Ready to Fall Read Online Free Page A

wanted to cover that soft mouth with his. Steal back the swift breath she’d just taken.
    Pull yourself together, man. At least pretend to be a responsible business owner .
    â€œSorry about the sweat.” He headed behind the counter, safely removed from the temptation to brush against her again. “I just got back from a ride. After lunch, I was going to hit the shower in the back.”
    She walked right up to the other side of the counter and leaned forward, offering her small hand. “No problem. I’m Sarah Mayhew, a friend of Helen Murphy’s. And you must be Chris, right?”
    â€œYeah.” The handshake sent more hormones flooding through him, so he kept it brief. “Helen sent you here?”
    â€œI work part time for the Nice County Public Library, though not in the same branch as Helen. She thought you might be able to help me.” She looked around the shop. “Just out of curiosity, where are the bikes? Why don’t you have any on display?”
    He looked down at her, his suspicions confirmed. Outspoken. Maybe even bossy. For some reason, he’d known it from the moment she’d parked outside his shop. Unlike some men, he didn’t consider that a turnoff. Quite the opposite, as a matter of fact. Which meant he needed to finish this conversation soon, before he was tempted to reconsider his hiatus from dating.
    â€œI don’t sell bikes. I repair them. They’re in the workroom.” He nodded toward the closed door behind the counter.
    â€œOh.” She surveyed the store, hands propped on her hips. “Have you considered some other form of decoration? Because . . .”
    She cut herself off, biting her lower lip. He wanted to do it for her.
    He also, however, wanted to know what she’d stopped herself from saying. “Because what?”
    She caved immediately. “Because right now this looks like the sort of place where a serial killer chains you to the wall and makes you gnaw off your own arm to escape. And Helen assured me that you weren’t into that kind of thing.”
    He bit back a grudging smile and glanced around the small room. To his regret, she had a point. It sported bare white walls, white ceiling tiles studded with flickering fluorescent bulbs, and scuffed gray linoleum on the floor. To the casual observer, his shop was probably a goddamn depressing sight. Without more money, though, he couldn’t do much about it.
    Other people had also pointed out the lack of aesthetic appeal in his workroom. Family, friends, even the occasional customer. And when they had, he’d always bristled. Occasionally even snapped at them. For some reason, though, her comment caused him more amusement than discomfort. Maybe because the lack of pity in her voice stripped the sting from the words. Maybe because of the obvious good humor with which she said them. Or maybe because he was too busy trying to peel his eyes from her wet T-shirt to get offended by much of anything.
    Still, since he didn’t plan on discussing his financial situation with anyone—much less a woman he’d only met moments before—that particular subject was closed.
    â€œI just opened a few months ago. Cut me some slack.” Time to steer this conversation back toward relevance. “So why did Helen send you here?”
    She fished a folded printout from her huge purse and slapped it on the counter. “Take a look.”
    He unfolded the paper and scanned the text. Apparently, the faculty and staff of Spring Ridge Elementary School had been invited to participate in a bike retreat as part of a new fitness initiative. That still didn’t explain what she wanted from him, however.
    â€œIt’s hot enough out there to cook us like rotisserie chickens.” Sarah tapped a finger on the flyer. “I’ll be surprised if more than a dozen teachers survive the day. But at least our meat will be juicy and flavorful.”
    Stifling another