Operation: Endeavor (When The Mission Ends) by Christi Snow Read Free Book Online Page A

try to make up for her sons’ deaths. The gift was a golden garden… full of flowers and plants made from pure gold, but it was too late. The woman committed suicide because her grief over the loss of her sons was so great. When the farmer saw the gift Chac sent, he spent the next twenty years burying the golden garden under layer upon layer of dirt.”
    “But it’s just a legend, right?”
    “Correct, but as we study archaeology and anthropology more and more, we’ve come to realize that all legends are based loosely upon some grain of truth. We’re seeing signs this new site could very well be El Regalo, the Golden Garden from the legend. The site is a building which was obviously buried on purpose. The first artifacts out of it have been golden flowers.” She could see his passion about his work glimmering in his eyes.
    “Oh wow. That sounds amazing.”
    “It is and I’m hoping, as we dig, we’ll be able to figure out the true story behind the legend.” His chocolate brown eyes sparkled with excitement. “It’s all about figuring out the mystery and finding the treasure.”
    “So you’re just an adult treasure hunter,” she teased him.
    “You got it, darling. The hard part is finding the ‘X’ and I’ve got it this time.” He gave her a cocky smile and grabbed her hand. “I think we’ve arrived.” He nodded toward the building where they’d parked. “Are you ready to go accept the schmoozing?”
    “They want to schmooze you, not me.”
    “Aw, but that’s the perk of being my date. You get schmoozed purely by happenstance. That and you’re on the arm of the best-looking guy in the place.”
    “Modest, too, aren’t you?” She smiled at him as he pulled her out of the car.
    “Modesty has nothing to do with it, darling. I’m simply stating fact.” He winked at her as he smiled, flashing his very sexy dimples.
    Guys with dimples were her favorite type, so why did her thoughts keep straying to the roommate she’d left at home who hadn’t flashed a dimple yet? She worried at her lip with her teeth. She may just have a problem here.
     

Chap ter 8
    Penelope let herself into the bookstore bright and early Sunday morning. The store would open for a few hours in the afternoon, but Sunday mornings were her time to catch-up on all the managerial tasks which needed to be done, from scheduling to bookkeeping.
    As she sat down to her desk, she mused over the previous night’s date with Damon. After they’d left the party, she’d taken him to a cozy little bar where they could sit at a table in front of the stone fireplace. They’d had a wonderful time chatting and getting to know each other. They got along famously and she’d been excited for the distraction from Colton. Damon was the type of guy she normally dated. They hadn’t lacked for topics of discussion the entire night, but when it came to the end of the evening, the kiss between them fell flat.
    Oh, there’d been nothing wrong with the kiss. Damon was an excellent kisser, but the zing just wasn’t there for her. She’d gotten more turned on when Colton zipped up her dress at the beginning of the night. That was the problem. She couldn’t get involved with Colton. He was everything she didn’t want in a guy. He was too serious, too by-the-book, too straight-laced. Plus he was her best friend’s brother and Cassie wouldn’t take it lightly if things ended badly between them. No, she was looking for someone exactly like Damon, someone who knew how to have fun. 
    Maybe she’d just had an off night. Luckily Damon was in town for the next week, and they’d made plans to get together again. He was supposed to call her this afternoon to finalize things, which gave her an idea.
    She picked up the phone and dialed a number she hadn’t called enough lately.
    “Hello, Rocking M Ranch,” the masculine voice answered.
    She smiled. She loved all the guys out on the Martin Ranch, but Thomas was still her favorite. Even though things