Captured In Ink (Art of Love Series) Read Online Free Page B

just need to know that woman is good in every way. The last man did not deserve her. I’m not sure you do either.”
    “Reesa is the one for me,” Shane said firmly, holding Jillian’s gaze.
    “ The one for you? You’re crazy. A single night can’t make that much difference. You don’t even really know her,” Jillian protested.
    Since Joe felt the same, but hadn’t said as much, he stopped and looked down at Shane to see how he was handling the blatant criticism.
    Shane calmly reached into his back pocket, pulled out the first drawing he ever made of Reesa, and handed it over to Jillian.
    Jillian took the paper from Shane and unfolded it. On it was an upper body shot of Reesa, dressed in a super hero costume, her gaze direct, honest, and full of determination.
    “I drew the picture the morning after we were together,” Shane said quietly.
    Jillian sighed so loudly that it echoed off the side of the house. “Well, knock me over with feathers. This is perfect in so many ways I can’t even begin to tell you.”
    Joe looked down at the picture and sighed himself. Larson was an enigma, but his art always told the truth about his feelings. Joe wasn’t ready to think about what he knew the picture meant or to wonder why Shane hadn’t shown it to him. It was rare that Shane didn’t share everything with him.
    Jillian looked at the drawing reverently for several minutes. Sighing again, she finally held it out to Shane who took it back, folded it gently, and returned it to his pocket.
    “All heroes and heroines have obstacles to overcome. They need a sidekick. I’m planning to be Reesa’s,” Shane told her.
    “And here I thought I’d heard every line in the world . Damn, boy,” Jillian exclaimed, biting her lip. “Do me a favor and leave her alone today. Reesa needs to not worry about you sneaking up on her again. I need some time to convince her you’re not a child. Come back tomorrow.”
    “I can do that,” Shane said. “I’m okay now that I know who she is and where I can find her. The last two weeks of not knowing were hell.”
    Since that was partially her fault, Jillian didn’t comment as she turned around to leave.
    “Jillian?” Shane called, smiling as her heels sank in the soft ground again. She looked at him frustrated. Shane worked not to laugh because he wanted Jillian to approve of him.
    “Yeah?” she answered tersely. “Talk fast. I’m sinking here.”
    “Reesa said I was good?” Shane asked with a grin.
    Jillian laughed at his question but didn’t answer, just shook her head as she walked away. The man might not be very old, but Shane Larson certainly had his game on. And she would bet money that man-boy knew exactly how good he was too.
    Jillian heard Shane laughing as she rounded the corner of the house, but didn’t catch what “best friend Joe” said that made him laugh even harder.
    Happy to be on the solid surface of the driveway at last, Jillian quickly walked back to the front door, already practicing what she was going to say.

Chapter 3
     
    It wasn’t pancake Saturday, but Shane still called everyone to meet him at Michael’s so he could talk to them all at the same time. He wanted to get his news out in the open so he’d have people to talk to when he needed help. In his mind, that was the definition of family.
    “I found her. Her name is Teresa Callahan,” Shane announced, sipping coffee as he met the disbelieving stares of four of his closest family members. “I went to help Joe hang gutter. It turned out to be at Reesa’s house.”
    Carrie got up from her chair at the table, walked to Shane, and hugged him hard while he laughed. “That’s the most incredibly romantic story I ever heard,” she declared. “And I can even tell you how I feel without crying all over you. This is such a great day.”
    Stunned, Michael shook his head and drank his coffee. He was speechless—completely speechless. It was really hard to wrap his head around Shane somehow