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Sometime
before dawn, Susannah stirred. Hogan sprawled next to her on the tangled sheets.
Beard stubble shadowed his face. She suspected she had some evidence of the
abrasive five o’clock shadow on various parts of her anatomy. She wished she
could engrave his image on her heart.
If
only she were as sophisticated and blasé about the past night’s adventure as
she’d pretended to be. The more she looked at Hogan, the more she felt as if
she might shatter into a million pieces. A bubble expanded inside her.
Suddenly, it burst, and she knew its contents without a doubt. Despair. She
choked back a cry and carefully disentangled herself.
Sadly,
she realized why most women didn’t indulge in the same dogged pursuit of sex as
men did. When a woman gave herself to a man, there was often more at stake than
pleasure. Too often, women risked their hearts. Just as she had. Walking away,
once you’ve given your heart, isn’t so easy.
Hogan
stirred and reached out, encountering the pillow where she’d laid her head. He
snugged it to him. When she could stand the pain no longer, she knew it was
time to leave.
Silently,
she gathered her clothes from the floor then backed out of the room, watching
to make sure he didn’t wake. She didn’t think she could stand it if he opened
his eyes and looked at her before she’d armed herself against him. She had to
leave before then.
After
a quick shower, she packed only her personal items. The clothes, the
accessories, all the expensive things that had been bought for her, could stay
here and rot. They weren’t hers. The Mayor had paid for them so he could have
them.
What
a fool she’d been. She stretched. She was sore, and her breasts were tender, a
reminder of last night that would haunt her for a few days. Then, hopefully,
she’d forget. No wonder sex made people crazy and love made people act as if
they were brainless. She snapped her makeup case closed.
Susannah
wrenched the gold band from her finger and left it lying on top of the suite’s
key card on the coffee table. Then she lifted her bag and quietly slipped away.
When
she stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby, she nearly collided with
Allison Platt. Susannah’s eyes raked her from her tousled blond hair to her
bare feet. She wore a red sequin cocktail dress. Matching red satin sandals
dangled from her fingertips. Her feet were sandy.
“Long
night?” Susannah didn’t even try to repress the censure in her voice.
“Why,
Mrs. Hogan.” Allison grinned. “Very long night.” Her eyes
glanced to Susannah’s makeup case. “Traveling light?”
“Excuse
me, I’m in somewhat of a hurry,” Susannah said stiffly, pushing past her.
“Where’s
Hogan?” Allison trailed after Susannah.
Irritated,
Susannah stopped and turned. “I assume he’s upstairs asleep. Why don’t you
go wake him?”
“Oh,
so that’s how it is? The honeymoon is over. The bloom is off the rose. The. . .
.”
“Stuff
it.” Susannah walked away, without a backward glance, toward the pay
phone.
Still
Allison followed. “Who are you calling?”
Susannah
raked her with a scathing glance from her tousled hair to her sandy feet.
“Don’t you have some man to seduce or something?”
Allison
grinned. “Not at the moment. The only one worth bothering with is upstairs
asleep. And he’s not someone I could ever seduce.”
Susannah’s
brows snapped together in irritation. “If you say so.”
“So
who are you calling?”
“If
it’s any of your business, I’m calling my friend Paula so she can come pick me
up.”
Allison
balanced on one foot while she slipped on first one shoe and then the other.
“Don’t wake your friend. Come on. I’ll drive you where you need to
go.”
“Why
would you do that? More importantly, why do you think I would possibly want to
ride with you?”
“Hmm.
Good questions. First answer, I’m bored. Second, I’ve got a fast car, and you
look like you want to shake the dust of this place as fast as possible. Am I
right?”
Susannah
hesitated, even though Allison was right on all counts. “I couldn’t think
of imposing.”
“That’s
a fake answer. But if you’re really concerned, let me assure you that you won’t
be imposing. I’m still wired. I get like this and can’t shut my brain
down.”
Susannah
eyed her suspiciously. “You’re not on anything are you?”
“Just
high on life.” Allison grinned.
Having
Allison drive her home would solve her most immediate problem. She wasn’t
exactly keen on waking the Colliers at this hour. Even though they wouldn’t
mind.
“Come
on, Mrs. Hogan.”
“Okay,
but only if you quit calling me that.”
“Deal.
So where are we going?”
Susannah
told her as they waited for the parking valet to bring Allison’s car around. At
that hour of the morning, it only took a few minutes to get it from the parking
garage.
“Thanks,
Miguel,” Allison said to the valet as she slid into the driver’s seat.
Susannah
stared at the red Porsche. The Boxxter looked exactly like the one she’d
arrived in. She settled into the other bucket seat as Allison let the top down.
She looked over at Allison. “Wait a minute. You don’t have your
wallet.”
“So?”
“Well,
you don’t have a driver’s license.”
“So?”
Susannah
looked at her pointedly. “You can’t drive without a license.”
“Sure
I can. I just can’t drive legally.” She threw the car into gear and peeled
away, laughing at Susannah’s expression.
After
a minute, Susannah laughed. The laughter took some of the pain away. “I
never thought of it that way, but you’re right. I guess you can drive. Just not
legally.”
Allison
looked over at her and grinned. “I have to admit that you surprise
me.”
“Why
because I have a sense of humor?”
“Hmm.
Maybe.”
They
drove in silence for a few minutes. Once they’d cleared the arch at the
entrance to Murphy’s Cove, Allison said, “I remember I saw a diner just
outside Vance. Do you think it’s open this early?”
“It
should be.”
“Good.
Let’s stop for some breakfast. I need coffee. Okay?”
Susannah
shrugged. “You’re the driver.” It mattered little whether she got in
at six in the morning or later. At least she was away from Murphy’s Cove. Away
from Hogan.
Allison
cruised at the speed limit much to Susannah’s surprise. “Did you arrive by
car?” Susannah probed, curious about the coincidence of the car.
“No.
I flew in and rode down to the Cove with some friends. This isn’t my car. It
belongs to my father.”
“Oh,
your dad lives in the Cove?”
“Sure
does. In fact, you know him.”
Susannah
looked at her doubtfully. “I don’t think so. I’m sure I don’t know anyone
named Platt.”
“Platt’s
my married name.”
Surprised,
Susannah stared. “You’re married?”
“Was.
Past tense. Usual story of being too young and stupid to marry. I was young. He
was stupid. End of marriage. End of story.”
The
way she said it, so dryly, so without rancor, surprised another laugh from
Susannah. “So who’s your dad?”
“The
esteemed mayor.”
“What?”
Susannah’s smile transformed to a scowl. So Hogan and Walter had fooled her in
ways she hadn’t even begun to comprehend.
“Why?
What’s wrong with that? Don’t you like my father?”
“I
thought I did, but your father is one of the reasons I’m in this mess.”
“What
mess exactly are we talking about?” Allison braked quickly, turned the
wheel sharply, and pulled into the parking lot in front of the Busy Bee. She
glided to a stop next to a huge eighteen wheeler. She turned to face Susannah.
“I want to know everything. So start with the mess.”
“The
mess of me being with Hogan in Murphy’s Cove. The mess of my mother thinking
she’s in love with your father.” A look of horror crossed Susannah’s face.
“Oh, my God! Please tell me your father doesn’t have a wife tucked away
somewhere.”
Allison
sighed. “I wish he did, but Mom died when I was fourteen.”
“Oh,
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.” Tiredly, she rubbed a
hand across her forehead. “In fact, I’m so tired I’m probably not making a
bit of sense.”
“Come
on. Some high octane caffeine will fix you right up.” Allison climbed out
of the car.
Susannah
followed. “Aren’t you going to put the top up and lock the door?”
“Why
bother? It’s as safe here as it is in the garage. That’s one thing I love about
this part of Texas.” She spread her arms wide. It’s like stepping back
into the fifties. People still respect your property. You don’t have to worry
about getting carjacked or mugged down in this little corner of Texas.”
Susannah
considered. “You know, you’re right. I’ve spent so much of my life
scheming to get out of this part of the world that I overlook its good
points.”
Allison
grinned as she opened the door. A bell jingled. “I’ve found people often
don’t know how good something is until it’s gone.”
The
Busy Bee had black and white tile floors, red leatherette booths, and red
Formica-top tables. Only a half dozen customers at that hour of the morning
were scattered throughout the cafe. Steel guitar music of the kind her
grandparents’ generation had listened to blared from the juke box.
Allison
and Susannah settled into a booth. A middle-aged woman with bleached-blond hair
and three inches of dark roots put white stoneware coffee cups in front of
them. With her pencil poised above her order pad, she asked, “Leaded or
unleaded?”
“Definitely
leaded.” Allison pointed to the woman’s name tag. “Dottie.”
“You
got it,” Dottie answered.
“What’s
that music on the juke box?” Allison asked.
“I
can tell you’re not from Texas. That’s Bob Wills and the Light Crust Dough
Boys. I’ll get your coffee.”
“Who’s
Bob Wills?” Allison asked Susannah.
“The
king of western swing. I grew up listening to that kind of music as much as to
alternative, pop, and all the other stuff.”
“That’s
the owner’s private collection of records filling that juke box,” Dottie
called from the coffee station. “You can’t find music like that
anymore.”
Susannah
fell silent and listened to Allison and Dottie. What she heard made her
reevaluate Allison’s personality. Apparently, the blonde had never met a
stranger.
“I
can believe that.” Allison smiled and patted the table top with her
fingertips in rhythm to the music.
“That’s
a gorgeous dress.” Dottie pointed at Allison. “When you get tired of
it, give it to me.”
“You
got it, Dottie,” Allison said. “When I toss it, it’s yours.”
“I’ll
hold you to it.” Dottie grinned. “In the meantime, what can I get you
for breakfast?”
“Check
back in a few. We’ve got some girl talk to do,”Allison said.
By
the time they’d downed a mug of the fragrant black brew, Susannah had sketched
out the events of the last few days. She’d left out the sexual olympics with
Hogan.
“Gee
whiz. I miss all the exciting stuff. I wish I could have shacked up with Hogan
for a week. I’d have that man begging for mercy.”
“I
thought you said he was off limits. He is your cousin, isn’t he?” Susannah
found it hard to keep her jealousy in check.
“Only
by marriage,” Allison said with such aplomb that Susannah couldn’t help
but laugh. At least laughter kept her from crying.
Allison
drained her cup and motioned for more from Dottie. “Now I want the juicy
details. Come on, tell your Auntie Allison what really happened. Did Hogan
manage to withstand your charms?”
Susannah
shook her head. “Nothing to say. I plead the fifth.”
“Oh,
come on. You can’t leave me hanging like that. I bet you’d planned to tell
Paula.”
“Well,
yes, but I’ve known Paula forever.”
“So
you haven’t known me that long. Yet.” Allison’s eyes twinkled. “But
we’ve bonded over coffee, haven’t we?”
Susannah
laughed. “You’re really something. How on earth does your father deal with
you?”
Allison’s
smile faded. “Actually, not very well. We tend to end up in shouting
matches. I’m surprised your mother would want anything to do with him. He’s
stiff and unyielding and doesn’t know how to have a good time. Usually. Last
night, he was like a different man with your mother.”
Susannah
rubbed her forehead. “I was shocked. My mother. And a man. Any man.”
She frowned. “I’m pretty sure I wasn’t very nice.”
Allison
looked at her. “I can tell that it bothers you. My dad dating your
mother.”
“No.
It’s not that. It’s my mother dating any man.”
“But
why?”
Susannah
shook her head. “I don’t even know how to explain it. All my life my
mother warned me about falling in love. Unlike you, I didn’t rebel. I listened
and worked hard to keep every guy I was ever interested in at a distance.”
“Gee,
must be hard to have sex at arm’s length.”
“Oh,
shut up.”
“Sorry.
I couldn’t resist. How old were you when your father left?”
“Seven.
One day he was there. The next day he wasn’t.”
“Ouch.
That must have hurt.”
“More
than I realized. I never knew how hard it was for me to trust a man just
because of that. It sounds simplistic, textbook psychology, but it’s still
true.”
“With
my mom it was the same way, but I knew it wasn’t her choice.”
The
two women fell silent, each consumed with their thoughts.
“So
tell me then how you really feel about my father dating your mother?”
“I’m
afraid he’ll hurt her.”
“Not
my dad,” Allison scoffed. “He’s never been this interested in a
woman. Any woman. If he’s after your mom, it’s for keeps. By no shape, form, or
fashion is he a player.”
Susannah
stopped to consider. Finally she said, “Even if he does hurt her, it’s her
life. She has to live it. I shouldn’t try to sway her though that’s what I’d
planned to do when I got home.” Susannah set her cup down. “Okay.
You. How do you feel about your dad dating my mother?”
“I
think it’s a great idea. Daddy needs someone to soften him up. I’ve never seen
him like he was last night. He’s always a perfect gentleman, but he seemed so
tender, so gentle around your mother. I’m so used to our fights that I think
I’ve forgotten that he’s been lonely for a lot of years.”
Over
their breakfast of hash brown potatoes, crispy bacon, and fried eggs, Allison
tried to get Susannah to open up about Hogan.
“Allison,
I don’t care if you are my new best friend. I’m not talking to you about
Hogan.”
“But,
he’s almost my cousin, Susannah. You know I was just teasing by flirting with
him don’t you?”
“Yes.
It’s not that. I just don’t want to talk about him.”
“Okay.”
Susannah
was amazed at Allison’s easy amiability. She chatted with anyone who came over,
and several did, with joking comments about the red cocktail dress she wore.
Finally,
Allison pushed her plate away and yawned. “Let’s get this show back on the
road.” After another yawn, she said, “I may have to nap at your house
before I start back.”
“You’re
welcome to.” Susannah covered her own yawn. The events of the past few
days had caught up to her with a vengeance.
By
the time they pulled into her mother’s driveway and parked next to Old
Reliable, both women were drooping. Susannah led the way onto the porch.
Allison
took one look at the porch swing piled with pillows and headed for it.
“Wake me when it’s dark.”
Susannah
said she would and slipped into the house. Before going to her room, she left a
note on the kitchen table for her mother, explaining who the strange young
woman in the swing was and why an expensive sports car was parked in her
driveway. Then she stumbled off to bed, finally too tired to be haunted by
Hogan.
* * *
Hogan
studied his bleary-eyed reflection in the bathroom mirror. Yesterday had been
the most frustrating day of his life. It had also been the best day of his
life. He hadn’t been able to find McConnell, but he’d found Susannah instead.
Now he’d lost her. Somehow it was appropriate that he looked as bad as he felt.
Had he meant nothing to her but a night of sex? Really, really great sex?
“You
look like the son of something from the black lagoon,” Luke Orland
cheerfully observed from the doorway.
Hogan
concentrated on splashing cold water on his face. He had to take care of this
McConnell business then find Susannah. He’d ask her straight out how she felt
about him. He glanced down at the smallest finger of his left hand where he
wore the gold band he’d found on the coffee table that morning. The ring would
go no further than over the first knuckle. As soon as he’d seen it, his heart
had sunk. He’d known Susannah was gone.
“Are
you going to be much longer?”
“Keep
your shirt on, Orland. And get me some coffee.”
“I’ll
see if I can get room service to send up a gallon,” Luke said pushing away
from the door frame where he leaned. “Maybe it’ll improve your mood.”
“There’s
nothing wrong with my mood,” Hogan snapped. Nothing wrong that seeing Susannah
wouldn’t improve. He turned on the shower and stepped in. The cold water
cleared away the remaining cobwebs. He should have talked first and loved later
last night. Explained everything. But his little head had been calling the
shots.
A
half hour and three cups of coffee later, he felt nearly normal. “Let’s go
visit McConnell.” He held up the passkey card he’d obtained. “I have
a feeling that since the lovely deputy has departed, McConnell is probably home
again.”
“After
you.” Luke waved the warrant.
When
they got to McConnell’s suite, there was no answer. Luke drew his pistol,
carefully pointing it in the air. “Okay, Hogan, you’re on,” he said
quietly.
“I
think you can holster your weapon,” Hogan said dryly. “McConnell has
never carried a gun before.”
Luke
hesitated then sighed. “Too bad.” He put the gun away as Hogan
inserted the electronic key card.
Luke
stepped through first. “Thomas McConnell, this is the police. We have a
warrant for your arrest.”
“Chill,
Orland.” Hogan thought he heard a noise in one of the bedrooms. He held
his finger to his lips and motioned Luke to follow him. They crept down the
hallway and stood outside the bedroom door. Someone inside the room laughed.
Hogan
put his hand on the doorknob. Silently he mouthed to Luke, “On
three.”
Luke
nodded.
Hogan
held up one finger, then two, then three. He turned the knob and flung the door
open. He and Luke burst through the doorway then froze in mid-step.
Yvonne
screamed and jerked the sheet that lay loosely over her chest up to cover her
head. Thomas McConnell came out of the bed with a roar.
He’d
have looked rather threatening, Hogan thought, if he hadn’t been clutching a
long-stemmed red rose between his teeth. And if he weren’t stark naked.
McConnell
spat the rose out. “Get out of here.”
Hogan
and Luke beat a hasty retreat. The door slammed.
Luke
looked at Hogan. “Uh, that was your stepmother, wasn’t it?”
Hogan
glared at him. “You know it was.”
Luke
looked down at the warrant. “Somehow I think we’re not going to need
this.”
The
door behind them flew open and Yvonne, wearing a man’s red plaid bathrobe,
stood there glaring at them.
Hogan
and Luke shuffled their feet restlessly.
“How
dare you.” she hissed.
Hogan’s
temper flared. “Now wait just a damn minute, Vonnie. What the hell are you
doing in bed with the guy who stole your jewelry?”
Yvonne
had the grace to blush. “That was just a misunderstanding.”
“A
misunderstanding?” Hogan roared.
The
door flew open again and McConnell, wearing only finely tailored trousers,
stalked out. “Don’t you dare yell at Yvonne that way,” he snapped,
getting right in Hogan’s face.
“How
I talk to my mother is none of your business.”
“It
most certainly is my business. I won’t have you taking that tone to my
wife.”
“Your
wife?” Hogan and Luke cried in unison.
Hogan
shook his head. “I didn’t have enough coffee to make sense of this.”
Yvonne
laughed softly. “Come on, sweetie.” She took his arm and led him to
the living room. “You too, Mr. Orland. I guess I owe you both an explanation.”
She
seated them on the couch. “Tommy, darling, would you make us some juice or
something while I explain everything to these two children.”
Hogan
glowered at her. “I have spent most of my vacation running around like the
proverbial chicken with its head cut off, thinking I was helping you get back
some family heirlooms. Just what the hell is going on here?”
“Sweetie,
I take full responsibility for this whole peccadillo. You see,” she had
the grace to blush. “After your father died, it hurt so bad I thought I
didn’t ever want to love someone that much again. Then I had that disastrous
marriage to Rizzoli, and, I’m ashamed to say, a series of not very nice
affairs. I thought I’d become immune to love. Then I met Tommy.” She glanced
over at her new husband and smiled.
McConnell
brought a tray of glasses filled with orange juice on the rocks. He set it on
the coffee table where everyone ignored it. Hogan noticed how her eyes softened
when she looked up at the man.
“When
I met Tommy, I knew I was in trouble. Then when he proposed, I was scared. I
forced myself to break it off and start dating someone else. I couldn’t take
the pain of loving someone again and eventually losing them.” She reached
over and took his hands, interlocking her fingers with his. “Sending Tommy
away just about killed me.”
McConnell
took over the story. “It made me completely insane. I wanted to hurt her
the way she’d hurt me. So I stole the jewelry she valued most.”
Yvonne
reached over and kissed his cheek. “By the time I discovered the jewelry
was gone, I had already decided I’d made a huge mistake. I didn’t care about
the jewelry. I just wanted Tommy back. But I’d made the mistake of telling
Walter the jewelry had been stolen. He went ballistic. I didn’t want Tommy hurt
or thrown in jail. That’s the real reason why I asked you to help me,
sweetie.”
“But
why not just get in touch with McConnell and tell him you’d changed your
mind.”
“I
was afraid. I might have killed his love for me. I had to make sure he’d stolen
the opals for the right reason. I didn’t want Tommy to marry me because he was
afraid I was going to send him to prison.”
“This
is crazy,” Hogan raked his hands through his hair.
“Love
often is,” Yvonne said. “Lucky for Tommy and me that your Susannah
entered the picture. She told us she’d buy us some time while we eloped. And
she did.”
Hogan
felt as if someone had stabbed him in the gut. “Yeah, lucky for you,”
Hogan said. “What was she? The maid of honor at your elopement?”
The
painful realization that Susannah had slept with him just to keep him from
breaking up Yvonne’s elopement nearly crushed him. Buy them some time. Susannah
hadn’t wanted him. She’d just used her body to put one over him. She’d
distracted him while Yvonne and McConnell eloped. How could she have used him
like that?
“Where
is Susannah?” McConnell asked. “Yvonne and I would like you both to
join us in a celebration dinner tonight.”
“I
don’t think that’s going to be possible. She’s not here,” Hogan said
stiffly.
“Oh,
dear, you let her get away?” Yvonne asked.
“It’s
not like I could take her into custody to keep her with me.”
“Why
not?” Yvonne asked, eyes twinkling mischievously.
* * *
Three
days later, that question still reverberated in Hogan’s mind. He checked his
bags in at the counter outside the air terminal and tried to shake the feeling
that he was making a mistake by leaving. He’d have stayed if he thought there
was any chance Susannah had wanted more from him than a one-night stand. But
she hadn’t. She’d never be able to trust any man long enough to let herself
fall in love. He accepted that now. She’d just lusted after him. If she’d
really loved him, he told himself, she would have stayed to make sure he didn’t
mistake the meaning of their night together. Wouldn’t she?
He
tucked his boarding pass in the inside pocket of his navy sport coat and held
out his hand to Walter. “It was good seeing you again, Walter.”
“You
too, Hogan. I guess I owe you an apology for getting you involved in this
mess.”
“Hey,
what’s family for if not to screw up your life?”
Walter
grinned. “Funny. But true.”
“Did
you and Allison talk?”
“Yeah.
She’s off following one of her whims again.”
“Don’t
be too hard on her. It takes some of us longer to find out what we want in
life.”
“Speaking
of that, uh, are you sure you don’t want to talk to Susannah before you
go?”
Hogan’s
mouth thinned. “I’m sure.” Her using him still rankled. He hadn’t
been able to get beyond the fact that she’d slept with him just to distract him
from what he’d intended to do.
“Well,
in case you change your mind. . . .”
“I
won’t.”
“She’s
back at work at the Sheriff’s Department. Just a phone call away.”
“You’re
wasting your breath. I don’t want to see her.” Hogan turned to enter the
terminal.
“All
right,” Walt called out. “I’ll tell Rory. I guess that clears the
field for Susannah’s young man from college.”
Hogan
stopped dead in his tracks. He turned and walked back to his uncle. “What do
you mean?”
“I
think the kid’s name is Brian. They dated in college. Apparently, according to
my future wife, he’s been crazy about Susannah for years. Head over heels in
love with her, but she’d never given him a chance or any encouragement before.
Now, for some reason, she seems to have changed her mind and is welcoming his
attention. If you know what I mean.”
Hogan’s
frown intensified. He did know what Walt meant, and he didn’t like it at all.
“I didn’t know she had a college boyfriend.”
“Well,
like I said, she’d never let it get serious before, but Brian has always hung
in there and hoped. Odd how he showed up in Vance just a few days ago. It’s as
if he knew his time had come. He’s staying at Rory’s. She said, he’d been a,
uh,” Walter cleared his throat, “a comfort to Susannah.”
“A
comfort?” Hogan felt jealousy sink its talons into his heart. What did she
need comfort for? He’s the one who needed comfort. She broke his heart, not the
other way around. “And he’s staying
at the Quinn house?”
“You
know Vance. There’s not a hotel in town.”
Hogan’s
gut felt as if it were tied in knots. He’d begun to suspect that he was
developing an ulcer.
“Rory
tells me Susannah’s a different woman since she returned from Murphy’s Cove.
Not so driven. More relaxed and laid-back.”
“Good.
Everybody needs balance in their life,” Hogan muttered. Surely Susannah
wasn’t thinking about marrying some boy from college? She needed a man who
could go toe to toe with her. Not some boy.
“So,
you’ll be back for my wedding?”
Hogan
shrugged. “Sure. It’s a family thing, right?”
“Right.
And don’t even think about weaseling out of it.”
Hogan
looked abashed. That’s exactly what he’d planned to do. It hurt just thinking
about Susannah. Seeing her again might well tear him into pieces. Seeing her
with another man? He didn’t like that picture at all.
The
two men shook hands and clapped each other on the back and said their farewells
again. “See you next month,” Walter said.
Hogan
nodded and entered the terminal without hesitation this time.
Walter’s
shoulders slumped in defeat. He pulled out his cell phone and punched in a
number. While he waited for Rory to answer, he retrieved his car keys from his
trousers pocket and jingled them as he walked to the metered parking. Feeling
depressed and knowing Rory would be upset, he leaned against the fender of his
Porsche.
When
Rory answered, he said, “Sorry, darling. I’m afraid I failed. I thought
sure I had him when I started talking about Brian, but he didn’t fall for it.
Maybe I should have said Brian proposed.”
“Yeah,
maybe you should have,” Hogan drawled from behind him. He plucked the car
keys from the mayor’s hand. “Get in. I’m driving.”
Walter’s
sheepish expression changed to a delighted grin that stretched ear to ear as he
jumped into the passenger seat. “Are we going where I think we’re
going?”
Personalized Novels
You are the star, the details are about your life, and you can even include your picture. Makes a great gift! In paperback, hardcover, and eBook formats.
Genres include:
Romance, Classics, and Mystery
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Joan
published
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Moonlight on Snow:
A Love Story
