Every Vow She Breaks Read Online Free Page B

that?”
    “When you head for those hills, I’ll be waiting at the top. Remember, I live in the mountains.”
    She let out a small laugh then shook her head and grinned. “Thanks for the reminder. On that note, I think I’ll go to bed.”
    “Good night, Claire.”
    If she took one step forward, she’d wind up in his arms. Too soon. She inched around him. With a groan, Scoop rose to his feet and followed.
    “Good night, Jed.”
     
     

Chapter 3
     
    Claire slowed as the dirt track narrowed and snaked around a giant redwood. Her teeth clanked together when she hit a rut, and the steering wheel jerked in her hands. Thank heaven she’d accepted Jed’s offer to drive his SUV. Her motor home would have gotten stuck at least a mile back. Several bone-jarring minutes later, she pulled into a small clearing where a big tarp-covered shelter stood beside several smaller tents. She parked next to an ATV.
    Sliding off the high seat to the ground, she slammed the car door and surveyed her surroundings. A blue jay squawked from the branches of a tree, but nothing else stirred. To ward off the early morning chill, she pushed her hands into her jacket pockets then strolled toward an area set up with a table and chairs. A large map stuck full of colored push pins rested on an easel. The swirling lines and different shades of green that might or might not represent changes in elevation meant absolutely nothing to her. When it came to maps, if there wasn’t a big you are here arrow, she was lost.
    Fog hung in the trees. Not ideal lighting for photos, but it did give the camp a certain eerie quality. If she could get the angle right… She retrieved her camera from the car, adjusted the settings and took several shots.
    “Hey, what the hell are you doing?”
    Claire swung around, camera poised. The man raised a hand in front of his face.
    “Paparazzi out here? Are you freaking kidding me?”
    Dropping her arm, she stepped back. “I’m Claire Templeton from Rugged America . I have an appointment with Leeland Harper.”
    Pink colored the man’s cheeks as he pushed graying dark hair off his forehead before extending a hand. “I forgot all about our meeting. Sorry. Please, call me Lee.”
    Claire took his offered hand in a firm grip. “Nice to meet you.”
    A little on the stocky side and probably in his mid-forties, the scientist’s defensive posture eased. “I apologize for my abruptness, but I’ve had a couple of reporters snooping around. I don’t care if they tell the world what we’re doing—I’m proud of the progress we’ve made—but I won’t allow any disturbances to the habitat we’re monitoring.”
    “Makes sense to me. I’m here to photograph the area and document your research. I promise to be as unobtrusive as possible.”
    “Then we shouldn’t have any problems.” He pointed toward the table. “Why don’t we have a seat? The others are out checking the trip cameras, so we’ll have a few uninterrupted minutes.”
    “Great.” After dropping onto a chair, she pulled a notebook and pen from her pocket then gave him an encouraging smile. “Let’s start with your group. How many people do you have working here?”
    “There are four of us, all respected scientists from around the country with a common interest. We aren’t a bunch of yahoos floundering in the woods, hoping to scare up a Bigfoot. Individual research led each of us to believe this is an ideal habitat, so we planned something of a retreat.”
    She grinned, thinking of Jed. “A busman’s holiday.”
    “Exactly. My home base is Cincinnati. Bart Kelton works out of Los Angeles. Margaret Welsh is a Boston native, and from Seattle—”
    “Ian Rutledge.” Claire let out a breath. She and Jed had talked about the possibility last night, but she hadn’t really believed Ian would be here. Seeing him again promised to be…uncomfortable. Or not. Maybe her ex—boyfriend, semi-husband, whatever—was married with four kids and thanked God