For Love of Charley by Katherine Allred Read Free Book Online Page A

that
tickled her face. “Then take a few bars of soap, too,” she yelled back. “We can
put pictures on the windows of his patrol car.”
    “Gotcha. Ready to go?”
    “Ready.” Charley limped back into the
living room.
    Frannie stared at her for a second. “Nice
outfit.”
    “Thanks,” she replied, pleased. It wasn’t
often that her and Frannie’s taste in clothes coincided. “I’ll get the wine.”
    “Now, remember. We have to be quiet.”
    The phone rang, and Charley hesitated.
“I’ll get it. Might be Frank.” She limped to the phone.
    * * * * *
    “How did it go today?”
    Cole looked up as Kristy stopped in the
living room doorway, her arms loaded with books. “I honestly have no idea. One
minute I’d think everything was going to work out fine, and the next she’d
almost take my head off.” He rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Am I doing the right
thing, Kristy? Maybe I should just tell her the truth.”
    “Would she believe you?” Kristy put the
books on the coffee table and sat down.
    “No, she wouldn’t. Would you, in her place?
She thinks Victor Channing is the next best thing to Jesus.” He shook his head.
“You should have seen her reaction when I told her I bought this house. I think
stabbing her would have hurt less, for both of us.”
    “Cole, you knew this wasn’t going to be
easy. Are you going to give up after one day?”
    “I didn’t know how much it was going to
hurt, Kris. If it were just me, I could handle it, but I can’t stand to see her
hurting, too.”
    “Hey, if she’s hurting, it’s because she
still cares. Do you want to take a chance that you’ll lose her for good?
Because if you give up now, you will. This is both of your futures on the line.
Are you going to trade the chance to be with her forever just to spare her a
few minutes of hurt?” She hesitated. “Cole, it’s pretty rare in this day and
age to find someone you can really love. Don’t throw it away. At the very
least, give it a few more days. She’s still in shock over seeing you again. I
have an idea,” she said. “Why don’t you call her? Maybe it will help you decide
what to do.”
    “Oh, sure. What reason could I have for
calling her? I’m not supposed to be interested, remember?”
    She grinned at him. “You’re the genius.
Think of a reason.” She scooped up the books. “I’m going to be upstairs reading.
Yell if you want me.”
    He listened to her footsteps running up the
stairs and then looked at the phone. Should he? God knows, he wanted to hear
her voice, even if she was yelling at him. He could always say he’d called to
find out who handled her legal work. It was something he’d need to know
eventually, anyway. Picking up the phone, he dialed before he could change his
mind. Four rings later, someone finally picked up.
    “Lo?” The voice sounded unnaturally bright
and chipper.
    Cole hesitated. “Charley?”
    “Yep. Thaz me.”
    Suspicion began to creep over him.
“Charley, have you been drinking?”
    “Celebratin’,” she clarified.
    He grinned and leaned back on the couch.
“What are you celebrating?”
    “Frannie’s promu…raise. Have to go now.
Frannie is waitin’ on me.”
    “Hang on! Where are you going?”
    She giggled. “To Ben’s house. Ssh. Don’t
tell anyone. We’re going to trash his yard.”
    “Why are you going to trash Ben’s yard?”
    “Cause he’s a man, and all men are pigs.
You’re a pig, Cole. Did you know that?” There was a loud crash accompanied by a
thud, and then laughter.
    “Charley? Are you still there?” Silence.
“Charley?”
    “I’m here.” She laughed again. “Got the
phone cord wrapped around me. I fell.”
    “Are you all right?”
    More silence. “My feet don’t work right,”
she finally answered him.
    She sounded more puzzled than upset, he
decided. “Charley, listen to me. I’m coming over there. Don’t leave, okay?”
    “Okay,” she agreed.
    “Promise you won’t move.”
    “I won’t move.” A loud