Hearts Out of Time by Chris Lange Read Free Book Online Page B

didn’t focus his increasingly annoying attention on her, small talk flowed, easy and relaxing after such an uncommon day. The meal proved first-class, delicious roast and vegetables followed by an outstanding cake.
    But after a butler brought dessert, the bad boy began to drown her in flattery, making everyone uncomfortable again. A grim Jessica picked at her food while Garrett’s frown became deeper by the minute.
    Attuned to the heavy atmosphere, Tracy leaned toward Weedon on her left, asking the question for his ears only. “What’s with Garrett and Jake?”
    Weedon’s gaze fixed on the gunslinger’s face. He shrugged before bringing his lips a little closer to her ear. “They used to be good friends. Something went on between them recently, but I don’t know what, and I didn’t probe. That’s Garrett’s business, you know, but since then, they’ve been either avoiding each other or bickering over trifles. I don’t want to take sides, but I must admit Jake hasn’t been himself lately.”
    “How so?”
    “How can I put this? He’s always been charming with women, but never intrusive like he can be now. He met Jessica the year before last, and they fell in love right off. Mind you, I’d never seen Jake in love before. I was back in Yukon Territory when I got word that he’d proposed. When I returned from Canada last week, they weren’t married and they argued most of the time.”
    When a troubling thought crossed her mind, she prayed Weedon would give her a negative answer. “So, is Jessica in love with Garrett now?”
    A mischievous glint lighting his eyes, Weedon observed her for a long second before grinning. “No. They get on well but, if you want my opinion, she regards him as a big brother, nothing more. Besides, she’s not Garrett’s type.”
    Relief washed over her. Her heart stuttered, urging her to wonder about the cause of this abrupt emotion that she pushed away. “Whose type is she?”
    “Jess is a warrior, and she’s been raised to fight. As long as the job gets done, she gives no care to etiquette. High-and-mighty people shun her because she lives like a man, but I assure you she’s an extraordinary woman. It’s no surprise Jake fell for her. I have the impression they’re still together, but I can’t really say.”
    She didn’t have time to ponder his words. Instead of taking care of Jessica, Jake put his hand over hers and gawked at her breasts. The man was exasperating.
    Seeing this tactical maneuver, Garrett banged his plate on the table, breaking a glass in the process, his features taut with frustration and impatience.

Chapter 6
    Tracy jumped up at the loud sound.
    Heedless of his irritated reaction, Garrett observed his guests with intent before looking at her. “Miss Richardson, it’s high time we tell you about us. The hosts around this table are the members of a clandestine society founded by your father. He named it ‘The Circle’ after enlisting us. We have pledged to keep his work secret and to protect it at all costs. To protect it with our lives if need shall arise.”
    His gaze swept the room while they all nodded, but her.
    She shook her head. A clandestine society named The Circle? Wow, just wow . Trying not to look too obvious, she studied them one by one: the man she’d been told to trust, the companion from the north and his wolfdog, the dubious gunslinger, and the lovely daughter of a vampire hunter.
    Watching them, a larger picture formed in her mind. The importance of her father’s invention prompted him to shield it because this risky and unsafe device posed a threat in the wrong hands. Right now, she might be in the wrong hands herself, but looking at Garrett’s inscrutable face, she didn’t think so. He was abrupt, inflexible, but also reliable, and her dad hadn’t mistaken that trait in him.
    “I bring new intelligence provided by Miss Richardson,” Garrett said. “The person responsible for William’s abduction wants the painting in