A Man for the Summer Read Online Free Page A

combed, but it was still too long, and he was wearing shorts that gave her a full view of his tanned, muscular legs.
    “Hush that mouth!” Rosie chided. “Don’t go taking your nasty mood out on the customers.”
    Griff’s grin only widened.
    “Hey, I’m a very satisfied customer. Just came by to thank the medical team.” He slouched against the door frame, folding his arms. “I’m taking you all to lunch.”
    “Oh, we’d love to!” Rosie answered quickly.
    Junior rolled her eyes. Rosie sounded like a girl being asked on her first date.
    “Well, thank you very much, Mr. Ross, but I can’t. Y’all go on and have yourselves a good time.”
    “You don’t have anything until two,” Rosie protested. “And I’ll make those calls for you later. The ones we were discussing. Come on, genius, have a little fun.
    “She works too hard,” she added in a confidential tone to Griff. “Work work work. Can’t pull her away. She’s very dedicated.”
    “That’s enough, Rosie,” Junior protested, but it was tough to work up much indignation. She was on to Rosie—she’d seen her in action before. Rosie wasn’t one to hide her feelings, and once she made up her mind about someone, it was impossible to talk her out of it.
    And Rosie was doing her best to usher Griff Ross right into Junior’s bed. No doubt she was already planning the booties she would be knitting their baby.
    “Well, you have to eat,” Griff said, reasonably. “And there’s got to be somewhere decent around here, right? I’ll tell you what, I could go for some country-fried steak.”
    Junior raised her eyebrows. “You don’t look like the country-fried type.”
    Griff laughed, unfazed. “You’re right. I’d never touched the stuff until a couple months ago. But I’ve been doing research all over Missouri for a book. The Highways and Byways series—you heard of ‘em?”
    Yeah, she’d more than just heard of them. They made her blood boil, in fact. Overpriced glossy travel books full of pictures of old gas stations, right along side of snooty restaurant reviews. The people who bought them were the same type that came through town in their glossy SUV’s looking for chain coffee shops that charged five bucks for a latte.
    But there was no need to give him the satisfaction. Something about his tone, his refusal to let her get to him, annoyed her further.
    “I don’t believe I have,” she lied rather primly.
    “Well, I have,” Rosie interjected. “I’ve read dozens! Or at least a few. Let’s see. Arkansas, I have a cousin down there, and Indiana—”
    “I didn’t write those, I’m afraid,” Griff said. “This is my first for this series.”
    “Well, that’s great. I bet if you do a good job, they’ll let you do a few more. How many states have they got left?”
    Griff smiled indulgently, and Junior could read condescension coming off him in waves.
    “Sorry, I wouldn’t know. I’m actually just doing this book as a favor to my editor. I do the Get Set/Jet Set series. I’ve done L.A., Miami, Tokyo—”
    “Uh huh,” Junior interjected. That fit, of course. It explained the shiny shirt that probably cost more than she pulled down in a week, and the dorky shoulder bag he was carrying around. Somebody in G.Q. had no doubt decided the look was fashionable.
    “Well, that’s great. Good for you. Nice of you to come visit Missouri, but I bet you can’t wait to get back home to New York.”
    Griff faced her, unruffled, smiling a little. “Chicago, actually.”
    “Whatever.”
    “It’s been a good trip.”
    “No kidding.” That was obviously was a stretch. She’d bet he’d been hitting every Corn Queen festival and county fair and country speedway and decide that was what rural life was all about.
    His loss, then.
    “At least I guess you haven’t starved, if you’ve developed a taste for the food.”
    “Green Bean Café’s great,” Rosie said, stepping between the two, and gathering up not only her purse but