Caught Between a Lie and True Love (Caught Between series Book 1) by Sheila Seabrook

reason to get out of bed in the morning.”
    Matilda thought of Harry, whose noble purpose had once been upholding the law.
    Now it seemed all Harry was interested in was golf and his new motorhome. For heaven’s sake, he’d probably park the beast at the Walmart shopping center, then leave her there to cook and clean while he spent his days on the golf course.
    She snorted, as if .
    “Obviously you don’t agree,” Jeb said.
    Which brought Matilda out of her dark thoughts because she’d found someone to talk to, even if it was for a single afternoon. “Oh, I agree all right. It’s why I refuse to sell my real estate office. What am I supposed to do with my retirement? Sit in a rocking chair? Watch the grass grow? Grow old?”
    “Precisely.” His smile reached his kind eyes. “I’m looking for a place to settle down and if I find the right woman, I could settle down here.”
    “That’s nice,” Matilda mumbled, distracted by the living room drapes in Brody's house. Had they shifted just the tiniest bit?
    Delores came out of the front door just then, gave a quick look up and down the street, then met Matilda’s gaze across the street.
    The guilty expression on her face alerted Matilda to something being rotten on the small island. She let go of the ladder and waved at her. “Yohoo, Delores. Can I have a word with you?”
    As Delores started her way across the street, Harry came out of the house and paused in the middle of the front lawn. Matilda narrowed her eyes. The man was up to no good. “That’s good enough for today, Jeb.”
    “Really, I’m in no rush.”
    But she was.
    In a rush to get rid of him before Delores arrived. In a rush to get rid of him so she could figure out what Harry was up to at Brody's house.
    She squinted across the street. What kind of sign was Harry pounding into the front lawn?
    “Really, I insist,” she said. “If you’re looking for something to do, maybe you could come back tomorrow. I’d pay you for your time, of course.”
    He backed down the ladder, then stood on the sidewalk before her. “Would you like to have dinner with me sometime?”
    She slashed a look across the street, then focused back in on his face and forced a stiff smile. “I’m not looking for a relationship right now.”
    “It’s just dinner, Mattie.”
    She stiffened. No one but Harry had ever called her anything but Matilda, not even her undearly departed husband.
    He sighed and looked away, down the street. “Then perhaps I could bother you for a reference as a handyman.”
    She willed the stiffness out of her body. He had, after all, just finished cleaning her gutters. “Of course. I’d be delighted.”
    By then, Delores was walking up the front sidewalk into her yard, a curious light in her eyes. “Hello.”
    Matilda reluctantly made introductions. “Jeb, this is my friend, Delores Peabody. Delores, this is Jeb Calhoun, Olivia’s son.”
    “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He held out his hand for Delores to shake and all the while, Matilda thought, Go, go, be gone . And as though he sensed her urgency, he turned to her and gave a half bow. “I’ll be over to finish cleaning the eaves troughs tomorrow, and mow your lawn. In the meantime, you can think about my other offer.”
    As he left, Delores watched him go, curiosity shining in her eyes. “What other offer?”
    “Nothing,” Matilda said because there was nothing to think about. She was not getting involved with another man ever again. She faced Delores. “Did you see Hope while you were at Brody's?”
    “No, she was hiding in her room the entire time.”
    She forced herself to be casual while she kept her gaze focused on Delores and off the house across the street. “What are you and Harry and Brody up to?”
    Delores shifted, looked uncomfortable for a second, then with a sigh, gave up the information. “You’re going to find out soon enough, so I might as well tell you. The Judge has convinced Brody to run for