Sweetwater: The Kihn (The Sweet Series) Read Online Free Page B

you say something?”
    I glance at Emma Rae, who gives me a sweet, innocent smile.
    One of my favorite customers at Murphy’s, Jerome Wooten, stops by our table to welcome me back. He’s one of the guys who shows up every morning and drinks coffee, eats breakfast, and drinks more coffee. They all sit around visiting and seeing who can tell the best story. Emma Rae has dubbed them the Liars’ Club.
    Sam tells us how Dennis Burke caught Sawyer sneaking Dennis’s daughter, Mary Alice, back into her house at four in the morning.
    “He’s gonna get his ass shot!” Jake exclaims with annoyance.
    Well, if that isn’t calling the kettle black , I think as I glance at Jake. “Neither one of you has a lick of sense when it comes to women, chasing anything that squats to pee.” I slap my hand over my mouth. The whole room erupts in laughter. Jake gives me a sheepish grin. I can’t believe I blurted that. A group of guys at the next table stands to leave. As they move past us, one of the guys slaps Jake’s back.
    Another one says, “Good to have you home, Sofie.”
    Ducking my head, I venture a peek at Nick. He’s smiling, his shoulders shaking with laughter.
    Our little lunch party breaks up a bit later. Nick asks if I plan to be at Sam and Sawyer’s that evening. They’ve been redoing a barn on their farm. They put in a bar and are calling it their Shotgun Shack , like the dance halls of the 1930s here in the Ozark hills. Tonight we’re “baptizin’ it”—Sawyer’s words. I think we’re just going to party. Nick tells me he’ll see me later as we stand to leave.
    As she scoots by, Emma Rae nudges my shoulder. At the door, I glance at Bobbi. She’s finished with a customer and watches us leave. I do want to get along with her, so I decide to try harder. “Bobbi, I’m really sorry to hear your grandma’s ailing.”
    Letting me know she’ll try harder too, she makes a rude gesture with her finger. My mouth drops open and then Diane pushes me out the door. “Don’t give Emma Rae an excuse to come back in here. She’s just itching to get in the middle of Bobbi,” she says in a low voice.
    So much for trying. I bet Bobbi will be so much fun to work with.

Chapter Two
    D iane and I head to Marshfield, a town west of Sweetwater. It’s the county seat, with a population close to seven thousand. A metropolis compared with Sweetwater.
    Jake reminded me we’re hosting the poker game this week, so I should get some appropriate sustenance. I told him I’m going to the grocery, not the liquor store, which he thinks isfunny. I wasn’t trying to be.
    There’s been a poker game in Sweetwater on Friday nights for years. Jake and Sawyer taught me how to play poker, and because I was always with one of them, the guys let me sit in on their games in the past. I hoped they still would.
    “You and Emma Rae should come tomorrow night,” I suggest to Diane as we move through the grocery store.
    “Sounds fun.” I catch a funny little smile I can’t quite decipher as she pushes her cart down the aisle.
    While I’m checking out the apples, I become aware of the air around me changing. It feels like static prickling against my skin. It’s an odd sensation, not painful—just not pleasant. I look for Diane, wanting to know if she’s experiencing it too.
    I catch the woman at the other end of the produce section staring at me. Close to six feet tall and bone thin, she has long black hair with one streak of gray at the front. She’s wearing a dark-colored, floor-length skirt and jacket. Her overall image is dark and mysterious. As I study her, her expression changes to one of surprise. She gives me a small smile, turns, and disappears around the end of the aisle.
    The irritating sensation stops.
    “Sofie?”
    I jump about a foot. “Diane!” I hiss. “You scared the bejeezus out of me!” I lay a hand over my heart. “Did you see that woman?”
    “What woman?” She scans the aisle.
    “Well—she’s not here now.”