The Admirer's Secret by Pamela Crane Read Free Book Online

compassion all over again as she read the words. She knew his face, but from where? Westfield only had a couple thousand residents, and she only knew maybe a hundred of them. And he knew her fairly intimately to know about her parents. And the final clue: He had to live somewhat close by in order to know when she’d put the envelopes in the mail—perhaps within sight? Yet never once had she seen anyone other than the mailman drop by. Odd how her admirer never escaped the shadows. A tingle crept up her spine as her eyes darted to the nearby window. Is he watching me now?
    At the phone’s chirping ring Haley jolted, then she caught a glimpse of the number on caller ID. Marc.
    “Hello,” she answered sweetly. 
    “Hello, this is Marc Vincetti’s Computer Repairs calling you back, Ms. Montgomery. I got your message,” the man’s smooth voice said. 
    “Haley—call me Haley. And I appreciate you calling me back so quickly, Marc.” She glanced at the time. “And so late at night.”
    “Not a problem. Working for yourself means 24/7 service, which isn’t so bad when your clients are lovely ladies.” He laughed good-naturedly, and Haley’s laughter quickly joined in. “So tell me what happened.”
    “ I don’t know about lovely at this hour, but thanks. Anyways, I just tried turning on my computer and it’s blacked out.”
    “Hm. I had a feeling that would happen.”
    “I know, I know. You warned me. Do you think you can fix it?”
    “I’m thinking your monitor is dead, but it could be something else. Now, you’re sure the computer is plugged in?” Haley rolled her eyes at his joke as a grin spread across her lips— IT people and their weird sense of humor .
    “Do I look like an idiot?” she retorted with a giggle.
    “I can’t honestly answer that since I can’t see you.”
    “Alright, I surrender . Yes, it’s plugged in. So do you think you can fix it?”
    “How about I come out to check it over?” Was that flirtation she heard in his offer? “I’ll give you a free estimate before I do anything, and if I can’t fix it, no charge. When would you like me to come by?” Definitely flirtation.
    She glanced at the clock. It was already 8:30 p.m. She felt badly for asking him to come out when he was probably getting ready for bed… but not badly enough to decline. “The sooner the better. I’m desperate.”
    “Well, I’m available right now. Anything to help a lady in distress.” Haley could almost hear a smile over the phone. “Remind me where you live again.”
    She wondered if he really didn’t know. It wasn’t that big of a town; the village outskirts reached just under two miles from border to border. It took less than three turns to map it out for him. She lived a stone’s throw from Main Street, the central road and hub of activity in Westfield—if one considered shopping at antique shops and a thrift store “the hub of activity.” In Westfield, however, the townsfolk did.
    “You can’t miss me. I’m in the only yellow house on the block.”
    As she hung up, she felt an unexpected compulsion to brush her hair and dab her lips and cheeks with some color. No, that was ridiculous, primping for an IT house call. Though, a touch of lip gloss wouldn’t hurt, she finally decided.
     

 
     
     
     
    Chapter 8
     
    T en minutes later, the doorbell rang. Haley opened the door and studied Marc with fresh curiosity. Even if she wasn’t interested—which she totally wasn’t, she told herself—she couldn’t help but admire the way his short sleeve polo shirt stretched over well-defined arms, and how his worn jeans hugged his thighs and loosened where they covered his boots. A black nylon case hung over his shoulder, an enticingly broad set of shoulders at that. His olive complexion accented intense brown eyes. What captured her attention most, though, was his genuine smile.
    “Thanks for making it out here so quickly,” Haley greeted him after a momentary delay, hoping he hadn’t