Read Online Rock Solid by Samantha Hunter - Free Book Online Page B

farming birds. The Guineas seem to be more or less self-sustaining.”
    “They
are
pretty fierce looking,” she commented as one ventured closer.
    “You should see them face off over a snake. They probably scare the things to death.”
    “You get a lot of snakes?”
    “Mostly rat snakes, but some copperheads. The rat snakes are actually good to have around, too, but the birds don’t think so.”
    Hannah shuddered as they walked back to the house. “I can’t imagine any snake being good to have around.”
    “Afraid of snakes?” he asked.
    “I was bitten when I was small. By a copperhead, in the Adirondacks. My father took us out camping to this island in the middle of a lake. You could only get to it by canoe. I was bitten, and we had to paddle back to the car to get to the hospital. I was in such pain. I was only seven, but I can still remember how bad it was. So, yeah, no snakes for me, thanks.”
    “Aw, babe, that’s awful.”
    His arm slid around her as naturally as if they’d been together for years, and her heart fluttered in her chest. Maybe more than it should as they walked back to the house.
    “So how does this all work, do you think?” she asked.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Our pretending to be a couple? For how long do you think? A few weeks? A month?”
    “Are you sure about this, Hannah? I thought you were traveling around, seeing the country. Why do you want to be stuck here? It might take a while to convince someone we’re in anything permanent.”
    “I need your help, Brody, and so it makes sense for us to help each other. I know the score. You help me with my lack of adventurousness, and I make you look like an upstanding example of the male gender. Clearly, I have my work cut out for me.”
    Her tone was light, but there was a sinking feeling in her chest that it might not be that easy. Second thoughts and worries started to crowd her thoughts, but she pushed them away.
    That was old Hannah. She’d made her decision—no backing down.
    “Okay, well, we could talk more about it, and play it by ear on how long we’d have to keep it up. I suppose we should make some public appearances, let people see us together, and I should probably tell Jud I’ve met someone so they can stop pestering me about it in the news,” he said, still sounding hesitant. “It will mean media appearances, Hannah. You know that, right?”
    Hannah the introvert cringed inwardly, but Hannah the adventurer nodded confidently.
    “It will be good exposure for me. And maybe fun...and good exposure for the blog. I’ve never been interviewed before.”
    “Okay, as long as you’re sure. It is the perfect solution for me, and if I can help you, I will. But if you want to go, you should, anytime you want. And you get to be the one who dumps me, even,” he said with a grin.
    “I figured as much,” she answered cheekily.
    As they approached the house, the sound of tires grinding on the loose rock of the drive drew their attention, and they turned in unison to see a van approaching, parking a few yards away. A slim blonde with her long hair tied back in a high ponytail slid out, a guy with a camera exiting the other door.
    “Damn,” Brody muttered under his breath. “Well, we’re about to jump into the deep end. If you want out of this, say so now.”
    “What?” Hannah asked, watching Brody’s expression tighten at the same time his arm around her shoulders did. “Who is that?”
    “Marsha Zimmer. We call her Marsha Stalker as a joke, but the woman is not funny. She’s the one who broke the story on the sex club, and she’s been on me ever since. I can’t seem to turn around without her being there.”
    “Who does she work for?”
    “Tampa news. She’s a junior reporter, but she’s got sharp instincts. She’s been smelling blood in the water about this retirement thing, and it’s been a job trying to keep her out of my face. She wants to move up the ladder, and she’s not shy about stepping on