Emily and the Stranger by Beverly Barton Read Free Book Online

this much of a romantic optimist after losing her husband and living through a horrible nightmare, then perhaps her life hadn't been ruined. Perhaps she had found happiness again. "You're obviously a romantic. Your books must fill children's heads with a lot of pie-in-the-sky ideas."
    "Not really. At least not yet. I'm still in the preparation stages for my Hannah books."
    "So you're not published?"
    "Not yet, but hopefully, someday." Laying down the pad, she punched the Off button on the cassette player. "Would you like to sit down and get out of the sun?" Emily patted the large tulip quilt on which she sat. She had wanted to meet this man for over a month, and now here he was standing beside her, talking to her, looking at her with the most incredible blue eyes she'd ever seen.
    Was she a fool to be so friendly to a stranger? She knew nothing about this man—absolutely nothing. Was it possible that he was her mystery caller? Had he somehow found out her name and phone numbers at home and at work? Was the typed "love letter" she had received yesterday from him?
    Her common sense told her to be cautious, but her feminine desires told her to throw caution to the winds.
    "Are you asking me to share your quilt?" He watched her closely for a reaction.
    Smiling, she looked him directly in the eye. "Yes." There was something about this man, about the way he looked at her, that unnerved her, but didn't frighten her.
    When he sat down beside her, she turned and reached inside her small cooler to retrieve two chilled bottles. "Would you care for some apple juice?" She offered him a bottle.
    Apple juice? He looked down at her gift. He didn't think he'd ever drunk apple juice in his entire life. His fingers grazed hers when he accepted the bottle, and a sizzling sensation ran up his arm. Touching her, even briefly, alerted his senses to trouble. "Thanks."
    Emily studied the big, blond man sitting beside her. Muscular, tanned, robust, and sexy to the point of being dangerous to any woman who crossed his path. She found him extremely appealing. Had she let the overwhelming attraction she felt dull her senses? Was that the reason she had ignored her common sense and allowed her feminine desires to guide her? Was that the reason she had decided to trust a perfect stranger, when she had doubts about Charles Tolbert and Rod Simmons, two men she knew and liked?
    The stranger turned and smiled at her, his searing blue eyes focusing on her face. When she felt the warmth of a blush creeping into her cheeks, she abruptly looked down, hoping he wouldn't notice.
    Was she blushing? Mitch wondered. He couldn't believe it. As a general rule, modern women didn't blush. Hell, was it possible that Emily felt the attraction between them as strongly as he did? Was that what was bothering her?
    "My Hannah character was based on a real person," Emily said in an effort to distract herself from concentrating so intensely on her neighbor's obvious physical attributes. She took a sip from the chilled bottle of juice before she picked up her sketch pad.
    "Is that right?" Following her lead, Mitch put his bottle to his lips and took a giant sip. Much to his surprise, he found the fruity liquid quite refreshing.
    "My grandmother's name was Hannah. She spent many happy days of her childhood in that house." Turning, Emily pointed to the white clapboard cottage nestled on a grassy knoll above the beach. "When I was a little girl and came here in the summer, Grammy used to tell me the most wonderful stories about vacations at the cottage when she was growing up."
    Mitch set the bottle of juice between his legs. He knew very little about Emily Jordan. Only what Zed had been able to find out from various sources. After her husband's death in the fire, she'd had eight surgeries on her back. Until recently, she had lived in Mobile with her husband's uncle, Fowler Jordan, the respected head of a prestigious accounting firm. Then a few months ago, she'd moved into the