Hard Habit to Break Read Free Page A

with him tomorrow evening.
    Groaning in self-disgust this time, Liz had a sure feeling she’d be reduced to oatmeal again. What was the matter with her anyway? Why couldn’t she seem to act like a mature adult around him? Okay, so he was good-looking, and charming, and sexy …
    In her mind’s eye she could see Matt as he stood behind the hedge. She could almost feel the dense swath of hair on his chest. It would be like silk under her hands. And the skin that glistened like oiled oak in the sunlight would be smooth and damp—
    “Hi, Liz.”
    Her wits scattered at the sound of an already too familiar voice speaking her name. She glanced up in shock to find the object of her erotic daydream standing before her.
    This time, at least, Matt was completely dressed. But his loose white cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled to just below his elbows emphasized a multitude of perfections. The broad shoulders seemed broader, the hard chest harder, and the trim waisteven trimmer. The beige pleated trousers he wore were the latest male fashion.
    Not only was Matt Callahan charismatic and virile, he had style too.
    Telling herself she couldn’t possibly have conjured him off the pages of
Esquire
magazine and into the bank, Liz tried to compose herself into a semblance of normalcy. As she stood, her shaking legs told her normal was impossible. She decided to try for semi-idiocy.
    “Hello, Mr. Callahan,” she said, surprised at the strong formal tone of her voice. She’d been so sure she’d sound like a croaking frog again. To her left, she caught a glimpse of Georgina and Mavis leaning forward over the marble counter, obviously intent on hearing every word. “May I help you?”
    Matt shot her a puzzled look. “I thought we’d gotten to first names last night.”
    Liz instantly wished the bank’s roof would collapse on them. A hurricane blow through town. A bomb go off in City Hall across the street. Anything!
    The silence was deafening.
    So much for positive thinking, she decided after one hope-filled moment.
    “I’m sorry … Matt,” she replied hastily, thinking fast to disarm the bomb he’d innocently tossed her. “When you stopped by so briefly last night, I didn’t get a chance to welcome you to Hopewell. Welcome to Hopewell. Is there something
the bank
can do for you this morning?”
    Leaning his hand on her desk, Matt grinned. “It seems we forgot to talk about a lot of things last night.”
    Liz wondered wildly if the man was trying to sabotage her reputation. There wasn’t anything he could say to make the situation worse.
    “You didn’t mention you worked at the bank,” he went on. “Thanks again for your sweet contribution to my morning. I don’t know what I would have done without it,” he added with an even wider grin.
    Her stomach lurching, Liz cursed silently. She’d been optimistic in thinking the situation couldn’t be worse. Somehow Matt, in his innocence, had found a way to make her sound almost like the town hooker.
    Maybe she was reading more into his words than anyone else might. After all, she was nervous and on edge with him, she reasoned.
    Mentally crossing her fingers, she shifted her gaze over Matt’s shoulder. Georgina’s and Mavis’s eyes were popping, and if they leaned over the counter any farther, they’d slide right down to the floor.
    “Dammit!” Liz muttered, looking around for a mousehole to crawl into.
    “What?” Matt asked with a blank look.
    Suddenly she was furious with him, the nosy tellers, and a job that practically required her to walk on water. But she resisted the urge to vent her frustration. Her job was important to her, not only for income but also for her self-esteem. Granted walking on water wasn’t a listed job requirement, but she’d do it if she had to. And everybody in a small town took an interest in everybody else. That was only human nature.
    And that’s the way it is, she told herself. Walter Cronkite really knew how to turn a phrase.
    She