Cowboys Mine Read Online Free PDF Page A

man?”
    Eva shook her head in exasperation. “Never mind.
Let’s go.”
    ****
    Eva ate some of the dried apples her mother had
packed her. She watched the landscape change outside the passenger window, the
farms getting smaller and towns larger. They’d already been driving for an
hour.
    “I’ve never been to the city,” she said, hoping to
make some friendly conversation. It had been too quiet in the cab of the truck,
and she wasn’t used to feeling uncomfortable around Colton.
    “I know, Eva.”
    So
much for that.
    “You don’t have to be mean.”
    “I’m just tired. I’ll be happy when we get there,
and ever happier when it’s all over with.”
    She’d already decided not to mention what had
happened the night before again, no matter how tempting. If the McReed brothers
wanted the topic of their mother off limits, she had to respect that. It just
seemed unnatural to ignore something so important. Eva had hoped they felt
comfortable enough with her to tell her anything. She’d never judge them, never
push them away.
    Admittedly, she didn’t know much about their history
even though she’d known them her entire life. Their father had walked out on
the family over a decade ago. She’d seen their mother many times, but she
mostly liked her solitary existence. She even refused to join the prayer group,
ladies’ night, or the knitting club her mother belonged to, making excuses
until no one bothered to invite her to anything. The brothers came to their
house almost daily but never invited Eva over. Now she was beginning to
understand why.
    The McReed twins had a bad reputation around town. They
were known as womanizers, brawlers, and drunks. Eva had a hard time believing a
word of the gossip when they’d only been loving and patient with her. Her
father trusted them unconditionally, despite the other cowboys in town warning him
to keep them away from his only daughter.
    “You didn’t come in for breakfast today. You
hungry?” she asked.
    “I’m fine.”
    Eva punched Colton in the arm, garnering his full
attention. He alternatively watched the road and her. “What was that for?”
    “Stop being a jerk. We’re going to be stuck together
for a week, and I refuse to be at each other like cats and dogs. If it were up
to me I would have come alone.”
    He shook his head. “That wasn’t gonna happen.
Besides, your father wouldn’t have allowed it.”
    “After he talked with you,” she reminded.
    “The city is no place for a country girl.”
    Eva huffed, but she also felt the tension slipping
away. Playful banter she could handle, but having a rift between her and Colton
or North was too much. Besides her parents, they were all she had.
    “We’ll see.” She pulled up her legs and cuddled on
her seat. The fields hurried by the window, an endless blur of greens and
golds. She’d barely slept all night, replaying the terrifying events at the
McReed home over and over in her head. The drone of the engine lulled her until
her eyes were too heavy to keep open.
    She was woken by the sound of a door closing. After a
brief bout of confusion, she sat up straight and looked out windows. There were
people everywhere. She’d never seen so many people in one place in all her
life. The rodeo was even busier than her father’s corn roasts. Colton had
parked the truck, leaving her alone in the cab. The area was laden with
livestock trailers and pick-ups. She was glad the brothers were with her
because she wouldn’t have a clue where to start. Eva began to think Chester was
out of her element.
    She hopped out of the truck and looked around for
North and the trailer. She saw it parked a few down the line. She adjusted her
ponytail and took in her surroundings. There were horns, loud speakers, music,
and cattle clamoring. Vendors lined the streets selling everything from event
tickets to hotdogs. The scent of popcorn and caramel filled the air. She was
star struck, walking in a daze along the dirt path as she took