Forbidden Son Read Free Page A

hot-cold prickles of irritation, she tossed the rose at him. “I wasn’t born
yesterday, Mr. Hartwell.”
    When
he raised his eyebrows in mock surprise, Honey Belle balled her hands into
fists to keep from slapping him. “For your information, just because I flirted
with you doesn’t mean I’m easy.”
    He
looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “I’m sorry, Miss Garrett. I didn’t
mean to imply—”
    “Of
course you did. Any idiot knows a guy wants to make out when he drives a girl
to the beach to watch the submarine races. ” Her voice increased an
octave. She shook with anger. “My friend Carla warned me about the likes of
you. I didn’t believe her.”
    “Hey,
you’ve got me all wrong.”
    “Never
mind about riding in your fancy convertible. Besides, it’s almost time for my
mother’s shift to start. I have to get the truck home.”
    “I’ll
follow you. You can leave the truck. Accept my apology and allow me to take you
to dinner.” He grinned. “And no submarine races, I promise.”
    His
smile helped soften her aggravation. “Another time, maybe. My father is sick
and requires round-the-clock care.”
    “If
that’s a promise, I’ll hold you to it, Miss Honey Belle Garrett.”
    She’d
probably never see him again, so where was the harm in agreeing with him? “If
you say so.”
    Eager
to make her escape, she ran to the old pickup truck. Gripping the steering
wheel, she allowed her mind to drift, creating a hero of a white knight who
would win her love through bravery and integrity, and by the protection of
others. Woven in with these traits, he’d have to have the most important
quality of all—he’d have to love her unconditionally and forever.
    It
wasn’t until she drove into the driveway of her house and switched off the
engine that she realized she’d left the rose on the seat of Tripp’s car.
    She
sighed deeply. Men like her hero existed only in the world of fantasy and
imagination. None were flesh and bone. And even if such a man existed, why
would he want the likes of her?
    Leaning
against the seat, she wondered if Tripp meant what he said about meeting again.
She’d heard what guys like him wanted from girls like her. Still, her heart warmed
toward him. Suddenly, she very much wanted to know him.
    “You
gonna sit there daydreaming your life away? I gotta go to work.”
    Sighing,
Honey Belle pushed all thoughts of Tripp Hartwell the Third from her mind as
she opened the door and relinquished the truck to her mother.

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter
Four
     
    Sun
poured through the Burger Bin’s large picture windows. The usual crowd of noisy
students gathered in booths while Honey Belle worked in the back, loading the
dishwashers. Her job wasn’t glamorous, but she enjoyed it—usually. Today, the
exhaust fan was broken. Despite a requisition, no one had come around to repair
it.
    “H.B.”
    “What,
Carla?”
    “You
ain’t gonna believe who just walked in.”
    “I’m
too hot and tired to play twenty questions.”
    “Then
get your bad self up here and take a peek. It’s him.”
    Honey
Belle peered around the large industrial refrigerator and spied Tripp standing
at the counter. “Holy poop hill, what’s he doing here?” He was holding two red
roses. A foreboding shiver ran down her spine—one she quickly dismissed.
    Her
hand automatically touched her sweat-plastered hair. “I can’t let him see me
like this.”
    “If
he’s got any smarts about him, he’ll know you can’t look like a beauty queen
while flippin’ hamburgers over a hot round-top all day. If he don’t, then he
ain’t worth your time of day.”
    Carla
made a fluttering motion with her hands as if shooing Honey Belle to the front
counter.
    Smoothing
her trembling fingers down the side of her grease-splattered uniform, Honey
Belle scooted around the refrigerator. She longed for a spritz of her mother’s
treasured eau de cologne water.
    She
was certain his electric blue eyes were magnets drawing her