White Heat by Brenda Novak Read Free Book Online Page B

bedraggled, she glanced down at her soaking dress. She wasn’t willing to give him any credit, but she did feel cooler. “A water fight. That’s your solution?”
    â€œ I enjoyed it,” he said. Then, in a motion that seemed as impulsive as it was unexpected, he used his thumb to stop a drop of water from rolling down to her cleavage.
    Rachel caught her breath at the contact. Looking upto see him watching her intently, she stepped out of reach. “It’s my turn to drive,” she said, and hopped in before he could protest.
    Â 
    This was the way Nate liked Rachel best—completely undone. Her hair was a mess, her face devoid of what little makeup she’d put on, her dress damp and wrinkled and hugging every curve. He could even appreciate the thin sheen of sweat on her smooth skin. The dampness caused the soft tendrils of hair at her nape to curl.
    God, she was pretty. At times she took his breath away.
    â€œWhat?” She glanced over as if she could feel his scrutiny and didn’t like it.
    â€œNothing.” He turned his attention to the rocks, soil and cacti flying past his window. During moments like these, he was so tempted to act on the attraction between them it was all he could do to keep his hands to himself. He wouldn’t have bothered to fight the impulse if she was half as resilient as she pretended to be. But her desire to love him showed in those wide blue eyes every time she looked up at him. He couldn’t take advantage of her vulnerability; he wouldn’t break her heart. He, of all people, knew what could happen if he did.
    â€œWe haven’t talked about Portal,” she said.
    He adjusted his seat belt. “There’s not a lot to say about Portal. It’s a very small town.”
    â€œHow small?”
    â€œMaybe fifty people, mostly ranchers, artists, bird-watchers and nature enthusiasts. Paradise used to be even smaller than Portal, until the Covenanters moved in.”
    â€œWhy aren’t we starting off in a bigger place?”
    â€œThe closest town with any significant population is Willcox. They have about thirty-five hundred people, but it’s an hour and a half from Paradise. I felt that was too far and we’d have trouble making contact with the cult.”
    She fought the wind whipping at her hair by anchoring several loose strands behind her ears. “But how can a cement contractor expect to earn a living amid fifty ranchers, artists and bird-watchers? I doubt they’re the type to pay for a lot of concrete work.”
    â€œI’m actually playing an out-of-work contractor. With the downturn in the economy, I’ve decided to go after my real aspirations—photographing wildlife. I’ll be taking pictures for a coffee-table book I hope to sell.”
    Her eyebrows slid up. “Did you bring a camera?”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œNice thinking. Except that doesn’t explain to others where we get the money to eat and pay rent.”
    â€œWe’ve recently inherited a small sum from your grandfather.”
    â€œThat wasn’t in the dossier, either,” she pointed out.
    â€œI just made it up before we left. We have this inheritance and we’re using it to spend a year in Portal to take photographs for my book, hoping to recoup expenses when we sign a big deal.”
    â€œOkay, so you’re an aspiring photographer. What am I going to say I do?”
    â€œYou’ll be my assistant.” That would keep her at his side all the time. It was perfect. But she didn’t seem convinced.
    â€œDon’t you think this might seem kind of random?”
    â€œNo one says we have to be the most responsible couple in the world. Reckless can be believable, too.”
    She bit her lip as if contemplating what he’d said, but his explanation must’ve pacified her because she changed the subject. “How much farther do we have to go?”
    He checked his Swiss Army