Farmed and Dangerous Read Online Free Page B

box when she heard the zoot-zoot of her cell phone vibrating. She’d turned the sound off at Moran Manor. She strode to her bag, which was hanging on the back of a chair, and managed to extract the device at the moment the call disconnected. Checking the caller ID, she smiled. Pete had called. She pressed SEND to return the call.
    â€œIs this the famous detective Pappas?”
    Pete chuckled. “Famous or infamous, it is I. How’s my favorite farmer?”
    â€œNot bad. Having an exciting Saturday night home alone.” Cam scrunched up her face for a moment. She’d never get the hang of small talk.
    â€œI’m on call tonight, or I’d ask myself over to remedy that situation. But how about you come over here for a home-cooked Greek dinner tomorrow night instead?”
    â€œLet me check my social calendar.” A split second later, she continued. “Why, I do happen to be free. What time do you want me?”
    Pete let a beat go by. When he spoke, his husky voice sent a zing through her. “I want you right now, Cameron Flaherty.”
    Cam didn’t respond for a moment. All of a sudden her legs were made of Jell-O. Sinking into a chair, she cleared her throat. “It’s entirely mutual,” she murmured.
    A rattle of static came through from Pete’s end. He swore. “Hang on,” he said in a terse tone.
    The line went quiet. Cam waited. She mused on how her life had changed since summer. She’d ended her budding romance with Jake Ericsson, the chef at The Market restaurant. His constant jealousy and fits of temper had proved too unsettling for her. And then he’d traveled back to Sweden to wait until his undocumented immigration status cleared. Meanwhile, an attraction between Cam and state police detective Pete Pappas had blossomed. Cam had helped him with information about the murder that took place after her farm-to-table dinner. They hadn’t acted on their feelings, though, until the investigation was finished. Pete came back on the line. “Sorry, Cam. Have to go. See you at five tomorrow.”
    Cam was about to agree when the call was disconnected. She sighed. Did she really want a romantic relationship with a law enforcement officer? Well, she’d jumped in with both feet and with her eyes open for now.
    Â 
    Cam retrieved her sunglasses from the truck the next morning. The eight o’clock sun lit up every crystal in the fresh snow, and the sky was a perfect blue. She tromped out in her cross-country ski boots to the chickens, stamping the snow flat in their yard before opening the door. She scattered a couple of handfuls of cracked corn on the flattened snow. They hated to tread on loose snow. She didn’t blame them, with those skinny feet and legs.
    â€œCome on out, girls. You need the fresh air.” She made the clicking noise she’d learned from DJ, who seemed to be able to communicate directly with these fowl.
    TopKnot popped out, followed by Hillary, the hen that tended to boss the others around. Their funny, gargling voices delighted Cam, as always. The others hopped down the ramp and pecked at the corn.
    She uncovered the low tunnels inside the hoop house so the greens underneath wouldn’t burn up from too much heat, and returned to the barn to grab her ten-year-old skis and poles. A fresh snow on a clear, sunny day shouldn’t be wasted. She needed to get all the food ready for the dinner, but she had time for an hour’s ski. She’d already created a trail in the woods behind the farm. The skiing should be easy with a few new inches of snow in the ruts to glide on. She clicked the toes of her boots into the bindings of the long, narrow skis, adjusted her mittened hands in the loops at the tops of the poles, and set out along the open field on the left side of the property. Taking long gliding strides, her arms swinging with the poles, she filled her lungs with the clean air, which tasted almost metallic