Page 34 of Love on the Run

Great. It was the largest room in the house. The wall shelves were covered from floor to ceiling, two tall shelves ran parallel in the center of the room with books lining both sides, and stacks of smaller books balanced in piles.

Anna’s book was definitely in this room, but where to start? Something cavity-inducingly sweet. Something with a happily-ever-after. Something absolutely unbelievable.

He stopped at the first stack of books and picked up the one on top.

Ravaged by the Viking? Not it.

Claimed by the Highlander? Pass.

The Sheik's Hired Mistress? Nope.

Good grief. All of these sported shirtless men with long hair cradling women in flowy dresses showing way too much chest. Were these the books womenread?

Hmm, maybe Anna’s book wasn’t in here. After walking around the room scanning the shelves, he searched for another idea.

Anna peeked her head into the room. “Find anything?”

“Uh, not yet.” Heat crept up the back of his neck. Why were there so many shirtless men on these book covers?

Her brows lifted tauntingly. “You’ve been in here for half an hour. I was just checking to make sure you weren’t lost.”

Half an hour? Shoot. Why was this taking so long? They should have been back on the road by now. “Give me a few more minutes.”

Anna smiled. “Okay. I’m going to purchase your book. I’ll be waiting at the front.”

Seriously? How could she have found a book for him in this place? He never agreed to read whatever she picked out. He’d toss it in his bag and donate it to the secondhand store when they got home.

A small table by the door leading out of the romance room caught his eye. A sign taped to the wall behind it read “Christian fiction.”

That was what Anna would like. He picked through the books looking for something sweet. Most of them had couples hugging or kissing on the covers, but one had a grinning man with a snowy background on the front. He flipped it over and read the description about an attorney whowould most likely fall in love with some guy she dated a long time ago. Coincidentally, the love story happened in Colorado at Christmastime.

Perfect. Beau headed for the register where a white-haired woman greeted him with a friendly smile.

“Did you find everything okay?” she asked.

Beau handed over the book with a man on the cover. How in the world did he end up here? If someone told him he’d one day buy a romance book for his sister’s best friend while on her honeymoon, he would have laughed in their face. “Um, yeah. I think so.”

The woman hugged the book to her chest. “Oh, this one is good! I read it the Christmas before last.”

Beau scanned the room, but Anna was nowhere to be found. “It’s for my friend.”

“She told me all about you. From what I hear, you’re going to like the one she picked for you too.”

Doubtful.

The woman bagged up the book and handed it to him, smiling like she was the keeper of a really juicy secret. “Have a good day.”

He wandered toward what he hoped was the exit and found Anna brushing her delicate fingertips lightly over the spines on one shelf. The wonder in her eyes seemed completely out of place in a house filled with dustybooks.

Beau filed that away under things he’d never understand about Anna.

The groan and creak of his boots against the wooden floor alerted her to his presence. Anna turned slowly, glancing between him and the bag in his hand. “Finally. I was thinking I’d have to drag you out of here.”

Beau shoved the bag at her. “Here’s your book. Let’s go.”

She took the bag and handed one back to him. “Tradesies!”

“No, not tradesies. This is a very official business transaction. I just bought us some freedom from your boring bucket list.”

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