The Mighty Quinns: Cameron Read Online Free Page A

ever have had the chance to be a private investigator? It was the last thing in the world he could imagine doing for a living. He sat back and turned his face up into the sun.
    Though Seattle was home, he couldn’t help but like the midday heat of the desert. And though he first thought the landscape was bare and lifeless, he was quickly learning to appreciate the stark beauty of it.
    He had so many questions to ask, but it was impossible to talk with the noise of the wind and the Jeep’s engine. Instead, he made a careful study of the woman he’d now call “boss.”
    He was usually more attracted to blondes and had dated the occasional redhead. But Sofie was something different. She was beautiful, but she was also tough and determined, resilient and focused. This was a woman who knew exactly what she wanted in life.
    By the time Sofie pulled the Jeep into a parking spot in front of the Holman Public Library, he’d jumped out and circled around to help her out.
    “You don’t have to do that,” she said.
    “I’m hoping to be your right-hand man,” he said. “So I need to make myself indispensable.”
    She reached behind his seat and pulled out a backpack, slinging it over her shoulder. Then he took her hand and steadied her as she hopped out of the Jeep. As they strolled up to the front doors, he realized that her limp was more pronounced. He took the backpack from her and placed his hand on the small of her back. At this point, he was willing to use any excuse to touch her again.
    “My hip gets stiff if I stay in one position too long,” she explained. “Like when I’m driving.”
    Cameron wanted to ask her about the injury. But he knew she’d tell him when she was ready. “Maybe I should do the driving from now on,” he offered. “Then you can move around a little more.”
    She smiled at him and he felt the warmth right down to his bones. “That would be nice,” she said.
    When they got inside the library, Sofie headed directly for the reading tables. She opened the backpack and pulled out a small laptop, then signed on to the internet. “Cameron Quinn,” she said, typing his name into a Google search. “Seattle, Washington.”
    He grinned as a list of hits came up on her screen. “Try this one,” he said, pointing to the website for Quinn Yachtworks. “I designed this then hired someone to code it all.” He pointed to a picture. “See, that’s me and my three brothers and my grandfather.”
    “So you are who you say you are,” she said, glancing over at him. He couldn’t help but notice the reluctant smile that teased at the corners of her mouth.
    He reached over and clicked on his bio, and another screen popped up, this with more pictures. She looked at them carefully. “You’re very…”
    “Handsome?” he teased.
    “Accomplished,” she said. “So explain to me again why you’re looking for a low-paying job in Vulture Creek, New Mexico?”
    “My grandfather owns the Yachtworks. He has to decide who to put in charge when he retires. He wants us all to explore our options before we commit to the company for good.”
    “Couldn’t you figure that out in Seattle?”
    “Yeah. But you don’t know my grandfather. I think he wanted us to see a totally different lifestyle. He sent me to Vulture Creek because I had a childhood dream to be a paleontologist. I guess he thought there were dinosaur bones around here.”
    “There are,” she said. “My uncle owns a ranch west of Vulture Creek. He has a wash that’s filled with all kinds of old bones. We used to dig around there when we were kids.”
    “Really? I’d like to see that.”
    “I could show you,” she murmured. “There are also a lot of Anasazi sites around here. You should see those, as well.”
    Cameron reached out and pulled the laptop in front of him. “Can I do a Google search on you?”
    “If you have any questions, you can just ask me.” She closed the computer. “I’ll tell you anything you want to