LITMIR.BIZ

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Colter.

      Flat on her back, Penny hesitated in her wild struggle and it was distraction enough for Joe to get the upper hand. He manacled her wrists in one of his hands and jerked her arms above her head. With his free hand, he shined a flashlight in her eyes.

      Penny was alternately stunned, confused and spitting mad. She bucked against him. “Damn it, get the hell off me.”

      From the flashlight’s beam, she saw him grin. It wasn’t fair that one man could be so handsome. Deep creases bracketed his mouth and fanned out beside his eyes.

      “Not a chance.” The repeat of her words seemed deliberate.

      She went slack, her chest heaving with every breath she took, a combination of exertion, fear and much, much more. The weight of his body was beginning to arouse rather than restrain.

      “Darby’s welcoming committee, I presume?” she finally asked, annoyed by the breathy hitch in her voice.

      His grin kicked up another notch. “Something like that. Although we’re usually more mannerly.”

      “I should hope so. You’ll chase away the tourists.” She took a steadying breath. “It’s been a long time, Joe.”

      “So you do recognize me.”

      She stiffened imperceptibly, then deliberately made herself relax. The last time they’d been together, they’d been in a very similar position. With him on top. And soon after that, she’d knocked the hell out of him with a right punch and walked out of his life.

      “I recognize you. What are you doing skulking around my grandmother’s house?”

      “Protecting and serving.”

      “Good way to get yourself shot.”

      “Likewise—though I might point out that I’m still armed and you appear to be, uh, at a disadvantage, if you don’t mind my saying so.”

      “Right now, I’m too tired to mind much. But I’ll assure you, I’m only at a disadvantage because I’m allowing it.”

      His palm smoothed over her shoulder and down her arm, gently squeezing her biceps. She knew what he was feeling and resisted the urge to flex those muscles. Sleekly feminine, there was still power beneath that flesh. And the touch of Joe’s hand was making it difficult to breathe.

      “You’re not gonna hit me if I let go, are you?”

      Her lips curved. “Take a chance.” When he released her wrists, her palm came up to rest on his chest, her fingers tracing the badge pinned there. “A lawman. I wouldn’t have pictured it.”

      Joe rolled off her and reached for his hat that had been knocked off in the struggle. “Mmm, and you a secret agent. I wouldn’t have pictured it.”

      “Who told you I was a secret agent?” She accepted the hand he held out and let him help her up.

      “Your grandmother liked to brag. I’m sorry about her death, by the way.”

      “Thank you. I’m sorry I wasn’t here for the funeral.” Standing, she let go of his hand and rubbed at her hip, knowing she’d have a bruise. “I was out of town and by the time Kelly tracked me down, the funeral was over.” Kelly Robertson had been Penny’s high school friend and source of sporadic hometown information over the years.

      Kelly had neglected to tell her that Joe Colter was still in town.

      The last she’d heard, Joe had married and moved away. After gleaning that bit of information, Penny hadn’t asked about him again.

      It had hurt too much.

      “Yeah. That’s what she said.” His tone was deep and gentle with compassion.

      “You talked to Kelly about me?”

      “Sure. Darby’s still a small town.”

      Penny told herself she wouldn’t cringe. Living in this small town—this gossipy small town—had caused the single most excruciating embarrassment in her life.

      The moment when she’d realized that everyone but her knew that Joe Colter, the most popular jock in school, had seduced brainy Penny Archer on a bet.

      And by God, she wasn’t going to get caught up in all the old insecurities. It had been sixteen years. In the beginning, she’d convinced herself she hated him. She had to admit now that she didn’t. The feelings were just as strong as they’d been the day after graduation.

      And that scared her. Because it made her vulnerable. She hadn’t thought of herself as vulnerable in a very long time.

      “You okay?”

      She clenched her fist and snapped her attention back to Joe. Or what she could see of him. “I’m fine. I’d be better with some light. Mind if I borrow your flashlight to find the breaker box?”

      “I’ll take care of it.”

      “Suit yourself. I think the panel’s on the service porch. Careful of the glass.”

      She heard his boots scuff against the floor as he moved back through the kitchen, then heard the crunch of glass and the squeak of rusty hinges a second before the lights came on.

      Turning in a circle, she glanced at the furniture—some pieces she remembered and some she didn’t. There were changes here, but there was also familiarity.

      She’d spent hours of her childhood in this room, yet scarcely a day of her adulthood. And that made her sad.

      She looked up and saw Joe leaning against the doorjamb, watching her. He wore jeans and boots, a crisp tan uniform shirt with a badge pinned to his chest pocket and a tan Stetson hat.

      A Texas lawman. Casual. Yet dangerous. He radiated welcome and power. And just the sight of him made her giddy.

      The man was entirely too good-looking. Always had been.

      She cleared her suddenly dry throat. “We both know how I got in the house. How did you get in?”

      “Actually, I have a key. Got it from Reilly after Agnes passed away.”

      “The attorney. Is it just a coincidence, or is he the same Russ Reilly who played running back at Darby High?”

      “The same. I’d have thought a woman with your connections would have checked out strange men sending you keys in the mail.”

      She arched a brow, feeling on more solid ground. She knew he was wondering about her and it felt good to be thought of as a woman of mystery. In school, she’d been brainy Archer, nobody special, someone who pretty much blended into the woodwork. Oh, she’d had plenty of friends—but few in the “in crowd”…except for Joe Colter. And courting that relationship had been a painful, lesson-learning mistake she would not repeat.

      “Sounds like you’re fishing for information, Colter.”

      “Maybe I am. All in the name of law enforcement, you understand.”

      She grinned, liking the feeling of keeping him off balance. She didn’t normally play games with men. But then, she didn’t normally come within touching distance of Joe Colter, either. “Then you’ll understand about confidentiality.”

      “Mmm. What about professional courtesy?”

      “I wasn’t aware that we were on a case.”

      His gaze was very direct. “We could be.”

      Penny shivered. She didn’t know when the conversation had taken such a turn, but she’d lost the thread. And had no idea what they were talking about or around, or what the innuendoes meant. She only knew that if she didn’t get a grip, she was going to do something stupid. Like walk right into Joe Colter’s arms and beg him to give her a refresher course on the feel of his lips against hers.

      Or worse yet, to give him a refresher course, to show him exactly

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