Calico Cross by DeAnna Kinney Read Free Book Online Page B

within ten miles of here,” he snapped. He didn’t say another word as he spun and headed for his truck.
    Blake and I both watched as Dane jumped in his truck, slammed the door, and sped out of the parking lot.
    I turned to Blake. “Are you all right?”
    He nodded and straightened out his shirt.
    “I’m sorry about that. For some reason he thinks you’re bad news. Probably because of Creed.”
    He laughed slightly. “Yeah, that’s probably it. I guess I don’t blame him for that. It’s no problem. He didn’t hurt me or anything.”
    “Did you say something to him, you know, to set him off?” I had to ask.
    “No,” he responded quickly. “He just jumped me the moment he spotted me.”
    I clinched my fists tight, the anger boiling inside. Why Dane thought he had to protect me was beyond me. We hardly even knew each other, and we certainly didn’t like each other all that much. At every turn his behavior continued to confuse and annoy me.
    When we arrived at my home, Blake walked me to the door. No one was home from work yet. I reached for the doorknob when Blake took a hold of my hand. Uh oh .             
    He turned me toward him. “Cali, I really like you a lot. I’m sort of hoping you’ll let me spend more time getting to know you better.” And then he leaned in toward me, his lips inching closer and closer.
    My eyes grew wide, and then the porch swing to our left dropped from its hinges to the floor. We both jumped. I grabbed my throat that had suddenly seemed to hold my heart.
    “What is going on around here?!” Blake barked. “Is this house haunted or something?”
    Or something was right. “Umm…weeeell…”
    “I’ll call you later on,” he said as he backed cautiously off of the porch. He was then in his car and driving out of the driveway before I could even wave goodbye.
    “Whew! I owe you guys one. Now, please fix the swing back,” I said into the air and then burst into a roaring laughter.
    I was still laughing as I walked into the kitchen and made myself a turkey and cheese sandwich. I was taking my last bite when I entered my bedroom to change my clothes.
    I pulled my shirt off over my head and tossed it across the room and onto my chair in the corner. I stripped my jeans off and flung them off of my last foot they were desperately trying to hang onto. They landed somewhere near the door of the bathroom. I spun and my eyes immediately went to the window and that’s when I noticed ‘the savage’ standing in front of his garden, across the way.
    I gasped and dove onto the bed and pulled the covers over my nakedness. I stared out the window and then sighed when I realized he wasn’t looking my way.
    I dressed quickly and took a seat by the window and watched him work in his garden for the next hour, hoping he would cut his hand off with his pruning shears.
     
    * * * * * *
     
    Dane’s POV
     
    I had to concentrate really hard not to cut myself with my pruning shears knowing Calico was watching every move I was making from her bedroom window. I was tempted to stand up and wave, but that might alarm her, especially since she had no idea just how good my eyesight really was.
                  I chuckled to myself as I continued to pull and prune the stubborn weeds. I might need a cold shower when I’m finished.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Eleven
     
     
    I spent most of the night fuming. That crazy Dane Savage was really getting under my skin. His behavior was more than annoying. It was turning downright out of control.
    My sisters had decided that they wanted to stay in town and grab some dinner after work. That was fine by me. I wasn’t really in the mood for conversation anyway.
    I opened the freezer and surveyed my choices for dinner. I decided on a steak and cheese hot pocket, my favorite. I stuck it in the microwave and poured me a drink. 
    The buzzer to the microwave rang and I took my food and drink to the living room. I plopped