Free A Place to Call Home by Christina James Page A

thirty minutes? The man was an ape.
     
    She quickly stripped, jumped in the shower and stood under its pitiful spray, still talking to herself. “Thirty minutes. How can a woman get ready in that little time?”
     
    After fighting a losing battle with the showerhead, she gave up, dried off, and spritzed her body with the perfume Mac adored.
     
    True to his word, he arrived in exactly thirty minutes, blowing his horn. Hannah grabbed her purse and stomped to the door. How dare he blow a horn to summon her?
     
    Hannah climbed in the passenger door that Mac held open. Well, that showed he knew something about etiquette. When he jumped back in his seat, she spoke. “You know, I thought you Southern boys had manners.”
     
    “We do. Didn’t I just hold open your door for you?” he asked, driving toward town.
     
    “Then you should know it’s not polite to blow a horn when picking up a lady. You should get out and ring the doorbell.”
     
    He glanced at her. “I’ll remember that next time I pick you up.”
     
    Next time? Sweet! “You’re pretty confident there’ll be a next time,” she said with less bite.
     
    “Yes, ma’am. At least this time you weren’t hanging from the rafters.”
     
    She shook her head while glancing out the side window. “God, I’m never going to live that down.”
     
    “Not any time soon. Besides, it’s kind of cute. I’ve never seduced a woman I’ve met under such unusual circumstances.”
     
    Her head whipped around, shock consuming her. “You haven’t seduced me.”
     
    “Not yet. Debating whether I should.”
     
    She studied his profile. Confidence oozed from him. “What’s that mean?”
     
    He only shrugged. “Nothing other than I haven’t decided if romancing you is in our best interest with me working for you and all.”
     
    She angled her head and shot him a sideways glance. Who was he to think he could call all the shots? “Maybe I’m the one that will be seducing you, Mac,” she purred.
     
    He laughed, the hearty sound filling the truck. “We’ll definitely see about that, Hannah. I like how you think, though. Not many women around here like to be so open.”
     
    “Get used to it. Where I come from it’s the norm.”
     
    “And where is that?” he asked, turning a corner.
     
    “Oh, Christ. Are we back to that conversation? Don’t you let anything go?”
     
    “Not when I’m interested.”
     
    “Why would you be interested in my past?”
     
    He shrugged, entering the diner’s parking lot. “I don’t know. Maybe I’d like to get to know the woman I’m about to work for. Try it. You may like talking.”
     
    “Doubt it. You have a better chance of seducing me.”
     
    He looked at her briefly before parking. “Don’t know if I want to kiss a lady I’ll be working for.”
     
    With the confidence of a desired woman, Hannah leaned across the seat. She softly scraped her knuckles over Mac’s cheek and whispered in his ear, “Then only kiss me after hours.”
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Eight
     
    They walked into the diner and were seated immediately, the waitress practically drooling over Mac.
     
    “Hey, handsome. I was wondering where you took yourself off to.” She smiled at Mac then gave Hannah a once-over.
     
    “Been working, Candy. You know me,” Mac said, smiling too brightly.
     
    “I’ve missed you coming in here. What’s a girl to do when the most handsome man in town disappears?”
     
    Hannah wanted to puke at the adoration the waitress displayed.
     
    Mac laughed, a slow, lazy laugh. “You think too highly of me, Candy. Could we please get coffee and I’m ready to order. Hannah, you ready?”
     
    “Not hungry,” she said. “Just coffee please.”
     
    “Oh, honey. Don’t be jealous. Me and Mac go way back.”
     
    “Far from jealous,” Hannah said, barely able to keep from gritting her teeth. As if. Anyone can tell from a mile away that hair comes from a bottle. And cleavage like that didn’t form