Read Online Cold Touch by Leslie Parrish - Free Book Online Page A

to take offense, “did you teach her that?”
    “ Angry Ex-Girlfriend Secret Handbook .”
    “Guess I missed that one.”
    “Guess you missed the ‘Secret’ part, too,” she told him, actual y sounding
    amused.
    “Is there a chapter in that book about cutting up al a guy’s clothes and
    dumpin’ ’em on the lawn?”
    “Depends on whether you’re dating a real woman or a Fatal Attraction
    applicant.”
    “Just kidding. She didn’t cut ’em up.”
    “Dumping them on the lawn?”
    “I’m gonna have to take the Fifth on that one.”
    Her eyes gleamed, but now it wasn’t strictly due to the moisture that had
    fil ed them not so long ago. There was good humor there, too. He was glad
    she hadn’t stopped to evaluate that, figuring she’d start feeling guilty at the
    very thought of smiling given the rol er-coaster ride of emotions she’d
    probably been on al morning.
    “Please don’t even try to tel me you guys don’t have a secret coded
    playbook, too,” she said, sounding accusing. “Somehow the word got out that
    a guy should drunk-dial his ex in the middle of the night to accuse her of
    breaking his heart.”
    “That I didn’t do. May’ve gotten drunk a time or two, but I deleted her
    number from my address book the day after she deleted me from her
    Facebook friends list.”
    She snickered, as if finding it hard to believe he had one. That was
    perceptive: He didn’t.
    “Whew. Glad to hear you rose above the impulse.”
    “How about you?”
    “I’m not the Facebook type. I try to stay as disconnected and hard to reach
    as possible.”
    He didn’t point out that he could understand why, given her past. Any
    kidnapping victim would be pretty damn protective of his or her privacy, he
    suspected. “I meant the drunk-dialing.”
    “I rarely drink.” The quirk of her lips said she was teasing him, pretending
    she didn’t understand the question at first. “Okay, I’ve had to have my number
    changed once or twice.”
    He’d just bet she had. The woman was bright and warm, not to mention
    incredibly attractive. He didn’t doubt she’d broken some hearts in her day.
    Having known more than a few crime victims, he had to wonder if she had a
    hard time real y trusting anyone. Most did. Which could lead to some broken
    hearts if somebody decided to take it personal y.
    He’d already snuck a quick glance at her left hand and seen a big, antique-
    looking silver ring that looked like it had been inherited, not slipped on by a
    fiancé. At least, that’s how he preferred to think of it, though, having known her
    al of twenty minutes, he couldn’t say why.
    “So, tel me, Miz Wainwright, is there a chapter in there about ordering gay
    porn and big-woman skin mags and having them delivered to your ex-
    boyfriend at work? Because if so, that’s some seriously bad advice and can
    get you arrested.”
    Whistling, she replied, “She sounds like she was a real piece of work.”
    “Nah, not speaking from personal experience. It’d be pretty stupid to do that
    to a cop.”
    “Oh, so you ordered the gay porn and big-woman skin mags?”
    “Ha-ha,” he said with a wry grin, liking how quickwitted she was. Especial y
    liking that the evidence of those tears was growing dimmer with every word
    she spoke.
    “So when was this devastating breakup?” she asked, though whether it was
    to be polite, or because she was real y interested in knowing, he couldn’t say.
    “Year or so ago. And to be honest, it wasn’t that devastating.”
    “Not even to her?”
    “I don’t think so. She was al about settling down and having babies and
    being with somebody who didn’t risk getting shot every day when he left for
    the office. Ended up engaged to a guy who runs a bookkeeping business up’n
    Brunswick.”
    “Somebody nice and normal,” she murmured, sounding thoughtful.
    He leaned back in his chair, hearing it creak, and crossed his arms over his
    chest. “You sayin’ I’m not nice and normal, Miz