Read Online Man with the Muscle by Julie Miller - Free Book Online

dusting of snow by morning. Perhaps taking a moment to find a wrap for her bare shoulders would have been a smarter move. But she was out here now, the porch was deserted, and the only sounds of company came from themusic inside and the crunch of tires over bricks as the valet staff drove up with cars for guests waiting in the driveway below. Hunching her shoulders and shivering against the cold, Audrey moved beneath one of the brass lamps framing the entryway to study the envelope.
    Jeffrey was right. It didn’t look like any pledge card or personal note regarding tonight’s scholarship benefit. There was just her name, typed and neatly centered, along with the address and the courier service logo. No return address, but that was probably included inside. Perhaps it was something from the defense attorney pertaining to Demetrius Smith’s case, or a proof of some reporter’s column about the pretrial buzz for the newspaper. Trading her society hat for her attorney persona, she opened the envelope and pulled out the enclosed letter to read it.
    Her blood chilled.
    Oh. My. God.
    â€œYou’ll catch your death out here, ma’am.”
    Audrey jumped a mile inside her skin at the voice in the shadows. As the letter floated to the ground, she spun around to locate the balding man in a dark utility uniform climbing the steps onto the porch. Instinctively, she backed against the house at his approach. He was between her and the door now, and he just kept coming.
    Her pulse thundered in her ears as she put up her hand. “Stop right there. Please.”
    That he did what she commanded surprised her even further. With an apologetic nod, he stopped and retreated a step, giving her a chance to calm her nerves and focus in on the name badge pinned to his dark gray parking valet’s jacket.
    â€œBud.” She called him by name, recognizing him nowas another employee of Clarice Darnell’s event staff. “You startled me.”
    â€œSorry about that, ma’am.” Fear had given the dampness of the night a chance to sink beneath her skin and she was truly shivering now. “I just wondered if you’d forgotten your coat. I’d be happy to get it for you.”
    â€œI’m fine.” Audrey rubbed her hands up and down her arms, completely aware that her words belied her actions. He could think her spoiled, an idiot or a liar—she didn’t care. She just wanted him to leave. “I got overheated inside. The fresh air feels good.” She pulled away from the chilled moisture of the limestone facade, standing straight and tilting her chin, determined to take control of her emotions. “That’ll be all.”
    Bud, of the thinning brown hair and toothpick he rolled from side to side between his lips, stood beside the porch railing, staring—no, leisurely running his gaze from the goose bumps on her arms along her body right down to her polished toenails. Just when she thought the curious creep might never blink, he bent down and picked up the envelope and letter that had landed between them. “You dropped these.”
    Audrey snatched the papers from his fingers and tucked them against her stomach. “Thank you.”
    The tense seconds had stretched beyond uncomfortable when the front door opened beside her. Audrey nodded to the gray-haired couple who stepped outside before catching the door and giving Bud a succinct dismissal. “The Bishops will be needing their car.”
    â€œYes, ma’am. You be careful now. And stay warm.” After pushing the knot of his tie up to his collar, Bud took the ticket stub from Dr. Bishop and jogged down the steps onto the circular drive to retrieve their car.
    Audrey’s “Good night” was for anyone within listening range as she went inside and pushed the door shut behind her. “Audrey?”
    â€œNot now, Harper.” She shrugged off the hand on her arm and marched straight up the carpeted