Firefly Run Read Free Page B

early days of their friendship. Reed and Troy making female mouths water when they walked by with their badges flashing. Troy and Reed shooting hoops until their T-shirts were soaked with sweat. She and Troy on innumerable double dates with Reed and a steady stream of female admirers. And watching the easy way Reed now covered ground and filled a pair of faded jeans, she understood why every woman with a heartbeat had fallen for him.
    She resisted the urge to fan herself. What was wrong with her? This was Reed, for heaven’s sake. Yes, he was as handsome as sin. Even blind women knew that just by listening to his voice. But she’d never felt this flushed feeling around him, and it scared her.
    Stress, fear, lack of sleep, that’s what it was—nothing more. It couldn’t be.
    Reed Tanner, cop to the bone, was sweeping back into her life like the Texas whirlwinds she’d left behind. Having him standing between her and Eddie comforted and frightened her. If Eddie was truly coming for her, the thought of facing him alone made her sick. But she couldn’t bear thinking of Reed taking a bullet aimed at her.
    Reed climbed the steps and headed for the door.
    "Where are you going?"
    "To put my stuff inside."
    "You’re not staying in my cabin."
    "Yes, I am."
    The flushed feeling returned, and her mind screamed that having Reed under the same roof was a very bad idea.
    She pointed toward the line of guest cabins farther down the ridge. "You can stay in the first one." Close enough to provide security but far enough to give her space and prevent gossip.
    "Thought you had reservations."
    "They’re not all full until the weekend. We’ll figure out something then."
    "I need to be closer, where I can make sure you’re okay."
    "Did you happen to see the size of Bobcat Ridge when you drove through?"
    "Yeah."
    "It’s small, it’s smaller than small. But it only takes two people to get the gossip going. And, honey, we have some world-class gossipers in this town. Just ask Ina down at the post office."
    "Must not be anything else to do."
    "Smart aleck. I have great neighbors, and I can guarantee they’ll be calling and stopping by on a daily basis to see if they can help and to check on how Dad’s doing."
    "So?"
    "Don’t you remember what my dad does other than help run this place?"
    Reed stared at her for a moment before the memory clicked. "He’s a minister."
    "Right. He’s a minister in a small, conservative, southern town, so us staying under the same roof is a bad idea. Word would spread so fast you’d get whiplash."
    "But it’s not like that."
    "I know that." Or did she? "You know that. But the wagging tongues don’t."
    "Then we tell them."
    "And we look even guiltier."
    Reed growled and took a few steps away before turning back to her. "Damn, Shelly, how am I supposed keep you safe if I’m way the hell over there?" He punched his forefinger toward the empty guest cabin.
    "It’s not like it’s in the next county. I have a phone, a cell phone, locks, and according to my brother I can scream like a banshee."
    Reed looked like the one who might scream, but to his credit he didn’t. But she felt the tension from ten feet away. She stepped off the porch and headed for the guest cabin.
    "Shelly."
    She stopped, turned back toward him. "I’m tired, Reed. Exhausted. I don’t feel like arguing. You can sleep in one of the guest cabins, in your car, or out here on the ground. But I guarantee you that as soon as you spend one night in my cabin, the entire town will think I’ve shacked up with the first guy to stroll through town after the ambulance hauled my father away."
    "You shouldn’t care what anyone says. You ought to care about your life."
    "You might not believe this, but the thought that Eddie Victor might be coming here scares me to death. Sure, I’d feel safer if you were sleeping on my couch, but there’s no guarantee he’ll ever come near Bobcat Ridge. I have to live here after you leave. I have to think about