Read Sidelines (Wounded Hearts #1) for Free Online Page A

time to start questioning his family or let his family know that this wasn’t the time to break out the baby books.
    “Well, that’s awfully kind of you, but you don’t have to—”
    “I’d like to. Please.” I interrupt Jillian. A wide-eyed, surprised look crosses Logan’s sister’s face as she tries to communicate something to her big brother. Logan’s jaw ticks again as he gives his sister a sharp, impassive look.
    “Alrighty then. What do you know about gardens?” Jillian asks, taking my arm and leading me toward the corner of the land this side of the fence. A fairly large vegetable garden marked off with what looks like thin, wired fencing sits in a space of land between the back of the house and where a wooden fence meets the barn.
    “Um, the basics. Seed goes in the dirt, make sure it gets plenty of water and sunlight and when the vegetable looks ripe, you can pick it.”
    Lucy chuckles at my simplicity. “That’s about right.”
    Jillian smiles amusedly too. “Well the wind sure has done a number on our pea plants. Think you could help us brace some of the larger plants up?”
    “Show me what you need me to do. I’m a fast learner.” Both ladies seem delighted to have me here to help, but the feeling of someone watching us makes me turn to find Logan standing where we left him, his feet spread apart and his sculpted arms crossed over his chest.
    “Ignore him,” Lucy tells me as she opens the little gate to the garden and picking up a bucket that hangs from the fence. “He’s…”
    “Lucy.” Jillian halts her from whatever she was going to say, shooting her a stern look.
    “What? I was just going to say he’s overprotective. You’re not here to dig up some dirt that isn’t here, are you Allie?”
    Both women stare at me, desperation that I’m not here to smear Logan’s good name written all over their face.
    “No, I’m not. I’m here to help with this garden. And later, when the timing is better, I’ll have a few questions about him for everyone. But now’s not the time. So show me what I can do to help.”
    Lucy turns a triumphant grin to her mother before heading down the side of the garden toward a row of bushes. Jillian doesn’t smile, but nods her head, accepting my answer for the time being. Ten minutes later, I’m helping Lucy fill a bucket full of snap beans and holding up bent over bushes so Jillian can plant a wooden stake in the ground next to them and tie them up so they stand erect. As we move onto a row of cantaloupe and the girls proceed to tell me how the melons need to be turned to keep from molding, another set of car doors slam and a few minutes later, a tall girl with hair as red as Jillian’s and a young man who looks like he could be the star quarterback on the local high school team walk hand in hand toward the John Deere where Logan and his father are working with a group of guys to wrap a chain around the large tree.
    I get distracted for a second and watch as the girl wraps her arms around Logan while he only uses on arm to hug her back. He reaches out and shakes the young man’s hand. Even from sixty yards away, I can tell that Logan’s still surly and he seems to be taking it out on the kid.
    “Who’s that?” I ask, forgetting that I’m not supposed to be in investigative mode.
    “Emma and Owen,” Lucy says, not registering that I wouldn’t know who they could be.
    “Logan’s other sister and her boyfriend. They were in San Antonio when the storm blew through. I’ll be right back.” Jillian gets up off the ground without any preamble and leaves me and Lucy to continue working. I try to get back to work, but my inquisitive mind won’t let me tear my eyes away from Jillian as she hugs her daughter.
    “So how long are you going to be in Walker?” Lucy’s sing-song voice asks, finally pulling my attention back to the garden.
    “Um, a few weeks. I have a long list of people who I’d like to talk to.”
    “Good luck with that.” Lucy