Silver Hollow Read Online Free Page A

as if to say, Better you than me . Both of them knew once an idea got into the girls’ heads, nearly nothing could turn their minds off it.
    Growing up, she’d noticed their parents, the McSpaddens, tended to lean on the conspiracy theory side of thinking. No one was ever safe, might have been their motto. Even though the y allowed their daughters to attend public school, they never told anyone their profession. When Amie’s parents decided to move and introduce his daughter to high society, the McSpaddens moved with them. Yet instead of joining in, they had grown reclusive and , after their friends’ deaths, moved back to Kansas. The twins made themselves her unofficial bodyguards, and Amie had forgotten to think of their behavior as odd.
    Fortunately , the one thing that could have successfully divided the twins’ attention at a moment like this walked in the door.
    “Hey, isn’t that Dr. Gomora?”
    Faye whipped around so fast her dark hair rushed into her eyes when she faced Amie. “What? O-M-G, are you serious? What’s he doing here? Amie , you called him, didn’t you? I can’t believe you invited Ben!”
    “Wish I could claim credit,” Amie denied, just thankful the heat was off of her again. She now remembered why she kept the twins out of her love life. It was much easier to vicariously enjoy theirs.
    The infamous Ben was standing not so far away now, dark hair perfectly groomed and hanging over his blue eyes. The esteemed doctor had the look of both danger and mystery, the perfect combination Faye couldn’t resist. Faye and Ben had been friends for about a year, ever since working together at a relief camp in Haiti. Judging by the knowing look behind James’ guarded eyes Amie had a fair idea of who had orchestrated this number. The soldier had more contacts than most people suspected.
    Faye followed Amie’s gaze with a not - too - casual glance over her shoulder before facing them with a little jump of excitement. As long as Amie had known her, Faye preferred diving headfirst while her twin preferred to think things through. Already her impulsive nature was at work as she shifted her cleavage inside her tight dress and checked her teeth. “Hope you’ll all still love me if I go talk to him. Won’t you?” she asked.
    “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Jo said before shaking her head. “Oh , beans …never mind.”
    “Yeah, go ahead. Just remember I can always kill off your character if you make me mad enough,” Amie teased. Faye gave several mock protests before hugging them all again and returning to her party.
    Jo’s eyes met Amie’s. The small blonde spoke first . “I think I’ll stay back here with y’all.”
    Amie could only hope the shrewder of the two sisters was planning on dropping the subject of tall, dark and handsome strangers at the present.
    …
    Hours later found the center of the old barn turned into a makeshift dance floor where a few lingering guests swayed to the music. Jo looked tiny wrapped securely in James’ arms and together, beneath the dim golden lantern light , they appeared as though they had stepped from the pages of Amie’s imagination.
    Comfortable once more behind the dessert table, Amie had struggled through rounds of hellos with Faye’s guests. She smiled through tired eyes as Faye, beneath the brightest lantern at the center of the floor, leaned her chin upon Ben’s shoulder. The air could have crackled with the chemistry those two sparked.
    Brad Paisley crooned over the stereo. She thought she might throw up. Country music had never been her forte, or relationships for that matter. For once she felt forgiving of the S outhern twang but not the sting of seeming to be the only single gal in the crowd. She didn’t ponder the mystery behind her lack of true love. Nor did she ask herself how she’d managed to avoid men in general the last three years, because it was then Amie caught sight of a familiar face among a dwindling sea of strangers. And