Cowboy Command Read Online Free PDF Page B

more days if you like.  I’m between secretaries at the moment.”
    Fatigue and depression were starting to creep over Presley.  She shrugged.
    “I can start in the morning, if you want.”
    He looked surprised.  “Are you sure?  Don’t you want to unpack and rest?  How long have you been traveling?  You’re probably tired.”
    She hadn ’t slept more than thirty minutes at a stretch in the last twenty-four hours.  “We left about ten last night, while it was dark.  I haven’t exactly been sleeping very well since this all blew up, so to speak.  I might as well be productive.”
    “ I imagine it’s been tough.”  He never took his eyes off the road.
    “ Tough?  I’m looking at tough in the rear view mirror.  My car was blown up, and my house was set on fire, destroying everything I own.”  Her voice cracked.  “A few hours ago I had a different name.  I’ve been given a new driver’s license, check book, credit cards, and past.  They actually went to the trouble to create a past for me.  I grew up in Wheaton, Illinois.  I’ve never fucking been to Wheaton, Illinois.  I had to practice talking about myself on the flight here.”
    Her eyes started to brim with tears and she fought to keep them from falling.  She ’d always hated women who cried and whined.  Crying and whining wasn’t going to change any of this.
    Seth pulled the truck over on the shoulder and handed her a handkerchief. 
“It’s going to be okay.  You’ll like Harper.  Nice people, nice town.  I’ll try not to be an ogre of a boss.”
    He gave her a lopsided smile.  He really was a handsome man.  Even in the dim light, she could see he had a square jaw and a nice smile.  She swiped at her wet cheeks, sniffling.
    “I’m sure you’ll be a good boss.  You’re a nice man.  You must come from good parents.”
    “ You’ll meet them eventually.  You’ll meet everyone in Harper.  You won’t be able to help it.”
    “ Please don’t take this wrong, but I just want to go home.  I just want to testify and get my life back.”  She didn’t want him to take it personally.  Wanting to go home had nothing to do with him.  “None of this is your problem,” she said briskly, handing him his handkerchief back.  “It’s my problem and I need to deal with it.  I don’t have any choice.”
    He started the truck and pulled it back onto the road.  “That’s where you’re wrong.  My job is to make sure you stay safe.  I can’t help you get back to wherever it is that you come from, but I can protect you while you’re here.”
    “ Florida.”
    “ Huh?”
    “ I’m from Florida.”
    Seth burst into laughter.  “That explains why you didn’t have a coat and they couldn’t find you one.  I thought that was strange.  By the way, it’s okay if you tell me about your past, but don’t mention it to anyone else.  I’m sure Evan told you secrets are a good thing in this situation.”
    “ He did.  I won’t say anything.”  She sighed.  “It was eighty-five degrees yesterday.”
    Seth grinned with delight.  “It got into the fifties yesterday, and down below freezing last night.”
    Presley shivered.  “Yeah, I felt it when I got off the airplane.  How do you stand it?”
    “ You’ll see in the morning.  The beauty of this area will take your breath away.  You look at something that amazing and you don’t care what the temperature is.”
    She wasn ’t sure she would ever be able to ignore the temperature but decided to keep her thoughts to herself.  He sounded like he really believed what he said.
    “ Are we almost there?”
    She needed to get out of this truck and find a place to curl up in the fetal position for a few hours.  She shifted uncomfortably in her seat enjoying his warm scent, a mixture of something woodsy and something warm, reminding her of a roaring fire and a soft, flannel blanket.  She wanted to curl up on his lap and draw comfort from that warmth and his