Jared: Red, Hot, & Blue, Book 4 Read Online Free PDF Page A

table. She could picture Lois and Jared seated here, eating pie. “I truly don’t understand why your son is so set against it.”
    “He can be stubborn, I can tell you that.” Lois let out a short laugh. “It’s a Gordon trait, I’m afraid. In any case, you’ll have to talk to him yourself.”
    Mandy pursed her lips. “I was planning on it. I saw a Gordon Equine truck parked outside the diner, but I didn’t see Jared there.”
    Lois shook her head. “The boys took the truck to run some errands in town. Jared’s here. He’s out back behind the barn unloading the hay truck.”
    Mandy sat up straighter in her chair. “Really? He’s here now?”
    “Really.” Lois nodded. “You can go on back and see him if you want.”
    “I think I will. Thank you.” Newly inspired, Mandy jumped up from the chair.
    “I’ll be seeing you, Mandy.”
    Mandy paused in the kitchen doorway. “I hope so, but if Jared doesn’t agree, I’ll be leaving for LA tomorrow.”
    A slow, knowing smile crossed Lois’s lips. “I think I’ll be seeing more of you.”
    The entire trip to the barn, Mandy wondered how Lois could be so sure of that.
     
    Standing on a mountain of tightly stacked hay bales, Jared flung another two from his perch atop the trailer. They flew through the small door in the wall of the barn.
    He pulled his shirt off and wiped the sweat from his face with it. If he had known the guy he bought hay from was going to drop the truck off today, he would never have let Raul and Mick both go into town to pick up horse feed. Since it was lunchtime, they’d probably stopped at the diner too, so he didn’t expect them back for a while.
    Jared huffed out a breath. He’d get the hay off the truck and into the barn by himself, but they could have the pleasure of stacking the two-hundred-plus bales inside the hay room when they got back. That thought helped a bit, but not much. He adjusted his gloves, grabbed the string of two more bales, one in each hand, and heaved them through the door.
    “Hey, Casanova!”
    Jared smiled when he heard Bobby’s voice from below. “Bobby. Perfect timing. You’re just in time to help.”
    “Are you crazy? I joined the department so I wouldn’t have to be a farmer. Too much damn work.”
    “You’re telling me.” Jared paused in his work and walked to the edge of the stacked bales so he could better talk to his friend. “Why are you calling me Casanova?”
    Bobby shielded his face from the sun with his forearm as he looked up at Jared. “You know of any reason why a cute blonde in expensive-looking city clothes would be asking about you at the diner?”
    Jared broke out in a grin. “She was? Hot damn.”
    “So you do know her. I should’ve figured that.” Bobby shook his head.
    “Hell yeah, I know her.” Not near well enough. He’d definitely like to get to know her better.
    “All right, that’s all I needed to know. I’ll be on my way then before you figure out a way to make me help.”
    Jared laughed. “That’s okay. With the news you just brought, I’ll give you a reprieve from helping this one time.”
    Bobby raised a brow, considering. “I think I might rather hear what happens when she finally finds you.”
    “Well, that’s gonna cost you because hopefully it’s gonna to be one hell of a story. At least a full hay truck worth of help, maybe two.”
    Bobby laughed. “I’ll have to think about that. I’m still on duty. I’ll see you tonight at the bar.”
    “Yes, you will.” Unless he was otherwise occupied with his city girl.
    Resisting the urge to drive into town right then, Jared sincerely hoped Mandy did find him and soon. Hopefully, he’d have something worthwhile to tell Bobby about when he met him later tonight. At least for now he had something good to occupy his mind while he finished unloading the truck. He grabbed another two bales and hefted them into the barn.
    Turning to reposition himself, he saw a sight that was even better than his