Homecoming Read Online Free Page B

covering her salt and pepper hair sauntered over to the table, glaring at Dana under her lashes. She slapped two plastic covered menus on the Formica-topped table, grunting under her breath. “I’ll be back directly with coffee and to take your orders.” She flashed Tyler a practiced smile, and then walked away with an exaggerated roll of her generous hips.
    “Her disposition hasn’t changed much in twenty years,” Dana said in a quiet tone.
    “You know Cheryl?”
    “I remember Miss Cheryl from a long time ago.”
    “How long have you been away?”
    She studied the backs of her hands. “A long time. Twenty-two years.” Her head came up, and she metTyler’s direct stare. “How long have you lived in Hillsboro?”
    “Ten months.”
    The beginnings of a smile tipped the corners of her mouth. “You’re a newcomer. I suppose you’ve heard the gossip about me coming back?”
    “I admit I’ve heard your name, but hadn’t paid much attention to what has been said.”
    “So, you don’t listen to gossip?”
    He leaned closer. “I don’t have time for gossip.”
    Resting her chin on her hand, she offered him a warm smile. “Good for you.” He returned her smile. The gesture contained enough eroticism to make her hold her breath for several seconds.
    She continued to stare at Tyler, her journalistic instincts kicking into high gear. He was new to Hillsboro, which meant he hadn’t known her family. In other words, he would be unbiased. And if she gained his confidence, there was always the possibility that he could become an ally.
    “How does your family like Hillsboro?” she asked.
    He regarded her for several seconds. “If you’re talking about a wife and children, I have none. Personally, I happen to like it. It’s very different from some of the other places I’ve lived.”
    Knowing he was single would make it easier for her, because she was prepared to smile, flirt, and do anything short of using her body or bribing someone to get what she wanted.
    “How so?” she asked.
    “It’s small, and everyone seems to look out for one another.” Hillsboro’s last census had listed the population at 3,320 residents. “Of course, it’s not exempt from the social ills of the country at large, but on a smaller scale. What about you? Why have you come back?”
    “It’s my home.” She knew her response was ambiguous, and because she didn’t know Tyler Cole, she wasn’t ready to bare her soul. Once she began her investigation, he and everyone else in Hillsboro would know the reason why she’d elected to extend her stay.
    “Where was home before you decided to move back?” he asked.
    “A little town in upstate New York not far from the Adirondack Mountains.”
    “You don’t sound like New York.”
    She laughed softly. “What I don’t sound like is downstate New York. I’ve been told that I still have a trace of a Southern drawl.”
    Tyler angled his head. “Only when you say certain words.”
    A smile trembled over her lips. “No one would ever
not
take you for a Southerner,” she teased. His soft drawling voice clearly identified him as a son of the South.
    His smile matched hers. “I’m one down to the marrow in my bones.”
    “You don’t sound like a Mississippian.”
    “Florida.”
    She lifted an eyebrow, the fingertips of her right hand tracing the design on the handle of a knife at one of the place settings. “So, you’re a Gator.”
    “The Heat, Magic, Marlins, Dolphins, Devil Rays, the Orange Bowl, Florida Citrus Bowl, the Panthers, and Tampa Bay Lightning.”
    “You sound like a serious sports fan.”
    Placing a large, well-groomed hand over his heart, he crooned, “I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m addicted.” Although he hadn’t lived in his home state for two decades, he still followed Florida’s sports teams.
    Dana glanced at his broad shoulders under a sand-washed silk short-sleeved shirt in a blue-gray shade. Hehad tucked the shirt into a pair of khakis. His