Read Online Have Gown, Need Groom by Rita Herron - Free Book Online Page B

Tippins.”
    “Not anymore. At least not technically.” He smiled a warm, sexy smile. “Humor me, then, all right?”
    “All right, Jake, but back to my car. I like Volvos. They’re safe and dependable.” And boring, like her.
    “You’re not a daredevil, huh?”
    “Hardly.”
    “That the reason you decided not to get hitched yesterday?”
    No, I cancelled the wedding after I dreamt about you. Hannah bit down on her lip and shot him an impatient look. “I simply decided Seth and I weren’t right for each other. We’re still friends though.”
    Judging from their earlier encounter, the man obviously wanted more. “So Broadhurst is the daredevil type?”
    Hannah chuckled in spite of herself. “No. Seth’s even more…conservative than I am.”
    “Oooh, you started to say boring, didn’t you?”
    “No.”
    He was safe, the very reason I wanted to marry him.
    Yet, she didn’t truly love Seth and she knew that now. She admired his professional manner, even liked him immensely, but love? No.
    Perturbed at the way he’d read her mind, Hannah decided to change the subject. “How long have you been working for my father?”
    His dark gaze finally pivoted toward the scenery. “Not long. Couple of weeks.”
    “You like the job?”
    Jake’s big shoulders lifted slightly. “It’s a decent living. Your dad’s a pretty interesting guy.”
    She let that comment slide. “You’ve sold cars before?”
    “No.”
    “What did you do before you came to Sugar Hill?”
    “Oh, a little of this, a little of that.” He shaded his eyes with his hand at the blinding sunlight when they turned the street. “I like to move around a lot.”
    “I see.” A vague, short answer. Was he simply a drifter taking odd jobs or was he hiding something? Their conversation died as Hannah turned into the complex of apartments. A few children rode paint-chipped bikes in the street, another group played softball in the cul de sac. Two little girls wearing T-shirts and jeans jumped rope in their driveway. The places looked old, a little unkempt, the grass growing in haphazard patches, as if the owners either didn’t care about the appearances or couldn’t afford the upkeep.
    “I’m in 3B,” he said, pointing to a gray wooden structure with a broken-down fence.
    She parked the car in the drive and killed the engine. “Just sit tight and I’ll come around and help you.”
    Before she could circle the front, he’d opened the door, grabbed the sides of the car door and lifted himself from the seat. Hannah recognized a man full of pride and placed a tentative hand out to help him.
    “I can do it,” he said between gritted teeth.
    “Look, Mr. Tippins, I’m—”
    “Jake.”
    “Jake, I’m a doctor and you’re an injured man. If you fall and reopen your wound, we’ll be heading back to the ER.”
    He nodded tightly, his only concession. Hannah curved her arm around his waist, her breath hitching as he reluctantly draped his arm around her shoulders. For a fraction of a second, his gaze locked with hers. His height dwarfed her, his size and strength almost intimidating. But the sharp flicker of emotion that darted in his eyes scared her far more than his size.
    Desire.
    Sweet, hot, fiery hunger that sent a ripple of heat soaring through her body. Why hadn’t she felt this way when Seth held her?
    Hannah sucked in a sharp breath. At the harsh sound, his gaze lowered to her mouth, then to her hand where she gripped his waist. “Am I hurting you?”
    He meant was his weight hurting her, she realized, although she instinctively knew that getting involved with him could hurt her much much more. She didn’t indulge in one-night stands, illicit affairs or dead-end dates. “No. I’m stronger than I look.”
    “That a fact?”
    “Yes,” Hannah whispered, hating the breathy sound of her voice. He smelled of antiseptic and hospital soap and pure male, his solid muscular chest like a wall of granite beneath her hand. His heart beat