Her Lifelong Dream Read Online Free Page B

you meet us there?"
    "Well ... I could ... I guess ..."
    "It would be fun!" she pressed. "We always warm up by
the starting line. You could meet us there right before the
race."
    Without realizing it, Leedy was nodding. "Okay," she
said, not daring to look at Terry Foster. But she could feel
him watching her with those brilliant blue eyes of his.
    "We'll see you there," he said. Leedy looked up and saw
he was looking at her with a lingering look that she
couldn't quite read. He smiled at her and then helped
Deanna on with her jacket before they headed for the door.
    "It was nice to meet you," Deanna called as they left the
restaurant. "We'll see you at the race tomorrow."

     

Leedy crouched beneath a large maple tree by the starting line and stretched her hamstring muscles. She tried to
look nonchalant as she scanned the faces in the crowd. "I'm
just looking for Deanna," she told herself. "I don't care if
Uncle What's-His-Name shows up or not." But she was
nervous. What if she didn't find them? What if she never
saw Uncle What's-His-Name again?
    Finally, she thought she saw a tall, slender girl in the
crowd. Yes, that was Deanna all right. And Terry Foster
was standing next to her. They were warming up together
on a patch of grass near the starting line. They wore matching black nylon running shorts and yellow t-shirts emblazoned with the words `CHEESE CITY RUNNER'S CLUB,
BAKER PARK 2002 1OK RUN" Leedy immediately noticed how Terry looked just as good in his running clothes
as he did in the charcoal gray banker's suit. In fact, the
sight of his long, muscular legs and well-formed biceps
made her heart skip a beat.

    She stood up and slowly walked toward them, trying to
look disinterested. "Hi, Leedy," Deanna called when she
saw her. She looked up, pretending she had not seen them.
    "Please come join us!"
    Terry Foster smiled broadly and waved her over. "Hey
there!" he called over the noisy crowd.
    "Great day for a run, isn't it?" Deanna gushed when
Leedy returned their greeting.
    "Yes," she said, coming toward them, trying not to look
at Terry.
    "Would you like to run with us?" Deanna offered.
    "I'm a little rusty," Leedy lied. "I haven't been running
as much as I should. I probably would only slow you
down."
    "We don't mind," Deanna assured her. "Uncle Terry usually beats me anyway. And we're not here to compete.
We're here for the fun of it. We won't care if you fall
behind."
    "All right," Leedy said, stealing a shy glance toward
Terry. "But, like I said before. I'm not a long-distance runner. Don't let me slow you down."
    "We can all start together, anyway," Terry offered.
    "All right," she said with an indifferent shrug.
    "You won't mind if I take off like a bullet, would you?"
he asked her, leaning in closer. "I've been running quite a
bit lately. I'm training to run in a marathon this spring. I'm
in great shape for a 1OK run."
    "Is that so?" she asked, taking in the smug, amused expression on his handsome face.
    "Oh, yes," he said. "Deanna will tell you."
    Deanna nodded and rolled her eyes. "It's true," she said.
"He's been running every day."

    "I'm up to fifteen miles a day," he gloated. "As a matter
of fact, I might just win this race."
    "Win it?" Leedy asked, skeptically.
    "Yes," he said. "I have a good feeling I'm going to win
today."
    "Good luck," Leedy said, uncertain of what to make of
his sudden smugness.
    Deanna rolled her eyes again and laughed. "Don't mind
him, Leedy. He's just teasing you. And stop bragging, Uncle Terry."
    "You're right," he said with a wink. "But I'm still going
to win the race."
    "He probably will win," Deanna said to Leedy, with a
shrug. "But still ..."
    Just then a red-faced man with a megaphone announced
the start of the race. All of the runners gave their bodies
one last stretch and then headed for the starting line. Leedy,
Terry, and Deanna made their way through the crowd until
they found a place near the front. Leedy stood in between