Smokin' Hot Read Online Free Page A

know each other?” Dusty asked.
    “I met Julia when I did Dolly’s estimate this morning.”
    “How’d that go?”
    “Dolly gave us the thumbs-up for the job.”
    Dusty smiled. “Great.” His smile quickly faded as he met Julia’s gaze. “Uh, not great that she had hail damage, but great that she gave us the job to fix her roof.”
    Julia smiled. “I knew what you meant.”
    Stephen let his gaze wander over Julia while she had her attention focused on Dusty. She wore a blouse the color of ripe raspberries, faded jeans, and running shoes so white, it had to be the first time she’d worn them. Silver studs adorned her earlobes. A single strand of silver hung down the front of her blouse to below her breasts. She wore little makeup, but whatever she used on her eyes made them look huge.
    My God, you’re stunning.
    Two sizzling plates of chicken enchiladas passed by Stephen on the waitress’s tray. The enticing aroma made his stomach growl. “Man, those smell good. Have y’all eaten yet?”
    “I was waiting for you,” Dusty said.
    Stephen looked directly at Julia. “How do you feel about chicken enchiladas?”
    “Love them.”
    The waitress, Monica, stopped by them and smiled at him. “Hey, Stephen, ready for a beer?”
    “Yeah. And how about three plates of those enchiladas?”
    “One, two, or three per plate?”
    “How many can you eat, Julia?” Stephen asked.
    “I’m really hungry. Probably two.”
    “Two for the lady, three for Dusty and me,” Stephen told Monica.
    The waitress smiled. “You got it.” She looked at Julia. “Ready for another glass of wine?”
    “Please.”
    Once the waitress left them, Stephen motioned toward a table for four in the corner that he knew had to be Dusty’s from all the paperwork spread over it. “How about if we sit down?”
    “Hey, Dusty,” Quade Easton called out from one of the pool tables, “you’re up.”
    “Y’all go ahead,” Dusty said. “It’s my turn to beat Quade.”
    Stephen snorted with laughter. “In your dreams.”
    Dusty frowned. “It could happen.”
    “Maybe when the sun rises in the north.”
    “I won’t tell you what you can do with that comment with a lady present.”
    Stephen motioned for Julia to precede him to the table. The mess his cousin always left made Stephen glad that Dusty’s wife, Hannah, took care of the office and billing. As organized as Dusty was messy, she kept their business running smoothly.
    Julia slipped into the chair next to the wall and he took the one opposite her, facing the room. They’d barely taken their seats when Monica arrived with their drinks, along with a basket of tortilla chips and three small bowls of salsa. “Food up in five.”
    “Thanks, Monica,” Stephen said.
    Picking up all the paperwork on the table, he stacked it into a pile for Dusty to figure out later. He waited for Julia to take a sip of her blush wine before he drank from his beer bottle. Although he couldn’t call this an official date, he planned to take the opportunity to get to know Julia better. “Are you getting settled in at Dolly’s?”
    She nodded. “Dolly’s been great. I understand why my mom loves her so much.”
    “Did you try the cheeseburger for lunch?”
    “No, I didn’t get here until about ten minutes before you did.” She pushed a blond curl behind her ear. It immediately popped forward to touch her temple. Lucky curl, Stephen thought. “Dolly yelled out my name to everyone and they all said hi. I followed the sound of the pool balls back here. Dusty was the first to approach and welcome me to Lanville, so I stood and talked with him until you arrived.”
    “Did you do any exploring today?”
    “I did.” She cradled the stem of her wineglass in both hands. “Dolly gave me a map and I drove around, checking out the town. I love the courthouse square. I didn’t do any shopping, but plan to in the next couple of days, especially in the bookstore.”
    Something they had in common. Stephen