Carolina Heat Read Free

incongruously sharing the side of the road with a city bus. She passed the flower-draped buggies built for two, and stopped in front of a large trolley-like carriage hitched to four horses. A few people were already seated, fanning themselves with hats. Annabelle looked around for a ticket seller. Her eyes fell on the broad back of a man brushing down the horses.
    “I’d like to join this tour,” she said.
    He turned around and greeted her with a lazy smile. “It will be a sincere pleasure to have you along this fine morning. My name is Mark, and I’ll be in charge of acquainting you with our fair city.”
    “Mark!” she gasped in surprise. Well, surprise both at his appearance and at the spike of hot interest that seared through her upon seeing his tan biceps bulging from beneath his sleeves. “What are you doing here?”
    “Weren’t you listening? I’m your tour guide.”
    “This is an unexpected coincidence.” She mentally raced through their conversation of the night before. Had she said anything to blow her newly established cover?
    Mark reached past her to accept money from a family of four. “I hate to bother a beautiful lady such as yourself with a triviality, but the tour is twenty dollars.” His tone was practiced, and missing the flirtation of the night before. With the rest of the tour group gathering, he maintained a professional distance.
    “Of course. I was just about to ask the price.” Annabelle handed over her money and scrambled into the carriage, feeling equally the warmth of his hand on her back and the wide smile he’d bestowed upon her. Undeniable sparks had flown between them last night. Under different circumstances she would’ve eagerly accepted his company. Only a minute ago, her stomach twisted in excitement upon realizing it was him.
    But today wasn’t merely a pleasant morning of sightseeing. Annabelle fluffed her already limp bangs with one hand. She was here to do a job, and needed to stay focused. No gawking at men with dreamy accents. And on that thought the carriage jolted, the horses started their leisurely gait, and the entire contraption began to sway.
    “Welcome to historic Charleston! Our route this morning will start down Rainbow Row, a street of authentic, brightly colored antebellum homes.” Mark turned around to face his audience and winked at them over the microphone. “Admittedly, some of them are just authentically restored , but still a pleasure to gaze upon.”
    Annabelle let his words wash over her while she took in the lush greenery. The picturesque magnolia trees would do nothing to help her yet-to-be-revealed investigation, but they’d give her something else to scribble down for her cover story. A guided tour served a dual purpose. It’d provide background fluff about the beauty of Charleston in late spring without wasting time on real research, and at the same time help her become familiar with the city’s layout for when she started officially snooping into Ralph’s mystery.
    Annabelle jolted when the carriage stopped abruptly. She grimaced, rubbing her knee where it collided with the seat in front of her. Horse-drawn carriages looked nice enough, but as sweat trickled between her shoulder blades, she wished she’d signed up for a smooth, air-conditioned bus tour.
    Mark’s voice broke into her thoughts. “We’ll stop here at the Battery for ten minutes. This is a chance for you to stretch your legs while you look at the cannons. Keep in mind, ladies and gentlemen, these are not reproductions. Both the cannons and the balls piled next to them are the genuine article. In case any of you are leery about the safety factor, let me reassure you all the cannons have been filled with cement to prevent any possible injuries. Although,” he continued, tongue-in-cheek, “it’d be difficult for the cannons to fire regardless of the cement, unless one of you brought along a healthy stash of gunpowder.” There was a smattering of polite laughter, and