Badland Bride (Book 2 - Dakota Hearts) by Lisa Mondello Read Free Book Online Page A

handle that.” Even as she tried to downplay the importance of this dinner, Regis struggled with the idea of actually going through with it. Still, her palms were sweaty and her heart was pounding through her chest as she pushed the car door open.
    She checked her reflection in the mirror for the umpteenth time since she’d left the motel, unable to stop thinking about the man she was going to meet. It wasn't just that Keith McKinnon was incredibly handsome. He was, and what was so charming was that, despite him teasing her about it the day they met, he didn’t seem to realize just how handsome he was. But she had met plenty of good-looking men over the years. The bases she’d lived on all over the world had provided lots of teenage crushes, and one hell of a heartbreak that was difficult to think about even now.
    But none of them had ever stuck in her mind the way Keith McKinnon has. There was just something about the man that had kept her awake last night. And it wasn’t just the constant replay of the kiss at the mill the other day. It would have been easy to blame her sleepless night on pain in her leg. But that hadn’t been the source of her restlessness last night. And as Keith had predicted, her leg was feeling a whole lot better today to the point where she hardly noticed it at all.
    Days ago she’d seen him pull into the parking lot and walk up the ramp toward her. It shouldn’t have been a big deal, but the memory made her flush with heat. Just remember the look on his face and the way she’d reacted…she’d made a fool of herself. And after her reaction to his kiss, she was convinced she was still making a fool of herself.
    Regis walked up the ramp until she reached the landing, and then pushed the door open. The warm air from the office hit her in the face as she stepped inside.
    Nancy smiled knowingly when she saw her. “There’s the girl of the hour.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “Never mind,” Keith said. “Nancy was just on her way out.”
    “Am I late?”
    Nancy chuckled. “Depends on whose clock you’re looking at. How’s that leg?”
    “Hasn’t fallen off yet.”
    Nancy laughed harder. “Sense of humor is there. That’s always a good sign.” She touched Regis on the shoulder as she passed to the door. “Enjoy your evening.”
    Regis waited for Nancy to step outside before turning to Keith.
    “What was that all about?”
    “Nothing. Nancy is a good friend of my mother’s and the two of them have been trying to get me married off since I was twelve. They’re hoping some nice girl will tame me.”
    “Is that so?”
    “That seems to be the plan.”
    “But you’re against the idea. Marriage that is.”
    He thought about it a second. “No. I just don’t believe in putting the cart before the horse. I don’t want to get married just to get married.”
    “That’s a recipe for disaster for everyone left behind.”
    He stopped what he was doing mid-motion. “Sounds like you’re talking from personal experience.”
    She hadn’t realized she’d said that last part out loud. “You promised me homemade pizza,” she said, changing the subject.
    He frowned and her stomach fell. “I did. But we may have a problem.”
    “After all your convincing for me to come to dinner, you’re backing out?”
    “Not a chance. But apparently a pipe burst at the school they’re using as an emergency shelter, and while a lot of the displaced people have temporary housing, there are still people there, and they need to be fed.”
    She looked out the window and saw the diner lights on and the parking lot full of cars. “The diner looks packed.”
    “Yeah, but the diner isn’t big enough to handle it all. Mom said they needed a place for overflow and the only place big enough to handle it that was close enough to the diner is my place. So my kitchen is in full use. There are a lot of hands helping out tonight.”
    “We don’t have to do this tonight,” she said.
    He gave her an irresistible half