Read Online The Heart Heist by Alyssa Kress - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alyssa Kress
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gushed breathlessly, making Gary jerk up his head with astonishing speed. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you high and low."
Gary just had time to shoot her a dirty look before Mary Gibbons opened fire. "Oh, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Sullivan, we do so need to talk." Imploring thusly, Mrs. Gibbons laid a hand on Gary's forearm.
His eyes widening, Gary took a step back. Mrs. Gibbons, undaunted, pressed closer. "It is so important for Bobby not to be held back this summer," she told him. "I hope you're not of the school that makes a virtue out of sticking to formality."
Kerrin turned to Mary Gibbons with her best parent-teacher smile. "I'm sure you don't mind, Mary, but Mr. Sullivan and I have a great deal to discuss. So much to take care of in so short a time."
Mary Gibbons' eyes went from one of them to the other, taking in Kerrin's too-bright smile and Gary's carefully restrained rage. "Oh, I see," she pronounced, smiling coyly. "Of course, I'll talk to Mr. Sullivan later. You will bring him back now, won't you dear?" she addressed Kerrin.
If he isn't on his way to Mexico, Kerrin thought as she dutifully nodded her head. "I promise." Then, as Mary Gibbons turned away, Kerrin added for Gary's ears alone, "We have a little problem."
"So I noticed." His brown eyes were sparking ireful red tints. "What the hell is going on?"
Groaning softly, Kerrin gave a brief, flicking glance around them. "Let's get out of here."
~~~
Gary apparently didn't follow Kerrin fast enough as she led the way, because she took his hand. Her hand was small and soft. Incredibly delicate. That hand almost made Gary forget he was going to wring her little neck. She'd promised she would pretend she didn't know him. Apparently a promise made to a convict didn't hold much weight with a respectable citizen like Kerrin Horton. Well, Gary would let her know just what he thought of that double standard. In a few minutes, when she wasn't holding his hand any more.
Kerrin led Gary down a narrow creek bed away from the populated picnic grounds. The creek couldn't have been more than a foot across but it had cut a deep bank through the soft soil. Soon they were completely isolated from the others. There wasn't a sound but the mild gurgle of the stream and the rustle of small creatures in the pine needles carpeting the ground.
Kerrin turned to face him, her skin lightly flushed with a tinge of peaches high on her cheekbones.
"Gary, I'm sorry, I truly am." At some point she'd lost the sun bonnet and her hair, a tawny wheat color, fell around her face in disobedient curls. Her hands twisted together in front of her. "I swear I didn't mean for this to happen."
"What?" Gary questioned curtly. "What happened?"
She looked away from him. "There's, uh, a rumor going around."
"A rumor? About me?" Gary didn't see how this was possible. He'd barely talked to anyone since hitting town. For the past two hours he'd been taking a walk around the facilities of the Department of Water and Power, taking advantage of the holiday desertion of the area. He hadn't seen a soul and, he was quite sure, not a soul had seen him.
But Kerrin, looking dismal, shook her head. "I don't know how it happened, but, um, well, everyone seems to think you're the summer school teacher."
Gary frowned. "The summer school teacher?" This made about as much sense as pigs flying.
Nevertheless Kerrin swallowed deeply and nodded. "Yes, yes, I'm afraid that's what they think."
"I'm not the summer school teacher," he told her, quite stupidly.
"I know. Yes, I know that."
"I don't want to be the summer school teacher." He felt hot under his skin. Things were spinning out of his control. It was everything he'd been afraid of.
She looked up at him with embarrassed misery in her eyes. "Believe me, I don't want you to be the teacher, either."
"Great." He let out a disgusted breath and ran a hand through his hair, turning away from her. She looked scared and distressed and he knew he wasn't making
Gary just had time to shoot her a dirty look before Mary Gibbons opened fire. "Oh, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Sullivan, we do so need to talk." Imploring thusly, Mrs. Gibbons laid a hand on Gary's forearm.
His eyes widening, Gary took a step back. Mrs. Gibbons, undaunted, pressed closer. "It is so important for Bobby not to be held back this summer," she told him. "I hope you're not of the school that makes a virtue out of sticking to formality."
Kerrin turned to Mary Gibbons with her best parent-teacher smile. "I'm sure you don't mind, Mary, but Mr. Sullivan and I have a great deal to discuss. So much to take care of in so short a time."
Mary Gibbons' eyes went from one of them to the other, taking in Kerrin's too-bright smile and Gary's carefully restrained rage. "Oh, I see," she pronounced, smiling coyly. "Of course, I'll talk to Mr. Sullivan later. You will bring him back now, won't you dear?" she addressed Kerrin.
If he isn't on his way to Mexico, Kerrin thought as she dutifully nodded her head. "I promise." Then, as Mary Gibbons turned away, Kerrin added for Gary's ears alone, "We have a little problem."
"So I noticed." His brown eyes were sparking ireful red tints. "What the hell is going on?"
Groaning softly, Kerrin gave a brief, flicking glance around them. "Let's get out of here."
~~~
Gary apparently didn't follow Kerrin fast enough as she led the way, because she took his hand. Her hand was small and soft. Incredibly delicate. That hand almost made Gary forget he was going to wring her little neck. She'd promised she would pretend she didn't know him. Apparently a promise made to a convict didn't hold much weight with a respectable citizen like Kerrin Horton. Well, Gary would let her know just what he thought of that double standard. In a few minutes, when she wasn't holding his hand any more.
Kerrin led Gary down a narrow creek bed away from the populated picnic grounds. The creek couldn't have been more than a foot across but it had cut a deep bank through the soft soil. Soon they were completely isolated from the others. There wasn't a sound but the mild gurgle of the stream and the rustle of small creatures in the pine needles carpeting the ground.
Kerrin turned to face him, her skin lightly flushed with a tinge of peaches high on her cheekbones.
"Gary, I'm sorry, I truly am." At some point she'd lost the sun bonnet and her hair, a tawny wheat color, fell around her face in disobedient curls. Her hands twisted together in front of her. "I swear I didn't mean for this to happen."
"What?" Gary questioned curtly. "What happened?"
She looked away from him. "There's, uh, a rumor going around."
"A rumor? About me?" Gary didn't see how this was possible. He'd barely talked to anyone since hitting town. For the past two hours he'd been taking a walk around the facilities of the Department of Water and Power, taking advantage of the holiday desertion of the area. He hadn't seen a soul and, he was quite sure, not a soul had seen him.
But Kerrin, looking dismal, shook her head. "I don't know how it happened, but, um, well, everyone seems to think you're the summer school teacher."
Gary frowned. "The summer school teacher?" This made about as much sense as pigs flying.
Nevertheless Kerrin swallowed deeply and nodded. "Yes, yes, I'm afraid that's what they think."
"I'm not the summer school teacher," he told her, quite stupidly.
"I know. Yes, I know that."
"I don't want to be the summer school teacher." He felt hot under his skin. Things were spinning out of his control. It was everything he'd been afraid of.
She looked up at him with embarrassed misery in her eyes. "Believe me, I don't want you to be the teacher, either."
"Great." He let out a disgusted breath and ran a hand through his hair, turning away from her. She looked scared and distressed and he knew he wasn't making
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