Read Online Robin in the Hood (Robbin' Hearts Series Book 1) by Diane J. Reed - Free Book Online

took a deep breath and glanced over at the couch, where my dad was sleeping like a child, all wrapped up in Granny’s quilt. Though he snored as loud as a hacksaw and drool dribbled from his chin, his face appeared amazingly carefree, with his secrets still tucked far, far away from me.
    Yet strangely, a pair of men’s dress shoes now sat on the floor beside him. I saw a note next to the shoes, and I tiptoed closer to pick it up. In handwritten scrawl, it read:
    S
i
l
v
e
r

S
p
o
o
n
,
    H
o
p
e

y
o
u

l
i
k
e

t
h
e

s
t
r
e
e
t

c
l
o
t
h
e
s

a
n
d

s
h
o
e
s

f
o
r

y
o
u
r

o
l
d

m
a
n
.
    G
o
t
t
a

b
l
e
n
d

i
n
,

y
o
u

k
n
o
w
.

O
h

y
e
a
h
,

a
n
d

t
h
e

M
a
z
d
a

f
e
t
c
h
e
d

$
7
0
0
.
    —
C
r
e
e
k
    “WHAT?!!!” I cried way too loud. “Creek sold my convertible??”
    My dad merely yawned and tugged the quilt over his head, falling back into a heavy snore.
    Spitting mad, I clenched my fists and dashed out of the trailer into the bright, noonday sun. All I found was an empty mud patch on the grass where my dream-came-true car used to be, along with another note on the ground.
    Furious, I snatched it up.
    B
y

t
h
e

w
a
y
,

t
h
a
t

$
3
5
0

t
h
a
t

w
a
s

i
n

y
o
u
r

u
n
i
f
o
r
m

p
o
c
k
e
t

w
e
n
t

t
o

p
i
t
c
h

i
n

f
o
r

B
r
a
n
d
i
’
s

t
r
e
a
t
m
e
n
t

t
h
i
s

m
o
r
n
i
n
g
.

S
h
e

d
o
e
s
n
’
t

k
n
o
w
,

s
o

p
l
e
a
s
e

k
e
e
p

i
t

q
u
i
e
t
.
    —
C
r
e
e
k
    I have no idea how long I stood there, speechless.
    At first I wanted to scream and bang my fists on something—or someone—and then I wanted to cry.
    But how could I argue with the way he’d spent the money?
    After all, bingo lady would’ve thanked Jesus with a heaven-busting shout if she knew it had gone to medical care. And then she would’ve called Creek an angel.
    But since
w
h
e
n
do angels sport dagger-like scars on their cheeks and stalk teenage girls like me?
    Unless . . .
    This crazy, backwoods trailer park has got one hell of a Robin Hood on its hands.
    Heaving a big sigh, I sat down on a log on the ground, thoroughly frustrated. For all I knew, Creek might be watching me this very second—and he probably had designs already on the $700 in my fist.
    Just then, I spotted Brandi walking across the meadow out of the corner of my eye. She was expertly dodging the TNT Twins’ holes with her red, high-heeled go-go boots. They matched the vinyl mini-dress she had on, as well as a cascading red wig that completed her look. I couldn’t decide whether she resembled the red-head in that retro
V
i
v
a

L
a
s

V
e
g
a
s
poster that hangs at our local theater, or if she wanted to look like a firebomb waiting to happen. All I could say was, for a lady who had cancer, she sure knew how to dress out loud.
    “Howdy-doodle!” she called out, wiggling her bright red fingernails at me. “I got ham and beans with your name on it. You don’t even know it’s lunch time, do ya? Not that I’m calling you a sleepy head or nothin’!”
    Her voice was so grating I wanted to plug my ears, but who could argue with her smile as big as Texas? The woman glowed like good cheer on steroids.
    “Look what you got!” she gasped, staring at my hand. Before I could stuff the money in my pocket, she’d snatched my wad of bills. “Oh Lordy, it’s seven hundred dollars.” I saw tears instantly well in her eyes. “You know, Creek mentioned that you might want to donate a little somethin’ for my follow-up appointment tomorrow, but I just didn’t believe him, seein’ how we’re brand new friends and all. My gosh, honey, you got yourself a heart of gold!”
    “W-what?” I stammered.
    Brandi hugged me so tight I couldn’t breathe. How she managed it with a plate of ham and beans in her hand defied logic, but something told me her shifts at the Moo & Brew Drive-Thru had fine-tuned her finesse. When she released me, I gasped for air like a beached fish.
    But I couldn’t help catching the deeply shaken look in her eyes.