Скачать книгу

heard of Buddy Mauvais, all right. Anybody who hadn’t been living in a cave these past ten years knew Buddy…as a two-bit con man. But Adam had a whole different reason to know the name that had appeared in countless newspapers, and been mentioned on local TV news stations every time a crooked stock deal or a get-rich-quick scheme scammed some poor fool. Somehow, Buddy always managed to slither through one legal loophole after another. Not that it surprised Adam; Buddy had been lying and conniving his way out of trouble since he was a boy.

      Why hadn’t Adam made the connection earlier? He’d known all along that Buddy lived across the street from the Delaneys. That’s one reason he’d been so careful when dropping envelopes in their mailbox; he wouldn’t have put it past good old Buddy to steal the money, if he’d seen Adam delivering it!

      A slow rage began to burn inside him at the thought that Buddy had been taking the credit for his generosity. And to make matters worse, trying to take liberties with Kasey in repayment of it!

      “So why don’t you tell me about it?”

      He blinked, turned his attention back to her. “Tell you about what?” It came out gruffer, angrier than he’d intended, especially considering she wasn’t the one Adam was furious with. If he could get his hands on Buddy Mauvais right now—

      “Obviously, you and Buddy have a history of some kind….”

      He put a concerted effort into staying calm. “What makes you say that?”

      “Well, just look at you,” she said. “Ever since I mentioned his name, you’re tight as a drum.” Grinning, Kasey added, “And if you don’t stop gritting your teeth, you’re sure to crack your molars.”

      He hated to admit it, but she was right. He opened his fists, unclenched his jaw, relaxed his shoulders. Adam shook his head. He needed to get off someplace, be by himself, think this thing through in a rational, logical way. Until then, he knew, he’d better zip his lip. And do a whole lot better job of keeping a lid on your temper while you’re at it.

      “Nah,” he said, forcing a grin. “I’m just frustrated with the power company, is all. I mean, you pay through the nose for service, and half the time you’re sitting in the dark, waiting—”

      “Adam, do you mind my being completely blunt?”

      Well, he thought, that all depended on what she intended to be blunt about. “No. I guess not,” he said carefully.

      Adam clamped his lips together and waited, searching for the inner strength that would be required to react appropriately to whatever idea was percolating in that pretty head of hers.

      “What I read on your face just now wasn’t frustration at the power company. It was anger, plain and simple.” She scooted to the edge of the seat, leaned toward him and said, “Now, I don’t know why you feel the way you do about Buddy, but don’t you think it’d be a good idea to tell me about it?”

      He looked into her eyes, so big and bright, so filled with sincerity. “Buddy and I go way back,” he began. “We were…” He couldn’t bring himself to say “friends.” “We hung around together some when we were in high school.”

      “Then, you probably know him better than I do.”

      She clasped her hands together in what he read as a gesture of quiet supplication.

      “I need to know everything I can about him, and if you can shed some light…” She extended her hands, palms up, beseechingly.

      Her voice was trembling, and that made no sense at all. Especially when Adam reminded himself that Kasey thought Buddy was her own personal God-sent “miracle.”

      “I’d really appreciate it, Adam.”

      “But why?”

      She lifted her chin a notch, squared her shoulders and straightened her back. “Because,” she said in that matter-of-fact way of hers, “Buddy has asked me to marry him.”

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABIAAD/4QE2RXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAcAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAjodp AAQAAAABAAAApAAAANAACvyAAAAnEAAK/IAAACcQQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENTMyBXaW5kb3dz ADIwMTM6MDY6MjYgMTY6NTA6MTcAAAAAA6ABAAMAAAABAAEAAKACAAQAAAABAAAFeKADAAQAAAAB AAAIpgAAAAAAAAAGAQMAAwAAAAEABgAAARoABQAAAAEAAAEeARsABQAAAAEAAAEmASgAAwAAAAEA AgAAAgEABAAAAAEAAAEuAgIABAAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEgAAAABAAAASAAAAAH/7QZEUGhvdG9z aG9wIDMuMAA4QklNBAQAAAAAAAccAgAAAgAAADhCSU0EJQAAAAAAEOjxXPMvwRihontnrcVk1bo4 QklNBC8AAAAAAEq45AEASAAAAEgAAAAAAAAAAAAAABgDAABkAgAAAAAAAAAAAAAYAwAAZAIAAAAB KAUAAPwDAAABAA8nAQB2AGUAcgAuAGoAcABnADhCSU0D7QAAAAAAEABIAAAAAQABAEgAAAABAAE4 QklNBCYAAAAAAA4AAAAAAAAAAAAAP4AAADhCSU0EDQAAAAAABAAAAB44QklNBBkAAAAAAAQAAAAe OEJJTQPzAAAAAAAJAAAAAAAAAAABADhCSU0ECgAAAAAAAQAAOEJJTScQAAAAAAAKAAEAAAAAAAAA AThCSU0D9QAAAAAASAAvZmYAAQBsZmYABgAAAAAAAQAvZmYAAQChmZoABgAAAAAAAQAyAAAAAQBa AAAABgAAAAAAAQA1AAAAAQAtAAAABgAAAAAAAThCSU0D+AAAAAAAcAAA//////////////////// /////////wPoAAAAAP////////////////////////////8D6AAAAAD///////////////////// ////////A+gAAAAA/////////////////////////////wPoAAA4QklNBAgAAAAAABAAAAABAAAC QAAAAkAAAAAAOEJJTQQeAAAAAAAEAAAAADhCSU0EGgAAAAADdwAAAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAACKYAAAV4 AAAAIQA5ADcAOAAxADQANQA5ADIAMQAxADMANQAzAF8ATwB1AHQAcwBpAGQAZQBfAEYAcgBvAG4A dABfAEMAbwB2AGUAcgAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAFeAAACKYAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAAAAAQAAAAAAAG51bGwAAAACAAAABmJv dW5kc09iamMAAAABAAAAAAAAUmN0MQAAAAQAAAAAVG9wIGxvbmcAAAAAAAAAAExlZnRsb25nAAAA AAAAAABCdG9tbG9uZwAACKYAAAAAUmdodGxvbmcAAAV4AAAABnNsaWNlc1ZsTHMAAAABT2JqYwAA AAEAAAAAAAVzbGljZQAAABIAAAAHc2xpY2VJRGxvbmcAAAAAAAAAB2dyb3VwSURsb25nAAAAAAAA AAZvcmlnaW5lbnVtAAAADEVTbGljZU9yaWdpbgAAAA1hdXRvR2VuZXJhdGVkAAAAAFR5cGVlbnVt AAAACkVTbGljZVR5cGUAAAAASW1nIAAAAAZib3VuZHNPYmpjAAAAAQAAAAAAAFJjdDEAAAAEAAAA AFRvcCBsb25nAAAAAAAAAABMZWZ0bG9uZwAAAAAAAAAAQnRvbWxvbmcAAAimAAAAAFJnaHRsb25n AAAFeAAAAAN1cmxURVhUAAAAAQAAAAAAAG51bGxURVhUAAAAAQAAAAAAAE1zZ2VURVhUAAAAAQAA AAAABmFsdFRhZ1RFWFQAAAABAAAAAAAOY2VsbFRleHRJc0hUTUxib29sAQAAAAhjZWxsVGV4dFRF WFQAAAABAAAAAAAJaG9yekFsaWduZW51bQAAAA9FU2xpY2VIb3J6QWxpZ24AAAAHZGVmYXVsdAAA AAl2ZXJ0QWxpZ25lbnVtAAAAD0VTbGljZVZlcnRBbGlnbgAAAAdkZWZhdWx0AAAAC2JnQ29sb3JU eXBlZW51bQAAABFFU2xpY2VCR0NvbG9yVHlwZQAAAABOb25lAAAACXRvcE91dHNldGxvbmcAAAAA AAAACmxlZnRPdXRzZXRsb25nAAAAAAAAAAxib3R0b21PdXRzZXRsb25nAAAAAAAAAAtyaWdodE91 dHNldGxvbmcAAAAAADhCSU0EKAAAAAAADAAAAAE/8AAAAAAAADhCSU0EFAAAAAAABAAAAAE4QklN BCEAAAAAAFUAAAABAQAAAA8AQQBkAG8AYgBlACAAUABoAG8AdABvAHMAaABvAHAAAAATAEEAZABv AGIAZQAgAFAAaABvAHQAbwBzAGgAbwBwACAAQwBTADMAAAABADhCSU0EBgAAAAAABwAIAAAAAQEA /+EPD2h0dHA6Ly9ucy5hZG9iZS5jb20veGFwLzEuMC8APD94cGFja2V0IGJlZ2luPSLvu78iIGlk PSJXNU0wTXBDZWhpSHpyZVN6TlRjemtjOWQiPz4gPHg6eG1wbWV0YSB4bWxuczp4PSJhZG9iZTpu czptZXRhLyIgeDp4bXB0az0iQWRvYmUgWE1QIENvcmUgNC4xLWMwMzYgNDYuMjc2NzIwLCBNb24g RmViIDE5IDIwMDcgMjI6NDA6MDggICAgICAgICI+IDxyZGY6UkRGIHhtbG5zOnJkZj0iaHR0cDov L3d3dy53My5vcmcvMTk5OS8wMi8yMi1yZGYtc3ludGF4LW5zIyI+IDxyZGY6RGVzY3JpcHRpb24g cmRmOmFib3V0PSIiIHhtbG5zOnhhcE1NPSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvbW0v IiB4bWxuczp0aWZmPSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3RpZmYvMS4wLyIgeG1sbnM6eGFwPSJo dHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvIiB4bWxuczpleGlmPSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUu Y29tL2V4aWYvMS4wLyIgeG1sbnM

Скачать книгу