To Catch a Thief by Sherryl Woods Read Free Book Online

chance.”
    Gina heaved a resigned sigh. “Yeah, that’s what I figured.”
     
    That blistering, mind-boggling kiss was still very much on Gina’s mind when she walked into the high school gym that night for the reunion dance. Spotting Rafe sitting all alone at one of the tables along the perimeter of the floor only accentuated the memory. For a man whose arrogance she had experienced firsthand, he looked surprisingly lonely. For a brief second, sympathy almost drove her over to talk to him.
    “I’m not going anywhere near him,” she muttered, even as she began to drift in his direction. When she realized where she was going, she added wryly, “I obviously have the willpower of a nymphomaniac.”
    “Who’s a nymphomaniac?” Lauren demanded, startling Gina.
    “Nobody, I hope,” Gina retorted glumly, stopping in her tracks. She wasn’t entirely sure whether she was relieved by the distraction, which was yet another fact that was worrisome. Was it moths that couldn’t resist a flame and wound up dead because of it?
    Lauren followed the direction of her gaze, then grinned. “Ah, yes, I heard about the kiss.”
    “Heard about it?” Gina asked, horrified. “How? From whom?”
    “Half the town was at the rodeo. Word gets around. My source says it was more entertaining than anything that went on inside the arena.”
    Gina groaned. “Why did I do it? Why did I let him kiss me? And right out in public, yet! Wouldn’t you think I’d learned my lesson about getting mixed up with smooth talkers after what happened a few years ago in Rome?”
    “Could you have stopped him?”
    “Not at first,” she admitted. “He caught me by surprise, but later…”
    Lauren’s eyes sparkled with growing amusement. “Later? Then it did go on and on, just the way I heard?”
    “Okay, yes, it went on a very long time. It was a very good kiss. In fact, it was a terrific kiss, which is why I am in more trouble than I ever thought it was possible to get into. I want to kiss a man who—” She cut herself off before she could finish the revealing thought.
    “Who what?” Lauren asked, clearly fascinated by Gina’s slip.
    “Never mind,” Gina said dismissively. “Have you seen Cassie? Did she come tonight?”
    “She’s here. She’s busy hiding out from Cole. Seems to me she has her own problems with steering clear of intoxicating kisses,” Lauren said. “And before you ask, Karen’s on the dance floor, and Emma’s out in the hallway on her cell phone. There’s some kind of emergency back in Denver. Hopefully she’s telling her boss or herclient or whoever it is to take a hike. The woman is in serious need of a break. She’s stretched so tight I’m afraid she’s going to snap.”
    “Emma can take care of herself,” Gina insisted. “She’s always been totally levelheaded and sane compared to the rest of us.”
    “Take another look. I was out at the ranch with her and Caitlyn earlier. I think even that little girl senses that her mother’s at the breaking point. Caitlyn’s birthday is coming up, and she told me the only thing she wanted was for her mom to move here because in Denver she never, ever sees her. How pitiful is that?”
    Gina glanced toward the door and spotted Emma striding toward them, her expression grim.
    “What’s wrong?” Gina asked, regarding her with concern.
    “One of my major clients in Denver has a problem. He wants me back there tonight.”
    “Are you going?” Lauren asked.
    “What choice do I have?”
    “You could tell him that you’re taking the first break you’ve had in years and that he can just wait until Monday,” Lauren retorted heatedly. “Sweetie, if you don’t start looking out for yourself, who will? Certainly not those partners who are raking in big bucks from all those billable hours you put in each month, and certainly not the clients who see nothing wrong in tracking you down when you’re supposed to be on vacation. How did he get your cell phone number,