Silver Bracelets: A Loveswept Contemporary Classic Romance Read Free Page A

need.
    He began to pace back and forth. A broken window, a woman with a tool chest filled with what could be considered burglary tools, and a half-nude man. Explainable maybe, but he didn’t have time for any more delays. Nosy neighbors! That’s why he would never live in a place like this.
    Jeanie had picked out this apartment for herself, before she’d had the wild idea that they would get married. Then, before she’d even turned on the utilities, the assignment in Spain had come along. The only furniture that got moved in was the brass bed.
    Asa understood Jeanie’s need to be surrounded by people, to belong. He thought it had something to do with her losing her parents so early. But he was alone, too; he didn’t even know who his parents were. And he’d never fallen in and out of love like a neon sign blinking on and off.
    For Asa a job that involved constant travel was a calculated choice. If he didn’t stay in one place very long, he couldn’t get close to anyone. If he didn’t allow himself to get close, he wouldn’t be hurt. But for Jeanie, and Mike too, the world was their playground. They ran toward tomorrow and what it might bring.
    Asa looked at his watch, the green numbers blinking at him in the darkness. Where was Sarah Wilson? She seemed dependable, firmly rooted in old-fashioned optimism and responsibility. Surely she hadn’t abandoned him.
    About the time he decided to take a chance on flashing the neighborhood she came back, holding out red coveralls with the name “Jim” embroidered on the pocket.
    “Try these. They were Pop’s, but I think they’ll fit.”
    They did. Asa pulled them on and jammed his feet into his boots. He moved over to the window and glanced outside. The police officer was heading toward them. Asa didn’t have time for an interrogation. There was only one quick way out. Kinky was acceptable; burglary wasn’t.
    “Don’t scream, Sarah. Just consider this as being in the line of duty.” He reached out and pulled her into his arms, capturing her lips with sureness.
    For a moment she struggled.
    “Cooperate, woman, please!”
    Whether it was the desperate plea in his voice or her own breathless reaction to his lips, she relaxed and gave in to the kiss being delivered by a master of the art.
    Her heart felt the jolt first. Then her pulse kicked in and her breathing raced. Jeanie was definitely an idiot for running away with a practical joker when she could have had this man. Sarah didn’t know what to say about herself. Maybe she was a idiot, too, for there was no question that she was kissing Asa back.
    By the time Asa pulled away, Sarah was glad that he was still holding her; otherwise she would have melted into a puddle at his feet.He gave a jaunty wave to the officer, then snapped off Sarah’s flashlight.
    For a moment he gazed at Sarah in silence. He could hear the sound of her breathing.
    “Thanks for not screaming. Let’s get out of here before the people watching decide to join our party. How much do I owe you?”
    “Oh, the kiss is free. Since it was in the line of duty.”
    “I meant for the locksmith’s call.”
    Still half stunned by the kiss, Sarah freed her flashlight and followed the deputy as he moved out the door and across the lawn to the parking area.
    “A call after midnight is forty dollars,” she said. “But unless you’re into bartering, I don’t know how you expect to pay me. I’ll send you a bill.”
    He swore again. “I’ll pay you tomorrow. But forty dollars isn’t enough. You came out after midnight, to a strange apartment, to free a man in handcuffs and you’re only going to charge forty dollars?”
    “That’s the price my dad set and that’s what you owe me.”
    “Then why didn’t your dad make the call? I might have been a criminal. You know you could have been in big trouble.” He frowned as he allowed himself to notice how attractive she was.
    He’d vaguely realized she was tall enough that he hadn’t had to lean