“I know it will,” Parker agreed. “But not because I gave it away to a curious woman.”
“You cut her off pretty quick,” Dalia observed.
“There was something about her,” he defended himself.
He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He’d sensed an underlying hostility, then a stubbornness, and he hadn’t wanted to give an inch.
“Well, those shoes for one,” Dalia responded airily. “I mean, seven pockets in your slacks are bad enough, but there’s no excuse for mismatched laces and mud-caked hiking boots.”
“You’re a pocket snob?” Parker hadn’t noticed what the woman was wearing. He’d been too busy taking in those clear blue eyes. He could admire the intelligence he saw behind them, even the curiosity. But her obstinance sure put him off.
Not that they weren’t beautiful eyes. And not that she wasn’t a beautiful woman. Even without makeup her eyelashes were thick and dark in contrast to her light wisps of auburn hair beneath the olive-green ball cap. Her cheeks were flushed against her pale skin, and he’d caught the slightest hint of freckles on her cheekbones.
He couldn’t help but be fascinated by her deep pink lips that looked highly— He stopped his thoughts in their tracks, giving himself a mental shake.
“The women here . . .” Dalia’s tone was searching as she gazed around at the people they passed.
He resolutely redirected his attention but didn’t see anything strange. “What about the women?’
“They don’t even seem to . . .” She paused, clearly searching for the right word. “Try.”
Parker gave a wry smile. “It’s a working town, Dalia.”
At least it had been a working town. It was more of a depressed town now. Well, except for this film. He hadn’t known about the film until they’d arrived. It had to be a one-off, a temporary respite from the economic downturn. There was nothing about Paradise that would qualify it as Hollywood far, far north.
Everyone’s attention suddenly swung in a single direction, so Parker looked too. There were three cameras in place on the big sundeck, their operators at the ready and the lighting bright on the actors. A man and woman were circling each other like they were about to engage in a fight.
The woman was the quieter of the two he’d just encountered. He glanced over his shoulder, scanning the crowd until he caught a glimpse of the obstinate one.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Barbara Dunlop has published over fifty novels with Harlequin Books and eight novels with Tule Publishing. Her stories have ranged from light hearted comedies to family sagas. Barbara is a four time finalist for the RWA RITA award, and her Tule novel His Jingle Bell Princess has been optioned by Motion Picture Corporation of America for a Hallmark movie. Barbara's Tule novels have ranked as high as #1 on Amazon.com.
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Finding Paradise Page 31