Read Online Blind-Date Bride by Jillian Hart - Free Book Online

felt weightless as she slipped off the seat. Snow tumbled from the heavens, sifting through the fall of light from the storefront and each flake shimmered. It fell over them both like grace, like a moment of pure blessing. Her doubts vanished, her worries fell away. There was only Max’s riveting gaze and his strength radiating through her hand. Her feet hit the ground and although he moved away, the connection remained.
    “Where do you want your bike?” Max asked as he shut the truck door.
    “Oh, I’ll go ahead and take it around back. I—”
    “That wasn’t what I asked.” Firmly spoken, but his words resonated with kindness. “Go in where it’s warm. I’ll take the bike around back. Is there a rack there? Do you want it locked?”
    “No, you can just lean it up against the side of the building. I’ll load it later.”
    “Load it where?”
    “On my sister’s car. Do you have to know everything, Mr. Detective?”
    “Yes. Yes I do.” His dimples dug deep as he swung open the front door and held it for her.
    Triple wow. He had that charisma thing going for him, and combined with the world-weary-hero thing, she felt completely overwhelmed. She slipped past him, aware of his height and his character. He was a total twenty on a scale of ten. A complete Mr. Dreamy. More so now that she’d gotten to know him better, the devoted cop, the loyal brother, one of the good guys.
    Why couldn’t she have met him before the robbery? As she retreated into the store’s cozy warmth, her every flaw felt enormous. No matter how she fought it, her nose was too big, her legs were too short, she wasn’t pretty enough, she was dealing with problems. Her hair was a mess, tangled from the driving wind and blotchy with melting snow.
    Standing alone in the store’s foyer with displays on either side of her, she was acutely aware of her consignment-store jeans and coat and outlet-store boots. Aware of the fears she hadn’t been able to defeat since the night she’d been shot by a man on meth.
    Her heart might be whispering, “He’s The One,” but her brain was definitely shouting, “Be realistic.” For the second time, she would be saying goodbye to him, just like after the blind-date fiasco, and he would walk away for good. There would be no more chance encounters to bring them together, especially since she should begetting her insurance check soon. Which meant she would be a car owner again. If they did happen to meet on the road, they would both just keep driving, right?
    When Max retreated into the storm, the shroud of snow stole him from her sight, and it was as if he had taken something from her. Something she couldn’t name. She had never felt like this before with any guy.
    Then again, she had never spent much time with a man like Max.
    “Who is Mr. Handsome?” Colbie appeared between the rows of polished wood bookshelves. Curiosity animated her dear features—a heart-shaped face, to-die-for cheekbones, a perfect slope of a nose and big navy-blue eyes. She tucked a lock of light brown hair behind her ear. “Now I get why you suddenly decided to stop for dinner. Are you dating him?”
    Bree held up one finger to her lips, wincing. The store was quiet, and there was no way Marcus could miss hearing everything, wherever he was in the store. “Max just gave me a ride. I met him when my car was stolen.”
    “Still, he’s promising. I’m going to put him on my prayer list.”
    “Don’t torture me like that.” She gave her sister a quick hug, careful not to get her all snowy.
    “Look at you. You’re a mess!” No truer words had been spoken. “Now come here. Sit down where it’s warm. This chair gets the breeze from the heater vent. I’ll pour you some tea.”
    “You’re not waiting on me.” She dropped her backpack on the floor by one of the chairs and followed her sister to the beverage cart. Canisters towered neatly above a colorful arrangement of decorated cookies fromthe bakery. She grabbed two