Waylaid by Ruth J. Hartman Read Free Book Online

I should get part of the money. For the cost of the gas. And for my trouble.”
    She stopped dribbling the ball but still held onto it. What I wouldn’t give to be that ball right now, snuggled up against her—“Oh you do, huh?”
    “Well, yeah. I have to earn my money somehow. It’s not like I’m a good dancer like some people who can earn prize money all over the place.”
    She laughed and went to smack my chest, but dropped the basketball in the process. Never one to miss an opportunity, I grabbed the ball away.
    Her mouth dropped open. “Hey!”
    “Snooze ya lose, sweetheart.” I dribbled the ball to the hoop and dunked it hard. I heard her gasp behind me and turned. “Impressive, huh?”
    She opened her mouth and then closed it. After raising one eyebrow she said, “Pretty easy for someone to dunk when he’s tall enough to reach the sky.”
    “Ha ha.”
    “How’s the weather up there?”
    “Gee, never heard that one before.”
    She crossed her arms over her chest. “Maybe people are just jealous because you’re taller than them.”
    “Or they have a fear of giants and use humor to cover it up.”
    She tilted her head. “I’m not afraid of giants.”
    Warmth curled around my heart and shot lower. “Good to know.” Suddenly, shooting hoops had lost all of its appeal. I wanted to just grab her and kiss her, but the moment wasn’t right. “Wanna… take a walk?”
    Addy blinked. “Sure.”
    We walked up the street but didn’t say much. My hand itched to reach out for hers but I still didn’t know how she’d react. If her red face from thinking I’d meant she had good moves during kissing was any indication, I might get slugged or kicked someplace unpleasant for my effort.
    Except for voices floating through open windows at Marcus’ house, the neighborhood was quiet. As we stepped along the sidewalk, I realized I didn’t even know where she lived. Or her last name. “So, when we met yesterday, I’m not sure I ever told you my last name.”
    She glanced up at me. “Nope. You didn’t.”
    “It’s Stewart.”
    “Graham Stewart. So you have one of those names that’s interchangeable.”
    “Excuse me?” I chuckled, not sure what to make of that.
    “You know, your first and last names can both be, well, first and last names.”
    “Well, what do you know?”
    “This is news to you, Graham?”
    I shrugged. “Not the sort of thing I sit around and ponder.”
    She smacked my shoulder. “You are such a guy .”
    “Awww, you say the sweetest things.”
    Addy giggled, the sound trickling over me like gentle water in a brook.
    “And your last name would be…”
    “Sure you wanna know? It’s a mouthful.”
    Mouthful? All I could think about was putting my mouth back on Addy’s. “Uh, of course I want to know. How bad could it be?”
    Her eyes widened. “Oh, it’s bad. ”
    “Just spill it. I’m sure I’ve heard worse.”
    “Fine, you asked for it.” She stopped walking so I did too. “Ready Mr. Stewart?”
    “Go for it. I’m ready.” I put my hands on my hips and waited.
    “My middle and last names are Hildegard and Lafollette.”
    “Holy cow.”
    “Told ya.”
    I wanted to say what was your mother thinking , but didn’t want to offend Addy.
    She shook her head. “I know, what was my mom thinking?”
    I raised my eyebrows and grinned. We continued walking. After five blocks, we turned and came back. Short walk, but just like cards and hoops, now I didn’t feel like walking either. So many things I didn’t want to do, yet I had all this pent up energy. We reached my truck and stopped.
    She pointed to the cap on the back. “I really appreciate you driving us last night…” Addy glanced away for a second and huffed out a breath.
    “But? Was it cramped back there or something?” I had no doubt it had been.
    “There was that. ”
    “What else?”
    She waved a hand. “Oh, it’s nothing.”
    “No. Tell me.”
    “Let’s just say that on the way up, I was the only one