Read Online Cricket Cove by T. L. Haddix - Free Book Online Page B

you’ve made what is traditionally a stress-filled ordeal an experience that was a pleasure to go through. We wanted to say thanks.
    I know how much you love the spa we go to occasionally in Lexington. We’ve always talked about spending a few days there at their full-service retreat. Well, guess what? They’re expecting you Monday for a three-night stay. I had Zanny and Rachel pick your brain, and I know you don’t have anything scheduled early in the week that won’t keep for a few days.
    Go have fun and get some rest. Accept this token of our thanks. It isn’t quite a happily ever after, but it’s the least we can do.
    With love,
    Emma and Archer

    “Damn it, Em.” Amelia wiped her wet cheeks with the heel of her hand. “I was expecting an engraved platter or something. Not this.” But the gift wasn’t really surprising now that she thought about it. She’d just been so distracted with everything the last week or so that she hadn’t noticed the probing questions. Hindsight was twenty-twenty. The spa sounded like heaven, and she didn’t want to wait until Monday to go.
    She did a quick walkthrough to make sure the house was locked down, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and went to the bedroom. She considered a shower but she was too tired even for that. Stripping out of the bridesmaid’s gown, she laid it on the chair beside the bed. The rest of her garments followed. As soon as she was undressed, she turned the lamp out and crawled into bed. Her mind drifted to the possibility that Logan really had been jealous of Jonah.
    “Dog in the manger, you know. For all the good it would do the man. I wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole if he offered.”
    But part of her knew she would touch him. She wouldn’t let herself get emotionally involved with him, but if the opportunity presented itself, she probably would give in to the temptation he presented. In all her life, she’d never thought she’d be interested in sex without love, but there it was.
    As Ben drove around to his parents’ house where they were staying, the tension in the car was so thick it could almost be cut with a knife.
    “She’s not going to just forget about this,” he growled. “You do realize that, don’t you?”
    “Of course we realize that, but Ben, there’s nothing to do about it tonight. And it’s her decision. If Amelia doesn’t want us to interfere, we have to respect that decision.” Ainsley touched his shoulder. “But damn him, I’d like to get my hands on him right now.”
    “So would I,” Jonah added from the backseat, surprising Ben. The man was usually laid-back and gentle. “And I wonder about him. I saw the way he was looking at her tonight. Hell, we all did. He wants her.”
    “He can want until hell freezes over. He goes near her, I’ll rip his head off.” Ben was serious. He’d always been protective of Amelia, but after seeing her go through the tragedy of losing Jimmy, seeing what that loss had done to her, his protective instincts were stronger than ever. Add in the emotional stress of his impending fatherhood and it was taking all his willpower to not rip Logan Gibson limb from limb.
    Ainsley’s words shook him, however. “It isn’t just the way he looks at her. She looks at him similarly when she thinks no one else is watching. I think they’ve got a powerful attraction between them, despite what she thinks. If they could somehow manage to work out their demons… he might be her mate.”
    “You are out of your mind if you think I’m going to let him have my baby sister,” Ben told her with a soft caress down her arm to temper his words.
    “Let me remind you that things aren’t always as they appear, no matter what someone hears or reads or is told.” Her voice was gentle, but Ben still felt the reproach. More, he knew she had a valid point as much as he hated to admit it. Their own relationship had nearly been destroyed by her mother’s machinations. They’d spent five