A dropped pin would have sounded loud in the absolute silence
Noah felt half the room staring at his unprotected back. The other half stared at his heated face. He couldnât leave the diner without paying for his breakfast, or he would have been gone.
âWhat are you talking about?â Abby pushed between the chairs and the tables, arriving at Officer Hayesâs side. âI think youâve been drinking, Wade.â
The officer shook his head and gave her a righteous smile. âNope. Havenât touched a drop all week.â
Her face set in a skeptical frown, Abby crossed her arms and stared up at the big man. âSo what are we talking about here? A speeding ticket in one of those traps you guys like to set up in small towns?â
âNo, maâam.â Hayes looked around, making sure he had everybodyâs attention. âNoah Blake was paroled from a state of Georgia correctional facility in Atlanta on Monday morning after serving three years of a seven-year sentence.â
âFor what?â Abbyâs voice wobbled.
âManslaughter,â Hayes announced. âMr. Blake, here, killed a man in Georgia. And he went to prison for it.â
Dear Reader,
After âWhere do you get your ideas,â the most frequent question an author hears is âHow long does it take to write a book?â The idea for the AT THE CAROLINA DINER series came to me in 1999 as I was writing other stories. I got the go-ahead from my editors in the summer of 2000 and submitted the first completed book in January of 2001. So in one way or another, then, Iâve been working on Abbyâs Christmas for more than five years.
All that time Iâve been visiting a diner of my ownâa small ârestaurant/deliâ near my home, where they cook a good breakfast (including grits) and keep my iced-tea glass full. The waitresses know me by sight and can usually predict what Iâll order. (I change my mind occasionally, just to keep them on their toes.) They call me âhoneyâ and sometimes âdarlinââ and they remember I want unsweetened tea. During the thirty or forty minutes I spend with them, I feel cosseted and cared for. Mothered.
Abby Brannon mothers her customers at the Carolina Diner. She longs for adventure, but accepts the chains of friendship and love binding her to her hometownâ¦until Noah Blake returns. Noahâs had enough adventure to fill several lifetimes. Now heâs looking for a connection to the places and people of his past. Abby is definitely a part of that past. But is he part of her future?
I hope you enjoy the time you spend with my friends in New Skye, especially Abby and Noah. I love to hear from readers through the regular mail and by e-mail. My personal Web site is in transition, but you can reach meâand other great Superromance authorsâat www.superauthors.com.
All the best,
Lynnette Kent
PMB 304
Westwood Shopping Center
Fayetteville, NC 28314
A friend who talks me through my fears and doubts and celebrates my successes without reservation.
A writer who pushes meâand my charactersâin the right direction with one little word: âWhy?â A woman who blesses my life and my work.
For Pam, with love
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE BELL ON THE DINERâS front door jingled, and Abby Brannon glanced up from the miniature Christmas tree sheâd just started to drape with a string of shiny red beads.
A man stepped out of the bright December sunshine, then halted for a moment just over the threshold, blinking his eyes against indoor shadows. His black hair had been cut short, without much skill or style. He looked a little sunburned across his arrogant nose and high cheekbones. His broad shoulders filled out a scarred leather jacket, while dusty biker boots and lean hips in faded jeans completed the bad-boy-drifter picture.
The beads slipped through Abbyâs fingers to clatter on the counter. Noah Blake.
Only when the newcomer looked at her across the empty room did she realize sheâd said his name aloud. He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly. âIs that you, Abby?â
At the sound of his husky voice, her heart jumped like a startled frog. She swallowed. âWho else would you expect to find at the Carolina Diner in the middle of the afternoon?â
She rounded the counter and confronted him where he stood, grabbing the lapels of his jacket to shake him a little. âYouâve been gone a long time, but things havenât changed that much. Welcome back!â
His hands closed over her shoulders and he grinned down at her. If she hadnât been stunned by his sudden arrival, she certainly was at that moment. Noahâs one-sided grin was a sugar high sheâd never been able to resist.
âThanks.â He leaned in and kissed her cheek, then let her go. âKinda quiet in here, isnât it?â
Abby fought to keep from touching the kissed cheek with her fingertips. âThe usual lull between late lunch and early dinner. Come sit down. You look a little chillyâwhat can I do to warm you up?â Good thing sheâd turned away before she asked that stupid question, so he couldnât see her blush. âCoffee? Tea?â