by Terri Osburn
He considered listing the myriad ways he could kill her, but feared she’d leap out of the cart and run back to the pier. Then he’d have to explain to Ray why the ghostwriter had changed her mind before she’d even met her subject. A conversation that was bound to go poorly.
Instead, he shared his name, hoping the info would allay her fears and they could go back to riding in silence.
“Kendall James. And I haven’t killed anybody in nearly a decade.” A true statement, but one he had no intention of elaborating on.
With annoyance in her smoky voice, she said, “Is that a joke?”
He met her dark-blue eyes. “Nope.”
“Right.” She faced forward again. “I feel much better now.”
As he’d hoped, the conversation died, though he continued to assess his passenger. A blush emphasized her high cheekbones, and she held her chin in a regal way, like a queen out for a ride to visit the peasants.
They cleared the trees, running headlong into the wind off the salt marsh. Loose curls whipped across her face, forcing his passenger to release her hold on the chrome post. And because Kendall was too busy looking at her to watch the road, he had to make a hard left turn at the last second.
Physics took over. In a matter of seconds, her scream cut through the air as her body was nearly flung from the cart. Kendall caught her in time, pulling her tight against his side and clamping his arm around her shoulders to keep her there.
“Hold on!” he yelled as he made a hairpin right before pulling the cart to a stop in a small patch of grass beside the trail.
Hair still covering her face, the writer’s body remained rigid beneath his touch as they sat in silence for several seconds. As if to remind them that they weren’t alone, Amos barked, snapping his owner back to reality.
Shrugging off Kendall’s arm, his passenger cleared the hair from her eyes and stepped out of the cart.
“Who taught you how to drive this thing?”
Did she really think there was a golf-cart driving school?
“Get back in. It’s getting dark and Ray is waiting.”
Hugging her purse and what looked like some kind of briefcase to her chest, she shook her head. “I’m not going through that again. I’ll wait here until you send someone else.”
She’d been the one to let go. How was that his fault?
“There is no one else.” Not technically true, but Kendall couldn’t leave her standing out here while he hunted up Francine or Larimore. Bruce could show up at any minute, and then she’d really be running back to the ferry. “Get in.”
The stubborn woman took a step back. “Give me directions and I’ll walk.”
Ray would kick his ass if Kendall obeyed that order. Instead, he turned to the back seat. “Come on, Amos. Up front.”
The dog hopped over the seat, filling the vacant spot.
“Good boy,” his owner said before returning his attention to the pain-in-the-ass writer. “Now you can sit in the back. Put the bags between your feet, and hold on to this bar.” Kendall tapped the chrome handrail that ran along the top of the seat.
Accepting this new arrangement, she followed his suggestion, securing the bags between her ankles and locking a death grip on the bar. “Okay, I’m ready. But if you throw me out again, I’m not getting back in.”
He hadn’t thrown her out at all. “Fair enough.”
Kendall stepped on the gas, grateful to have her out of his line of sight. Now he could concentrate on reaching their destination without thinking about pale thighs, honey-gold curls, and whether her skin would feel as soft as it looked.
About the Author
Terri Osburn writes contemporary romance with heart, hope, and lots of humor. After landing on the bestseller lists with her Anchor Island Series, she moved on to the Ardent Springs series, which earned her a Book Buyers Best award in 2016. Her new Shooting Stars series is set against the glittering and gritty world of the Nashville country music scene. Terri’s work has been translated into six languages, and has sold more than a million copies worldwide. She resides in middle Tennessee with her college-student daughter, four frisky felines, and two high-maintenance terrier mixes. Learn more about this author and her books at www.terriosburn.com. Or check out her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TerriOsburnAuthor.