And Then Came You Read Online Free Page A

War III. “Finally. A breakthrough.”
    “What’re you talking about?” Her voice was hoarse and now that he was looking a little closer he could see that the gleam in her eye was more of a glassy look.
    “Are you sick?” he asked.
    “Getting sicker by the minute,” she shot back. “Now, are you going to explain the whole ‘divorce’ statement or not?”
    He pushed one hand through his hair, then shoved that hand in his pants pocket again. Old habits kickedin and he started to jingle his keys nervously until he saw her left eye twitch. Then he remembered how she’d always hated that habit of his and decided he didn’t need to infuriate her even further, so he stopped. “The divorce never went through,” he said bluntly, figuring there was no easy way to say it. “We’re still married.”
    Her mouth opened and closed a time or two. She blinked, then stumbled backward and plopped down hard onto the third step. Tipping her head back, she inhaled sharply, blew it out again and said, “What?”
    “You heard me. Dammit, I can’t believe it, either, but it’s true. The county clerk who handled the paperwork? He never filed the papers.”
    “He never—” She pushed herself up from the step, walked a few paces, then whirled around to stare at him. “What do you mean, he didn’t do it? It was his
job
.”
    “Apparently, he didn’t much like his job.”
    “So he just didn’t do it?”
    “Right.” He watched her face, noted each emotion as it played over her features and understood completely. Since he’d gotten the call from the county seat a week ago, he’d been going through the same thing. “No consolation, but we’re not the only ones.”
    “Huh?” She shook her head as if trying to clear her vision while she looked at him.
    “There are fifty other couples out there, still married when they thought they weren’t.”
    She held up one hand. “Color me selfish, but all I’m thinking about at the moment is
us
. We’re really still—”
    “Married. Yeah.”
    “Oh, my God.”
    “That about covers it.”
    Behind her, the front door opened. Jeff shot a look at the woman stepping outside. “Hi, Mike.”
    “Oh crap,” Sam muttered, and he thought that summed up the situation pretty well.
    Mike didn’t smile, just called out over her shoulder, “Hey, Jo. The Bastard’s here.”
    “Great,” Jeff muttered.
    “Shut up, Mike.” Sam shot her sister a warning look that Mike paid no attention to at all.
    “What’s
he
doing here?” Jo demanded, pushing past her younger sister to come down the steps and stand beside Sam.
    “Hi, Jo,” he said, despite the frigid atmosphere suddenly swirling around him.
    There was a time when the Marconi girls had actually liked him, Jeff remembered. Now, he’d be lucky if he left here with all his limbs attached. They weren’t happy to see him? Well, tough shit. It’s not like he’d been looking forward to this little reunion, either.
    “I thought we weren’t speaking to him.” Jo’s voice, soft.
    “We’re not.” Mike walked to the edge of the porch and picked up one of the hammers out of an open toolbox. Slowly, she slapped the heavy metal hammer head into her palm as she kept her gaze on Jeff.
    He could take a hint. Besides, he’d done what he came here to do. And it was plain he and Sam wouldn’t be talking any further right now. Not with her sisters ready to rip his lips off. He was only surprised that Hank Marconi, his genial ex—or not so ex—father-in-lawwasn’t out here, demanding his head.
    “You need to go, Jeff.” Sam’s gaze, still locked with his.
    “I’m going.”
    “And don’t come back.” Mike walked down the steps, too, flanking the other side of Sam.
    The sisters were more different than alike; the only feature they shared were the pale blue eyes they’d inherited from their father. Yet no one seeing them now could ever doubt their connection. The three of them stood there, not even touching, yet linked together into