Next Door Secrets (Secrets Series Book 2) (25 page)

“I’m fine.” He had that casual five o’clock shadow that rock
stars liked to sport. Something about his face looked familiar and yet she
didn’t know him.
 

Perhaps he read the uncertainty in her eyes. “I’m your new
neighbor. I inherited the Walker farm from my grandparents.” He pointed past
the river that meandered through their properties toward the woods.

Nodding, she felt her heartbeat ease its rapid pace. Until
Mr. Walker passed away, he’d been teaching them how to live off the land. He’d
shared his farm equipment and advised them which size John Deere tractor they
should invest in. If this man was related to Mr. Walker, then he came from good
stock. She decided to trust him. “I locked myself out and I have an important
meeting in less than an hour.”

He walked onto the front porch and tried the handle. She
rolled her eyes at the absurdity of it.

He pulled a credit card out of his wallet. “This door looks
pretty old. Let’s see if this will work.” His smirk probably made most women’s
knees turn to mush, but she was immune. Between his motorcycle and his faded
blue jeans, he had the whole “bad boy” thing down pat. Too bad
Melodie
was way past that stage in her life.

He slid the edge of the plastic into the slit along the frame
and pushed down. He tried again and again.

She started pacing. So much for her handsome neighbor
rescuing her.

He glanced at her. “Do you always walk around in your robe?”

Catching her reflection in the front window, she used her
hands to smooth the brown hair falling loose from her bun. “I have a job
interview today and I was afraid if I put on my suit, I’d spill something on
it.”

“How’d you get locked outside?”

“I ran out to give my daughter her lunch. She’d be starving
if she forgot it.” She’d packed a special sandwich cut into a heart-shape and
yogurt-covered raisins. Guilt oozed into her. “Shoot. I forgot to take her
picture, too. It’s her birthday and I’m so distracted that I didn’t take her
picture.” Her hands balled into fists. She always took Zoe’s picture the
morning of her birthday.

“It’s no big deal.” He sounded so blasé.

“Spoken like someone who obviously doesn’t have kids.”

Ignoring her, he jiggled the handle.

So much for Mr. Bad Boy.
Clearly,
he’d never broken into a house before. She sighed loudly.

“Hey, be patient. What kind of job are you looking for
anyway?”

Small talk. She had no time for this. “I used to be a
lawyer.”

He shook his head. “Too bad.”

She cringed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Do you know the difference between a lady lawyer and a
weasel?”

Scowling at him, she didn’t bother to answer.

“High heels.” He laughed a little to himself.

Her pacing path grew longer and took her to the side of the
house where an abandoned ax was mounted in a log.
Just where
Zoe’s dad had left it two years ago.
Without another thought, she
grabbed the ax and marched toward the door. “Move.”

The man’s eyes grew wide and he froze.

“I’m serious. Move.” She pushed him aside and started
chopping at the latch. Swinging the heavy blade felt good. Splintering the door
sent endorphins bolting through her system.
Chop, chop, chop.
She destroyed the wood, defeated the lock and kicked in the front door. It was
a rush.

“Well, that’s one way to do it.” His voice dripped with
sarcasm and possibly a bit of awe.

She leaned the ax against the yellow siding. “I’ve got to go,
but thanks for trying.” While she waved at him, she mentally patted herself on
the back at the way his scruffy jaw hung open. He’d been denied his chance to
rescue the princess and she loved it.

# # #

The hardware store smelled of sawdust and fertilizer, but he
barely noticed. Reaching into his wallet, he started to pull out the Visa with
his alias on it.

“Is that you, Conner? Conner Walker?” the woman behind the
cash register asked.

He studied her. Short, bleached blonde hair, big teeth.
“Sunny?”

She flashed him that Julia Roberts smile. “What are you doing
in town?”

Sliding the Visa back into place, he pulled out cash. “My
grandfather died and so I’m living at his place for a while, sorting things
out.”

Her eyebrows dropped in sympathy. “I heard about Mr. Walker.
Sorry. He was a good man.”

Conner nodded to indicate that it was okay even though it wasn’t.
His grandfather had raised him since his parents weren’t up to the job. It
still hurt that he hadn’t seen the man in a couple of years. Sure, they’d
spoken on the phone, but Conner couldn’t risk a face-to-face visit. And this
interaction with Sunny was exactly why. “Everyone knows everything in a small
town, don’t they?”

Her expression perked up. “Yep. So what have you been up to?”

“Not much. Moved around a lot.”

“Been anywhere interesting?”

“All over the Midwest. I wouldn’t say it was interesting.”

“Married?”

“No way.”

“I’m single, too. As you know, there isn’t much to do around
here, but if you ever want to go bowling, I play every Friday night. Stop by
sometime.”

Nodding, he took his receipt. He would not stop by. He would
go back home and plot his escape.

Buy A MOTHER’S
CONVICTION to find out what happens next!

ABOUT THE
AUTHOR

Karen
Lenfestey, a Midwest Writer’s Fellowship winner, writes “happy endings with a
twist.” Her first novel,
A Sister’s
Promise
, sold over 35,000 copies and spent many weeks as the #1 drama on
Amazon. Karen has a B.A. in Advertising from Purdue University and a M.S. in
Counseling from Indiana University. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys speaking
at book clubs and writer’s conferences. She is active on
Goodreads
,
Facebook, Twitter and on her website,
www.karensnovels.com
.