Free Cry Wolf by Angela Campbell Page B

truck, Andrea sidestepped a chicken and glanced around. This town was just so…rural. How did people stand it?
    Her boot slid in something that looked like mud—but if it wasn’t, she didn’t want to know—and she struggled to find her balance. Sean’s hand grabbed her arm to help, and she immediately wished he hadn’t. His touch, no matter how small, did crazy things to her control. She needed that control to keep from reverting into the blabbering, lovesick girl she’d once been around him. She considered jerking free but was too afraid she’d land herself in the filth. If she ruined her suit, she’d never forgive herself. Maybe she shouldn’t have dismissed Sean’s idea of changing into jeans so quickly.
    Not that she’d ever tell him that.
    “I’d like to go out to Roe Road and take a look around.” She climbed into the truck. “I don’t suppose we have time to head over to the sheriff’s office before we’re due back at the high school, do we?”
    Sean shook his head. “Nope. We’ve got a date to keep.”
    “Date?” Andrea cursed the thrill of excitement that single word sent racing through her body.
    “Yeah, I promised you lunch, and I never go back on my promises, Sunshine, especially when it involves food.”
     
    News of a tabloid reporter’s arrival in Woodbine had obviously leaked throughout the town’s highly efficient grapevine. As Andrea followed Sean into the sandwich shop he’d chosen, heads turned and conversations lowered to a whisper. She felt every eye in the joint sizing her up and making hasty judgments.
    A wry smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She returned those inquisitive looks without flinching or, God forbid, pretending she didn’t notice.
    Once they’d placed their orders, Sean tried to diffuse the tension. “Don’t you just love small towns? I’ll bet you don’t get that reaction when you walk into a café in New York or—where is the Truth located? Florida somewhere, right?”
    “The offices are near Miami.” She reached into her purse for her cell phone and checked for missed calls. Only three, all from regular sources, probably wondering why she hadn’t been in touch for a couple of days. She flipped her phone shut and put it back in her purse. “But I imagine if people knew I was researching werewolves, I’d get some pretty strange looks there as well. It’s just a lot easier to hide in big cities than in towns like this. People don’t know your business in the city.”
    “Yeah, that’s nice sometimes, but I kind of like it here.” He glanced around the room with a smile of fondness. “It’s sort of comforting not to be surrounded by strangers all the time, don’t you think?”
    She shrugged. “I wouldn’t really know. I’m usually surrounded by strangers.”
    “I’m not a stranger.” He leaned closer to the table. “In fact, we were friends once upon a time. I’d like to think we could be again.”
    Surely he was joking.
    Andrea had been a shy but eager sophomore when she’d first exchanged words with Sean. Sure, his easygoing smile, helpful advice and gracious praise for her writing had coaxed her into a sense of friendship for at least a year or so, but they’d never socialized outside the student newsroom or the one or two classes they’d shared. Once Andrea flexed her writing skills and landed some of the juiciest assignments on the school-run newspaper, Sean’s attitude toward her changed. He’d become more competitive, less sociable, and Andrea had realized Sean Hunter had only treated her kindly to begin with because he’d never seen her as a threat.
    Was it possible that he’d changed so much in the years since she’d last seen him? She didn’t think so. The Sean she remembered had been so wrapped up in his ego he’d been oblivious to the feelings of the people around him. If she still looked like the frumpy girl he’d once known, would he be so interested now?
    Doubtful.
    “I don’t know if we were ever