Read Online Dear Cupid by Julie Ortolon - Free Book Online Page B

lost cause.”
    Her laugh surprised him. “Then I’d say it’s the perfect topic, since I’m trying my best not to like you.”
     “Why’s that?”
    “No reason.” She withdrew, her eyes haunted by old hurts.
    Cocking his head, he tried to tease her back to him with a smile. “Is it working?”
    “Maybe,” she said with a reluctant grin that told him she liked him in spite of her efforts not to. But then, he already knew that. He could feel it in the electricity that arched between them each time their eyes met. “So are you going to tell me about your movie project or not?”
    “That depends. Are you asking about the movie, or the project?”
    “Is there a difference?”
    “A huge difference,” he said. “The movie is just what people see up on the screen. The real story is what goes on behind the scenes.”
    “What is your part of the production?”
    “The best part.” Enthusiasm shot through him as it always did when he talked about his work. “The movie is titled
The Seeke rs
. It’s a sci-fi Western, sort of a
Terminator
meets the Wild West.”
    “
Terminator
meets the Wild West?” She laughed.
    “Yeah.” He leaned forward, folding his forearms on the table. “See, the seekers are these robots from the future that come back in time and kidnap women to help repopulate the planet. The main character is a woman from the present who is taken forward in time, then she escapes and tries to return home. Only, she overshoots her own time period, and winds up back in the Old West, where she meets up with the owner of a Wild West show.”
    “Does the robot go after her?”
    “Of course.” He smiled. “There wouldn’t be a smash hit without lots of danger and suspense, not to mention a few hair-raising chase scenes, some mind-blowing explosions, and a few million dollars’ worth of special effects. And that is where I come in.”
    “You create the special effects, right?”
    “Not all of them. They have whole teams of people working together on this flick.” He rocked forward on his elbows and lowered his voice as if relaying a secret. “But I get to create the robot.”
    “Really?” She raised her brows playfully. “That is impressive.”
    “Yeah.” He held her gaze, enjoying the way he felt simply sitting with her like this, talking. If only he could lift a hand and run a fingertip lightly over her cheek. Her smile faded slowly as if she read his mind. Rather than turn away, she went very still and her breathing turned shallow. Tension coiled deep in his belly. He opened his mouth to speak, not sure what he meant to say. “Kate, I—”
    “Hey there, stranger,” someone said from behind him, breaking the moment.
    “Mary Pat!” Kate jumped, then rose with a nervous laugh to embrace her cousin.
    Stifling his frustration, Mike stood as well to greet the bar owner. Though taller and slimmer than Kate, she had the same copper-bright hair, which she wore in a short, spiky style around features that reminded him of an inquisitive fox.
    “How’ve you been?” Kate asked.
    “Busy, as always,” Mary Pat sighed. “About time you came by, though. I never see you since you moved out to the lake.”
    “Oh, pa-lease.” Kate jokingly rolled her eyes. “You sound like Mom and Dad. Besides, it’s not like the road only goes one way. You could always come see me.”
    “If only I had the tune.” Mary Pat glanced toward Mike and her eyes twinkled with curiosity. “So, are you going to introduce me?”
    “Sure.” Kate turned to Mike. “This is Mike Cameron.”
    “Cameron?” Mary Pat said as she offered her hand. “A good Gaelic name if ever I heard one.”
    “As Scottish as they come.”  Mike winked as he shook her hand. “Though the blood’s thinned a bit since my grandfather sailed out of Glasgow as a deck-hand on a cargo ship.”
    “Oh, and a sailor too.” Mary Pat looked delighted at that.
    “Mary Pat.” Kate laughed. “We’re here to eat, not watch you drool.”
    “Well