Wild Iris Ridge (Hope's Crossing) Read Online Free Page A

she?”
    “Not that I know about,” he answered. He only knew she had been in Hope’s Crossing less than eight hours and he was already tired of her.
    “Pop, can we talk about something else?”
    “Something else?”
    “I don’t know why Lucy Drake is back in town, and to be honest with you, I don’t care much. I only want the little idiot to stay out of my way and to do her best not to burn down Iris House again.”
    “Darn. I guess that means I’ll have to return all the cans of gasoline and the jumbo box of matches I just bought at the hardware store.”
    If he hadn’t been distracted by the tantalizing smell of bacon after a long shift, he would have smelled Lucy come into the diner before she even spoke. She always wore some kind of subtle, probably expensive scent that reminded him of cream-drenched strawberries.
    He swiveled, ignoring Dermot’s disapproving glower. She looked none the worse for wear after her adventures of the night before, fresh and bright and lovely.
    She was wearing a leather jacket the color of deer hide, tailored and supple, with a scarlet scarf tied in some kind of intricate loose knot around her neck. She looked sophisticated and urbane and, as usual when he was around her, he felt like a dumb jock with more brawn than brains.
    “If you saved your receipt,” he drawled, fighting back against his own stupid sense of inadequacy, “I’m sure Mose Lewis at the hardware store will take it all back.”
    She made a face then plopped onto the stool next to him, leaned across the counter and gave Pop a big smacking kiss on the cheek.
    “Dermot. You’re as handsome as ever. I’m still waiting for you to get tired of this one-horse town and run away with me. You’d never have to pour a cup of coffee again.”
    The tips of his pop’s ears turned red and he smiled, pouring her a cup of coffee.
    When he spoke, the traces of Irish accent that still sprinkled his speech intensified. “I have to say, that’s a verra appealing offer, m’darling, but I’m afraid I would miss my grandchildren too much.”
    “Ah, well. I guess I’ll have to ease my broken heart with some of your luscious French toast. I’ve been dreaming about it since I left King County.”
    Pop beamed at this, as his greatest joy was feeding people—especially those who held a soft spot in his big, generous heart, which certainly qualified Lucy.
    “Coming right up. You just sit there and enjoy much better coffee than you’ll ever find in Seattle while you listen to my stubborn son apologize for his rudeness.”
    “I can’t wait,” she murmured.
    Apparently, Brendan wasn’t the only one who could wax sarcastic in the morning.
    Since it had been rude and childish to call her names—and Pop likely wouldn’t be quick to let him forget it—he took his medicine like a good boy.
    “Sorry I called you an idiot,” he muttered.
    “Sorry you said it or sorry I happened to walk in just in time to overhear you?”
    “Does it matter?”
    To his surprise, she smiled a little, though she still had that unsettled, restless look in her eyes. “Not really, I suppose. Nicely done, Chief Caine.”
    Even big, dumb jocks could use good manners at times, especially when their Pop was standing close enough for a good whack on the knuckles with a wooden spoon.
    “So. This is how the fire chief unwinds after an exciting night of serving and protecting the good people of Hope’s Crossing.”
    “Sometimes. It’s been a long shift and I’m starving. I didn’t feel like cooking breakfast for myself or pouring a bowl of cereal. Since I already missed seeing the kids off to school this morning, I figured, why not?”
    He wondered, not for the first time, why he always felt compelled to defend his actions around her.
    “If I had a father like yours, I would come here every morning for breakfast.”
    He didn’t miss the slightly wistful tone in her voice. Her home life hadn’t been great, he knew, though only secondhand. Jess