Imperfect Rebel Read Online Free Page A

a devil about to claim a soul. His eyes practically danced as he inspected her as if she were some kind of alien from outer space. She ought to walk out of here and burn the beach house before he got anywhere near it. Any man in his right senses would be so mad at her right now, he could spit.
    Boy, she was going to make Gene pay for this.
    The Jerk wrapped the bed sheet around him and swung his legs over the side of the cot. His thick sable hair fell forward over the bandage, and his bare toes stuck out from beneath the sheet. He had strong, slender feet and toes, adorned with a dusting of silky hair.
    Cleo couldn't believe she was staring at his feet. Had it been that long since she'd seen a man's feet? She jerked her head up again.
    "I need to check out of my hotel, Sheriff. Miss Alyssum and I haven't had time to make the final arrangements on the house, so maybe I'd best go with her."
    Cleo tried not to exhale too sharply or look too closely to see how the law officer took that. Experience had taught her to keep a large canyon between herself and the authorities.
    "Well, if I can be of any assistance while you're here, son, you just call on me. Maybe you can come out to the school sometime, talk to the kids. They'd get a real kick out of that." The sheriff turned and nodded politely to Cleo. "Miss Alyssum, it's a pleasure to see you. Take good care of the boy."
    "The boy" winked at her behind the sheriff's back, then returned to the immediate subject. "What about my car, Sheriff?"
    "Looks like it's a goner, son. When you get your billfold from your hotel room, stop by the office so I can file a report for your insurance. Shame, a car like that."
    An antique Jag. Cleo shuddered. The thing probably cost seven fortunes. And Gene had destroyed it, nearly taking its owner out with it. She supposed she owed The Jerk, but she didn't have to like it. Gene was in for a lot of window washing.
    The Jared McCloud grimaced, then looked at the nurse expectantly. "May I have my clothes, please? It looks as if I'll be relying on Miss Alyssum's hospitality a great deal more than I expected."
    Like, her car, her house, her life... Cleo understood blackmail when she heard it. Not deigning to acknowledge his implied threat, she backed toward the door. "Sheriff, why don't you take him to the hotel while I check in at the store. Drop him off there when you're done with him." The very best defense was a strong offense her daddy had told her long ago.
    And she could be amazingly offensive when the notion took her.

 
     
     
    Chapter 3

     
    Jared glanced at the stone-faced example of the fairer sex in the driver's seat. Every once in a while, when he was exceptionally lucky, he ran across a truly clever, creative female mind like this one, a puzzle meant for solving, and his anticipation soared.
    His new landlady's small, pointed chin practically strained over her clamped teeth. He didn't know what she was angry about, but she'd get over it. In his business, it never paid to take life seriously, and the wrath of women was a fleeting thing, he'd learned.
    It wasn't as if he considered himself exceedingly clever or handsome or any of those things he assumed women wanted. His two brothers had pointed out often enough that he was the runt of the litter, the shallow ne'er-do-well with no driving ambition to improve the world. They'd left him with few illusions of ego. But even his brothers admitted that women liked him. Even as the class freak, he'd escorted the valedictorian to the prom, because he was persistent, and he listened to her.
    That's all he'd ever done was listen, because he had been, after all, a skinny freak who drew cartoon characters for amusement. Besides, Regina had been a stuck-up bit of rudeness most of the time. He'd just liked the way her mind worked, and they'd agreed that going to the prom together made sense. He must have shined up pretty good because he'd ended up taking both Regina and the football captain's date home