Read Wedding Bell Blues for Free Online Page B

sleep.
    "Jess, I'm sorry. I didn't think." He lifted his mug of coffee
and
drank. "I really was trying to answer the phone before it woke you.
Then, when I heard your mother's voice, I didn't know what to do. I
sure couldn't hang up…even though I considered it."
    That I could believe, and I couldn't blame him. It was just
too bad
he hadn't followed his first instinct. My life would be much easier if
he had.
    "Well." I couldn't help it. I really couldn't. "She did say to
tell
you that you're more than welcome to come to church with us this
morning."
    His look of horror, coupled with the way he all but crawled
onto the
counter as though he was trying to escape the invitation brought a
painful smile to my lips. At least he hadn't forgotten what my mother
could be like. Maybe that would keep him from doing anything so foolish
again.
    Assuming there was an again, something I very much doubted.
    "No way." He shook his head emphatically. Then he glared as he
saw
my smile. "Sit down and eat." He jabbed a finger at one of the chairs
at the kitchen table.
    "Only if you do the same and answer a few questions."
    He stood there, head cocked to one side as he considered. Then
he
shrugged and turned to the counter. A moment later he slid a plate in
front of me before reaching for his own plate and sliding onto the
chair opposite mine.
    "What do you want to know?"
    I didn't reply right away. Instead, I tried the eggs,
surprised by
how good they were - and by how hungry I suddenly was. Then, realizing
he was waiting for me to say something, I swallowed and leaned back,
wondering where to begin.
    "Okay. First question, why did you stay the night?"
    He didn't answer right away. Instead, he leaned back and
closed his
eyes. Watching him, I frowned. He really did look as though he hadn't
managed to get much sleep. Concern sparked, at first just a little
flicker, but it quickly flared into something close to fear. Colton
might be a number of things but, first and foremost, he's a cop. Being
a cop is what brought him here last night. Is that also why he spent
the night after putting me to bed?
    Dear God, was he afraid Manny's killers would come after me?
    "Colton?" I prompted, my voice choked.
    "Jessie, you weren't in the best of shape last night and I was
worried," he finally said. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."
    "Is that the only reason? You're not holding out on me, are
you?"
    "What?" He looked truly perplexed by that and my fear eased a
bit.
"Of course, that's the only reason. Surely you know me well enough to
know I wouldn't have tried anything with you all but passed out on
meds."
    "What? No. That's not what I mean."
    Of course, he didn't hear me. Instead, all righteous
indignation, he
pushed away from the table and got to his feet. Damn it, he'd
misunderstood and now there'd be no dealing with him, at least not
until he got his precious ego under control.
    "I thought I was being considerate. But obviously you still
think
I'm without self-control or any sense of decency." He all but tossed
his plate and silverware into the sink and I cringed, hoping nothing
chipped. "I thought you might feel better if you woke during the night
and weren't alone. But I forgot you're superwoman and don't need anyone
or anything."
    "Colton!"
    Damn it! This was why I'd done my best to avoid him whenever
possible. We simply couldn't be in the same room for more than ten
minutes without things disintegrating into open warfare. Well, to hell
with it. This time he was wrong and I wasn't going to apologize.
    "One day, you're going to realize just how wrong you are…about
a lot of things."
    With that, he turned and stalked out of the kitchen. For a
moment, I
considered letting him leave. But I couldn't. Not when that spark of
fear still flickered deep inside me. Not when I still didn't know if
they had any new leads into who shot Manny. That meant I had to stop
him before he left and try to get him to calm down enough to talk.
    Great. Talk about the impossible