Haze of Heat by Jennifer Dellerman Read Free Book Online Page A

lovely shade of red.
    Rachel’s eyes widened. “Sounds like that song from Right Said Fred.” She grinned as Porter reached for his phone. “’I’m Too Sexy’ is your ringtone? Seriously?”
    “Gwen thinks she’s funny.” He shut off the song and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
    “You’re not going to answer it?” And who was Gwen?
    “Why?”
    Rachel straightened. “Well, it could be important.”
    His shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Then they can leave a message. Besides, I’m talking to the only person I want to right now.”
    Damn, he was good at the flattery thing. “I’m not sleeping with you.” Oh. My. God. Did that just come out of her mouth?
    At least she had the satisfaction of seeing Porter appear stunned. Again. It was such a nice look on him. Of course it was also only a momentary one. A wicked light she could see all the way from her second-story perch ignited in his eyes. “No?”
    Her hands tightened on the railing. “No. Not that you asked or anything, but I thought to let you know upfront.”
    “So noted.” That sensual mouth of his curved into a naughty smile, unleashing tingles that spread throughout her body. “And since you’ve told me what’s not available, you should have no reservations coming to the barn tomorrow.”
    Sneaky. To say she wasn’t tempted would be a lie. But she didn’t know how long her stay would be and didn’t need it complicated by Porter’s amorous advances. Knowing well how Murphy’s Law worked, Rachel would let the naughty part of her talk herself into sleeping with Porter, and then she’d be stuck at the Orchards for a month, all the while watching him flirt and snuggle with every available female that showed up. It would be beyond humiliating. No. The best thing for her was to keep the sexy shifter at a distance.
    And didn’t that just bite? “You still want to teach me to ride a horse?”
    “Sure.” Any sign of interest was gone from his expression and replaced by the same generically friendly smile she might receive from a salesclerk. “Then you’ll see you have nothing to fear from them.”
    “Porter Nicoli Felix!” Melinda’s disembodied voice called out from somewhere under Rachel’s feet. “Stop flirting with Rachel and let her get some rest.”
    Porter’s lips twitched, but he kept his attention on Rachel. “Come on by anytime, Rachel. Oh. And you do own a pair of jeans, right?”
    “Shoo.” Melinda ordered her son, the woman still unseen. “Go on now. Tomorrow’s another day.”
    “If you don’t have any boots, wear sneakers.” The end of a yellow broom appeared under the balcony edge and jabbed at Porter. He laughed and danced out of reach. “As cute as your toes are, sandals aren’t appropriate footwear for horseback riding.” Then he took off at a brisk pace, still chuckling and leaving Rachel to goggle as Melinda came into view.
    “Sorry about that.” Melinda peeked up at Rachel, amusement gleaming from eyes set in an otherwise placid face. “He’s got a good head on his shoulders and a fine heart, but I don’t know what’s easier for him, flirting or breathing. You let me know if he becomes a bother.”
    Too late for that. If she didn’t keep a distance between herself and the ever-so-engaging Porter Felix, the bother could easily become a big, heartbreaking problem. Slipping her lips into a quick and cool smile, Rachel looked down at Melinda. “I don’t think that will be an issue, but thank you.”
    “Get some sleep, honey. We’ll see you when we see you.”
    Rachel stepped back into her room, bemused at how Melinda continued to push sleep on her. Then she walked fully into the bathroom, saw her reflection and squawked. The dark circles under her eyes looked like large bruises, as if she’d been in a fistfight and come out on the losing end. The skin on her face was drawn and very pale. Even her lips looked pale.
    Frankly, she looked like death, and not even warmed over.
    She shook her head