young to be a cradle snatcher. Ashe wasn’t even legal!
There was a sound of muffled amusement beside her.
“Oh, you’ve found a steady already?” Grandma Bea leaned so close to the screen you could see the pit marks in the fifty-year-old pearl necklace she always wore.
Emma winced, glanced beside her, and winced some more. “What are you doing sitting there listening in?” She didn’t even try for a stage whisper.
“I’m sorry… Thought you’d finished.” Hunter wheeled his swivel chair right next to hers.
As if she’d finished? She’d only been online two minutes.
Bea was now leaning so close to the screen you could see the hand-carved bits of her dentures. “Who are you?”
“Don’t answer that,” Emma mumbled.
“Hunter.” He smiled like he was a preppy heartthrob out to impress the elders. “Pleased to meet you.”
Grandma Bea looked pleased, too, as she sat back and gave him as much of an up-and-down look as she could. “Are you taking care of my Emma down there?”
“I’m trying my best, ma’am.”
Emma banged the side of her knee against his. Hard.
“Are you a scientist or something?”
“No, I’m a volunteer.”
“Oh.” Bea looked disappointed. “Not in the army?”
“I work with the army sometimes, but I’m a private contractor,” he explained. “I’m used to working in dangerous territories.”
And in less than ten seconds Emma knew more about him than she’d managed to find out in the last four days.
“You want me to keep an eye on Emma for you?” he positively drawled. He was in very dangerous territory now.
She banged her leg against his again and wished she had some decent high heels on so she could execute a sideways kick in the shins, too.
Grandma Bea had resumed her interview of Hunter. Ashe adjusted the screen for her, so she could get a “better look.”
Still smiling, still answering her questions with his all-American apple-pie polite charm, Hunter put his hand on Emma’s knee, pulling her leg against his and keeping it there so she couldn’t thwack against him any more.
He had a very big, very heavy hand.
Emma swallowed. His fingers were conveying a message all their own. He gave her knee a very firm squeeze when she tried to get another little dig in. And she was thinking all kinds of inappropriate thoughts about the size and weight of the rest of him.
She felt hot.
She either had to get away or give in. She wasn’t ready to give in.
“Gramms, I have to go now. I have work to do. ’Bye, Ashe. Thanks for helping her out. It’s really nice to see her.”
“K.” The monosyllabic answering must infuriate his teachers even more than his inexpressive face.
“I’ll call you back tomorrow,” Emma said to Bea. “Try to answer the phone, won’t you?”
“I’ll try. Sometimes I don’t hear it. Ashe has found some music I like on the computer.”
“What kind of music do you like, ma’am?” Hunter asked, as though he had all day to spend chatting with her gramms.
Out of sight of the computer camera, Emma curled her hands into fists.
“Sorry, Grandma, someone needs the computer. I’ll call you again in the next day or so.”
She disconnected the call and turned to glare at Hunter. “You don’t have family of your own to chat with?”
“None that I want to, no.” He smiled winningly. “Your grandma seems really nice.”
“She is really nice. And I don’t want anyone taking advantage of her.”
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about with Ashe there.”
That annoyed her. She liked to look after Grandma Bea—there wasn’t anyone else. “She’s sharp in her head, but she’s just had a fall and broken her hip. She’s far more fragile than she makes out.”
“Well, it seems like that kid is more interested in being nice to her than trying to pull a fast one.”
“Hmmm.” Emma didn’t want to concede that yet. She wished she could be there to check him out for herself.
“You don’t trust
There was a sound of muffled amusement beside her.
“Oh, you’ve found a steady already?” Grandma Bea leaned so close to the screen you could see the pit marks in the fifty-year-old pearl necklace she always wore.
Emma winced, glanced beside her, and winced some more. “What are you doing sitting there listening in?” She didn’t even try for a stage whisper.
“I’m sorry… Thought you’d finished.” Hunter wheeled his swivel chair right next to hers.
As if she’d finished? She’d only been online two minutes.
Bea was now leaning so close to the screen you could see the hand-carved bits of her dentures. “Who are you?”
“Don’t answer that,” Emma mumbled.
“Hunter.” He smiled like he was a preppy heartthrob out to impress the elders. “Pleased to meet you.”
Grandma Bea looked pleased, too, as she sat back and gave him as much of an up-and-down look as she could. “Are you taking care of my Emma down there?”
“I’m trying my best, ma’am.”
Emma banged the side of her knee against his. Hard.
“Are you a scientist or something?”
“No, I’m a volunteer.”
“Oh.” Bea looked disappointed. “Not in the army?”
“I work with the army sometimes, but I’m a private contractor,” he explained. “I’m used to working in dangerous territories.”
And in less than ten seconds Emma knew more about him than she’d managed to find out in the last four days.
“You want me to keep an eye on Emma for you?” he positively drawled. He was in very dangerous territory now.
She banged her leg against his again and wished she had some decent high heels on so she could execute a sideways kick in the shins, too.
Grandma Bea had resumed her interview of Hunter. Ashe adjusted the screen for her, so she could get a “better look.”
Still smiling, still answering her questions with his all-American apple-pie polite charm, Hunter put his hand on Emma’s knee, pulling her leg against his and keeping it there so she couldn’t thwack against him any more.
He had a very big, very heavy hand.
Emma swallowed. His fingers were conveying a message all their own. He gave her knee a very firm squeeze when she tried to get another little dig in. And she was thinking all kinds of inappropriate thoughts about the size and weight of the rest of him.
She felt hot.
She either had to get away or give in. She wasn’t ready to give in.
“Gramms, I have to go now. I have work to do. ’Bye, Ashe. Thanks for helping her out. It’s really nice to see her.”
“K.” The monosyllabic answering must infuriate his teachers even more than his inexpressive face.
“I’ll call you back tomorrow,” Emma said to Bea. “Try to answer the phone, won’t you?”
“I’ll try. Sometimes I don’t hear it. Ashe has found some music I like on the computer.”
“What kind of music do you like, ma’am?” Hunter asked, as though he had all day to spend chatting with her gramms.
Out of sight of the computer camera, Emma curled her hands into fists.
“Sorry, Grandma, someone needs the computer. I’ll call you again in the next day or so.”
She disconnected the call and turned to glare at Hunter. “You don’t have family of your own to chat with?”
“None that I want to, no.” He smiled winningly. “Your grandma seems really nice.”
“She is really nice. And I don’t want anyone taking advantage of her.”
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about with Ashe there.”
That annoyed her. She liked to look after Grandma Bea—there wasn’t anyone else. “She’s sharp in her head, but she’s just had a fall and broken her hip. She’s far more fragile than she makes out.”
“Well, it seems like that kid is more interested in being nice to her than trying to pull a fast one.”
“Hmmm.” Emma didn’t want to concede that yet. She wished she could be there to check him out for herself.
“You don’t trust
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