Marriage Seasons 04 - Winter Turns to Spring by Gary Chapman, Catherine Palmer

beads. With a snarl of frustration, he scooped up the dog, threw open the door, and stalked out into the yard. He’d rather sleep in his car on a freezing night than stay in the house with that woman.

CHAPTER SIX
    C arrying the puppy in one hand and a breakfast burrito in the other, Brad pushed open the door of Rods-N-Ends at six the following morning. He had spent the night shivering in his car with a squirmy, whiny dog curled up against him. Inside the bait and tackle shop, Brad stamped the snow off his work boots. Pete Roberts greeted him from behind the counter, but Brad sure didn’t feel like making small talk.
    Not until he spotted Yvonne Ratcliff searching a row of shelves along one wall near the cash register.
    “Don’t you carry smokes, Pete?” she asked in her familiar husky voice as she turned to face the burly storekeeper. “I’m out of Marlboros, and my nerves get so jangly when …” Her eye fell on Brad. “Well, hey there, good-lookin’. I figured you’d dropped off the face of the earth. Where’ve you been hiding?”
    Brad shrugged. He felt like he’d been stomped on, rolled through grime, and then spattered with grit. Yvonne didn’t look a whole lot better than he felt, to tell the truth. Her hair was silky and her body shapely, but she had dark circles under her eyes. Her mouth might have sported shimmery lipstick earlier, but now her lips appeared smudged and puffy. Her cheeks were a blotchy pink. That short black leather skirt and pair of matching boots would have been sexy if not for the large hole near the knee of her stockings.
    “Uh, Brad,” Pete spoke up. “You can’t bring your dog in here, buddy. I’m sorry, but I serve food, and animals are against the law unless you’re disabled.”
    “He looks pretty disabled to me, Pete,” Yvonne drawled, sauntering toward Brad. “You must’ve had a rough night, honey. What happened—wife kick you and the dog out in the snow?”
    One eyebrow arched as she gave Brad a slow smile. She lifted a hand and reached for the dog, but a low growl emanated from deep in Yappy’s throat.
    Snatching her fingers away, Yvonne gave a derisive laugh.
    “What is it, some kind of guard dog?” She flipped a hank of dark brown hair over her shoulder. “Well, I’d better get going. Gotta make it home before my kid wakes up. I’ve had a long night. Worked on my new set after Larry’s closed down. You ought to come by, Brad. I’ve got a different guy on the guitar now. Name’s Josh. He plays pretty decent, and I’m glad he’s around to keep me company. ’Course, he’s nothing compared to you.”
    At that blatant flattery, Brad finally mustered a grin. Well, at least someone found him attractive. “I’ll probably see you tonight. If it keeps snowing, the boss man will let us off early.”
    “You know where to find me.” She passed by, brushing against him in a way that sent ripples down his spine. “See ya, honey.”
    “Take care, Yvonne,” Brad muttered, wishing he’d at least been able to brush his teeth that morning.
    “You ought to carry cigarettes and liquor, Pete,” she called over her shoulder as she pushed through the door into the icy blast. “Otherwise, you’re liable to go out of business this winter. People can’t live without their vices, you know.”
    With a laugh, she let the door swing shut behind her and stepped out into the snow-covered parking lot.
    Brad faced Pete. “I can’t leave Yappy in the car, man. It’s too cold. We both need to warm up, and Bitty doesn’t have room for us to sit down inside the Pop-In. Listen, let me eat my wrap in here, and then we’ll get out of your way. Have you got any coffee?”
    Pete studied him long enough that Brad began to feel uncomfortable—as though somehow the older man was able to see right through to his innermost thoughts. Like Yvonne, Pete surely must have surmised that Brad and Ashley had been fighting. He probably knew Brad had ended up sleeping in the car. With