Read Online The Posse by Tawdra Kandle - Free Book Online Page B

getting from Logan, culminating in their dance the
other night. She knew— knew —he had been about to kiss her.
Dancing with him had been stepping onto dangerous ground. When his
arms went around her, her stomach had gone liquid with an odd
feeling that had shot straight down her knees.
    This was something Jude had
heard mentioned in her grief support group: lonely widows who saw
attraction or love behind every expression of support or comfort.
She was determined not to be that woman. After all, it had been
thirty years since she had even considered a man other than Daniel.
Being out of practice was kind of a given, and the last thing she
wanted to do was mistake compassion for passion.
    So she had resolved to be
friendly and natural with all of her friends. In the mornings when
Logan stopped by, she kept their conversation light. She didn’t
stand too close to him, and she didn’t let her imagination
wander.
    Not too far, anyway.
    Driving to Cooper’s shop
after a long day at the Tide, her mind kept darting back to dancing
with Logan. How he had looked at her when they were fast dancing,
and then the slow melt of his eyes when the Madonna song came on.
The way his arms had pulled her flush to his body, fitting her to
him in a way that was both foreign and familiar at the same
time.
    Snap out of it, she
warned herself. It’s Logan. He’s just doing what he promised.
Taking care of me.
    Cooper’s shop was tucked
away on the far edge of town, away from the beach and farther east
than Jude’s house. He had bought the tiny Cape Cod dirt cheap for
the spacious workshop in the backyard. Eventually, he had gutted
the house, turning the dining room into his business office and the
bedrooms upstairs into an apartment of sorts, a place where he
could sleep when he worked late. It also became the spot where he’d
crashed between marriages.
    The sun was setting as Jude
pulled into the driveway. Cooper’s pickup was still in the back,
parked at angle to the rear of the workshop, and the high whirring
sound of a sander came from inside.
    Jude climbed out of the car
and followed the noise. She opened the door to the workshop with
caution; she knew how involved Cooper became, and startling him
when he was working with a machine could have some nasty
consequences.
    He was at the far end of the
open room, holding the massive sander in arms that bulged with the
effort. Safety glasses protected his eyes, and he wore jeans and a
tight white t-shirt with boots Jude knew were steel-toed.
    Cooper was tallest of the
posse. In high school, they’d called him Scarecrow until he’d begun
to fill out a little, but even now, he tended toward thinness. He
kept his black hair short, mostly because he said it was too hard
to keep the sawdust out if it got long.
    Jude closed the door and
stood still, waiting until he saw her. Once he did, he turned off
the sander and turned to put it down on a nearby shelf.
    Pulling off the goggles,
Cooper waved her over. “Hey! You been there long?”
    Jude stepped carefully
around the furniture in various stages of development and smiled.
“No, just got here. I--” She stopped in surprise as Cooper swept
her into a hug the minute she was close enough.
    “Sorry, I’m covered in dust.
But don’t worry, it wipes off.” Cooper grinned. “How was your
day?”
    “Umm...” Jude brushed bits
of wood from her cheek. “It was good. How about you?”
    He lifted one shoulder. “Not
bad. Busy in here, but no client meetings, so that’s always
good.”
    Jude laughed. “Cooper,
client meetings are how you get new business. You know you have to
see people at some point.”
    “I do. I’m seeing you,
right?”
    She shook her head. “I don’t
count.”
    Cooper’s mouth twisted. “I’d
have to disagree.” His eyes roamed over her face, and Jude froze
for a moment, and then forced her lips into a smile.
    “For someone who says he
doesn’t like people, you sure are a flirt.”
    An expression Jude