Heart of the Hunter

Heart of the Hunter Read Free Page B

Book: Heart of the Hunter Read Free
Author: Bj James
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warded off an answer. “Don’t tell me.” Canvases were shuffled slowly and her grin grew wider.
    â€œAshley!” Rising on tiptoe to shift a haunch onto the edge of the desk, she rested a stack of canvases on her knee. “You did it! Nicole Callison, you did it! Ashley Blackmon painted these, and somehow you’ve accomplished the impossible and convinced him to let us show them.”
    â€œNo,” Nicole demurred. “Ashley convinced himself.”
    â€œWhatever. I don’t care, so long as we have them.”
    â€œI’d like to include them in this showing.”
    â€œYou mean to sell?” Annabelle lifted an incredulous brow.
    â€œNot this time.” Nicole shrugged. “Maybe never. Still, I’d like to include them.”
    â€œWhich means we’ll burn the midnight oil to change the exhibit.”
    â€œOne of us will.”
    â€œWrong!” Annabelle slipped from the desk and straightened her skirt. “Two of us will.”
    Nicole laughed. “I knew I could count on you.”
    If Annabelle’s grand entrance and conversation commanded Jeb’s attention, Nicole’s laughter stopped him cold. Before, it had been self-conscious and mechanical. But beyond that, he couldn’t remember ever hearing her laugh with such abandon and delight.
    As he saw her now, in an element she’d created, speaking with this irrepressible woman who was clearly a trusted friend, he knew he’d never seen her as happy.
    When this was finished, when he’d done what had to be done, he wondered what would be left of her life.
    â€œGood morning,” a cheerful voice boomed out. “The boss lady suggested that there might be something I can show you.”
    Jeb turned automatically toward the woman who had appeared at his side. In his millisecond of distraction she’d moved with an astonishingly quiet step after her boisterous entrance. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.”
    â€œI can understand that. The wolf is beautiful.”
    â€œThe wolf?”
    A dramatic gesture indicated the massive head of bronze where his clenched fist rested. “Since you’re two of a kind, it’s natural he would be one of your favorites.”
    At a bit less than five feet, the woman called Annabelle was a foot shorter than he, but what she lacked in height was compensated for by unrestrained flirtation. As their gazes met, hers was flashing, unrepentantly appreciative. His was as aloof as an autumn mist. “I beg your pardon?”
    â€œHoney.” Annabelle’s eyelids drooped in speculative appraisal. “Any man who looks as good as you, or as bad, has no need to beg anything from me.” A hearty laugh bubbled somewhere in the depths of her bosom as her shoulders shook. “At least, not too hard.”
    â€œGood and bad?” Jeb mused. “An interesting if peculiar analogy.”
    â€œInteresting, maybe. But not peculiar,” Annabelle declared. “Not peculiar at all. On the surface you’re good-looking in a rugged sort of way, but you can’t fool me. Underneath it you’re as wild and wily as the wolf, and twice as fascinating.”
    â€œWild and wily?” Jeb was chuckling now. The woman was outrageous and loved every minute of it. “Just an off-the-cuff analysis, huh? And if you had more time, you could delve a little deeper?”
    â€œI wouldn’t mind the delving, but it isn’t necessary. Any woman worth half her salt can take one look at you and she knows.”
    â€œBut what does she know?”
    A bold look moved over him again. “She knows everything. ”
    His chuckle turned to laughter. “I hope not. Sounds dangerous.”
    â€œOnly for the woman, sugar. But taking a crack at taming you would be worth it.” Abruptly her thoughts hopscotched in another direction. “Now that we’ve settled that, is there something special you wanted to see?

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