California Dream by Kara Jorges Read Free Book Online

Angeles to Minneapolis, to the address where he had figured out she worked.
    He could have flown, of course, but Roddy liked to drive, and he needed to clear his head. He couldn’t think of a better method of doing so than pushing his Maserati past 100 miles an hour every chance he got along the way.
    Even when he was minding his own business, Roddy couldn’t avoid publicity, though. When he got a speeding ticket in Kansas, it made the evening entertainment news and a quick spot on MTV. Wryly, he noticed it helped his record stay at number one.
    It seemed an eternity had passed since he had last beheld the Minneapolis skyline. Seeing it again, he realized he was finally only minutes away from the woman who had haunted his dreams for two months. It made him feel sixteen again, the way he felt after he played his first high school dance so long ago, and that brought a smile to his lips. He had the feeling this trip to Minneapolis would also have a major impact on his life, and his foot pressed harder on the accelerator in anticipation.

Chapter six
     
    Lee’s heart leapt to her throat when she saw Roddy in the library, casually leaned against a magazine rack. The library didn’t get many visits from men wearing custom-made white leather pants that fit like a second skin. Lee also knew she would have recognized his rattlesnake boots anywhere. Roddy’s hair was caught under a bandanna tied over the top of his head, and when he smiled at her, she thought he looked good enough to eat.
    One thought kept reverberating through her mind: he was there for her.
    She had a few seconds to drink in the sight of him before he noticed her, and she felt a warm rush as she watched him flipping carelessly through an issue of Rolling Stone.
    “Hello,” she said a bit unsteadily on her approach. “May I help you?”
    In response, Roddy set aside the magazine in seeming slow motion and then sauntered up to her, stopping just inches away. He frowned, and Lee wondered what was wrong until he wordlessly reached up behind her and set her hair free from the severe bun in which she’d had it confined.
    “That’s better,” he said with a smile. “It’s a crime to hide such beautiful hair.”
    Lee knew she should have been outraged at the gesture, but found herself smiling back instead.
    He gave her a long, slow appraisal, taking in her prim white blouse and knee-length gray skirt. He finally said, “You look different.”
    “Like a librarian?”
    He smiled. “Yeah. I like your green jacket better.”
    “You look just the same,” Lee found her voice again to say.
    His wry grin tore at her heartstrings. “Goes with the job. I get to wear whatever I want.”
    They just stood there, smiling stupidly at each other, completely at a loss for words for several long seconds.
    “It was you all along,” Lee finally said to break the silence.
    “What, the flowers?”
    “Of course.”
    He smiled devilishly. “Nope, that wasn’t me. Must’ve been someone else.”
    She smiled back. “How did you find me?”
    “I have my ways.”
    “You really had me going with the flowers. I never would have thought in a million years it was you. I can’t believe you even remembered me, and I didn’t even tell you my name.”
    “I know.” Roddy’s voice was soft, and his eyes intense.
    Lee stared back, curious. “How did you find me out?”
    He shrugged. “I cheated.” He pulled her much-handled deposit slip out of his shirt pocket.
    Lee felt herself frown, and she took a step back, after snatching the offending slip of paper out of his fingers.
    “You went through my purse!” The accusation lacked amusement of any kind.
    Roddy seemed shocked by her reaction, no doubt unused to women who complained about anything he did.
    “I’m sorry,” he said simply. “Are you more upset I had to go through your purse, or that I found out who you are?”
    That took the wind out of her sails, and Lee felt a little thrill creeping into her belly.
    “I