Cordinas Crown Jewel by Nora Roberts Read Free Book Online Page B

rest of her real name was, had class as well as looks. He didn’t like the fact that her easy grace made him feel nasty for wanting to boot her along.
    “Sure. No problem.” Even as he spoke, he heard the sound of a car bumping down his lane. Rising, he went out to see who the hell else was going to bother him.
    Camilla walked to the window. The instant she saw the car marked Sheriff, she backed up again. Police, she thought uneasily, were trained observers. She preferred avoiding direct contact.
    Del caught her quick move out of the corner of his eye, frowned over it, then stepped outside.
    “Hey there, Del.” Sheriff Larry Risener was middle-aged, athletic and soft-spoken. Del had known him since he’d been a boy.
    “Sheriff.”
    “Just doing a check. Whopping storm last night. Power and phones are out for most of the county.”
    “Including here. Any word when we’ll have it back?”
    “Well.” Risener smiled, scratched his cheek. “You know.”
    “Yeah. I know.”
    “Saw a compact sedan in a ditch a few miles down the road here. Rental car. Looks like somebody had some trouble in the storm.”
    “That’s right.” Del leaned on the doorjamb of the mudroom. “I came along just after it happened. Couldn’t call for a tow. Driver bunked here last night. I was about to drive down to Carl’s, see what he can do about it.”
    “All right then. Didn’t want to think some tourist was wandering around in the woods somewhere. I can radio Carl’s place, give him the location. Save you a trip that way, and he can swing by and let you know what’s what.”
    “I’d appreciate that.”
    “Okay then. How’re you doing? The shoulder and all.”
    “It’s better. Only hurts like a bitch about half the time now.”
    “Bet. You hear from your folks?”
    “Not in about a week.”
    “You give them my regards when you do,” Risener said as he strolled back to his cruiser. “My youngest still prizes those fossils your mother gave him.”
    “I’ll do that.” Del waited until the cruiser eased down the lane and out of sight. Then he simply turned, aware Camilla had stepped into the mudroom behind him. “Are you in trouble with the law?”
    “No.” Surprise at the question had her voice jumping, just a little. “No, of course not,” she added firmly.
    When he turned those green eyes were sharp, fully focused on her face. “Don’t string me along.”
    She folded her hands, calmed herself. “I haven’t broken any laws. I’m not in trouble with or wanted by any authorities. I’m simply traveling, that’s all, and prefer not to explain to the police that I don’t have any particular destination.”
    Her voice was steady now, and her gaze clear and level. If she was a liar, Del thought, she was a champ. Atthe moment it was easier to take her word.
    “All right. It’ll take Carl a good hour to get to your car and swing by here. Find something to do. I’ve got work.”
    “Delaney.” She knew she should thank him for taking her word, but part of her was still insulted he’d questioned it. Still, she owed him for what he’d done—and she always paid her debts. “I imagine it’s difficult for you to compile your notes and papers one-handed. I have two, and I’d be happy to lend them out for an hour.”
    He didn’t want her underfoot. That was number one. But the fact was, he wasn’t getting a hell of a lot done on his own. And if he had his eye on her, she couldn’t go around tidying up his papers behind his back. “Can you use a keyboard?”
    “Yes.”
    He frowned at her hands. Soft, he thought. The kind that were accustomed to weekly manicures. He doubted they’d do him much good, but it was frustrating to try to transcribe with only five working fingers.
    “All right, just … sit down or something. And don’t touch anything,” he added as he walked out of the room.
    He came back with a laptop computer. “Battery’s good for a couple of hours. I’ve got backups, but we won’t need