Just One Kiss (Whisper Lake #4) - Barbara Freethy Page 0,42

book signing. We both loved the mystery author, J.R. Welks, and we bonded while standing in line. Unfortunately, our mutual love of mystery thrillers didn't extend to much else in our lives."

How long did you go out?"

"About a year." She shifted in her seat, giving him a thoughtful look. "What about you? Are you dating anyone?"

"Not at the moment."

"And before this moment?"

"I've had a few girlfriends," he conceded.

"Probably more than a few. You were always very popular," she said, a tighter, tense note entering her voice. "When was your last serious relationship?"

"Serious? I'm not sure I've ever had a serious relationship."

"Why not?"

"I've traveled a lot, which makes long-term anything difficult."

"I don't think that's the reason. And you've been back here for what—two years?"

"About that. I haven't been in a hurry to settle into anything. Anyone looking for Mr. Right would have to settle for Mr. Fun Right Now. That guy I can be." He gave her a grin. "Sounds like you and I might be on the same page."

"We had our run. I don't want another one."

"Are you sure? That kiss on Friday night…"

She frowned and shook her head. "We're not talking about that. You took me by surprise. Whatever you might think about my response, it was only because I didn't know it was coming."

"You're very defensive about your reaction."

"I'm not defensive. I'm being honest."

"No, you're not. You liked kissing me as much as I liked kissing you."

Conflict played through her eyes, and then she said, "Fine. We still have chemistry, but I'm not going to do anything about it. We had a bad ending, and I can't put myself in a position to have another one. I can't trust you, Jake. You want honest—that's me being honest. You hurt me, and you embarrassed me, and I don't let anyone do that to me twice."

"I wouldn't do it to you again."

"That's what you say. But I didn't think you'd do it the first time. My instincts about you were wrong. So, that's it."

"That's nowhere close to being it," he argued.

She sighed. "I don't know what you're trying to prove."

"I'm not trying to prove anything. I just want a second chance."

"You haven't earned it."

"Okay," he said. "Then I'll earn it."

"I didn't mean to make that a challenge."

"Too late. I've already accepted."

"Jake, give it up already. We can coexist more peacefully than we have. We can be friends, but that's it. We are not going to be what we were before."

"I have no intention of being what we were before. I want you to know me now, and I want to know you. I'm going to show you that I'm someone you can count on."

"Are we here yet?" Brett piped up from the backseat where he'd been watching a show on Hannah's tablet.

He'd almost forgotten Brett was there. Thank goodness he had been wearing headphones the past several minutes, not that he would have understood what they were talking about.

"We are just about there," he said, spotting the turnoff for Northstar.

"Is our sled going to go really fast?" Brett asked.

"As fast as you want it to go," Hannah put in, turning to look at Brett.

"I want to go fast. Mommy said she'd take me sledding but not until after."

"After what?" he asked, curious about Brett's comment. Was there a much-needed clue about to come their way?

"After my little sister comes," Brett replied, dropping not just a clue but a bombshell.

Chapter Eleven

Hannah couldn’t believe what Brett had just said. Was he telling the truth? Was Kelly pregnant? Or was this just another fantasy like the one about the unicorn?

"When is your little sister coming?" she asked.

"Valentine's Day. We're going to make her a heart and name her Violet."

"That's a pretty name." She calculated the dates. If Kelly was having a baby in mid- February, then she had to be seven and a half or eight months pregnant. But Adam hadn't mentioned the pregnancy after speaking to Kelly's boss. Wouldn't that person have said that Kelly was pregnant? And who was the father of Kelly's baby? Was it the boyfriend who had disappeared at the same time as her? The one who might have been harassing her?

She was still trying to come up with answers when Jake turned into the busy parking lot at the snow park. As he searched for a spot, she took out her phone and texted Adam the information she'd just received. She didn't know if he was working on Sunday, but hopefully he'd get back to her. She