Page 61 of Chasing Kaylee Kringle

“Regardless, you can stop. I saw her and Josie drive by about thirty minutes ago in Josie’s car.”

Rick wanted to bang his head against something. How had he missed that? Of course she planned to sneak out because she was avoiding him.

He must have audibly groaned because Colin said, “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.”

Rick released a bitter chuckle. “Well, I wanted to come see you anyway, so I guess this makes things easier.”

Colin quirked a brow. “You wanted to come see me?”

“Yeah, I need a book about people being snowed in or stuck in the snow.”

“Oh, what for?” Colin asked, opening the door to his shop and waiting for Rick to pass through.

“A book club,” Rick said, taking in the stocked shelves lining the walls and creating a half a dozen aisles on either side. “I’m going to the one they hold at the mayor’s house every week.”

Colin frowned from the doorway, the little bell above his head tinkling. “I thought they didn’t let guys in?”

“They made an exception for me.” Rick realized how cocky that sounded and added, “Because I’m not staying long.”

“Oh well.” Colin started walking farther into the bookshop while still talking, and Rick took that as a signal to follow him. “Depending on what genre you’re looking for, I have a winter section that should be stocked.” He stopped in front of a shelf, reading the spines until he finally pulled one and held it out to Rick. “This one’s good if you like YA.”

“What’s YA?” Rick asked, studying the white, snowy cover.

“Young adult. It’s about a girl who is stuck at the airport in a blizzard and catches a ride home with a couple of college-age strangers, and they end up getting chased by some bad guys. I liked it a lot.”

“Sounds interesting,” Rick said, flipping it over to scan the back. “I’ll hang on to it, but do you have anything spicier?”

Colin blinked at him from behind his glasses. “You want a spicy romance?”

Rick smirked at Colin’s skeptical tone. “Yeah, I think I’ll give it a try.”

Colin took off again for the other side of the store, with Rick on his heels. “In that case, if you’re not too square for this, try Ice Planet Barbarians.” Colin pulled a book off the shelf and handed it to him. The book had a blue man with long hair in the background and a woman in the front with icicles in her hair.

“This is a book about being stuck in the snow?” Rick asked.

“Well, it’s actually a book about being stuck on a snow planet, but it’s the same concept. It’s spicy, according to every woman who’s ever come in and bought it, including Kaylee.” Rick’s gaze jerked up to meet Colin’s, and the other man smiled broadly. “I think it’s exactly what you’re looking for.”

“I’m gonna trust you. If it’s a bust, I’m gonna let them know who recommended it to me.”

Colin grimaced, heading back to the counter at the front of the store with an iPad stationed on the desk. “Oh, please don’t. I don’t need a bunch of women coming in here asking me for recommendations. I normally hide behind my own book and let them browse in peace.”

“What are you reading?” Rick asked, putting the books on the counter and taking his wallet out of his back pocket.

Colin held up a book, and Rick read the title aloud. “Clown in the Cornfield. That sounds ominous.”

“It’s about a small town and a teen who has to go up against a bunch of killer clowns.”

Rick handed over his card. “So you’re reading a horror book during the holidays, huh?”

“I don’t conform my reading taste based on the time of year, and I like to read books before I see the movies.”

“They made a movie about clowns in a cornfield?” Rick scoffed. “They really are running out of ideas.”

“It’s actually a halfway decent book for being a YA. It’s gory, has adult language, and no sexual content yet.”

“Unfortunately, my reading list isn’t very extensive,” Rick said, taking his card. “The last book I read was in college for my English class.”

“Well, if you want to impress Kaylee, you might want to get with the program because she has been in here every week since she moved here. She usually has me set aside some of the new releases for her, and she picks them up after work.”