Read Online Robin in the Hood (Robbin' Hearts Series Book 1) by Diane J. Reed - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Diane J. Reed
Tags: General Fiction
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Like she’d witnessed a train wreck.
I blinked for a second, but it was still there. Despite her day-glo green eyeshadow and stoplight-red lipstick, her eyes seemed filled with downright . . . fear.
And in the harsh daylight, not even her spackled-on foundation and sparkly cheek bronzer could completely camouflage the ashy tone to her skin. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she looked almost like a . . .
Dead woman.
All at once, it hit me why Brandi wore such candy-coated outfits.
They were her armor.
The same way I used to hide behind my perfectly-crisp, pleated uniform, with my secret tool belt of Geisha skills tucked cleverly out of sight—so the mean girls couldn’t get to me.
But Brandi was bracing herself against far more than snarky, trust-fund chicks. This was a woman who was fighting for her life.
Swiftly, I saw her wipe away the tears that had slipped down her cheeks, forcing a big smile.
“Aw, don’t mind me!” Brandi chirped in a bright tone that didn’t fool me one bit. “I just get weepy over the littlest old things.”
She fluttered her hand as if she’d merely been over-excited, but I could see the raw courage in her eyes.
“Tell you what, darlin,’” she quickly changed the subject, “I’ll go in yer trailer and serve these vittles to yer Pa right now. After all, one good turn deserves another! And maybe with my help, he’ll polish off the whole plate.”
Brandi looked over my skin-tight clothes and gave me a sly wink. “See, we take care of our own here at Turtle Shores. And if you ask me, you look like you’re fixin’ to go out on a date.” She gave me a sassy click of the tongue. “So you just git along now, and I'll make sure yer Pa’s all taken care of. Might even persuade him to play a round of poker. Catch ya later!”
Before I could get a word in edgewise, Brandi had breezed past me and into our trailer, shutting the door so hard she made it rattle.
And I was left standing alone in my tracks, reeling.
In what felt like a nano-second, I was back to square one. No, worse than square one—not only were we broke again, but now we were missing
m
y
Miata!
“Ahhhh!!!” I fumed helplessly, kicking the dirt.
Across the meadow, a boulder popped up. A head peeked out and stared at me, wide-eyed, like I’d managed to figure out the secret pass code.
“You guys are nutso, do you know that??” I shouted with a hard stomp of my foot.
He simply laughed till his rock costume jiggled, and when his boulder buddy popped up beside him, they did a fist bump.
“That’s it! I am soooo outta here!”
I stormed off into the thick forest, a good distance from the meadow, before I was tempted to throw something at the TNT Twins. Knowing them, it might start a firestorm.
Besides, I just wanted a few minutes to cool down, regroup a little, and plan my next move. The last thing I needed was to allow the TNT Twins to see me get flustered—or worse—see me break down and cry.
But as my legs marched like pistons through the dense woods and underbrush of honeysuckle, it occurred to me that I was being followed.
Because every time I took a step, I thought I saw the forest shadows beside me darken a little, and it wasn’t like the sky had gotten overcast or anything. Then my skin began to tingle, and I even felt the small hairs stiffen on the back of my neck, as if something—or someone—was hovering way too close.
Just like that time at the bank.
Okay, I thought, it never did a girl any good to panic and try to hide from the alpha chicks at Pinnacle. They just saw it as a sign of weakness, and they’d hunt the poor girl down with their dirty tricks until they managed to crush her soul. So even though I did cave last night for that scary-crazy Granny Tinker, it was only because I was dead tired. Now that I’ve had some sleep and gotten my mojo back, it’s time to meet this Creek guy head on.
I stopped and took in a deep breath to jack up my fortitude, then folded my
I blinked for a second, but it was still there. Despite her day-glo green eyeshadow and stoplight-red lipstick, her eyes seemed filled with downright . . . fear.
And in the harsh daylight, not even her spackled-on foundation and sparkly cheek bronzer could completely camouflage the ashy tone to her skin. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she looked almost like a . . .
Dead woman.
All at once, it hit me why Brandi wore such candy-coated outfits.
They were her armor.
The same way I used to hide behind my perfectly-crisp, pleated uniform, with my secret tool belt of Geisha skills tucked cleverly out of sight—so the mean girls couldn’t get to me.
But Brandi was bracing herself against far more than snarky, trust-fund chicks. This was a woman who was fighting for her life.
Swiftly, I saw her wipe away the tears that had slipped down her cheeks, forcing a big smile.
“Aw, don’t mind me!” Brandi chirped in a bright tone that didn’t fool me one bit. “I just get weepy over the littlest old things.”
She fluttered her hand as if she’d merely been over-excited, but I could see the raw courage in her eyes.
“Tell you what, darlin,’” she quickly changed the subject, “I’ll go in yer trailer and serve these vittles to yer Pa right now. After all, one good turn deserves another! And maybe with my help, he’ll polish off the whole plate.”
Brandi looked over my skin-tight clothes and gave me a sly wink. “See, we take care of our own here at Turtle Shores. And if you ask me, you look like you’re fixin’ to go out on a date.” She gave me a sassy click of the tongue. “So you just git along now, and I'll make sure yer Pa’s all taken care of. Might even persuade him to play a round of poker. Catch ya later!”
Before I could get a word in edgewise, Brandi had breezed past me and into our trailer, shutting the door so hard she made it rattle.
And I was left standing alone in my tracks, reeling.
In what felt like a nano-second, I was back to square one. No, worse than square one—not only were we broke again, but now we were missing
m
y
Miata!
“Ahhhh!!!” I fumed helplessly, kicking the dirt.
Across the meadow, a boulder popped up. A head peeked out and stared at me, wide-eyed, like I’d managed to figure out the secret pass code.
“You guys are nutso, do you know that??” I shouted with a hard stomp of my foot.
He simply laughed till his rock costume jiggled, and when his boulder buddy popped up beside him, they did a fist bump.
“That’s it! I am soooo outta here!”
I stormed off into the thick forest, a good distance from the meadow, before I was tempted to throw something at the TNT Twins. Knowing them, it might start a firestorm.
Besides, I just wanted a few minutes to cool down, regroup a little, and plan my next move. The last thing I needed was to allow the TNT Twins to see me get flustered—or worse—see me break down and cry.
But as my legs marched like pistons through the dense woods and underbrush of honeysuckle, it occurred to me that I was being followed.
Because every time I took a step, I thought I saw the forest shadows beside me darken a little, and it wasn’t like the sky had gotten overcast or anything. Then my skin began to tingle, and I even felt the small hairs stiffen on the back of my neck, as if something—or someone—was hovering way too close.
Just like that time at the bank.
Okay, I thought, it never did a girl any good to panic and try to hide from the alpha chicks at Pinnacle. They just saw it as a sign of weakness, and they’d hunt the poor girl down with their dirty tricks until they managed to crush her soul. So even though I did cave last night for that scary-crazy Granny Tinker, it was only because I was dead tired. Now that I’ve had some sleep and gotten my mojo back, it’s time to meet this Creek guy head on.
I stopped and took in a deep breath to jack up my fortitude, then folded my
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