Good night, Miss Estelee,” Josie said.
“Night…” her voice trailed off. The bang of a screen door announced that she’d retreated into the house. Josie wondered what Miss Estelee would read into Cole Craig “seein’ her home.” People shouldn’t get the wrong idea. She regretted the thought almost immediately. Why did she care what people thought? Just because most people on the Ridge thought that way didn’t mean she had to.
She retrieved the keys from her purse and unlocked the door. Luckily, the lock wasn’t temperamental tonight. She opened the door and reached inside to turn on the foyer light. Josie leaned against the doorframe, not inviting Cole in. She held the bag containing Dixie’s apple pie between them like a buffer.
“So, what are you doin’ tomorrow?” he asked.
“Working. What else is there?”
“You know,” he trailed a finger down her cheek, “there’s a whole world outside books just waitin’ for you to explore it.”
Her cheek tingled where he’d touched her. She liked the feeling. Explore the world. For the first time in her life, she’d been thinking the exact same thing, but she wouldn’t admit it. Thoughts like that led to distractions she couldn’t afford. Not now.
“Maybe I’ll get to that some day.” Her voice sounded weak.
Where was her resolve? All she could think was that it wouldn’t take much for him to lean down and kiss her. In fact, the way he focused on her mouth seemed to indicate that was just what he intended. If he did, she had a feeling it wouldn’t be nearly as disgusting as when Martin had kissed her. Cole’s kiss would be unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
Cole rested a hand on the doorframe near her head bringing his tempting body even closer to hers. “After you deal with your problems at the library?”
Problems at the library? She nearly missed his meaning when all she could think about was what it would be like if he did kiss her. “Yes . . . library . . . problems . . . yes.”
He smoothed the backs of his fingers from her cheek down to her chin. “You’ll work it out, Josie. I have no doubt.”
Mesmerizing. He had the most mesmerizing eyes.
“And when you do, I’ll expect you to take me to dinner. Since you didn’t have to buy tonight, you still owe me.”
“ Mmm .” She moistened suddenly dry lips with the tip of her tongue.
Finally, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. A too brief caress that ended almost as soon as it began. “Goodnight, Josie Lee.”
She watched him turn and walk away. Disappointment left a hollow feeling inside her. She shifted from one foot to the other. She didn’t want him to go, but she knew he should before she lost all sense of any kind of resolve she might have a tenuous grip on. Still, she called out, “Cole?”
He stopped on the bottom step and looked back up at her. Silhouetted in the glow of her porch light, he looked like an angel come down to earth.
She held out the bag of pie. “Why don’t you take this?”
“You keep it. For those
Similar Books
The Trouble With J.J.
Tami Hoag
Vixen
Jessica Sims
Across the Line (In The Zone)
Kate Willoughby
Last Call (Stranded in the Stars Book 1)
Naomi Lucas
Wings of Fire
Caris Roane
The Shadow of the Torturer
Gene Wolfe
Rise of the Heroes
Andy Briggs
The Nightmare Game
S. Suzanne Martin