Cupcakes and Cowboys (Sunset Plains Romance Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

She headed back outside and around the building. She noticed the black scorch marks on the siding first. They trailed in a line from the roof down to the breaker box.
    She bent down, her heart in her throat, and slowly opened the box. The inside was blackened, a few of the switches partially melted.
    Lightning had struck the building.
    Despair welled inside her, and she shut the door, slumping against the wall. Repairing the damage to the building and breaker would thankfully be her landlord’s responsibility. But had the lightning fried the circuits in the ancient fridge and freezer? And how long would it take to repair everything? She had hundreds of dollars worth of ingredients in those two appliances, and it would all start defrosting in a few hours. Between the poor insulation in the old appliances and the Oklahoma heat, it wouldn’t take long. For most businesses, losing ingredients would be inconvenient. But only four months in, with a tiny client base and slim profit margins, it was devastating.
    Cassidy pushed herself off the wall and walked back inside. With a lot of grunting and groaning, she pulled the fridge and freezer far enough away from the wall to inspect the backside. There were a few blackened areas, but she couldn’t tell if they were a result of the lightning and didn’t remember if they’d already been there.
    Hatred welled within her for Drew. This was all his fault. If not for him, and the wedding bills he’d stuck her with, she wouldn’t have had to buy the crappy, unreliable used appliances, making this setback a much smaller problem. Drew, who was continuing to invade her life in the form of his best friend, Jase. She imagined discussing today’s disaster over the dinner table tonight. Jase would lean back in his chair, a haughty smirk on his criminally attractive face as he told her how ridiculous it was to even try to run a bakery in a town as small as Sunset Plains. That’s what Drew had always told her when she brought up her dream. It was why she’d dropped out of culinary school and turned down the internship.
    She regretted telling Anabeth “no” now more than ever.
    Slowly she rose to her feet. She closed her eyes and took three deep breaths. I can do this, she thought. It was a setback, but it wasn’t the end of the world. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as she thought, and the fridge and freezer—and the ingredients inside—were salvageable.
    She pulled out her phone, ready to get to work.

 
     
     
     
     
     

     
    One month, or he’d lose the part.
    Jase stared at the ceiling that was only a few feet from his face and took a deep breath. The air was hot and muggy, barely cooling back down after a night with no power. Rain had pounded against the window panes all night as thunder shook the building clear down to the foundation. He’d tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable in the too-short and too-narrow bunk. His thoughts had paraded in circles for hours.
    Feet shuffled against the wood floor, bringing him back to the present. A moment later he heard the bathroom door open, then a click as someone switched on their phone. Soft snores still filled the space, but he heard cowboys stirring in their beds as well. Jase illuminated his cell just enough to see the time. 4:49. Mason said most men woke up around five.
    Jase shouldn’t be surprised his mother had weaseled her way onto the production and was trying to take control of his career—she’d been doing it since he was a baby. Her entire life revolved around Hollywood, and by extension so had his. Only recently had he stopped to consider whether it was what he really wanted.
    One month. His chest tightened. He’d been at Star Ranch for less than twenty-four hours, but already he didn’t want to leave. His thoughts drifted to Cassidy and the way she’d stormed off at dinner. Her tantrum went beyond someone who simply didn’t like actors. Would he be able to figure out her story in only a month?
    What he hated worst