Read Online For Love of Charley by Katherine Allred - Free Book Online Page B

a reaction. He’d just gotten more of one than he’d
bargained for, and it had almost been his undoing. What little sleep he’d
gotten since then had been riddled with dreams of her, and each time, he’d
wakened in agony, his body throbbing with need.
    He picked up his now cold coffee, took a sip,
then rubbed his eyes tiredly. The trip to her house had been made in total
silence, the tension so thick it would have taken an arc welder to cut through
it. As soon as he’d stopped the car, she had jumped out and run, hitting her
front door as though she planned on going right through without opening it
first.
    “Are you still brooding?”
    Cole glanced at Kristy as she stopped at
the coffee pot and poured a cup. “I’m not brooding. I’m thinking.”
    “You’re brooding. You have been all
weekend.” She took a sip of the hot coffee. “I thought you’d be gone by now.
It’s after nine. You’re usually out of here by seven.”
    “I decided to go in late today.” The truth
was, he was still trying to decide how to act when he got there.
    She nodded. “Want me to pick Mrs. Paulson
up from the airport?”
    “If you don’t mind.”
    “Not at all. I don’t have to be at Duncan
Mills until this afternoon. Besides, I’d drive to hell and back if it meant I
didn’t have to eat my own cooking anymore.” With a cheery wave, she headed out
of the room, taking her cup with her.
    Immediately, his thoughts turned back to
Charley. He had to make a decision instead of spending the day brooding at
home. There was really only one thing he could do. Just go on like he had been
and take his cue from Charley’s manner today. If she wanted to talk about it,
she’d let him know. Mentally bracing himself, he headed for the Red Dog.
    Charley’s truck was nowhere in sight when
he got there. Instead, parked in the place it normally sat was an almost new,
silver Blazer. So, Uncle Victor had come to the rescue again. He eyed it for a
second and then went in, going straight to his office. The door to Charley’s,
he noticed, was tightly shut.
    He picked up the phone and made one quick
call to finalize the plans for the City Council meeting later that night, then
took a deep breath and stood. Only silence came from Frannie’s office as he
crossed the hall and knocked on Charley’s door.
    “Come in.” Her voice sounded so resolute
and determined that Cole had to fight the urge to grin. She was sitting behind
the desk, so stiff and straight it looked like someone had strapped a board to
her back.
    “Ready to go to work? I can show you the
basics today before I have to leave.”
    “Leave?” She hesitated. “Are you going
somewhere?”
    “The City Council meeting. I believe I
mentioned it? I still have some things to take care of before tonight.”
    “Oh, that’s right.” She looked like she’d
had even less sleep than he’d gotten. And her eyes were red-rimmed as though
she’d been crying. The thought made guilt shoot through him again. He wanted to
pull her into his arms and hold her, make sure nothing ever hurt her again.
    She picked up a pen and toyed with it,
refusing to meet his eyes. “Cole, I think we need to talk.”
    He pulled a chair out across from her and
sat down. “About what?”
    She licked her lips, but kept her eyes
down, her hands twisting the pen so hard he was afraid it was going to snap. “I
don’t think this is going to work.”
    “What isn’t going to work?”
    “Us.” Her face reddened instantly. “I mean,
us working together.”
    Fear replaced the guilt he’d been feeling.
If Charley refused to work with him, all of his dreams and hopes would crash
down around him like dust. He tried to keep his voice steady even though his
heart was pounding against his ribs like a kettle drum. He’d made a mistake in
not responding to her kiss. A big one. There was no longer any doubt in his
mind. “Oh? Why not?”
    Charley stood up and began to pace. “Why
not? Because there’s been too much that