Midnight Exposure Read Free

aware of her remote surroundings and of the size of the quiet man standing so close to her. Despite all her self-defense training, he looked like he could overpower her in seconds. She didn’t get a threatening vibe from him, but their isolation felt acute. As did her vulnerability.
    Relax. If he had sinister intentions, he wouldn’t send you away
. But her subconscious ignored reason, and a familiar ache sprung into her well-knitted jawbone. She forced a smile and hoped he attributed the slight trembling of her voice to the cold. “Thanks again.”
    He stepped back as she opened her door. “Big storm headed this way. Be careful.”
    “I will. You have a Merry Christmas.” Jayne glanced over her shoulder. Those clear green eyes dropped to the ground. Was that a blush? Had he been checking her out? A quick flush of warmth spread through her belly, a surprise and a sharp contrast to her icy hands and feet. She reached for the camera in her pocket. Could she snap a quick, unobtrusive picture of him? His gaze was level again, sharp and clear and not missing a thing. Probably not. He stepped back into a shadow, and her chance was gone.
    She cranked the heat to full blast before executing a tight U-turn. Jayne watched the gate close in her rearview mirror. Kimball stood behind the iron barrier, still as the forest around him. As he faded into the twilight, her fingertips traced the circular scar on her cheek.
    She jerked her hand down and gripped the steering wheel hard.
    Reed Kimball had nothing to do with the threat she’d left behind in Philadelphia. If she allowed herself to be afraid of everyman she met, she was still a victim. Not acceptable. She didn’t drag her sorry butt to all those years of counseling for nothing. She was moving forward, becoming a productive member of society. Besides, her brothers had been there when
she
needed
them
. Now it was her turn to help her family. She had the opportunity to get them all out from under the debt Danny’s Iraq War injuries had rung up. Time to woman up and get the job done.
    But whispered lies repeated in her head as if caught in an endless loop. Her throat tightened. The imaginary forearm pressed against her windpipe felt real as it had that summer night.
    If you’re quiet, I won’t hurt you.

    Standing behind the closed gate, Reed unzipped his parka and watched the woman drive away. The bitter wind was a welcome snap-out-of-it slap.
    Now
that
was a woman. A warrior goddess. Tall and curvy, with legs up to her chin and curly red hair down to her butt. All she needed was a flowing emerald robe and a jeweled broadsword. Despite her urban fashionable clothing, he’d had the most ridiculous urge to kneel at her feet. The odd scar on her face didn’t detract from her beauty, but Reed couldn’t help speculating about its origin.
    With a shake of his head he drove to the house and parked. A strange woman’s scar was none of his business. Their Siberian husky mix, Sheba, raced across the front yard and circled his legs with a happy bark. He leaned down to greet the dog. His son was at the open front door, all long and lean and seventeen. Green Day, cranked to maximum volume, pulsed from the doorway. “Who was that?”
    “Just a lost motorist.” Reed stepped down to the frozen ground. The modern design of his house looked bare, just straight lines and glass. Normally he liked its minimalist design, but right now it looked colorless and, well, blah. He should’ve put some Christmas lights on the shrubs or something. “I could use some help with this wood.”
    “Sure.” Scott ducked back into the house and emerged a minute later in boots and a jacket. He closed the door behind him, but the bass-drum vibrations seeped through. “What was she doing up here?”
    “I didn’t ask.” Reed opened the rear of the Yukon. “I gave her directions and some gas, and she went on her way.”
    “Where was she going?”
    “She said Huntsville.” Reed grasped the long section