Read Online Brownies, Bodies and Bad Guys by Leighann Dobbs - Free Book Online

mouth harder on hers, scooping her out of her chair and into his lap.
    He felt her hands snake around his neck as he caressed the silky fabric of her top, then slid his hands underneath to her warm, soft skin. She let out a mewl of contentment which caused his own growl of satisfaction as a warm tightness started to form in his lower belly. His lips left hers to trail down her neck, his arms tensing to pick her up and carry her inside.
    And then her phone rang.
    “Shoot.” She broke the kiss and looked at her phone on the table. “It’s Nans, I better take it.” She scrambled out of his lap and back into her chair.
    Jack leaned back with a sigh. He watched her answer the phone, thinking of how beautiful she looked with her tousled hair and lips all puffy from their kiss.
    But then his heart clenched and his stomach turned to lead when he saw the color drain from her face.
    “Lexy, what’s wrong?”
    She snapped the phone shut and looked at him, alarm in her eyes.
    “We have to get to the hospital right away. Ruth’s been attacked!”

Chapter Eleven
     
    Lexy’s stomach was tied in knots as she rushed down the hospital corridor in front of Jack, her mind conjuring up images of Ruth, tiny and pale, lying in a hospital bed wrapped in bandages.
    She skidded to a stop in front of the room. Where was that loud laughter coming from?
    Peeking into the room slowly so as not to disturb Ruth if she was sleeping, her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open.
    Ruth was propped up in the bed, but she wasn’t frail and bandaged. She was sitting in a blue dressing gown, her back supported by several pillows, her cheeks flushed with excitement and her blue eyes twinkling. Nans, Helen, Ida and Ida’s fiance, Norman were gathered around the bed. The five of them were having a grand old time laughing and talking.
    Lexy looked at Jack who simply shrugged and walked into the room.
    “Ruth! Are you okay?” Lexy made her way to the bed and gave Ruth a kiss on the cheek.
    “Oh, yes. It takes a lot more than a little crack on the noggin to put me out of commission.”
    “What happened?” Jack asked from the foot of the bed.
    Ruth leaned forward, lowering her voice. “Well, I had just gotten home from the grocery store. The last thing I remember is putting my key in the lock to my condo and BAM.” She accentuated the last word by clapping her hands together. “Someone conked me on the back of the head and I went down like a sack of potatoes.”
    Lexy exchanged worried looks with Jack. “Did you see who did it?”
    “No. They hit me from behind. But I must have been out for a while because when I woke up, I was lying on the couch and the house was a mess.”
    “They searched it?” Lexy’s steak sat like a brick in her stomach. If they had knocked out Ruth and searched her condo, would Nans be next?
    Ruth nodded.
    “How did you get to the couch?” Jack asked.
    Ruth spread her hands. “I have no idea … and the other funny thing is that my groceries were put away! Which is a good thing because I had ice cream and frozen peas in there.”
    Jack narrowed his eyes at Ruth.
    “This is good news!” Nans said. “If they are still looking for the will, and we know Ruth didn’t have it, that means whoever it was is still around and we still have a chance of catching them.”
    “Did you say they were looking for a will?”
    Brax’s voice drifted in from the doorway and everyone turned in that direction. Lexy saw Jack’s eyes narrow even further and his back stiffen.
    “Oh, hi there.” Nans craned her neck around the curtain to greet Brax as he walked further into the room.
    “I hope I’m not intruding. I heard about Ruth and wanted to make sure she was okay.” Brax winked at Ruth whose cheeks turned scarlet.
    “Seems I’m no worse for the wear,” she said.
    “Now what’s this about a will?” he asked.
    “The family said Nunzio’s latest will was missing so we assume that’s what they have been looking for.” Nans