Mixing Temptation Read Online Free Page A

first question. And Caroline decided to reconsider her brownie ban. Her friend clearly didn’t plan to let Ryan guide the conversation.
    â€œI don’t know if Helena is going to make it,” he said.
    â€œWhat?” Lily’s eyes widened, but she kept her focus on the road. “First she runs off and gets married without inviting any of her friends from home and now she won’t even come back for Noah’s wedding?”
    He shook his head. “I don’t know what’s going on with her. Last time I talked to her she didn’t sound like herself. I told her I’d be around for two weeks this time. I even said I could swing down to California and visit her. But she quickly told me that her husband wouldn’t like it.”
    â€œHe’s jealous,” Lily said.
    â€œOf what?” Ryan grumbled. “I was her friend.”
    â€œHmm,” Lily murmured as she sped past the university. “Maybe I’ll give her a call and try to convince her to visit. I ran into her mother at the bank. And she said Helena sends regular checks to help with the farm, but she never visits.”
    Lily turned to her. “Helena’s mom raises Highland cattle. The meat is good and sells well. But she’s had a few streaks of bad luck. Sick cows . . .”
    Caroline let Lily’s monologue drift over her. Familiar landmarks ticked by outside the window. A few more blocks and they would be at the bar. And free from an air force officer who had questions she couldn’t answer.
    Although if she planned to attend Noah’s wedding, she would have to come up with something to say if anyone asked how she knew the bride and groom. And she suspected the groom stood by me when he found out I was being raped by our commanding officer would only lead to more questions.
    But she couldn’t skip Noah’s wedding. He’d tried to protect her while they were deployed together. He’d found the number for the hotline when she’d given up hope of lodging a formal complaint against their commanding officer. And then, after they returned, once she’d pressed charges, Noah had testified on her behalf. He’d sworn under oath in a military court that she was telling the truth about their commanding officer. He’d risked his military career for her, though they both knew he wanted out when his term of ser­vice ended.
    Nearly two years had passed since then, but she would never forget. All those nights on the base in Afghanistan when he’d gotten up and escorted her to the bathroom so that their CO wouldn’t find her alone . . .
    Noah had done everything he could to protect her. So one week from today, she would put on a dress and face her fears. After all, she couldn’t hide forever. At some point, she had to reclaim her life—­or at least pieces of it.
    Lily pulled into the Big Buck’s staff parking lot. “Looks like you have a visitor, Caroline.”
    She jumped. And she was pretty sure Ryan hadn’t missed her reaction.
    â€œJosh Summers decided to bring you another pie,” Lily added. “Will you save me a piece?”
    â€œSure,” she said. “And thanks for the ride.”
    Ryan climbed down from the truck and held the door open for her. “Nice meeting you. And if you see Noah, will you tell him I’ll swing by the bar later?”
    She nodded as she shouldered her backpack and headed for Josh. With each step, the tension eased. She’d survived a car ride with an air force officer. That had to be a step in the right direction.
    â€œHow long have you been waiting?” she asked Josh.
    â€œJust got here,” he said. “I wanted to stop by and ask you something.”
    Her heart sank. He’d driven over an hour out of his way to ask her out. Of course, he’d brought a pie too. But he always brought pie. And she’d known it was only a matter of time before he stopped waiting