There was a time
Christie
RIDGWAY
AN
OFFER
HE CAN’T
REFUSE
For Cynthia De Nardi, who read my first romance stories before we needed bras, before we could wear makeup, before we knew the first thing about boys.
Here’s to us, old friend.
Contents
One
Téa Caruso had once been very, very bad. During a… 1
Two
Johnny Magee reached for the phone on his desk, paused,… 9
Three
Following the brush with her grandfather, Téa escaped from the…
16
Four
Whistling the cheery opening of a TVLand Andy
Griffith episode,…
28
Five
Johnny followed the designer home. He didn’t have much choice,…
39
Six
By some stroke of luck, Téa had a second chance… 45
Seven
Johnny didn’t call Téa the next morning because he had…
60
Eight
68
There was a tall and wide white box on Téa’s…
Nine
Riding in the passenger seat of her father’s Ford
F-150,…
79
Ten
Johnny hadn’t been to the cemetery in sixteen years. He…
88
Eleven
All good things ended. She already knew that,
Téa reminded…
99
Twelve
“You’re here early.”
114
Thirteen
At Johnny’s knock on her door, Téa swiped up her… 122
Fourteen
It had been his dick talking, damn it, Johnny thought… 128
Fifteen
Though he’d gotten the information he was after
138
in the…
Sixteen
Rachele let herself into the house, the low glow from… 147
Seventeen
“What the hell are you doing here?”
152
Eighteen
162
At the gunshot-like sounds, Johnny started, his body twitching so…
Nineteen
Later that afternoon, Johnny did what any self-respecting older sibling…
175
Twenty
Téa studied the rows of hair styling products for
182
sale…
Twenty-one
Dusk was overtaking day as Téa climbed the steps
191
toward…
Twenty-two
Trust me, he’d said.
199
Twenty-three
It took Johnny a few days to make it back…
211
Twenty-four
Téa barreled out of the front door of her office… 216
Twenty-five
Téa’s first reaction: surprise.
RIDGWAY
AN
OFFER
HE CAN’T
REFUSE
For Cynthia De Nardi, who read my first romance stories before we needed bras, before we could wear makeup, before we knew the first thing about boys.
Here’s to us, old friend.
Contents
One
Téa Caruso had once been very, very bad. During a… 1
Two
Johnny Magee reached for the phone on his desk, paused,… 9
Three
Following the brush with her grandfather, Téa escaped from the…
16
Four
Whistling the cheery opening of a TVLand Andy
Griffith episode,…
28
Five
Johnny followed the designer home. He didn’t have much choice,…
39
Six
By some stroke of luck, Téa had a second chance… 45
Seven
Johnny didn’t call Téa the next morning because he had…
60
Eight
68
There was a tall and wide white box on Téa’s…
Nine
Riding in the passenger seat of her father’s Ford
F-150,…
79
Ten
Johnny hadn’t been to the cemetery in sixteen years. He…
88
Eleven
All good things ended. She already knew that,
Téa reminded…
99
Twelve
“You’re here early.”
114
Thirteen
At Johnny’s knock on her door, Téa swiped up her… 122
Fourteen
It had been his dick talking, damn it, Johnny thought… 128
Fifteen
Though he’d gotten the information he was after
138
in the…
Sixteen
Rachele let herself into the house, the low glow from… 147
Seventeen
“What the hell are you doing here?”
152
Eighteen
162
At the gunshot-like sounds, Johnny started, his body twitching so…
Nineteen
Later that afternoon, Johnny did what any self-respecting older sibling…
175
Twenty
Téa studied the rows of hair styling products for
182
sale…
Twenty-one
Dusk was overtaking day as Téa climbed the steps
191
toward…
Twenty-two
Trust me, he’d said.
199
Twenty-three
It took Johnny a few days to make it back…
211
Twenty-four
Téa barreled out of the front door of her office… 216
Twenty-five
Téa’s first reaction: surprise.