The Reasons to Stay (Harlequin Superromance) by Laura Drake Read Free Book Online Page B

know that.” She set a clean stoneware mug on the counter and poured him a cup. “Aren’t you just a ray of sunshine this morning?”
    “Good morning, Sin.” He reached for the coffee, noticing again how badly her hot pink hair clashed with the uniform. “You sure I can’t talk you into a different hair color? Blue? A nice lavender?”
    When she smiled, the crystal set in her tooth flashed. “Nah, but thanks, boss.”
    He saluted her with his cup. “Thanks for the coffee.” He noticed his new tenant sat at one of the tables, reading the Widow’s Grove Telegraph . The paper rustled when she turned a page. He raised an eyebrow at Sin.
    She shrugged. “If you trust her enough to live across the hall from your mother, I thought it was safe to invite her in for a cup of coffee before we opened.”
    He nodded. I should have thought to do that myself.
    Priss wore a closely fitted pink button-down shirt and dress pants. Her short dark hair had that just-fell-out-of-bed look that had him imagining things he shouldn’t.
    Her too-big green eyes held a warning that he’d been staring.
    He slapped on his “trusted pharmacist” smile to cover his gaffe and carried his coffee to her table. “Morning. Mind if I join you?”
    She put down the paper, pulled a phone from her large tapestry purse on the floor and checked the time. “Okay, but I only have a few minutes.”
    He slid into the fancy wrought-iron chair. “I just wanted to officially welcome you to Widow’s Grove. I realized I hadn’t done that yet. Are you finding your way around?”
    “So far, so good. I’m enjoying the apartment, but I wondered what passes for fun around here.”
    “Well, the tourists go on wine tours, and there’s shopping—”
    She waved a hand. “I mean the locals. What do you do for fun?”
    “Baseball.”
    A spark of interest flared in her eyes. “Tell me about that.”
    “We have little league for the kids and a senior league for adults.”
    “Women allowed on the teams?”
    “They’re not banned. But only one team has a woman. It’s pretty competitive.” He leaned his elbows on the edge of the table. “Do you play?”
    She nodded. “High school. And I played first base in a summer league in Boulder.”
    Enchanting and she played baseball? Too good to be true. “Slow-pitch?”
    She made a pfft sound of dismissal. “I said I played .” She leaned an arm over the back of her chair and flashed him a card shark’s smile. “Hard ball, baby.”
    He could talk smack. He just never had, with a woman. He narrowed his eyes. “You any good?”
    She held her hand up and blew on her nails. “Point nine two fielding percentage, no errors.”
    “How many games?”
    “Fifteen.”
    “Nice.” A woman on the Winos? Why not? Pete Gilmour sucked at first base. Plus it would give Adam the opportunity to get to know Priss better.
    On the other hand... He studied her stand-up hair and the stubborn line of her chin. She was hardly his type. And about as far from safe as it was possible to be.
    Still, he’d sure love to see this little dynamo run bases. “You interested in playing?”
    “Maybe. Who would I talk to if I was?”
    “I run the league, and pitch on one of the teams. I might have a slot. If you can hit.”
    “Two seven five average.”
    “Not bad for a girl.” He didn’t let his lips quirk. But he wanted to. She stuck out her chin. “Pretty good for an infielder. Even a guy.”
    Cute, competitive, and the stats to back it up. This could be love.
    She folded the paper and slipped it in her purse. “Well, thanks for the tips, and the conversation.”
    He wanted to keep her here, talking. This lady tugged at his attention and he wanted to understand why. “You never said what brought you to Widow’s Grove.”
    He couldn’t say exactly what changed. She didn’t move, but she changed, lightning-fast, from a pretty, young woman to a jungle cat—motionless, crouched, wary.
    Her fingers tightened on her cup. “Does it