The Minister's Maid by Jamie DeBree Read Free Book Online Page A

the button, he illuminated the tunnel with a beam of yellow light, momentarily blinded after how long they'd been in the dark.
    "How did you know which way the door was?" Betsy asked, her voice a little calmer, though still shaky. "I've lost all sense of direction down here."
    Ian shrugged. "Harley and I wanted to be prepared in case we ever got stuck down here without a light. So we practice moving around in the dark. Though I'll admit this is the first time I've done it without a guide rope. Freaky." He held out his hand and she put hers in it without hesitation.
    "Sounds like a very dangerous game," she said as they started walking toward the camp. "But I would have been toast without you, so I'm glad you guys sort of trained for this."
    "Me too," he said, playing the flashlight beam over the walls. "Do you still have the maps?"
    "Oh shit," she said, stopping in place and pulling her hand away to pat the pockets of her jeans. "Uh, sorry. Damn. I mean, darn. Oh hell." She pulled a folded paper out of her back pocket and opened it up, chewing her bottom lip. Ian wanted to laugh as he watched her face contort, her lips mouthing a string of curses that didn't quite make it out.
    "You know I only got ordained so we'd have a minister on site to do weddings, right?" he said lightly. Judging by the way her eyes widened when she looked at him, it was news. He nodded, taking the paper from her hand. "I'm no expert, of course, but I'm fairly certain God isn't going to strike you down for saying the F word now and then."
    "Good. Because we only have the first half of the map. The other page must have fallen out somewhere. If I dropped it in the tunnel..."
    "Then Derek probably picked it up," Ian finished, handing the paper back to her. She folded it up and stuffed it in her bra this time, an action Ian really enjoyed watching. Maybe she'd let him fish it out later. "Although you could have dropped it in the cavern, in which case it's definitely gone for good. But we won't know until we catch up with Derek, so unless you're ready to hop a plane and go hid out somewhere warm..."
    She shook her head emphatically. "No way. I need to know for sure, either way. So come on." She started walking away from him, halting when she got to the end of the beam and looked back over her shoulder. "Are you coming?"
    He tried not to smile, really, but he couldn't stop the slightest grin. "The harem is this way," he said, pointing a finger in the other direction.
     
    * * *
     
    "Right." Betsy switched directions and tried to ignore the smirk Ian was trying to hide. Her impulsive nature often had her turned around and headed the wrong way, so it wasn't anything new. Ian had steered her back on track many times when they were younger, but it was a little embarrassing that she still had no sense of direction after all these years. "Why don't you lead?" she suggested, stopping beside him. It came out more snarkily than she'd intended, but Ian just laughed.
    "How about we just walk together," he said, holding out his hand. "The tunnel is plenty wide enough for us both."
    Betsy wasn't sure why she hesitated, but it felt weird, having him volunteer for her touch in any way. Almost like a trap, for some reason. His smile faded, and he'd started to pull away when she reached for him, lacing her fingers with his. He squeezed her hand gently and pulled her closer, leaning down for a quick kiss before he started walking again. She walked beside him, so many questions running through her head that she wasn't sure where to start.
    "Why don't you date?" she asked, deciding to jump right in. "You dated in high school a little, and I have it on good authority that there were plenty of girls after you in college, but I haven't seen you with anyone since I moved back. Don't you get lonely?"
    Ian chuckled. "Fishing for the competition, are you?" he teased, flashing her another smile. "You'd be surprised how many women act interested, but run the other way when they see the