Natural Born Trouble Read Online Free Page A

hose and a can of his best wax.
    The woman who emerged, however, had him shuddering for another, far more positive reason entirely. She was a beauty. Long legs and skinnybehind were molded by denim. The suggestion of very interesting curves lurked beneath a short-sleeved silk blouse that had been tied at a waist he could span with his hands. Blond hair, scooped into some sort of ponytail, escaped in curling tendrils to frame a face that was lovely even without makeup. He’d seen that face somewhere before, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember where. As for the rest of her, he wouldn’t have forgotten that in a dozen lifetimes, so apparently they’d never actually met.
    A model, maybe? She was tall and thin enough. An actress? With that golden complexion and blue-gray eyes, she had a face the camera would love. Still, it didn’t quite fit. Besides, Los Pinos, Texas, wasn’t exactly crawling with the rich and famous. The town wasn’t quaint enough to draw tourists. Nor was it home to any celebrities he’d ever heard of.
    While his mind sorted through alternate possibilities, she crossed to where they were standing in three brisk strides. He wondered if she realized that the sway of her hips robbed her movements of the professional demeanor she was clearly after. She nodded at the boys, who were suddenly, inexplicably very quiet, then held out her hand.
    â€œHi, I’m Dr. Danielle Adams. Everyone calls me Dani.”
    Her voice was so low, so blasted seductive that her title and name barely registered. Duke took her hand in his and felt a jolt of pure electricity charge through him. He didn’t feel much inclined to let her go, but she subtly wrestled her hand away from him. The reaction made him smile. So, he thought with satisfaction, she’d felt it, too. Hadn’t liked it half as much as he had, though.
    â€œDuke Jenkins,” he said. “What can I do for you?”
    â€œI’m the vet in Los Pinos,” she said.
    His gaze narrowed. Adams? A veterinarian? The pieces suddenly clicked into place and a sinking sensation settled in his stomach.
    â€œYou’re Jordan’s daughter,” he guessed, remembering where he’d seen that face. It was very prominently displayed on his boss’s desk, right alongside a much less interesting framed photo of his son and a family portrait taken some years back, when this woman had still been in pigtails.
    â€œYes,” she said. Then, as if she were anxious to get past the subject of family ties, she rushed on with some convoluted tale of dead goldfish and kittens.
    â€œI have all three of them in the car, if you’d like to take a look. I think the boys could really learn a lot taking responsibility for them, don’t you?” she concluded, her eyes locked hopefully on his. He noticed they were more blue than gray just now as if some inner fire had sparked the sapphire in them.
    Duke struggled to sort out the tale. When he had, he stared at her incredulously. “They killed two goldfish in less than a week, and you want me to let them care for three kittens? Doesn’t that strike you as a bit risky?”
    She gave him a winning smile that almost caused his heart to slam to a stop. Logic flew out the window. He wanted desperately to do as she asked, anything she asked.
    â€œReally, it’s not the same thing at all,” she assured him. “Cats, even kittens, are reasonably independent and self-sufficient. And this would be temporary. I’m in a bit of a bind, you see. I have to find homes for these three, plus two more that are too young toseparate from their mother and then Francie III is expecting again any day now.”
    Duke was astounded by the casual recitation. “Just how many kittens are we talking about? I mean at your house, not in the car.”
    â€œWell, of course, there’s no way of telling for sure with Francie, but I think there were five, maybe six