Trust in Me Read Free

devices with no regard for her feelings. She would not let them—
    "Hello? Miss Albritton?"
    With a gasp, Claire jerked her attention to the man across from her. The hardware store manager studied her with a puzzled expression.
    "Are you okay, ma'am?" He set her application aside, and his dark brown eyes narrowed on her with clear concern.
    She drew a steadying breath. "I'm fine. Sorry. What did you ask?"
    "Your address. You left the space blank."
    "I just moved here from Asheville, and I'm still in the process of finding a place to stay." Claire opened her purse and pulled out several scraps of paper. "When I leave here, I'll follow up on these 'roommate needed' ads I found on the bulletin board on campus."
    "Mm." He nodded and eyed the papers. "Mind if I take a look? I might be able to steer you toward the best choices."
    When he held out his hand for the ads, she hesitated. She didn't want or need his help. Finding her own place to live was her first hurdle to establishing her independence, something she had to do for herself. "Ah, no. I'll—"
    He caught the edge of the folded sheets and gave them a gentle tug. What was she supposed to do? Get in a tug-of-war with him over the ads? That seemed altogether childish and unladylike. Her mother would never be so undignified.
    She closed her eyes and battled down her spurt of irritation. He was just trying to be nice.
    Her composure back in place, she regarded the manager—Kevin—as he scanned the ads. His chestnut hair was in need of a trim and lay in tousled disarray, as if windblown or well-ruffled by restless hands.
    He wasn't especially handsome. Certainly not the type who made a girl look twice. Not that he was bad looking exactly. Just...ordinary. Approachable. Yes, that was it. He had a gentle warmth about him that was appealing.
    He rubbed his shadowed jaw, and she glanced at his hands. You could tell a lot about a man from his hands, her grandmother used to say. Kevin's were work-roughened, but his fingertips were blunt and well-groomed. His hands looked strong, capable. She followed the path of his fingers as he stroked his chin, deep in thought. An odd shiver shimmied over her skin.
    Claire shifted her weight, growing uncomfortable with the rigid posture her upbringing urged her to maintain. Or was it the odd track her thoughts had wandered that gave her the prickly sensation all over?
    "Are you allergic to cats?" Kevin asked, bringing her out of her reverie.
    "Well, no. Why?"
    "’Cause this lady—" He held up one of the ads. "Has about twenty at last count. Several dogs too."
    Claire raised one eyebrow. "Twenty?"
    "Yep. And chickens. And I think she still has the goat."
    A ripple of laughter bubbled from her. "You're teasing."
    He grinned. "Nope. She comes in here a couple times a month to stock up on food for all her beasts. I doubt she's looking for a roommate so much as help with her zoo."
    Claire yanked the sheet from his hand and balled it up. "One down."
    She turned toward the trashcan in the corner and shot the wad toward it. It swooshed in.
    Kevin cocked his head. "Hey, nice shot."
    "Thanks."
    He pulled out another ad and showed it to her. "With this one, the Leslie mentioned is a guy, not a girl. If you don't mind sharing an apartment with a big hairy guy who considers the Three Stooges Hollywood's finest hour—"
    "Ugh!" She snatched that sheet from him, too, and wadded it. This time she missed the trashcan.
    Kevin balled up the next ad and gave it to her. "Try again. Two out of three."
    "Hey, but I might follow up on this ad!" She started to smooth out the sheet. His hand closed over hers to stop her.
    "Um, trust me. You don't want to."
    "I don't? Really?"
    "Really, really don't."
    "Oh." A pang of disappointment rippled through her. That was her last prospect for a place to live. The cost of the motel where she was staying was eating up her savings quickly. So what did she do now?
    She met his deep brown gaze and felt the stir of something in her