High Noon (Between the Veils Series, Book Two) Read Online Free

or not?”
    He smiled and pointed at the recorder. “I left another one of these on the small table beside the door when I sent you out to the truck ahead of me. I’m hoping I’ll get some overlap to help answer that question. Either way, it’s a place to start.”
    Payton shook her head. “You know, if someone had told me a few months ago I’d be sitting here with you, discussing ghosts, I would have told them they were crazy.” She relaxed back, exhaling a slow breath. “Maybe we could talk about something else for a while.”
    “Sure.” Blake waited as the server returned with their drinks and took their order before he asked what had been racing through his mind since she’d first called. “So tell me, what happened to make you pack up your life in DC and head to Virginia City?”
    The fine lines around her eyes deepened ever so slightly as she stared at him, a light blush coloring her cheeks again. “What makes you think anything happened?”
    He snorted, taking a long pull of the beer he’d ordered. “Sweetheart, my family wasn’t the only one with old-world money. You said on the phone that you’d put every last penny you had into the gallery, which means you aren’t getting any help from your family. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out something happened that made you run away.”
    “I didn’t run away. I liberated myself.”
    “You can call it whatever you want, but it still equates to you breaking ties.” He reached forward and cupped her hand in his, surprised at how small her fingers felt next to his. A strange sensation fluttered through his chest, and he nearly pulled his hand away in surprise. For some reason, the thought of her alone, this far from home, bothered the hell out of him. He gave her fingers a light squeeze. “Come on, Payton. I don’t scare easily.”
    Her focus drifted to where their hands connected, her gaze becoming distant, as if she was looking through the table instead of at it. Tears gathered behind her eyes, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t cry, not here. “Let’s just say that my father and I have a very different vision of what my life should be like. And it got to the point that I couldn’t live trying to meet his expectations anymore. So I packed up my car and headed here. I’d heard this is a sort of artist’s mecca and honestly, the price was right.”
    “Right up until you realized you’d gotten more than just a gallery.”
    Payton snorted, pulling her hand back as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You know something, Blake? Only you could sit there and make me look like the crazy person for not believing in ghosts.”
    “I don’t think you’re crazy. In fact, I think it took a lot of guts to leave everything behind and start fresh.” He shivered as another cold breeze tickled the side of his face. “I just hope we can find a way to put these spirits to rest before they decide to up the ante.”
    Payton’s face paled slightly. “What do you mean, up the ante?”
    Blake cursed under his breath. The last thing he needed to do was spook her, especially since he wasn’t even certain what they were facing yet. Though the fact something had seemingly followed them here didn’t bode well.
    He gave her a reassuring smile. “Let’s not worry about that. Besides, you were the one who wanted to talk about something other than ghosts.”
    She released a slow breath, once again placing her hands on the table, her left one reclaiming his. “Why don’t we talk about you?” She took a sip of water. “I couldn’t help but notice you aren’t wearing a ring. Does that mean you’re still single?”
    He quirked one side of his mouth. “It does.”
    “Any particular reason why?”
    “I suppose work doesn’t leave me with much free time.”
    “If it was important to you, you’d find the time.”
    He glanced out the window, watching the last of the orange fade into black. “Maybe I’m looking for a certain kind of lady.”
    Payton