That Runaway Summer Read Free

that Irish women. My dad was a salesman who wasn’t around much and I’ve got three older sisters. Even our dog was female.”
    “And?” Penelope prompted when he stopped talking.
    “And we lived near a farm that had a couple boys my age,” he continued. “I loved it there. At first just hanging around the boys, then for the animals, and my interest grew.”
    “Stanley and Dan don’t only treat house pets,” Penelope announced.
    “We’re equal opportunity.” Dan smiled. It was a nice smile, warm and inviting. “Horses, cattle, sheep. We’ve got them covered.”
    “Why did you leave Ohio?” Jill asked.
    He hesitated. “It was a good career opportunity.”
    He took another bite of his burger. He wasn’t comfortable talking about himself—that much was clear. He especially didn’t want to discuss why he’d moved to Indigo Springs. Jill could relate.
    “Does your family still live in Ohio?” Penelope had either failed to pick up on his evasiveness or was having none of it, probably the latter.
    “Yes,” he said after a pause. “My parents live in the same house where I grew up. My sisters and their families aren’t far away.”
    “You’re the only one who isn’t married?” Penelope asked.
    “That’s right.”
    Dan shifted on the picnic-table bench. Jill fought not to squirm, too. Who knew what Penelope would ask next? The other woman leaned forward, as though about to pounce with a particularly juicy question.
    “Dan’s true mission on earth leaves him no time for a relationship,” Jill announced.
    “Excuse me?” Penelope spoke up, but three pairs of eyes regarded Jill curiously.
    “Dan seems like an average guy, a simple vet going about his business.” Jill lowered her voice. “Except that’s only a cover.”
    “Oh, really?” The corners of Dan’s mouth quirked.
    “Really.” Jill looked over her shoulder, then let her gaze roam over the yard. She returned her attention to her audience, quieting her voice even more. “Did you ever wonder why we don’t see much of him in town?”
    “I work a lot,” Dan said.
    “And not just at being a vet. It all stems, of course, from those five world-changing words spoken to you in high school by that stuffy British librarian.” She paused for effect, then called upon her most dramatic delivery. “‘You are the chosen one.’”
    Dan’s dark eyebrows lifted.
    “This is getting good.” Johnny put both elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Chosen for what?”
    “To stand alone against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness,” Jill finished, and drained the rest of her beer, setting the bottle down with a plop.
    “Hey, that sounds familiar,” Penelope said slowly, then brightened. “I know where I’ve heard it before. On TV at the beginning of Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns. Buffy’s the one girl in all the world who can do that stuff.”
    “What’s to say Buffy doesn’t have a male coworker?” Jill asked flippantly. “You’ve got to admit it explains that tall, dark and enigmatic thing Dan has going on.”
    “Enigmatic?” A dimple appeared in Dan’s left cheek. “No one’s ever called me that before.”
    “That’s what you get for not chatting up the bartender at the Blue Haven.” She put up a hand so he wouldn’t get the wrong idea. “Not that I’m complaining. Most people talk my ear off.”
    “That’s how Jill and I became friends,” Penelope said. “A girlfriend stood me up when Johnny was out of town. I sat at the bar all night talking to Jill. She’s an excellent conversationalist. You should ask her to tell you about herself, Dan.”
    “No need,” Dan said as Jill was trying to mentally unearth one of her practiced scripts. “I already know her secret.”
    Jill heard blood pounding in her ears but forced herself to smile. Dan couldn’t possibly know anything about her. He was simply having fun by following her lead.
    “Ever wonder why she tones down that Southern accent of hers?”