Needing Nicole (The Cantrelle Family Trilogy Book 2) Read Free Page A

woman who looked to be in her late twenties with long, thick, curly dark hair, and wide, dark eyes. Her full lips tilted up in a shy smile with a hint of dimples as she faced the camera. The dimples gave Nicole pause. She might have been able to ignore the eerie similarity in their looks. After all, wasn’t it well known that everyone had a double somewhere? But the dimples were another story, because Nicole had those same dimples when she smiled. She continued to study the photo. The girl he’d called Elise Arnold was dressed in white shorts and a red tank top, and she was sitting on top of a redwood picnic table and eating an ice cream cone. Nicole had to admit she could have been looking at a picture of herself.
    Although she was shaken by the photograph, she was sure the resemblance between her and this unknown Arnold woman
had
to be coincidence. Because if there was someone in her family who looked so much like her, she would know it, wouldn’t she? “I’ll admit this woman looks very much like me,” she finally admitted. “But they say everyone has a double somewhere in the world.”
    “That’s not all....”
    A gust of wind rattled the branches of a large sycamore tree, shaking raindrops over them. Nicole hugged her arms, suddenly conscious of how chilly it was and how long they’d been standing there.
    “Elise told my sister her father’s name was Cantrelle.”
    Nicole tried not to show how that little piece of information had startled her. “In Louisiana,” she said carefully, “the name Cantrelle is very common. Perhaps we’re third or fourth cousins or something.” She handed the picture back to him. “There’re many branches of the Cantrelle family around.”
    “Are you
sure
you’ve never heard of her?” He tucked the picture back into his pocket.
    “Yes, I’m positive.” She ignored the uneasiness pulsing through her.
    “It’s hard to believe two people could look so strikingly alike and not be closely related,” he persisted.
    “Now look, I don’t care if you believe me or not. I’ve told you all I know. And I don’t have time to stand out here in the cold and talk anymore. I’m late as it is.” She pointedly looked at her watch. It was now one o’clock. “I’ve got to get home. Sorry I couldn’t help you.”
    “Where do you live?”
    Nicole took a deep breath, as irritation with his persistence finally got the better of her. “It’s none of your business. Now goodbye, Mr. Forrester.” She turned and began to walk away.
    He matched his stride to hers, coming up and walking next to her on the street side.
    “Go away, Mr. Forrester.” What did he
want
from her, anyway?
    “How about inviting me in? Maybe we could talk some more. Maybe you’d remember something that might help me.”
    She stopped abruptly. “I’m not going to invite you in. I don’t even know you! Besides, I have nothing more to say to you. So if you don’t mind, I’m in a hurry. I’m going away for the weekend, and I should have already been on my way.”
    She refused to meet his eyes. She didn’t want to be swayed by eyes that reminded her of the ocean on a dazzling summer’s day. By eyes that made her good sense fly out the window. By eyes that could persuade her a possible serial killer was actually a good guy.
    Instead she stalked off. A few minutes later when she looked back, he was still standing where she’d left him, in the middle of the sidewalk with his hands shoved in his pockets. She shrugged aside the tiny spark of regret she felt when she realized he’d finally taken the hint and she wouldn’t be seeing him again.
    * * *
    Jack watched her go, admiring the way her legs looked in the snug-fitting black boots. What a sexy little spitfire! He liked women who didn’t let anyone push them around. From the minute she’d whirled around and waved that can of Mace at him, he’d known she wasn’t Elise.
    Although Jack hadn’t known Elise all that well—he didn’t spend enough time in