Dodge the Bullet by Christy Hayes Read Free Book Online

she stepped onto
the deck.
    “The steaks are almost ready.”
    “Great.” Sarah could feel Dodge studying her
curiously. “I can tell you want to ask me something,” she said to
break his stare. “You may as well just spit it out. If I don’t want
to answer, I’ll tell you to mind your own business like you did a
few minutes ago when I asked about your family.” What was it about
him that made her so sassy? Why did talking to him without a
concern for what he thought feel so liberating?
    “Are you sure you’re from the South?”
    “Why do you ask?”
    Dodge laughed and shook his head. “You’ve
just about ruined every stereotype I’ve ever had about southern
women.”
    “Sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m a born
and bred southerner, although my family’s never owned a rebel flag.
Not everyone from the south has southern accents, you know.”
    “You’ve got a little flavor to your voice,
but not much.”
    “I’m from the suburbs. Metro Atlanta’s a
melting pot of northern subcultures.”
    “So the south is full of yankee implants?
How delightful.”
    “Spoken like a true southerner. Where’d you
get your southern state of mind?”
    “I’ve traveled in the Northeast enough to
know I don’t ever want to live there.” Dodge moved to the
grill.
    “You don’t like talking about yourself much
do you?” She noticed for the second time that he’d stopped talking
the moment the conversation moved in his direction.
    “How do you like your steak?”
    Sarah just stared at him. Why did he keep
everything so close to the vest?
    “Too late for rare,” he said as he poked at
the smaller of the two. “I hope medium’s okay.”
    “Medium’s fine.” She went inside to get a
plate for the steaks.
    ###
    When Sarah turned her back and to go into
the cabin, Dodge let the smile he’d been trying to hide creep
across his face. Damn, that was one meddlesome woman. Most women
simply bored or annoyed him to death, but there was something her
he found very amusing. Maybe it was because he frustrated her so
much. She couldn’t seem to hide her displeasure with him and for
some reason he felt highly entertained by her reaction. He wasn’t
usually so ill-mannered with women, but she seemed to see right
through the malarkey he fed most people to keep them at a distance.
He’d gotten kind of used to being smarter than most of the people
around town. He needed to be on his toes around the alluring Mrs.
Woodward.
    “I’m sorry,” she said as she emerged from
the cabin and handed him a plate, “for being rude to you.” Dodge
looked up but said nothing. “People at home have been patronizingly
nice to me since Todd’s death. I’ve gotten in the very bad habit of
being disrespectful to people to break through their pity.” She
fidgeted with her hands before shoving them in the back pockets of
her jeans. “Please don’t take my behavior as a personal
insult.”
    Dodge smiled at her over the rim of his
beer. “Sarah, I’m pretty used to being talked down to by most of
the folks here in town. I don’t take any offense to the way you
talk. I’d much rather someone speak honest than sugar coat the
truth any day.” He ushered her inside the French doors and set the
plate brimming with steak down on the counter.
    Sarah took the bar seat that Dodge pulled
out for her before taking his own seat. “Why do the people here
talk down to you?”
    Damn, he shouldn’t have let that slip. He
needed to watch his tongue. “No reason in particular.” She’d hear
all about it soon enough and he was too hungry to ruin a good meal
with talk of his sordid past.
    Sarah cut her steak into a fourth its
original size and placed the remainder on the platter. She did seem
to be enjoying what little was left on her plate. He looked down to
see he’d demolished most of his meal without much thought or
appreciation.
    “What is this you put on the steak?” he
asked.
    She looked up from her plate, glanced at his
and laughed.