Pastor's Assignment by Kim O'Brien Read Free Book Online

She studied the hard set of his mouth. “Is it a deal?” As the silence stretched between them, she added, “You can trust me.”
    The very edges of Ty’s lips lifted. “Trust me,” he said. “Those are famous last words, you know.”
    â€œYou won’t regret it,” Laney said softly.
    â€œA note for a pet,” Ty repeated. He seemed to consider the idea. “Do you have any plastic fish?”
    â€œNo,” Laney said.
    â€œYou will if any fish gets left in my care,” Ty said. “But I will come to your shop.” His eyebrows drew together. “And the note had better be there.”
    â€œIt’ll be there,” Laney said placidly, completely unimpressed with the formidable expression on his face. “Along with my animals.” She didn’t like to saddle anyone with an unwanted pet, but an animal to love seemed to be just what Ty needed. “Do we have a deal?”
    â€œI’ll come to your shop,” Ty said, “but we’ll see about the pet.”
    Laney stuck out her hand and gave Ty’s fingers a firm shake. “Come anytime tomorrow. I’ll be there.”
    â€œDon’t even think about sending me home with that snake,” Ty said. “The one that went down the drain.”
    He was joking. That meant progress. Her own spirits lifted with the realization that beneath Ty’s gruff exterior beat the heart of a soft man. He doesn’t know it yet, she thought, but God is working in his heart, giving him back an ability to laugh.
    â€œOf course not,” Laney replied demurely. “I have a baby alligator that would do quite well in your bathtub.”
    â€œYou’re kidding, right?”
    â€œAm I?” Laney’s left eyebrow rose in challenge. “Come to the store tomorrow and find out.”

Eight
    Ty didn’t know which bothered him more—his failure to retrieve the note or his growing attraction to Laney. Gripping the steering wheel tighter, Ty tailgated the car in front of him shamelessly until it changed lanes. As the traffic predictably slowed, he signaled, changed lanes, and accelerated. If he couldn’t stop his thoughts, then maybe he could outrun them.
    The car shifted with the promise of untapped power. He scowled as he passed a car with a bumper sticker: “A vote for G. C. Varner is a vote for family values.”
    Ty didn’t need to be a professional politician to know this new campaign strategy was trouble for him. As if he didn’t have enough to worry about with the threat of Laney going public with a note he didn’t write.
    If he only knew what the note said, he wouldn’t worry so much about it, he thought, or obsess so much about Laney.
    She continuously popped into his thoughts, disturbed his sleep, and distracted his focus. He couldn’t think of a worse time to have a woman on his mind or a worse woman to have on his mind.
    Here he was on his way to a pet shop. Worst of all, he actually looked forward to seeing her again. Suddenly he heard a muffled popping noise and felt a slight pull on the steering wheel. Rolling down the window he slowed and listened. Ty heard the clink, barely audible but undeniable, coming from the left rear tire. He had a flat.
    Muttering, he eased the car to the shoulder of the road. He saw the Destiny High School lot and pulled in.
    Wondering what he’d run over, he rolled up the window, radioed in his position to dispatch, and cut the engine.
    At this time in the morning, the lot was filled with cars. A quick scan showed him Beemers, Jeeps, Camaros, a Firebird, Explorers, and even the car of his boyhood dreams—a shiny red Mazda RX-7.
    Rolling up his sleeves, Ty popped the trunk. As he put the jack under the car, he found his thoughts returning to Laney.
    Could she be as innocent as she seemed? Although he’d accused her of bad acting, the truth was that if she were lying, she deserved an Academy