Page 3 of Purrfectly Adorable

I nod my head but I can’t look away. She looks gorgeous. What seems like acres of flawless, pale skin glows in the bright morning light. I gotta admit…Delia Reynolds looks very healthy.

I jerk my eyes away and clear my throat. “Uh-umm. Maybe you should go get dressed.”

A bright laugh makes my fingers clench. “It’s called a sports bra and shorts, Courtney. Jeez! You’re an even bigger stick in the mud than I thought.”

I let go of the goat and reach back to jerk her up to her feet quickly. I need to get the heck away from her as soon as possible.

“Are you good now? I need to get back home.”

Her head cocks, her knot of dark hair slipping to one side. Green sparks flare in her hazel eyes. “Sure. Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

I back away. “Sure. Protect and serve. That’s my motto.” I close my eyes and clench my teeth. I sound like an idiot.

Her eyes glow with laughter. “Of course, detective. Thank you for doing your civic duty!”

Nodding at her without saying one more word I walk away, cursing myself under my breath. Why does that woman turn me into a blithering idiot just by smiling at me?

My whole body feels like it’s buzzing with energy. My mind is a muddled mess and I keep thinking about that smile in her eyes. She looked so dang pretty.

“I need my head examined. All she is is trouble. She’s always been trouble.”

Ever since we were in school, I couldn’t be near her without wondering what the heck she thinks. She’s a flake! She’s always been a flake. She’ll always be a flake.

That’s not what I want. I huff and groan. She’s too much like my mother. The woman took off when I was barely a baby,leaving my dad to raise me alone. He did his best but he never got over her. When he passed away three years ago, I swear it was a mercy.

He always expected her to come home to us. I knew better.

She was a flake, and she obviously didn’t care a bit about us. You can’t trust a girl like that. She’s just waiting for the chance to leave and move on to the next crazy thing that crosses her path.

She’s not reliable and I’m dang sure not gonna let my heart tell me that she’s for me when I can’t stand the way she acts.

Loyalty and reliability are a must for me. She’s two for two in the loss column and I’m not gonna risk a girl like that.

I stomp up on the porch, slamming the door behind me. No way! I don’t need the kind of problems that crazy woman and her menagerie will cause me. I just don’t.

No matter how pretty her eyes are when they glow green in the morning sunlight.

3

DELIA

“Alright. What did everybody think about the hero in our book?”

Hands fly into the air and I grin, pointing at Jessica Arbaugh. “Yes, Jess?”

“I liked him. He really seemed like he was in love with Angelica. He forgave her no matter how many times she ran.”

I nod my head. “But don’t you think that that’s not very realistic. No man is just gonna roll over when his girl keeps running away from him. This guy has no pride at all.”

Heads nod and then Vickie grins. “I didn’t like that either. A guy needs to have some pride. I mean, this guy is just a doormat.”

Murmurs around us and I grin cheekily. “I could never deal with a guy like that. I want a man who knows what he wants and is willing to go after it…sure. But he shouldn’t be a doormat. That’s not sexy.”

Shy Alanis laughs. “Drake would never write a man like this. His heroes are always so masculine and…well, they’re just not pushovers. It’s not sexy.”

“Speak for yourself…I like a guy who’s willing to give a girl whatever she wants.”

Rolling my eyes, I smirk at the raven beauty across from me. “You have different tastes than most of us, Hetty.”

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