Welcome to Bluestone 1 - Bluestone homecoming Read Online Free Page A

blond. He greeted Leo with a polite smile that made Leo
wonder if he was judging Leo’s parenting decisions as well. If he
wasn’t, he was the only one.
    “How long are you in town?” the reverend
asked.
    Bingo. “Undetermined.”
    “Your son is a remarkable child. Energetic,
but a pleasure to be around.”
    Leo faltered. What kid was the reverend
talking about? He hadn’t seen any sign of energy or a pleasant
child. But if the reverend could lie, so could he. “I’m very proud
of him.”
    Past Reverend David’s shoulder, he saw the
blonde counselor from the school, Trinity Madison, approach and
felt his face heat. He hadn’t allowed himself to think too much
about her earlier—his head had been filled with worry about Max.
And he wasn’t accustomed to thinking about women lately. Her
wholesome face—she even had freckles across the bridge of her
nose—was pink with pleasure, her white teeth even, her golden
blonde hair floating about her shoulders. She wore jeans and a
sweater that showed off a nice figure, one that if he was thinking
about women, would have him thinking twice about her.
    Her steps slowed when she met his gaze, and a
furrow of uncertainty appeared between her brows. Huh. She was
heading for David. Leo looked from one to the other, and the
resemblance struck him. Trinity seemed to shake off her indecision
and came forward. She placed a hand on the reverend’s shoulder and
used it as leverage to pull herself up to kiss his cheek.
    “My sister, Trinity,” Reverend David
introduced, an affectionate hand looped around her waist. “This is
Nora’s son Leo.”
    “Max’s dad,” she said with a warm smile that
surprised him, based on their first meeting.
    “You’ve met,” David said, arching his head to
look at his sister.
    “At school,” Leo said.
    Trinity gave him a canted, curious smile.
Wondering what he was doing here, no doubt. He wondered, too.
    “Leo!”
    He turned to see a woman running toward him,
long hair streaming behind her, a familiar grin on her face as she
launched herself into his arms. He grabbed onto her hips in
self-defense, bracing his feet before they both tumbled backwards.
Once he’d steadied them, he tightened his embrace, turning his face
into her hair that had always smelled of the wind.
    “I didn’t know you were coming home.” Lily
Prater eased back to look at him, her hands still on his shoulders,
her gaze darting over his face. “You look good. God, Leo, how long
has it been?”
    “You look good, too.” Still holding onto her
hips, he took in her smooth complexion, tinted with sun already,
though it was only March. Her body beneath his hands was firm and
trim. And her brown eyes sparked with something he thought he
recognized but couldn’t name. “How are you? What are you up to
these days?”
    “Oh, you know. Family business.” She waved a
hand in the direction of the lake, where her family owned the
landing where his father kept his boat. “Running it now that Dad’s
retired.”
    He nodded solemnly. She’d always loved this
town, had never wanted to leave, while he couldn’t wait for
graduation and freedom. Now that he was an adult and his escape was
assured, he could see the charm, but that didn’t mean he wanted to
stay. “I was down there earlier. You’ve added some launches and
some cabins, I see.”
    She pressed her lips together. “Seemed wise
at the time. We were getting a lot of tourists from the city. Now,
with the recession, not so much.”
    A dark-haired man stepped forward and took
Lily’s arm, seemingly forgetting that Leo’s arms were still around
her. “We should go in and get a seat.”
    Leo let his hands fall to his sides as he
turned to the other man, who was all intensity, his attention on
Lily. He glanced at Lily, eyebrow raised, but she only gave him a
sheepish smile and turned to the dark-haired man. “Quinn Alden,
this is Leo Erickson. We went to high school together, though
clearly Leo is older than I