Dealers of Light by Lara Nance Read Free Book Online Page B

in a minute. Cara wandered over to a group of worn, plump easy chairs and loveseat gathered in front of an unlit fireplace. She crossed to the tall bookshelf behind the loveseat and fingered a few spines before pulling out a book to study the back cover. The Healing Gift of Crystals . Interesting.
    S ettling onto the sofa, she let her purse strap fall off her shoulder and flipped through the book. Many people believed crystals had magical properties, and, although she’d never used them in healing, the information here fascinated her. Maybe she ought to give crystals a try.
    Amber strolled up with a tray containing a pot of tea and four warm apple-cranberry muffins. She placed the tray on the small table positioned in the middle of the seating group and poured two cups of steaming tea. Cinnamon with a hint of nutmeg wafted through the air. Cara’s stomach growled and she discarded her book, dropping it onto the seat beside her.
    “ Mmm .” She crumbled the warm muffin in her fingers and Amber handed her a cup of tea. “These are great,” Cara mumbled between bites.
    “ Being vegetarian isn’t all bad,” Amber reminded her for the four hundredth time. “Are you feeling okay today?”
    Cara swallowed. “Yeah. If I don’t think about Emmie, Tom, and what happened to Marc I’m just super great fantastic.”
    Amber gave a sympathetic pout. “A h, honey, I’m sorry so much happened to you yesterday. Bad enough thinking about all the…stuff with Marc. Thank God, it’s been a busy morning here which helped me not think about you-know-what.”
    “Let’s continue not thinking about it. I want to have a pleasant day off.” Cara finished her muffin and licked her fingers for the last few crumbs. Not thinking about things was a good solution , she decided. If you didn’t think about them, you didn’t have to deal with them. Perfect .
    Amber chuckled. “You can have another, you know.”
    “No, one is plenty. I was thinking about going to the salon for a massage. ” She rolled her shoulders. “I think it would help my stress.” If she stayed really, really busy, everything would be fine.
    “That’s a good idea. I wish I had time to go with you, but a delivery from the farmer’s market is due soon. I can’t leave Susan here by herself.”
    Bells over the door tinkled as a few customers strolled in. Amber greeted them all by name. She placed her tea cup in the saucer and pointed to the book beside Cara. “Enjoy your book. I’ll be back after I help them.”
    Cara sipped her rose-hip tea and closed her eyes, savoring the spicy aroma . She melted into the comfy, old stuffed couch and sighed. The bells jingled again and she opened her eyes to see who’d entered. Her gaze met the stare of a tall, striking man. He paused in the doorway, ice-blue eyes boring into hers, his hand still on the doorknob. Those eyes mesmerized her, compelling her like a hypnotist’s might. Several seconds passed before he blinked a few times and turned his gaze to survey the rest of the store.
    She swallowed but her mouth had gone dry. A tingling sensation spread over her body. He stood so tall and commanding, the room shrunk in his presence. His stark raven hair sprouted up in a spiky crew cut. Black must be his favorite color: black T-shirt, black leather jacket, and black jeans with a silver belt. Even his shoes were black Italian loafers. He strode across the shop in her direction. Like a prowling panther, his powerful muscles shifted beneath his clothing. She sank back in her seat.
    He paused a few feet from her and raised both eyebrows. Then he redirected his path to the bookshelf and leaned forward with his hands behind him, scanning the titles. She let out the breath she’d been holding. His aristocratic bearing was at odds with the laid back, hippy style décor of the health food store and the typical patrons she encountered here. The man slowly made his way down the entire length of bookcase. As he passed behind the couch