Read Online The Sweetheart Secret by Shirley Jump - Free Book Online

“My stomach isn’t getting any fuller standing here waiting.”
    Colt fished some money out of his wallet, then exchanged the bills for a large warm cardboard box. The kid thanked him with a grunt, then trotted back down the steps. Loud rock music thumped out of the speakers when he hopped in the car and pulled away.
    Daisy laid a hand on Colt’s. Just a momentary touch, but it sent a sizzling flicker down his veins. “I should let you have dinner. I’ll come back another time.”
    â€œHave you eaten?” Colt asked, before he could think about the wisdom of inviting her in. That touch had frazzled his brain. Not to mention what the dress, and that smile of hers, had done to the rest of him.
    He was as bad as his patients. He knew what was right for him, what was best for his health and sanity, yet he craved the very woman who made him run from all those smart choices. Insane.
    What was it about Daisy Barton that drove him crazy? From the first time he’d seen her, sitting on the steps outside of the Hideaway Inn, she’d invaded his thoughts and his better judgment like honeysuckle.
    When Daisy’s mother had shown up that summer and whisked Daisy back to her home in Jacksonville, Colt had been unable to focus on anything. College applications, homework assignments, all got forgotten. One day he hopped on his motorcycle, roared up the state, and showed up on her doorstep. Five minutes later, Daisy had her arms clasped tight around his waist and they’d been on their way—to anywhere that they could be together. Back then, his only thought was being with her. Now he was presumably smarter and more grounded. Until he looked at her, and everything inside him flipped again.
    â€œI haven’t eaten since lunch when I had something masquerading as meatloaf.” Daisy pressed a hand to her belly. “I think that diner next to the motel is a little loose with their descriptions.”
    Colt chuckled. “The Drop Inn isn’t known for its cuisine. It does, however, sport forty-four different beers, which is what brings in most of the local traffic, from what I hear.”
    â€œFor God’s sake, Colton, invite the woman in and quit jabbering on the porch. What kind of host are you, anyway?” Grandpa Earl opened the cabinets, withdrew a trio of plates, and put them on the kitchen table. “Look. I’ll even use a napkin this time.” He sat in a chair, tugged a napkin out of the holder on the table, and spread it across his lap.
    A meal at the table. With Grandpa Earl in something approximating a good mood. That was enough reason to invite Daisy to stay. If she could inspire a good mood in Grandpa, even for a few minutes, it was worth the price Colt would pay to have a momentary peaceful lull in this ongoing battle. A way to forget all the things that Colt did a good job of shoving under the carpet.
    â€œWhy don’t you stay for dinner? We can talk after we eat,” Colt said. She hesitated, so he gave her a smile. “I promise, we don’t bite.”
    â€œPity, because I sometimes do.” She flashed him a smile that was half vixen, half sex kitten. As Daisy whispered by him in a soft cloud of tempting perfume, Colt had to wonder if he’d invited her in because he wanted his grandfather to behave—
    Or because Colt wanted an excuse to misbehave. Again.

Six

    The dissolution of Emma Barton Jennings’s marriage had been as slow as molasses dripping into a bowl. One day, her relationship with Roger had all been perfect and shiny and wonderful, and then bit by bit, each day, the union that had started so bright began to dim. She’d made one last-ditch effort to resurrect their marriage, a weekend getaway, and instead ended up inadvertently driving the last nail in the coffin. The second they got back, Roger had packed the last of his bags and moved the rest of the way out.
    But if there was one thing Emma excelled at, it was