Read Online Trust in Me by Beth Cornelison - Free Book Online Page B

contradicted her.
    Concern for her rattled nerves spiraled through him. He itched to comfort her, to feel her body wrapped safely in his arms, but he fought the urge to pull her close and soothe her. Comforting beautiful employees was not in his job description, no matter how much he wanted it.
    "Ow!" She dropped the items from her arms and studied the new tear in her manicured fingernail. "Dang it, I broke a nail."
    Kevin stepped forward to assess the damage, and Lydia turned Claire's hand for her own examination. "Aw, honey, that's a pity. I bet those nails cost a fortune. Much as I hate to say it, they're all likely to see some wear working here." She wiggled her own fingers in front of Claire. "I finally gave up and chopped all mine off."
    Claire pulled her hand away and frowned. "Do you have some scissors or a file so I can fix the tear?"
    "Under the counter, in my purse. I'll put these away." Lydia carried the tools back to the shelves where they belonged while Claire rummaged under the counter.
    Kevin stepped back to give her room to pull Lydia's purse out. "If Ray bothers you again—"
    "He won't."
    "He will. Didn't you hear Lydia? He's always been a troublemaker. I don't want him to hassle or upset you."
    "If he's always been a problem, then what makes you think he'd make an exception for me?"
    Recognizing the truth, Kevin sighed and dread tightened his gut. "He wouldn't. In fact, he'll pester you more than most folks because you're—" He hesitated.
    "Because I'm what?"
    "Well, you're a new target. And you're...pretty." Understatement of the year . Beautiful. Sexy. Tempting as sin was more like it.
    Claire dropped Lydia's purse on the counter and tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. She flashed him a half grin. "Thank you." Her expression sobered. "But regardless of his reasons for singling me out, he's a problem I have to cope with on my own. Problematic people are a fact of life, and I'll never learn to deal with them if you and my father always charge in to clean up life's messes for me."
    "Your father?"
    "Yeah, he always rode to my rescue too. He coddled and shielded me from real life like I was some china doll. I know it was because he loved me, but it made me a wimp. I'm twenty-four years old, and I'm just now getting a taste of what the real world, having a job, and facing reality is like. I hate feeling so incompetent. I want to handle Ray on my own, Kevin. Please."
    She bent her head to fish in Lydia's purse.
    "I didn't mean to step on your toes. It just rubs me wrong to see him acting so rude toward someone like you."
    Pulling the scissors from the purse, Claire lifted a suspicious gaze. "What do you mean 'someone like me'?"
    Oops.
    Kevin shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight. "Um..."
    "Someone naive and too stubborn to realize when she's in over her head?"
    "No! I didn't mean anything like that. Just that I hate seeing women disrespected. Any woman."
    Claire lowered her gaze and chewed her bottom lip while she staring at her fingers. Then she attacked her torn fingernail with the scissors. Attacked . She didn't just trim the torn piece, she whacked the whole nail off at the quick. And the assault didn't stop there. She kept cutting until all ten of her salon-perfect nails were lopped back to nubs.
    Kevin stared, stunned at her drastic measures. "Claire?"
    She raised her chin with a satisfied grin. "Well, if I'm going to work here, I might as well keep my nails trimmed. I can't let vanity keep me from doing my job well."
    The woman continued to surprise and impress him with her spunk. If he were a betting man, he'd put his money on this princess to make a go of it in the peasants' world. She had tenacity and grit on her side. He'd have to be careful he didn't appear to be fighting her battles for her. Easier said than done, since all she had to do was look at him with her honey-colored eyes and every caveman, macho protective instinct in him went on full alert.
    A few minutes later, when