Her Unlikely Family Read Online Free

piece of information slip. If she told him yes, he would be sitting on her doorstep around the clock. “She’s been staying somewhere safe. I keep tabs on her. That’s all I’m saying for now.”
    He tried the bending-the-steering-wheel trick one more time. The man oozed tension.
    Of course, she would, too, in the same situation.
    â€œYou know, I hate to sit and wait,” he said. “If you’re wrong about her whereabouts, she could be getting farther away by the minute.”
    â€œThere’s a possibility she’s at the nearby craft school. I’ll drive up there and make sure.”
    He slowly turned his head and stared at Josie with his night-darkened blue eyes. “Why couldn’t you have said that as soon as you came out here?”
    His intensity sent little sparks of awareness along her nerve endings. Which was absolutely crazy. His type usually made her want to shudder. “I had to make sure I could trust you,” she sputtered.
    â€œTrust, Josie? I assure you, you can trust me .”
    His inflection said exactly what he thought of her. He would understand her wariness, though, if only he knew how a rich, domineering man had let her down before.
    Her conscience pricked her for being judgmental. Lord, help me not to compare Mike with my dad, not to judge him. But most of all, protect Lisa. And please, please, let her be at the craft school.
    Â 
    Josie continued to plead with God as she directed Mike to park at the entrance to the campus. He’d insisted on coming along. As she’d discovered, when Mike insisted, a person didn’t have much choice.
    â€œWait here. I’ll walk up and look in the gallery,” she said.
    â€œIt’s after ten. I would think it would be closed.”
    â€œIf I don’t find her in the gallery, I’ll see if I can find Brian’s truck.”
    Mike thunked his head against the headrest and closed his eyes. “Brian?”
    â€œThe bread delivery guy. Bud said she left with him.”
    With a not-at-all-happy laugh, he shook his head. “I’ll give you ten minutes. Then I’m driving up to take a look around.”
    â€œCome on, Mike. If you chase her down now, nothing will have changed. She’ll just run again—if not tonight, then another day. Don’t blow it with impatience.”
    He leaned closer, right in her face, and boy, did he smell good.
    â€œYou haven’t begun to see my impatience, Josie. Ten minutes. Not one minute longer.”
    She moved closer until her nose almost touched his. “I’m not some peon crawling to you, begging for a loan.”
    Without moving an inch away from her challenge, he said, “Ready, set…” Then, somehow, his watch beeped. “…Go.”
    As much as she would love to argue with the maddening man, she resisted and slung the door open. She jumped out and started running up the drive. Forget your pride, Josie. Think of Lisa.
    Huffing and puffing, she stopped at the main building, but it was dark. A trip around the building revealed music playing up the hill at one of the visiting artists’ cottages.
    She followed the sound and about collapsed in relief when she heard Lisa’s voice. Now she had to somehow send Lisa home without giving away the fact that Mike was only two hundred yards away.
    A brisk walk to the porch of one of the houses found Lisa, Brian and a group of students talking over the strains of jazz.
    â€œHi,” Josie said.
    â€œJosie! What are you doing here?” Lisa’s gaze darted around, no doubt looking for Mike.
    â€œI came to tell you to get on back to the house.”
    â€œWhat about my uncle?”
    â€œWe’ll talk about him when you get there.”
    â€œCurfew isn’t until twelve.”
    â€œI just changed it to ten-thirty.”
    â€œBut it’s that time now.”
    â€œThen I suggest you get going.”
    â€œBut, Josie—”
    â€œAs long