Read Online Down and Dirty by Christine Bell - Free Book Online

there was no nut to blame. She pinched the bridge of her nose between her finger and thumb and let out a sigh. “Look, this isn’t really anyone else’s business. We—”
    “I guess you heard it from my mother, then?” Shane cut in smoothly, attention still locked on Galen.
    Jesus Christ on a stick, he told his mom? That was just wrong. “Listen, I—”
    “It wasn’t official until today,” Shane continued, sending her a quick, pointed glance, “but I guess I should’ve known the second I let the town crier in on it, word would get out. I put in a transfer request last month and it was approved. So, you heard right. I’m moving.”
    For the second time in the past hour, Cat nearly wept with relief. So Galen didn’t know about her and Shane. She took a steadying breath and stepped away from the mental ledge. Shane’s mother was a love, but she did have an ear—and mouth—for gossip. Not the venomous kind, but she always seemed to be the first to know if someone’s kid was going to medical school or about a new beau.
    “Where you headed?” Cat waited, the curiosity making her stomach dip, and not in a pleasant way. When he’d been on the West Coast, it had been perfect because it made anything more than an annual trip difficult. Still, as long as he wasn’t too close, she’d manage. She even conjured up an interested smile for him.
    “Headed?” Galen said, a huge grin splitting his face. “He’s not headed anywhere. He’s coming home.”
    Cat’s stomach nose-dived, landing somewhere in the vicinity of her feet, and her head began to swim. Shane. Home for good. What had she done to deserve this?
    “How exciting!” Lacey squealed and leapt to her feet. “This calls for a celebration.”
    “It’s going to be great to have you back,” Galen said.
    Cat barely registered the hubbub over Shane’s imminent return because for her, it meant nothing but trouble…
    Run away, kitten.
    “To Shane.” Lacey said, holding up her pint glass.
    Cat’s hand shook as she held up her water bottle to join the toast. She could feel Lacey’s gaze drilling into her. She’d given her friend a pile of excuses for why she shouldn’t date Shane and already the whole long-distance one was shot to hell. If the rest didn’t hold, soon she would be faced with a very unpleasant truth. A truth she wasn’t about to trot out for show-and-tell right now because it had already been a long and confusing couple of days. She chugged the rest of her water and set the bottle on the table.
    “Anyone need anything while I’m up?” Galen asked, heading for the kitchen.
    “I’ll take a Winterfest, if you’re buying,” Shane said.
    Mind still reeling, Cat was tempted to add a snifter of cyanide to the list of requested refreshments when Lacey pointed to the TV. “Oh, that’s the site Rafe just joined.”
    Rafe was a longtime friend. He and Galen had boxed together in high school, and they’d been tight ever since. Shorter and leaner than Galen, he’d been a middleweight, fast as lightning, but not quite crisp enough to make a living at it. He’d moved on to MMA and was still fighting semipro, but he was also a detective in the Crimes Against Persons Unit at the Wesley Police Department.
    Cat turned her attention to the advertisement for a dating site, featuring several satisfied customers extolling the virtues of finding love online.
    “Fun, right? Rafe said that when he gets some hits, he’s going to have me come over and help him pick his dates.” Lacey waggled her brows suggestively. “I think online dating seems like a great way to meet people. Especially for someone as busy as Rafe.” She turned to face Shane, eyeing him speculatively. “Hey, you’re coming home soon. You should join, too.”
    Wait, did that mean she was going to get off her jock about this Shane thing, or was Little Miss Innocent trying to be slick somehow? Cat eyed her friend hard but saw nothing but sincerity shining back. Okay, so maybe