Read Online If You Know Her: A Novel of Romantic Suspense by Shiloh Walker - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Shiloh Walker
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wrong and I’m sorry.”
“Okay.”
She turned and stared at him. “Okay? I pull a gun on you and your girlfriend and you say …
okay
?”
Law cocked a brow. “Hope’s not my girlfriend. And what do you want me to say? Tell you to take your apology and shove it?” He shrugged. “I know where it came from—I know Deb Sparks. She had it in her head I was guilty and Deb … well …” He stopped, ran his tongue along his teeth and shook his head. “Well, once she gets an idea in her head, there’s nothing that can be done to get that idea out, not until she decides she wants it out. And it’s not like you were exactly in the best state of mind that day.”
“Gee, thanks,” she muttered.
Staring at her averted face, Law tried to figure out just what in the hell she wanted him to say—what she wanted him to do.
Would
she be happier if he just told her to shove her apology?
Hell. This wasn’t familiar territory.
Looking away, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, I just …” Her gold eyes cut his way and he blew out a breath, struggling to find something,
anything
to say. “Would you feel better if I told you to just fuck off?”
To his surprise a faint smile appeared on her face, tugging up the corners of her mouth for the briefest of seconds before dying. “I don’t know if I’d feel better, but it seems a lot more plausible than you telling me ‘
okay
.’ I know
I
sure as hell wouldn’t be saying
okay
to somebody who pulled the crap I had.”
“Maybe you’d surprise yourself,” he said softly. If she’d seen the way she looked … And damn it, he needed to quit thinking about that. Like now. Although really, it wasn’t that much better to think about how she looked now, either. Even with that irritated look on her face, there was something so damn appealing about her.
“I don’t think so.” She shook her head. “I rarely surprisemyself.” Then she sighed and flicked her fingers through her hair. “I have to go. I’d say it was a pleasure seeing you but … well.”
“You’d be lying,” he finished. “How about interesting? I can’t say it’s ever been
not
interesting.”
“Well, seeing as how you’ve met me all of twice.” The smile on her face now was a real one, at least.
He tucked the memory of it inside his mind as he watched her walk away. He also lingered long enough to enjoy the view … hell, he was a guy, and it was too nice of a view to
not
watch it.
Her name was Nia Hollister.
Nia Hollister—Jolene Hollister’s cousin. Jolene’s cousin—explained perfectly why she’d been in town
last
year, but didn’t explain why she was here
now
.
He might not have worried if all he’d heard about her was that she’d been seen in the Circle K picking up some cigarettes—Marlboros, not the cheap stuff for her. But no, she hadn’t gotten her cigarettes and headed out of town.
After she’d bought her cigarettes, she’d checked into the Ash Hotel.
That
had him worried. Very worried, and it didn’t make him feel better once he started digging around and finding out more about her. Oh, he had learned some interesting things about her, too.
When he plugged her name into a search engine, he wasn’t bombarded with
Did You Go To School With
. No, she actually had information online. A photojournalist. A bit more research revealed where she lived, as well as a variety of links to her work.
So many things could be learned on the Internet these days. Still, the one thing he needed to know, that eluded him.
What he didn’t know was why she was here. Why she was back in Ash.
He’d made another trip back to town, under the guise of being lazy on a day off. Had a late lunch at the café, hit the bookstore, a few other places, chatting people up.
Yes, she’d been noticed by quite a few people. But nobody knew why she was here. Back in
his
town.
Nobody was talking. Not the boys from the sheriff’s department, not the local gossips, nobody.
There was
“Okay.”
She turned and stared at him. “Okay? I pull a gun on you and your girlfriend and you say …
okay
?”
Law cocked a brow. “Hope’s not my girlfriend. And what do you want me to say? Tell you to take your apology and shove it?” He shrugged. “I know where it came from—I know Deb Sparks. She had it in her head I was guilty and Deb … well …” He stopped, ran his tongue along his teeth and shook his head. “Well, once she gets an idea in her head, there’s nothing that can be done to get that idea out, not until she decides she wants it out. And it’s not like you were exactly in the best state of mind that day.”
“Gee, thanks,” she muttered.
Staring at her averted face, Law tried to figure out just what in the hell she wanted him to say—what she wanted him to do.
Would
she be happier if he just told her to shove her apology?
Hell. This wasn’t familiar territory.
Looking away, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, I just …” Her gold eyes cut his way and he blew out a breath, struggling to find something,
anything
to say. “Would you feel better if I told you to just fuck off?”
To his surprise a faint smile appeared on her face, tugging up the corners of her mouth for the briefest of seconds before dying. “I don’t know if I’d feel better, but it seems a lot more plausible than you telling me ‘
okay
.’ I know
I
sure as hell wouldn’t be saying
okay
to somebody who pulled the crap I had.”
“Maybe you’d surprise yourself,” he said softly. If she’d seen the way she looked … And damn it, he needed to quit thinking about that. Like now. Although really, it wasn’t that much better to think about how she looked now, either. Even with that irritated look on her face, there was something so damn appealing about her.
“I don’t think so.” She shook her head. “I rarely surprisemyself.” Then she sighed and flicked her fingers through her hair. “I have to go. I’d say it was a pleasure seeing you but … well.”
“You’d be lying,” he finished. “How about interesting? I can’t say it’s ever been
not
interesting.”
“Well, seeing as how you’ve met me all of twice.” The smile on her face now was a real one, at least.
He tucked the memory of it inside his mind as he watched her walk away. He also lingered long enough to enjoy the view … hell, he was a guy, and it was too nice of a view to
not
watch it.
Her name was Nia Hollister.
Nia Hollister—Jolene Hollister’s cousin. Jolene’s cousin—explained perfectly why she’d been in town
last
year, but didn’t explain why she was here
now
.
He might not have worried if all he’d heard about her was that she’d been seen in the Circle K picking up some cigarettes—Marlboros, not the cheap stuff for her. But no, she hadn’t gotten her cigarettes and headed out of town.
After she’d bought her cigarettes, she’d checked into the Ash Hotel.
That
had him worried. Very worried, and it didn’t make him feel better once he started digging around and finding out more about her. Oh, he had learned some interesting things about her, too.
When he plugged her name into a search engine, he wasn’t bombarded with
Did You Go To School With
. No, she actually had information online. A photojournalist. A bit more research revealed where she lived, as well as a variety of links to her work.
So many things could be learned on the Internet these days. Still, the one thing he needed to know, that eluded him.
What he didn’t know was why she was here. Why she was back in Ash.
He’d made another trip back to town, under the guise of being lazy on a day off. Had a late lunch at the café, hit the bookstore, a few other places, chatting people up.
Yes, she’d been noticed by quite a few people. But nobody knew why she was here. Back in
his
town.
Nobody was talking. Not the boys from the sheriff’s department, not the local gossips, nobody.
There was
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