Hill Country Hero Read Online Free PDF

“That’s my ride.” He knew he sounded defensive, but couldn’t help it. “That’s yours?”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “Wow, that’s, uh…that’s really something else.” Yep, she was the snob he’d pegged her to be.
    “I’ve gotta go.” Jake wasn’t about to explain the reason for his vehicle. He started down the steps, then turned and looked back up at her. Since she’d dissed his beater truck he might as well reciprocate.
    “By the way, what is that thing?” He indicated the multicolored lump.
    CiCi glanced at the pimple on the landscape. “It’s a volcano. The kids are going to science camp and I helped them build it. Now we’re trying to figure out how to make it explode without doing permanent damage to the neighbors’ windows.”
    Jake bit back another chuckle. His attempt to rattle her had backfired, but he found he didn’t care. “I’ll bet that makes you popular with the folks around here.”
    “We’ve always been the talk of River Oaks.” CiCi leanedforward as if to share a secret. “They think we’re a bit eccentric.” Surprisingly she smiled. “See you soon.”
    Yes, she would. Jake strolled back to his truck and fired up the engine—actually it was more like a cough and a plume of smoke. That should give the people next door, and Ms. Hurst, something to talk about.

Chapter Six
    What had she gotten herself into? CiCi wondered as she stuffed clothes willy-nilly into her duffel bag. Jake Culpepper was incredibly good-looking, but acting on that attraction simply wasn’t going to happen. Not that he was even vaguely interested in her. She might be rudderless, but dammit, she wasn’t stupid.
    She was contemplating the sorry state of her life when Mac burst in. Didn’t this family know how to knock?
    “Are you ready to go?” Mac made herself at home on CiCi’s bed.
    “Sort of,” CiCi replied as she finished zipping her suitcase.
    “That Jake Culpepper is a yummy morsel.” Mac smacked her lips with exaggerated relish. She might look angelic but deep down she was a devil.
    “Really? I hadn’t noticed.” CiCi’s assertion was answered with a undebutante-like snort. Leave it to her sister to raise the BS flag.
    “Okay, I confess.” CiCi threw herself on the bed and grabbed a bag of M&M’s off the nightstand. “I did notice, and yes, he is yummy. But that’s where it ends.”
    “We’ll see. Seriously, though, you have to remember he’s a hound dog. He changes girlfriends almost as often as he changes his socks.”
    “I’m always careful.” CiCi had learned her lesson with Tank.
    “I know. Just keep Tank in mind,” Mac said, as she strolled out of the room, taking the candy with her. That girl could be so irritating.
    Mama stuck her head in the door. “Are you packed?” Why was everyone concerned about her travel plans?
    “Pretty much. I have a few more things to do, and then I’m on my way.”
    Marianne leaned on the doorjamb. It didn’t take a Mensa membership to know what was coming next.
    “You will take care of yourself, won’t you?” That woman could slide into her Mama Bear mode in a nanosecond. Was that character trait handed out in the delivery room?
    “I promise I won’t swim until an hour after I’ve eaten.” CiCi hid her grin.
    “You know what I mean.”
    She hugged her mom. “I do. And I guarantee I’ll be cautious.”
    Marianne nodded and turned to leave. “Oh, by the way, Sugar Plum’s going with you.”
    It took a second to process that comment. “What?”
    “Daddy wants you to take Sugar Plum. He claims she’ll be protection.” Mama somehow managed to keep a straight face.
    “Are you kidding? If that mutt’s a watchdog, I’m a supermodel.”
    “He’ll deny it, but I suspect he’s going to enjoy a couple of weeks without the dog hair. He’s tired of me griping about her clogging up the pool.”
     
    A ND THAT WAS HOW Sugar Plum ended up riding shotgun in CiCi’s chartreuse VW convertible. Making a three-hundred-mile road trip