In the Line of Fire by Jennifer LaBrecque Read Free Book Online Page B

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    If there was one thing she’d learned today it was she had to make something happen with Colton Sawyer. They were going to either have something together or she’d get him out of her system and then she could move on. But one way or the other, she was going to have him. The time for denial was done. Denial had led her to climbing out a bathroom window at her own wedding.
    Time to formulate a Plan B.
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    T HERE WAS A PART OF him that simply had to put an end to the newlywed fantasy in words—mainly because it was all too tempting to get caught up in the pretense she was his. Even though he’d long known how he felt about her, he’d never allowed himself to think in terms of her being his.
    Andi looked away from him and squarely faced Rochelle. “Yes, I am a runaway bride. I let you think we were newlyweds because it’s embarrassing to admit I didn’t figure something out until the last, and I mean last, minute.”
    Rochelle patted Andi on the shoulder and clucked sympathetically. “Honey, I don’t know what you walked out on, but this here is one fine man.” She jerked her head in Colton’s direction. “And a soldier to boot. Ain’t nobody gonna blame you for picking him.” Andi opened her mouth but Rochelle just kepttalking, turning her attention to Colton. “You home on leave or you stationed at Ft. Hunter or Ft. Stewart?”
    â€œI’m home on leave from Afghanistan but my home base is in Massachusetts.” Damn, he had to set this straight all over again. “I didn’t sweep anyone anywhere. All I did was show up for the wedding. I was supposed to give her away.”
    Rochelle smiled brighter than before. “What was it, hon?” she said to Andi. “One look at him and you knew you were making a mistake?”
    Colton had always prided himself on being a man of logic. However, now he found himself holding an illogical breath that she might say yes, even though she hadn’t technically seen him until she’d climbed out the window and even though she hadn’t given him a remote inkling he had a thing to do with her decision to run—and it wouldn’t matter if he had. They would always be at the impasse of his career and her family.
    â€œColton—” Andi pointed toward him “—he’s Colton and I’m Andi—was supposed to give me away.” Andi ran through the situation with Rion’s denied leave and how Colton wound up in the position of escorting her down the aisle on behalf of her family. “Anyway, Colton didn’t come in and sweep me away. I climbed out of a bathroom window. When I hit the ground, he was there.”
    â€œWhat were you doing outside the bathroom window?” Rochelle said to Colton.
    That almost made him sound like some pervert. “I’d stepped outside for a minute before the ceremony,” he said.
    â€œAh,” Rochelle said, nodding with understanding. “A matter of being in the right place at the right time.”
    Or wrong place at the wrong time. “Something like that,” Colton said.
    â€œI see,” Rochelle said, looking closely from him to Andi and back to him. For all that she’d gotten so much supposition wrong, Colton had the weirdest sense that Rochelle did, in fact, see more than he’d like. She finally looked back at Andi. “So, why’d you climb out the window?”
    â€œRochelle, order up!” the guy behind the grill yelled.
    She held up a staying finger. “Hold that thought and I’ll be right back with your food.”
    As Rochelle headed to the kitchen to pick up their order, Andi scrutinized him across the table. She’d always been quick and a sharp intelligence gleamed in her eyes. “Why weren’t you inside? The wedding was about to start and I thought you were reviewing your part with Sonya.”
    Because I needed a minute outside—because I was about to