Read Online Almost A Bride (Montana Born Brides) by Sarah Mayberry - Free Book Online Page A

hadn ’t been with Simon, that fundamental difference in their outlooks would have stopped him from making a move. He hadn’t spent more than eighteen months in one spot since he’d left Marietta when he was twenty-four, and he was on the verge of moving on yet again. He might be powerfully attracted to Tara, but he liked her a hell of a lot, too, and the last thing he’d ever want to do is hurt her. She was a dream. A sweet, hot dream, but a dream nonetheless, and he needed to stop thinking about her.
    Determined to put words into action, he headed up to the apartment and changed into his running gear. An hour later, he was sweaty and exhausted and more than a little hungry. He showered, then heated up the leftover spaghetti and meatballs he’d made last night, sitting in front of the TV to eat. The baseball game was on, and he cracked open a beer and settled in for a lazy evening.
    The Cardinals were starting their second inning when his phone rang. He didn ’t recognize the number but took the call anyway.
    “ Dalton speaking.”
    “ Reid. Thank God. I wasn’t sure if this number was current or not. It’s Scarlett calling, Tara’s sister.”
    He leaned forward and set his beer on the coffee table. “Scarlett. What’s up?”
    “ Straight to the point, just like Tara.” Her laugh was a little nervous.
    “ I figured that you wouldn’t go to the trouble of tracking down my number and calling for nothing.”
    “ True. The thing is, I can’t find Tara. I’ve tried her place, I’ve tried her phone. I wondered whether maybe she was with you...?”
    “ No.”
    She sighed. “Okay. Then I guess my next question is if there is some way you can put an alert out without it being a big deal? In case I’m just being a nervous nelly and freaking out over nothing.”
    “ Her phone battery is probably just dead. Or she could be out with friends, or seeing a movie.”
    “ You think I’m over-reacting, and normally I would totally agree with you. But she only picked up the motorbike the day before yesterday, and even though I know she’s probably being super safe and careful, I can’t help worrying.”
    He blinked. “Tara bought a motorbike?”
    “ On Wednesday. I wanted her to go for the blue one but she had to have red. It’s a Suzuki Boulevard something or other. I keep forgetting the model number. “
    He was still stuck on the part where Tara handed over cold hard cash for a two-wheeled suicide machine. Between the two of them, they had attended enough road accidents to know how dangerous motorbikes were.
    “Why in hell would she buy a bike?” he asked.
    “ It’s a long story.”
    “ Give me the short version.”
    “ She’s living a little. Catching up on things she let slide by.”
    There was a cautious note beneath Scarlett ’s voice, and Reid guessed he was only getting part of the story.
    “ So, is there something you can do? Someone you can call in the sheriff’s department, maybe, who could just keep an eye out or let you know if there have been any accidents...?” Scarlett asked.
    “ Let me make a few calls, I’ll get back to you.”
    He swore when he ended the call. What in the hell was Tara thinking? He dialed the sheriff ’s office, his mind full of horror images from accident sites. He had a quick word with Harrison Pearce, who was happy to inform him that there had been no road accidents involving motorbikes in the area. Then he called Scarlett back, determined to get more information this time.
    “ No accidents,” he said when Scarlett took the call.
    “ Oh, thank God. Thank you so much for checking.”
    “ When was the last time you spoke to her?”
    “ Lunchtime. She said she was going to go for a run, then maybe go out on the bike. I was thinking we could get takeout for dinner, but she hasn’t answered any of my calls or returned my messages.”
    Which Reid knew from personal experience was unusual for Tara.
    “She didn’t say anything else? Mention anything else she