Free Surrender To Sultry by Macy Beckett Page A

blue-eyed beefcake, extending a hand. “I’m Trey.
     You must be Pastor Mac’s daughter.”
    “Leah.” She grasped his palm and studied him as he pumped her arm up and down. He
     wore a Cubs baseball cap and an easy, genuine smile that made her like him immediately.
     Just when she thought he couldn’t get any cuter, a pair of deep dimples appeared in
     his cheeks. If she looked up All-American Boy Next Door in the dictionary, she’d expect to find his photo there. He reminded her of a young
     Brad Pitt.
    “Easy, Golden Boy,” chided the stunning redhead at his side. “You’re gonna shake the
     arm out of her socket.” The woman claimed Leah’s hand in a firm grip and said, “I’m
     Bobbi. You probably don’t remember me, but—”
    “Sure I do,” Leah told her. “Mrs. Eckleman’s preschool class. We used to eat Play-Doh
     when she wasn’t watching.”
    The group laughed at that, except for Bobbi, who only smiled and studied Leah with
     a critical eye. Having grown up in Sultry Springs, population: 975 righteous souls , Leah knew that look. Someone had filled Bobbi in on some juicy gossip, most likely
     having to do with her mysterious departure ten years ago.
    By now, Leah was used to the judgment, but she didn’t expect Bobbi to say, “So you’re
     the girl who broke Colton’s heart.”
    Leah froze as everyone around her drew a collective breath.
    Luke Gallagher pinched the bridge of his nose and whispered to his sister, “You just had to go there, didn’t you?”
    Leah shook her head in shock. She’d broken his heart? More like the other way around! Everyone in town knew what he’d done to her.
     Everyone! Mothers throughout Sultry County still recounted The Shameful Misfortunes of Leah McMahon to their teenage daughters in hopes of warning them away from the likes of Colton
     Bea. Had the jerk spun his own twisted version of their tale?
    She gulped enough air to demand, “Is that what he’s been telling people?”
    Panic sparked behind Bobbi’s widened eyes as she flashed a defensive palm. “No, no,
     no! Not at all. In fact, he told me you didn’t do anything wrong. He said it was all
     his fault. I just meant—”
    “Leah,” Trey interjected, wrapping a casual arm around his wife to rein her in. “I
     forgot to ask how Pastor Mac’s doing. Didn’t he just have the ol’ ticker fixed?”
    Heat rose into Leah’s face, and she shot Trey Lewis a glare that said she didn’t appreciate
     the change in subject. “This wouldn’t be the first time Colt’s spread rumors about
     me. I want to know what he’s told y’all.”
    “Hardly anything,” Bobbi said. “It takes a crowbar to get information out of that
     man.”
    “Or a bottle of whiskey,” Trey added. “Look, Leah, it’s none of our business.” He
     delivered a pointed look to his wife when he said, “And we agreed to stay out of it,
     didn’t we?”
    “ We didn’t agree to jack squat,” Bobbi retorted before returning her attention to Leah.
     “I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong idea. I got to know Colton a couple of years ago.
     Your name came up, and I could tell how much he still cared for you. He’s been looking
     for you a long time. That’s all.”
    Leah had a hard time believing Colt cared for anything other than his motorcycle and
     his willy, not necessarily in that order.
    The doubt must have shown on her face, because Bobbi promised, “Really. I have video
     footage I could show you from Sex in the Sticks . You can see how much he’s hurting.”
    “Sex and the what?” Leah felt her eyeballs bulge. “Is that some kind of adult film?”
    Trey laughed with a mouth full of punch and wound up sputtering fruit juice into his
     fist. He used the back of his hand to wipe red dribble from his chin. “Sounds like
     a porno, doesn’t it?”
    “No, it doesn’t,” Bobbi said, elbowing him in the side. “It’s a documentary about
     me and Golden Boy” nodding at Trey, “finding love in this small