Rescue Me by Catherine Mann Read Free Book Online Page A

more veiled references and ‘accidental’ touches to make me uncomfortable?”
    Was that what he’d been doing? Probably. “Yes, a legit cease-fire. We join forces to shut down the matchmakers.”
    He steered the off-road vehicle onto the two-lane county road that led to the Second Chance Ranch, located just outside of town. Lights grew dimmer, traffic sparser. The Christmas decorations were farther from the street and farther apart.
    She half turned in her seat, hints of peppermint drifting from her, overriding the lemon scent of his air freshener dangling from the rearview mirror. “That would be incredible if we could pull it off.”
    â€œIf anyone can pull off the impossible, you can.”
    She angled back. “Is that another dig or a compliment?”
    â€œHey, I just mean you’re
extremely
competent.”
    She laughed softly. “Bite me.”
    The last two words hung there in the air. Sexy. Edgy.
    And leaving him seconds away from breaking the truce before it started.
    He turned from the county road into the driveway leading to the Second Chance Ranch. A security gate stopped them from traveling up the long dirt path leading to the white farmhouse. The Scout’s engine rumbled in the night, the lights trained on the gate with a wreath in the middle. He jammed the Scout into park. He just needed to roll down the window and press the speaker call button.
    But he didn’t.
    He turned in his seat to face her, the leather squeaking. His body ached from the attraction that had damn near knocked him on his ass earlier today. He saw the answering flicker in her brown eyes and wondered what she would do if he pulled those glasses from her face—to hell with the truce—and kissed her.

Four
    I loved romance shows like
The Bachelor
and
The Newlywed Game
, but my favorite was reruns of the old-fashioned
Dating Game.
Such anticipation waiting for the verdict: “I pick bachelor number . . .”
    â€”FEMALE BOXER, FOUR YEARS OLD, SHELTER #S75230
    O H. GOD.
    Was AJ about to kiss her?
    Mary Hannah stared into his intense blue eyes, wondering if the heated intent was real or an illusion from the dash lights. She should just open the door, get the hell out of his messy all-terrain vehicle where these even messier emotions were jumbling up inside her. She would hop the gate to the Second Chance Ranch and run all the way to her studio apartment.
    But she couldn’t seem to make her hands let go of the edge of the seat.
    Her senses had gone on overload, from the feel of the rough upholstery against her palms to breathing in the lemony scent of the air freshener with every gasping breath.
    This whole Christmas Eve had been so upside down. She clenched the seat harder to resist the impulse to pull his beard-stubbled face toward her and make that kiss happen all the sooner.
    â€œAJ, the security code is five-seven-three-two.” She angled away to lean against the door. “We should hurry. Lacey will need my help getting ready for Sierra and Mike’s visit. They’re due in anytime now, if they aren’t here already.”
    God, she was babbling like an idiot. Of course AJ would know that Lacey’s daughter and son-in-law were due in tonight. And he likely knew why she was babbling.
    He stared back at her silently for so long she thought he might ignore her words and kiss her anyway. She didn’t even question for a second that the kiss would be explosive, powerful. Satisfying. She knew from experience.
    She also knew she wouldn’t be able to resist, and if she crossed that line with him as Mary Hannah—rather than Francesca—everything would get so damn complicated. She needed simple. Her sanity depended on it. Order helped her conquer the daily battle against addiction.
    She couldn’t afford even a kiss from this man.
    Before she could have second thoughts, she leaned across him and lowered the window. The heat of his whipcord