Defying the Odds Read Online Free Page A

phones.”
     
    Jules might be Wyatt’s sister, but she was also the only lawyer for two towns. She didn’t have time to scratch her ass, let alone cover the phones at the station. Every time Wyatt was forced to turn to her as backup, she got pissed off to the point of violence.
     
    “Eh, she’s all right,” Wyatt said dismissively. “That girl better do what I tell her to. I’m the head Conner in charge.
     
    Despite his ribs, Clay laughed. Wyatt really must have water on the brain to say that with a whole handful of witnesses to hear him. Someone, probably Clay, was going to tell Jules, and that would make stitches and a concussion the least of Wyatt’s problems.
     
    * * * *
     
    Melody realized she might need a day off after all.
     
    Facing her sixth double, she turned off her truck in the employee parking lot and blinked tired eyes at the back of Hal’s Diner. Her breath puffed out, clearly visible in the cold morning air since the heater in the truck had decided to give out. Right now it was uncomfortable; in another month it was going to be a huge issue.
     
    She grew up in a small town about six hours outside Garnet. Melody knew how cold their winters were, and wasn’t looking forward to dealing with the lack of heating. She needed to get the truck fixed. She needed a lot of things and couldn’t afford to let a little exhaustion get the best of her.
     
    Melody stuffed her frozen hands deep into the pockets of her jacket, which was old but blissfully warm. It made her think of coffee and how desperately she needed a cup of it. The cottage she’d lucked into came partially furnished, but it didn’t have a coffeemaker.
     
    She got out of the truck, thinking of Hal’s coffee, which was coffeehouse delicious instead of diner crappy like every other restaurant she’d worked for. Everything Hal made was astonishingly good. He was one of those special people who had the gift of making the ordinary extraordinary. Melody considered herself incredibly fortunate to work for him, and she’d managed to cheer herself up with that thought as she pulled open the back door, letting in an icy draft.
     
    “Whew, shut it quick!” Mary, a pretty, dark-haired waitress who worked the morning shift, shuddered as she worked at gathering up glass containers of maple syrup. “Christ on a stick, it’s cold. Every year Mr. Frost seems to jump up and bite us in the ass when we least expect it. Morning, darling.”
     
    “Morning.” Melody pushed the door fully shut, kicking at the corner that sometimes stuck. “I need some coffee. If I don’t get some java in me, y’all will be peeling me off the floor.”
     
    “Then by all means.” Mary gestured with two bottles of syrup in her hands to the front of the diner where the coffeepots were. “Go get yourself some. You worked the night shift. Just focus on getting woke up. I got this.”
     
    Melody stuffed her hands back into her coat, still fighting to warm up after the cold ride to work. Ignoring the bell chiming the arrival of customers, she headed to the coffeemakers lined up behind the counter.
     
    “Morning,” Hal called through the window from his place in front of the flattop as he prepped for the morning rush. “You gonna work in that jacket?”
     
    “I’ll take it off in a minute.” Melody reluctantly pulled her hands out of her pockets to pour herself a cup of much-needed coffee. “I’m ’bout frozen. The heat’s broke in the truck.”
     
    “ Gotta get that fixed,” Hal said in concern. “I’d offer to look at it, but I’m a terrible mechanic.”
     
    “Yeah, but you can make a meat loaf to die for.” Melody grinned. “I usually hate it. That’s a God’s honest gift you’ve got.”
     
    “ Ain’t that the truth? Hal could make cat food taste good,” Mary offered, walking out of the back with a tray of maple syrups to put on the tables. Her sneakers skidded on the linoleum as she pulled up short and gasped. “Good Lord! What’d