Read Online Wish Upon a Christmas Star by Darlene Gardner - Free Book Online
Authors: Darlene Gardner
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to jiggle performed for tips on a street corner.
Yet Maria could still sense that someone was on her tail.
Had word trickled back to Mike that she was looking for him?
She’d left her business card with probably two dozen people last night. She’d
mentioned the name of the hotel where she was staying to more than a few of
them.
Her heartbeat sped up. If Mike had been the one who’d contacted
Caroline, he could be thinking about surfacing. He might even be following her
right now. This could be her opportunity to solve the mystery of his
disappearance once and for all.
She spied an art gallery with paintings displayed in the
window. She stopped, pretending to admire them. The sun wasn’t yet directly
overhead, perfect for her purposes. She repositioned her body and angled her
head this way and that, as though examining a painting.
The sun reflected off the window, allowing Maria to see the
other side of the street.
A familiar man was stopped in the middle of the sidewalk,
hanging back but not making nearly enough of an effort to conceal himself.
Not Mike. Logan Collier.
She whirled and marched across the street, directly into the
path of one of the mopeds that clogged the artery. The driver, a teenage boy,
swerved to avoid hitting her. “Hey!” he yelled. “Watch where you’re going.”
An extra dose of adrenaline surged through Maria, but she
didn’t break stride.
Logan stood frozen on the sidewalk, his mouth hanging open.
“He’s right. You could have gotten killed.”
Since the moped had missed her, there were more important
matters to discuss. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.
He shrugged his broad shoulders. With his short hair and smooth
shave, he would have looked out of place in Key West even if he hadn’t been
wearing dark clothes. His slacks and shoes were black. He’d rolled up the
sleeves of his dark gray dress shirt in deference to the heat.
“I was following you,” he said.
Never would it have occurred to her that Logan was the one on
her tail. How could it? Before Monday, she’d seen him exactly once in eleven
years. She would have recognized him anywhere, though. He was even better
looking now than he’d been as a teen. His face was a little leaner, his
golden-brown hair a little darker, his once-straight nose not quite perfect.
Except that didn’t make sense. Logan Collier wasn’t the type of guy who got his
nose broken.
“How did you know I was here?” The answer occurred to her
before he could answer. “Annalise. She’s the only one I told.”
“She’s worried about you,” he said, not bothering to deny
it.
“I didn’t tell Annalise where I was staying,” Maria said. “What
did you do? Call hotels at random and ask to be connected to my room?”
“Not at random, alphabetically,” he replied. “I’m lucky you’re
staying at the Blue Tropics.”
If she hadn’t been so irked, she would have been impressed.
“I hung up before I got put through to your room,” he
continued. “I was on my way to the hotel when I saw you leaving.”
He sounded matter-of-fact, as though it was perfectly logical
that he should be here in Key West following her.
“I don’t get it,” she said. “Weren’t you supposed to go back to
New York today? Isn’t it vitally important you spend your holidays in the
office?”
He stiffened. She wasn’t sure why. He’d made it clear long ago
that his job was his number one priority.
“It’s only Wednesday,” he said. “I can be back by the
weekend.”
She got close to him to better make her next point. A mistake.
Last night’s dream was still fresh in her mind and she pictured herself naked in
his arms. She breathed in his clean scent, dismayed that it had become familiar
again so quickly. Physical attraction. That was all it was. She’d already been
down this road with him and he hadn’t turned out to be the man she needed him to
be. She hardened herself against him.
“You can be back even sooner if you
to jiggle performed for tips on a street corner.
Yet Maria could still sense that someone was on her tail.
Had word trickled back to Mike that she was looking for him?
She’d left her business card with probably two dozen people last night. She’d
mentioned the name of the hotel where she was staying to more than a few of
them.
Her heartbeat sped up. If Mike had been the one who’d contacted
Caroline, he could be thinking about surfacing. He might even be following her
right now. This could be her opportunity to solve the mystery of his
disappearance once and for all.
She spied an art gallery with paintings displayed in the
window. She stopped, pretending to admire them. The sun wasn’t yet directly
overhead, perfect for her purposes. She repositioned her body and angled her
head this way and that, as though examining a painting.
The sun reflected off the window, allowing Maria to see the
other side of the street.
A familiar man was stopped in the middle of the sidewalk,
hanging back but not making nearly enough of an effort to conceal himself.
Not Mike. Logan Collier.
She whirled and marched across the street, directly into the
path of one of the mopeds that clogged the artery. The driver, a teenage boy,
swerved to avoid hitting her. “Hey!” he yelled. “Watch where you’re going.”
An extra dose of adrenaline surged through Maria, but she
didn’t break stride.
Logan stood frozen on the sidewalk, his mouth hanging open.
“He’s right. You could have gotten killed.”
Since the moped had missed her, there were more important
matters to discuss. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.
He shrugged his broad shoulders. With his short hair and smooth
shave, he would have looked out of place in Key West even if he hadn’t been
wearing dark clothes. His slacks and shoes were black. He’d rolled up the
sleeves of his dark gray dress shirt in deference to the heat.
“I was following you,” he said.
Never would it have occurred to her that Logan was the one on
her tail. How could it? Before Monday, she’d seen him exactly once in eleven
years. She would have recognized him anywhere, though. He was even better
looking now than he’d been as a teen. His face was a little leaner, his
golden-brown hair a little darker, his once-straight nose not quite perfect.
Except that didn’t make sense. Logan Collier wasn’t the type of guy who got his
nose broken.
“How did you know I was here?” The answer occurred to her
before he could answer. “Annalise. She’s the only one I told.”
“She’s worried about you,” he said, not bothering to deny
it.
“I didn’t tell Annalise where I was staying,” Maria said. “What
did you do? Call hotels at random and ask to be connected to my room?”
“Not at random, alphabetically,” he replied. “I’m lucky you’re
staying at the Blue Tropics.”
If she hadn’t been so irked, she would have been impressed.
“I hung up before I got put through to your room,” he
continued. “I was on my way to the hotel when I saw you leaving.”
He sounded matter-of-fact, as though it was perfectly logical
that he should be here in Key West following her.
“I don’t get it,” she said. “Weren’t you supposed to go back to
New York today? Isn’t it vitally important you spend your holidays in the
office?”
He stiffened. She wasn’t sure why. He’d made it clear long ago
that his job was his number one priority.
“It’s only Wednesday,” he said. “I can be back by the
weekend.”
She got close to him to better make her next point. A mistake.
Last night’s dream was still fresh in her mind and she pictured herself naked in
his arms. She breathed in his clean scent, dismayed that it had become familiar
again so quickly. Physical attraction. That was all it was. She’d already been
down this road with him and he hadn’t turned out to be the man she needed him to
be. She hardened herself against him.
“You can be back even sooner if you
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