Read Online In the Clear by Tamara Morgan - Free Book Online Page A

started there. Sean and I could never understand why you insisted on staying somewhere you were obviously so ill-suited and . . . ”
    “Miserable?” Fletcher supplied.
    “For lack of a better word, yes. And overqualified.” She paused, taking a moment to appraise him. If he didn’t know better, he’d have said there was admiration and—yes, even interest—in her eyes. Was it the rescue that had done it? The speech? Or is it me? “How is it that I’ve known you almost my whole life and I’m only just discovering these things? You rescue people even though it scares the crap out of you. You look amazing in a suit. You have a natural gift for public speaking. What else could you possibly be keeping from me?”
    His mouth went dry.
    She turned her attention to the other man. “Mr. Barnes, if you don’t buy this man a truck for his SAR group, I don’t think I’m going to invite you to be Santa next year. In fact, I’m going to make you be an elf. Stripey tights and all.”
    Henry laughed, not the least bit put off by Lexie’s blatant handling of him. “It just so happens I might have a scheme in mind.” He handed Fletcher a business card, taking a moment to scrawl a phone number on the back. “That’s my personal line—none of that wading through secretaries stuff first. You call me next week, understand? I’ve just signed a deal with an aerotech company that might end up being a good deal for the both of us.”
    A thousand overwhelming words of thanks hung on Fletcher’s lips, but he couldn’t manage a single one. Instead, he nodded and tucked the card into his pocket.
    The familiar vibration of his pager going off gave him an excuse for his rudeness. With an apologetic smile, he checked the number. 27-04-18. It didn’t take him longer than a few seconds to translate it in his head. Mountain, Spokane County, Missing Persons.
    “Oh, is that a call now?” Henry’s eyes lit up. “Do you have to go?”
    “Yeah. I do.”
    Fletcher caught sight of Lexie’s crestfallen face and hesitated. This was her luncheon, her job, her time. But it was the middle of the workday right before a major holiday. Volunteers were always scarcer around Christmas. “I’ll just call in to get the address, and then I should probably go.”
    “Okay.” Lexie looked around the room before returning to face him. “I should be able to duck out. I’ve just about hit everybody up for donations. There’s only Beatrice Watson left, but I’m trying to avoid her right now. There was this episode with an almond pastry last month . . . ”
    Henry barked out a laugh and clapped Lexie on the shoulder. “Not your fault, young lady. How were you supposed to know the old bat is as allergic as they come?”
    Lexie laughed, but Fletcher could see that it was a struggle. “These things always seem to happen to me, that’s all.”
    “I’ll talk to Beatrice for you,” Henry said with a wink. “I play squash with her husband. How much do you want me to squeeze out of them?”
    Lexie smiled primly. “As much as they care to donate, of course. Though five thousand would get us that new playground equipment. She does have those seven rambunctious grandsons you might want to slip into the conversation.”
    Henry rubbed his hands together, clearly delighted at Lexie’s tactics. “It’d be my honor.”
    “Let me just clear it with Joan first, Fletcher, and we can be off.”
    “Uh, Lexie?” He hated to let her down, especially when she already seemed so upset, but . . . “It’s not really the sort of thing that requires an audience.”
    She frowned. “You don’t want me there?”
    Oh, I want you there. He wanted to spend every minute of his life with her near. That was the problem.
    “I can’t,” he said. “You don’t have the right training and it’s too dangerous—”
    “You think I’ll be in the way.”
    The flatness in her voice was hard to ignore. “No, that’s not it. It’s cold and could last for hours and you . .