Blame it on Texas Read Online Free PDF

no money. Her mother told her that if they left, Ritt would be able to reclaim his scholarship and go to school that fall. Shelby had agreed to go because she loved him enough to want that for him. She loved watching him play baseball. Loved the light in his eyes when he caught sight of the diamond. Baseball meant everything to him, and she didn’t want to be the one who took it all away.
    She rinsed out the dishrag and attacked the mess on the stove. At the rate she was going, he would kick her out by nightfall and without signed divorce papers—the one thing she needed most.
    She was almost done with cleanup when Ritt sauntered back into the kitchen. His wet hair was nearly brown, the ends curling softly against his neck. He wore jeans and a T-shirt, which seemed to be his standard fair, this one a tribute to the city of Austin.
    He opened the fridge, rummaging around until he found an egg and cold piece of sausage.
    She bit her lip, watching as he cracked the egg against the counter top and peeled the shell onto a paper towel.
    “What money are you talking about?” she asked.
    He sprinkled salt on the boiled egg and took a bite. “Really? You’re going to play dumb?”
    “I’m not playing.” That didn’t come out exactly as she’d planned. “I mean, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    He sighed and retrieved a half-gallon jug of orange juice from the fridge. She tried not to cringe as he drank from the container. He was just trying to make her crazy. “The money my parents…” he said slowly as if that would somehow help her to understand, “…gave your mother.” Another long pause. “To take you to California.”
    “There was no money.”
    “I’m done with this conversation, Shelby. When I get home, I expect your things gone.”
    “You can’t accuse my mother of bribery, and then just…leave.”
    “I’m not accusing your mother of anything. She was the bribe-ee.”
    Shelby crossed her arms over her midriff. “That’s ridiculous.”
    “I’m sorry; I don’t know what you call someone who takes a bribe.”
    “My mother would never do that.” But even as she said the words, Shelby thought back to those few weeks after the miscarriage. Her hormones had been all wacky, dropping so quickly when there was no longer a baby to support. She had never questioned what her mother had said, that she had met someone from California.
    “The money came from my mother’s boyfriend.”
    “The one she went to California to meet, but never materialized.”
    That was the one. Shelby shook back her hair, not wanting to accept the truth. “That can’t be it.”
    Ritt strolled to the living room desk and plucked the cordless phone from the charger. “Call her.”
    “What?”
    “Call your mom and ask her.”
    “But—”
    “You don’t want to know the truth?”
    Shelby’s stomach cramped painfully. Most probably from eating her own cooking and not from dread. She took the phone. “Fine. I’ll call. But when she tells me there was no money, you owe me an apology. And you have to sign the papers.”
    “She tells you there was no money, then she’s a liar.”
    Shelby decided not to respond. Arguing with Ritt was a useless endeavor. Instead, she dialed her mother’s number and tried not to look too smug as she listened to the ring on the other end. Finally the voicemail picked up. “Mom. Hey, I’m here with Ritt, and he’s saying that his parents paid you to take me to California. I need you to call me back at this number and tell me that it’s not true, ‘kay? Thanks. Love you.”
    “How very unbiased of you.” Ritt picked up a piece of the charred bacon and turned it over as if it would be edible upon closer examination.
    Shelby shrugged. “What do you care?”
    Ritt tossed the bacon in the trash. “Come on, baker. Let’s go get some breakfast.”
     
     
    Typical Ritt, he took her to breakfast at Cindy’s Donut Shop. Shelby was sure she gained ten pounds by just walking in the