Because You Love Me Read Online Free PDF Page A

eyes. She was doing this for him. She’d made him a promise that night. Three more weeks. Twenty-one days until she could see justice served. She owed that to Lyle. Until then, it was too selfish to wish for anything else.
    Once she’d repaid that debt, she’d figure out a way to return to her own life. She just prayed she could find it again.
    “That’s not a very happy face.”
    Bridget jumped, nearly spilling the glass of water Todd had put in front of her only a few minutes earlier. “Oh God!”
    “Damn. Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.” Quick hands reached out to catch the water.
    Speak of the devils. Bridget glanced up to find Matt and Mark looking down at her.
    “Hey,” she said, the racing of her heart no longer based on fear. The sight of the cowboys sent her body into overdrive. “What are you guys doing here?”
    Mark removed his hat, running his hand through his hair. “Todd offered us a big breakfast as a thank you for moving the oven. We don’t turn down one of his western omelets.”
    “They’re that good?”
    Matt followed his brother’s lead, removing his hat as well. “Best in the state. Sorry about scaring you. Thought you saw us walk in.”
    She shrugged off her unwanted fears, forcing a lie from her lips. “I was daydreaming.”
    “Must have been some dream to take you so far away. Didn’t look like a particularly nice one either,” Mark said.
    She used to believe nightmares were only for sleeping. However, after spending the past six months wide awake in the midst of a horrible dream, she now knew better.
    She forced the unpleasant thought from her mind and painted on a smile. For now, she was exactly where she wanted to be—surrounded by nice people in a place that felt safe and homey. She’d focus on that instead. She gestured at the empty seats across from her. “Would you like to join me?”
    Mark grinned. “Thought you’d never ask.”
    She rubbed her hands on her lap as they each claimed a chair at the table. Sweaty palms? Was it due to anxiety from her earlier concerns or girlish nervousness over being so close to the James twins? Rodney would kill her for pushing her luck, but she was running perilously low on common sense or care these days.
    The months since Lyle’s shooting had passed in one long blur of constant pain, limitless fatigue and never-ending motion. She was tired of being suspicious of everyone.
    Prior to Lyle’s murder, she’d never known a stranger. She’d won friendliest in her high school yearbook’s Who’s Who, and she missed talking to people, hanging out with friends, dating. Most of all, she really missed sex. Not that she was promiscuous, but criminy, it had been nearly a year since she’d even kissed a member of the opposite sex. She wasn’t cut out for a chaste lifestyle.
    On top of the everlasting horniness, it was exhausting to look at everyone as the enemy. She hated walking into a room and wondering if someone there was plotting her death. There was something comfortable about the handsome twins that told her she could trust them.
    Matt leaned back in his seat, stretching his long legs out beneath the table. His foot accidentally rubbed against hers. She had to fight to keep her libido at bay. “How’s your headache?”
    She frowned for a moment, wondering what he was talking about. Then she recalled Rodney’s lie. “Oh, it’s fine. All better.”
    Todd came out of the kitchen and made a beeline for their table. “I was starting to wonder if you guys were going to take me up on my omelet offer.”
    “We had a bit of trouble with one of the horses this morning. One of the Appaloosas threw a shoe. It set us back a bit of time,” Mark replied.
    “Well, it’s no problem. I’ve still got my new stove fired up and hot. I know what you guys want. What about you, Bridget?”
    “I’ll just have a bowl of cereal.” She wasn’t a hundred percent sure breakfast was included in the price of the stay.
    Matt shook his head.