Hometown Hero (Hometown Alaska Men Book 2) by Joleen James Read Free Book Online

alley cat, or something worse, a rat, she keep going.
    Another snap. Tawney glanced over her shoulder. Not seeing anything, she kept moving. She reached in her purse, her fingers finding her pistol, but with her gloves on she had little or no chance of using the weapon. Still, her fingers curled around the little gun. Her breath burned in her chest. She could see the cottage now. With her other hand, she dug for her keys.
    At the front door, she dropped the keys.
    "Hey."
    She whipped around, holding the gun in front of her.
    "Rick," she said, his name bursting from her lungs.
    "What are you doing with a gun?" Rick asked.
    She lowered her weapon. "Were you following me? You scared me to death." She picked up her keys.
    "I'm sorry." He stepped forward. "Put the gun away, okay?"
    Her hands were shaking, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might come through the wall of her chest and land on the frozen ground.
    "Give me your keys." Rick took the keys from her and opened her door.
    "Thanks." She passed him, turning for her keys. He dropped the keys into her outstretched palm. "Next time let a girl know you're behind her. I didn't see you."
    "Again," he said. "I'm sorry. You were walking at quite a clip. I had to run to catch up to you."
    "I was spooked. I heard something behind me a couple of times."
    "It wasn't me. You were running when I saw you. Why didn't you call The Junebug or 911 if you were spooked?"
    "I don't own a phone."
    "Who doesn't have a phone?" Rick asked. "That's crazy. You're a woman living alone."
    "I lost my phone," she lied. "Haven't found the time to figure out a new phone. I'm enjoying being off-grid."
    "You need a phone." Rick frowned. "Seward is a safe town, but at three in the morning, no town is safe. Next time wait for me, okay?"
    She looked up, into his eyes. "Okay."
    Rick nodded. He leaned forward slightly.
    Was he going to kiss her? No, no, no. Tawney backstepped. "It's late."
    "Yeah," he said, and she could hear the regret in his voice. "Put that gun away and lock this door after me."
    "I will. Thanks again." She closed the door, throwing the deadbolt. Still spooked, she lowered all the blinds before she got ready for bed.
    She didn't put her gun away. Instead, she slid the weapon under the pillow. Only then could she sleep.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER SIX
     
     
    "Big night tonight," Rick said from his now familiar place behind the bar. "Isn't it girls' night out?"
    Tawney smiled. "It is. Star wants to keep the bachelorette party low-key. Aren't you guys going to Cade's to play cards or something?"
    "Texas Hold'em." Rick grinned. "Looking forward to it. Time for me to make a little extra cash."
    "You're pretty confident." Tawney wiped down the bar, tossing the now dirty rag in the washtub.
    Rick's smile widened.
    They'd settled into a pattern while working together this week. They made small talk, they did their jobs. They did not talk about the past.
    "Did you get a phone today?" Rick asked. "We could exchange numbers."
    "No," she said. "No time."
    The two men from the other night came into the bar. Mel and Harry. Mel, the man with one tooth, had a way of looking at Tawney that made her skin crawl. Both men walked straight to the bar.
    "Hey, Tawney," Mel said, giving her a wide view of his missing tooth. "We'll take a couple of drafts."
    "You got it," she said. "Menus?"
    "Sure," Harry said.
    Harry was a bit older than Mel, maybe mid-fifties to Mel's mid-forties. Harry's skin had a permanent redness to it, whether from the cold or too much booze, she didn't know. He wore a hat made of beaver, the long tail hanging down his neck. As far as she could tell, he never took the hat off, even in the bar where it was warm. And she'd noticed that he smelled ripe, like he was overdue for a shower. She did her best not to get too close to Harry, the smell turning her stomach.
    "Wish you were on the menu," Mel said. His tongue came out and he licked his lips.
    "Well, Mel," Tawney said. "I'm most