In Shelter Cove by Barbara Freethy Read Free Book Online Page A

sides of the property, and it was pretty dark, the nearest streetlight three houses away. “I need to check on Lucas.”
    “Did you come out the back door?”
    “Yes.”
    “I’ll walk around with you.”
    Her back door was open the way she’d left it. Shehurried inside to check on Lucas. He was still asleep. As she came out of the room, she saw Jason checking her bedroom.
    “What are you doing?”
    “Just looking around. Everything seems to be fine.”
    “It was probably just my imagination.”
    “More than likely. It looks like you have a lot of unpacking to do.”
    “Tell me about it.” She walked into the kitchen and put the puppy in his crate. He immediately started barking. “He really doesn’t like that thing.”
    “I can’t say that I blame him.” Jason slid onto a bar stool, making himself a little too comfortable. Then again, it was nice not to be alone in the house. She didn’t know why she was so jumpy. It had to be the new house, the new town. She just needed to get her bearings.
    She refilled the teakettle and turned on the burner. “Tell me again, who lives next door?”
    “Shirley Pease owns the house, but she had a stroke a few weeks ago, and her daughter, Patty, is moving in—if she doesn’t rope my father into marriage before that,” he grumbled.
    “Is that a possibility?” She really shouldn’t have been encouraging conversation, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.
    “Absolutely. Patty is an ex-stripper, which doesn’t bother my father at all. She has certain noticeable attributes, if you know what I mean.”
    “Got it.”
    “My father is a trusting romantic who always thinks he’s about to embark on the greatest love of all time—up until the moment he ends up in divorce court. He’s been married three times already.”
    “What number was your mother?”
    A dark shadow passed through his eyes. “She wasn’t a divorce. She died when I was seven.”
    “Oh—I’m sorry.” It felt strange to say those words to Jason, even stranger to feel anything but hate for the man. She didn’t want to see any other side to him than the one he’d shown the day he testified against Derek.
    Unfortunately, Jason didn’t look like that cold, ruthless cop now, with his wavy, mussed-up hair and bare feet. He looked like the guy she’d first met in the bar five years ago, the one who’d shamelessly flirted with her until he’d realized she was taken.
    She needed to tell him to go. Why wouldn’t the words come?
    “Feel like making me a cup of tea?” he asked as the kettle began to sing.
    She hesitated, then grabbed another mug.
    He met her gaze as she slid it across the counter. A sharp gleam entered his eyes. “You must be spooked to let me stay. Is there a reason?”
    She shrugged, not wanting to get into a discussion about her motives. “So you said your father remarried a couple of times?”
    “You’re not going to answer my question, are you?”
    “Are you going to answer mine?” she countered.
    “All right. The first couple of years after my mom died, my father was destroyed. He couldn’t get out of bed in the morning, and when he did get up, he drank too much. He lost his construction business and the house he’d bought with my mother. We would have ended up on the streets if my uncle hadn’t shown up and dragged us here to Angel’s Bay. My dad got better eventually, recovered his desire to be married, and has since tied the knot a couple of times. Even though he’s devastated with each failure, he keeps going back for more pain. I suspect he’s headed for his fourth trip down the aisle as we speak.”
    “Maybe this one will work.”
    “That’s what he said. He’s always optimistic. I’ll give him that.”
    “He doesn’t sound at all like you.” She lifted her mug to her lips as she leaned against the counter.
    “We’re very different,” Jason agreed. “It was just the two of us for a while, and someone had to be practical. It wasn’t going to be