Till There Was You Read Online Free Page B

came out like an order, and Linc simply looked at her and raised his brow. “Please.” She changed her tone a little, remembering when her grandmother had told her she’d catch more flies with honey than vinegar. “Please, Linc. If you won’t let me buy you breakfast, at least let me drive you home. You seem like you’re in a hurry and I just want to say thank you.”
    Stopping, he looked at her, then muttered something under his breath before moving over to the passenger side of the car. Lily struggled to keep the triumphant grin from taking over her lips.
    “There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” she said as he clipped his seatbelt in place and looked across at her.
    “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
    “What?” she asked, slightly taken aback.
    His eyes dropped down to her waist. “Your belt. You aren’t wearing it.”
    “What? Oh,” she said, realizing he wanted her to put the safety belt on. It was something her brother was always on her about as well, and with a resigned sigh, she reached over and secured it in place. “Happy?”
    Letting out his breath, he relaxed and settled back into his seat, his head resting against the window. “Yes.”
    Putting the truck into gear, Lily headed for the only road leading toward the edge of town.
    “You’re staying at Ruth’s place just out of town, aren’t you?” Lily asked, her voice low as he stared out at the pristine white landscape traveling past his window.
    His only response was a small nod, which she found frustrating. She wanted to get to know Linc a little more after the way he helped her last night. As far as she could surmise, he lived alone and never socialized with anyone from town. Considering he seemed fairly young, she could only guess he was hiding from something, or perhaps someone, from his past. For Lily, the mystery of this reclusive man was like crack to an addict. She felt a great need to know what had him pushing everyone away.
    Lily watched him, sneaking glances when she wasn’t watching the slippery road. She liked what she saw, which just further added to the mystery. He was ruggedly handsome, with a full beard, only slightly scruffy unkempt brown hair, and deep, liquid brown eyes. And he was tall; a good two inches taller than her brother who came in at six-foot-one. She couldn’t see much under the bulky clothing they all wore, but she was sure he was fit and strong from the way he held himself, as well as how his chest felt when she’d tried to stop him earlier.
    A short while later, Lily stopped at the gate to the Plowman residence. It was a beautiful log cabin set on a rather large plot of land. She’d been in there once before when her father was helping Ruth with a jammed up fireplace. Although she was only a kid at the time, she remembered it being picturesque and rustic, and wondered if it were much different now.
    She turned to Linc to say something about the memory, but stopped, her mouth hanging open with the unspoken words as he got out of the truck and closed the door in one smooth motion. “Thanks for the ride,” he grunted as he pushed open the gate and walked through.
    Not content to let things end so abruptly, she got out and caught up to him before he closed the gate.
    “Linc, wait.”
    “What?” he asked without looking at her.
    “Is there anything you need? I mean, I owe you more than a lift home after last night.” Linc turned his broad back to her and sighed.
    “I’m fine,” came his reply, in a tone that surprised her with its strange fragility. She hadn’t expected much more than a grunt.
    This man needs somebody , she thought. He’d spent so much time out there alone that he could do with a friend.
    Deciding that was a role she could fill, Lily took a deep breath before continuing after him. “Listen, I’m going to help you dress that lip, and after that, you can go back to brooding out here all by yourself. Deal?”
    “I don’t need your help,” Linc said, his normal flat tone