Read Online The Wedding Band by Cara Connelly - Free Book Online

the stability department.
    Still, that didn’t give her the right to lean on these fine ­people, not when she carried betrayal in her heart. If Verna knew how Chris meant to exploit her precious sons, she’d never befriend her. She’d cut her off at the knees.
    And Chris would deserve it.
    So she rose, smoothing her skirt. “I wish I could, but I only stopped in for a minute. I’m heading out of town for a while.”
    Verna’s disappointment seemed genuine. “Business or pleasure?”
    â€œA bit of both.” If she had to go into exile, it would damn sure be someplace warm and sunny.
    â€œAnother time, then.” Verna patted her arm, then turned to her son. “Kota, you take care of your brother.”
    â€œYes, ma’am.” He kissed her cheek, shook hands with his father, and off they went.
    Some of the warmth left the room with them.
    â€œI should get going,” Chris said. “You’ve got Dad covered. He doesn’t need me.”
    She would’ve moved toward the door, but Kota stood in the way, too big to get around without touching, and too hot to touch without getting burned.
    â€œNo problem,” he said. “I’ll walk you out.”
    That was too easy.
    Then, he added, “Okay if I finish my steak first? I hardly ate a bite all day.”
    She eyed him. He blinked innocently.
    â€œI don’t like being manipulated,” she said.
    â€œI don’t like eating alone,” he replied.
    Then he smiled at her. She tried not to be dazzled, but she found herself back on the love seat anyway.
    He dug into his steak, then aimed his fork at the pasta she’d scarcely touched. “If you don’t like it, take something else.”
    â€œIt’s delicious. I’m just not hungry.” She sat back with her wine to wait out her sentence. Surely God was punishing her duplicity by waving Kota under her nose.
    Tri hopped off Verna’s chair and up onto the love seat. His skinny tail wagged. He eyed her neckline.
    She covered it with her free hand.
    â€œDown, Tri,” Kota said, and the little shrimp stretched out along her leg, nose pointed at her pasta. Kota slid the dish to the middle of the table.
    Cy licked his chops. Kota gave him a look, and Cy lay down too, head on his paws, lone eye fixed on the love of his life.
    â€œThey’re devoted to you,” Chris said. She didn’t know what to make of it. She had no experience sharing space with animals. Neither of her parents had stayed in one place long enough for pets. And she’d bought her own house just six months before, barely time enough to consider it home, much less add a pet to it.
    Kota shrugged one shoulder. “Dogs are easy. Give ’em love and some food and they’ll give you their soul. Take Cy here.” Kota fed him a nibble of steak. “Some asshole kept him tied out on a four-­foot lead. He got away, snarled himself up in barbwire, and the asshole never even took him to the vet. Just tied him back on the lead.”
    He rubbed the dog with his toe. Cy panted his devotion.
    â€œMailman called it in, but not in time to save the eye. Then nobody wanted him because the scars make him look like he was trained to fight.”
    And because he was gruesome to look at. “How’d he end up here?”
    â€œA girl I know down at the shelter asked me to take him.”
    That seemed odd. “Why’d she ask you ?”
    He smiled at her, gorgeously. “Because I’m the end of the line. The last stop for the halt and the lame, as Tana likes to say.”
    She touched Tri with her fingertips. He rolled over like a hot dog on a griddle.
    Kota leaned across Chris, his blue eyes filled with humor and heat. He scratched Tri an inch above his stubby penis. “He likes it right there. So do I.”
    Deliberately, she dropped her gaze to Tri’s nubbin. “You two probably have a lot in common.”
    â€œHell,