The Carrier (The Carrier Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

top of the barricade. I swung my legs over the
fence and stood, thankful to be on solid ground.
    “Nolan!” I breathed as I looked up at my hero.
“You’re here...I mean, you saved me!”
    Oh my God.
    His eyes were sparkling blue, but filled with
worry. He dropped my hand quickly, but I could still feel the ghost of his
touch on my skin.
    “What were you doing? You could have fallen
down that hill!”
    He was mad at me. I didn’t want him to be mad
at me.
    “I...I saw something shiny.” Why did that sound
so stupid when I said it out loud?
    I looked over the hill, but my little blue orb
was nowhere to be found. In my panic, I must have sent some loose rocks into
the path of the beautiful treasure, sending it forever to the bottom of the
deep river. 
    I turned back to Nolan. “How did...? Where did
you...?” I couldn’t form a sentence.
    He started to back up a few steps. “I’m glad
you’re okay. I’ve gotta head to the Boat office,” he
said, pointing up the road. Then his frown turned to a smile. “Take care of
yourself, Ava. I’d like to see you around here again.”
    No. Don’t go.
    Then he winked at me and left before I could
crack out of my stunned silence.
    That beautiful man just saved my life.

Chapter
Three
    “So, did you check your grades from last
semester yet?” my best friend from college, Kasie ,
asked.
    “Oh, are they out already?” I lied, taking a
sip from the straw in my lemonade and switching my cell to the other ear. The
evening summer sun was almost under the horizon. I loved sitting on my parents’
front porch, watching the sun dip beneath the tree line.
    “Ah, yeah. For
about a week now! How could you not have checked?”
    “I forgot.” I was scared out of my pants to
check my grades. I knew in my heart what they were, so why check? “I’ve been
busy, I guess.”
    “You’re a bad liar, Ava. Come clean.”
    “There’s a hot new guy at work. I’ve been
distracted!”
    “New guy? Dish, girl.”
    “Well, he’s handsome and somewhat mysterious.
You know, someone who wouldn’t go for a girl like me.”
    “What does that mean?” Kasie paused momentarily. “You have no idea your worth, do you?”
    I smiled. Best friends were the breath of life.
Maybe I didn’t know how special I was, but at least I had friends who tried to
convince me.
    Kasie sighed at my silence and then scolded me. “You haven’t seen Aaron, have you?”
    “Calm down,” I teased her. “I have not seen
him. But this town isn’t too big.”
    “Well, I hope he stays away. You need a break
from that guy.”
    “I know.” A tiny sliver of sun was all that was
left of the day. A chilly June breeze ran up my bare legs and I tucked them
under a light blanket. “How’s work at the pool?”
    “Not bad. I’m working on my tan sitting by the
pool, getting hit on by mature guys all day!”
    “ Kasie , I’ve seen the
clientele at the Stevens Point Community Pool. I think you’re mistaking mature
guys for men over eighty wearing too small swimwear.”
    She laughed loudly. “Fine! Busted! I think I’m going to have to pick up another shift so I can pay for
tuition in the fall.”
    “I’m proud of you for working so hard.”
    “Thanks, Ava. Well, I should get going. It was
good taking with you.”
    “Yeah, same here.”
    “Hey, check your grades. It’s not too late to
sign up for a summer term online course.”
    Ugh. I came home to get away from school and
relax in my beloved Dells. School was the last thing I wanted to focus on this
summer.
    But instead I said, “Thanks, Kas . I’ll think about it.”
    I hung up the phone and went right to a web
browser. I put in my student ID into the UW–Stevens Point online grade book and hovered my finger over the log-in button. Nerves
stirred in my stomach. I took a deep breath to calm them.
    “Ava!” my mother called from inside the house.
“Your dinner’s ready!”
    “Coming, Mom!” I yelled back. I closed the
browser. My grades could wait