Twice Kissed Read Free Page A

his features were grim and set, his jaw clenched, his eyes, even in the darkness, drilling into hers.
    “Thane,” she said, not bothering with a smile as he stepped into the small circle of light cast by the porch light. “Will wonders never cease?” Somehow she hoped to cover up the fact that she was shell-shocked, that her heart was racing, and a dozen questions blitzed through her mind. “You know, Walker, you’re about the last person I expected to ever darken my door.”
    He didn’t crack a smile. “Guess you’re still sharpening your tongue, eh, Maggie?”
    “Always,” she lied.
    His lips flattened over his teeth for just a second. “So that’s how it’s gonna be? We’re gonna trade insults?” After all these years, he still had the ability to make her feel like a fool. “Right now I don’t have the time, the energy, or the desire.”
    “Neither do I.”
    “Well, that’s a start.”
    “What’re you doing here?”
    The intensity of the man didn’t let up one iota. He hesitated just a second. “I need your help.”
    “My help?” she repeated, not trusting him as far as she could throw him. He was trouble. She’d learned that painful fact a long time ago; the last person she wanted in her life in any way, shape, or form. “I can’t imagine why.” Already shaking her head, she forced herself to stay calm. Just because she thought she’d heard Mary Theresa’s “voice” was no reason to panic. But the fact that he was here had to be more than simple coincidence. Didn’t it? Besides, she wasn’t one to believe in coincidence. Folding her arms over her chest, she met his narrowed gaze with her own. “You know, Thane, you’ve got a helluva lot of nerve. After everything that happened between you and Mary Theresa, I can’t imagine why I would ever consider helping you.”
    “Because, if I remember right, that’s the kind of person you are. Even after what happened.”
    She stiffened, felt a jab of undeserved guilt, and refused to rise to the bait. Some things were better left dead and buried. She forced a cold smile. “Maybe you’d better explain.”
    “It’s Mary Theresa.”
    Her heart nearly stopped, though she’d expected as much.
    “I don’t know how to say this but to do it straight out,” he admitted, rubbing his hand over a jaw that was in dire need of a shave. “Brace yourself.”
    “Oh, God—”
    “She’s missing, Maggie. Been gone at least three days. No one knows where she is, but…” He glanced away toward the shadowy hills, then took a deep breath. “It looks bad.”
    “How bad?” She held on to the rail of the porch for support, felt the slivers in the tips of her fingers that she hadn’t bothered working out yet.
    “Real bad. I thought she might be here.”
    “No.” Her stomach twisted.
    “I’m surprised the police haven’t called you yet.”
    She felt the breath of something cold and sinister against the back of her neck. “You know Mary Theresa,” Maggie heard herself saying, denial running circles in her mind. “This could just be one of her stunts. It’s not like she hasn’t run away before.”
    A shadow flickered in his gaze. “This time she doesn’t have a husband to run from.”
    “For the love of God, Thane, listen to you. Mary Theresa is fine. She’s just…hiding.”
    “But not here? Not with you?”
    “No—”
    He looked tired. Weary. As if he hadn’t slept in days. As if he really believed that this time Mary Theresa had gotten herself into thick, dire trouble.
    “There’s more,” he said and his tone of voice—so flat and guarded—told her to beware.
    “More?”
    “The police and that television station she works for don’t think that she just ran off. At least they’re considering other possibilities.”
    Dread sliced into her soul.
    “They suspect that she’s been kidnapped or worse.”
    A soft cry erupted from her throat. “No—”
    He held her gaze with eyes that were, in the gathering darkness, a dangerous