Bad In Boots: Colt's Choice Read Online Free PDF Page A

on her apron and shook her hand. As she grinned her dark skin only enhanced the white in her perfect, straight teeth. “I’m Nan. Heard all about you, child.”
    Elise laughed. “Good things, I hope?”
    Nan returned to shucking her corn, a twinkle in her eye. “Yeah, Mace seems to think so.”
    “Mace mentioned you always have leftovers,” Elise said with a hopeful look.
    Nan nodded and pointed to the fridge. “There’s some leftovers in the fridge if you want anything in there.” She squinted at her. “Kind of a late lunch, isn’t it?”
    Elise smiled. “Yes, Colt had me mending fences, so I didn’t get a chance to go anywhere.”
    Nan raised her eyebrow at her comment. “Showing you the ropes, is he?” she chuckled.
    Elise sighed as she pulled luncheon meat and cheese out of the fridge. “Yes, but I suppose as half-owner, I need to learn to carry my weight around here.”
    Nan gave her a surprised look before she returned to shucking the corn.

* * * * *
    The next two weeks were much of the same, Colt calling her in the wee hours of the morning. He always started the day with her pitching hay for the horses. Various jobs always needed tending to. Checking on the livestock, moving them to other land to graze, administering medicine and vitamins to the animals, etc. After the fourth day, Elise once again found her way into Nan’s kitchen.
    “What can I get you, Elise?” Nan called out in her booming voice.
    “How about some time to get work done in the office?” Elise quipped as she pulled open the fridge and poured herself a glass of lemonade.
    “Colt’s running you ragged, hmmm. Are you hiding out?” Nan teased.
    Elise looked up from her glass and gave a conspiratorial smile. “Shh, don’t tell anyone.”
    Nan winked at her. “Well, truth be told, I’ve had more ranch hands in here in the early morning time than usual myself.”
    “Oh, really?” Elise raised an eyebrow.
    “Sure, since you’re doing their work, they’ve decided to stop in for coffee these past couple of weeks.”
    Elise slowly lowered her glass. “ I’m doing their work?” she spoke slowly so as not to scream in frustration.
    Nan looked back down and began peeling potatoes once more. “That’s what I said.”
    Outrage filled her as Elise picked up her glass and walked outside. She wasn’t angry at having to do the work, heck it was the best way to learn. No, she was angry at the underhanded way Colt had approached it. Taking a deep, calming breath, she eyed one of the rocking chairs on the porch.
    Ever since her first day on the Lonestar, when she’d spied the rocking chairs moving in the wind on the front porch of the main ranch house, she’d wanted to sit and relax for a bit. Finally she did what she’d been wanting to do. She pulled over a rocking chair close to the railing, propped her boots up on it and leaned back to sip her glass of lemonade.
    Her anger diminished as she let her gaze scan the ranch. It was such a welcoming sight. The office was painted white and set off to the right of the main house. The stables were their natural brown color and the barn, painted a deep burgundy with a hunter green roof, stood off next to the stables. But the main ranch house was the most inviting. Painted white with hunter green shutters, the main house had a long front porch with several rocking chairs, a hammock on one far corner and a porch swing on the other. She’d really come to like the Lonestar, well, minus her lowdown, underhanded, slave-driver partner, she mused as her thoughts returned to Colt.
    Relaxing low in the chair, she made sure to pull her hat down over her face so it looked like she was sleeping. Just let Colt say “boo” to her! Grrrr! After a half an hour of sitting and brooding, boredom took over. She started to get up and go back to the office when she heard someone walking with purposeful steps across the porch toward her.
    Before she could prepare herself, her feet were swept off the porch