Desert Bound (Cambio Springs) Read Online Free Page A

haven’t.”
    “Neither have I. I figure Joe deserves at least a day’s head start before we set Ollie loose on him. Anything less seems unfair.”
    Alex snorted. “What makes you think Ollie would track him down? I figure he’d just make sure Joe stayed gone.”
    Willow didn’t say anything for a while. She finally looked up from the sketch and gave him a sad smile. “He would if he thought Allie wanted him back.”
    “Does she?”
    She shook her head. “I don’t think so. She sounded sad but… relieved, I guess? I don’t think he was an easy guy to live with the past few years.”
    Alex frowned. “Did we miss something?”
    “Allie always puts the best face on stuff. You know that. I think Joe… said a lot of mean shit to her.”
    “Bad enough.”
    She nodded. “Bad enough.”
    They sat in silence for a few more minutes, before Alex asked the question he asked every week.
    “Please? I promise I’ll be quiet.”
    “No.”
    “Pretty please?”
    “I let you use my house as much as you want when I’m out of town. Don’t think I don’t see your messes, Alex. You are not moving in with me.”
    “Mom and Dad are going to drive me crazy.”
    “And you’d drive me crazy if you move in. You’re a big boy. Deal.”
    “I’ll be in a mental hospital and you’ll only have yourself to blame.”
    “You’re so full of shit. Why don’t you just get your own place? There’s not a lot, but there’s a few houses in town available. Marcie and Phil are moving. Why not rent their house?”
    “Because.”
    “That is not an answer.”
    Because…
    In the back of his mind, he’d always figured that he and Ted would be back together by now and he’d be with her, skipping the awkward “Should we move in together?” conversation because he’d be homeless and she’d take pity on him. His condo in Huntington was already rented out and providing a very nice extra income. Even with as much money as he had tied up in the resort, cost wasn’t the issue. If he rented or bought a place without Ted, then he’d be conceding defeat.
    Willow picked up her sketchbook again. “Just rent one of Jena’s trailers until you and Ted get back together.”
    Alex stayed silent and glared at her, but she didn’t notice.
    “You know, she’s more likely to think you’re actually staying in town if you buy a place.”
    He still said nothing.
    “So stubborn.” She sighed. “I can give you tips on groveling once you figure it out.”
    “You’re such a little shit sometimes.”
    Willow smiled. “I love you, too.”
     
    By Saturday afternoon, he felt better physically, but he was still pissed about Joe, couldn’t get ahold of Ollie—no matter how many times he called his house and the bar—and his foreman, Marcus Quinn, had called him to the job site to rework the plans he thought they’d already finalized so the guys could get to work right away on Monday.
    “I don’t get why we have to change the angle of the swimming pool that much.”
    “Alex, I know you want the bungalows to face the water, but how much do we want to fight nature? If you want the creek to run down this way, then the natural course of the water…”
    Alex let his mind drift as Marcus went into details. He knew at the end of the day, he’d end up agreeing with him. Marcus Quinn might have been born to a slightly shady clan of reptile shifters—his natural form was a king snake—but that hadn’t stopped him from being one of the best contractors around. He’d started with a surveying company, but had quickly expanded. He’d gone into partnership with his wife’s brother a few years ago, and their business had grown to include landscape and general engineering contracting, too. 
    Like most of the shifters from the Springs, Marcus married away. Josie was a hairdresser from Vegas, who seemed to take the knowledge that their three kids would eventually sprout scales in stride. Their oldest was almost ten, and Alex knew they were talking about