Lonestar Angel Read Online Free PDF Page A

Katie,” the child said. “I’m India’s sister.”
    Allie smiled. “They’ve been inseparable since they arrived.” She urged a brown-haired little girl forward. “And this is Lacie. She doesn’t talk much, but all her shirts are red. Is that your favorite color, Lacie?”
    Lacie nodded and puffed out her chest to show her Minnie Mouse shirt.
    A blonde with huge brown eyes clung to Allie’s leg. “Do you have a dog?” she asked. “My foster mom said I could have a puppy here.”
    “We have some puppies in the barn you can play with,” Allie said. “And Jem is around here somewhere. He’s a very nice dog. Can you tell your counselors your name?”
    “Madeline,” the little girl said. “I’m going to name my puppy Oscar.”
    Eden smiled at the last little girl. Smaller than the other children, she had her head down. Her mousy brown hair nearly hid her face. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
    The child buried her head against Allie’s leg. “Paige. I don’t want to ride the horses. I’m ’lergic to them.”
    Allie smiled. “You’re not allergic to them, honey. You’re just scared. Give it a day or two and you’ll find one you love.”
    “I want to see the puppies now,” Madeline demanded. “Miss Casey told us they would be old enough today, and I still haven’t seen them.”
    Allie grinned. “Casey was the previous counselor. She had to leave because her brother was in an accident. The kids are all yours.” She pointed to the side barn door. “The puppies are right through there if you want to take the children to see them first. They just got their eyes open. Then you can do whatever activities with them you like. There’s a jungle gym set up behind the barn as well as a swing in the hayloft.”
    Which one of these girls was Brianna? Eden studied each one in turn as they headed to see the pups. She jumped when Clay put his hand on her elbow and leaned toward her to whisper in her ear.
    His breath stirred her hair. “Katie looks like you.”
    “She has red hair. That’s all,” she said. “Lacie and Paige both have brown hair like yours. Four of them could be Brianna.” She’d so hoped one glimpse of the girls would tell her which one was their daughter, but it wasn’t going to be that easy.
    His hand dropped away and he yanked open the door to the barn. A border collie darted past him and raced toward the house. Eden peered past Clay to the dim interior of the barn. She sneezed at the scent of hay. Dust motes danced in a shaft of sunlight. Was that smell manure? The nauseating scent made her stop dead in the doorway.
    Clay glanced at her feet. “I think we’d better get you some boots.”
    It was manure. A patty of brown lay between her and the closest stall. “Boots? I’m a city girl, not a cowboy.”
    “Alrighty then, city girl. Be careful of the rattlers and tarantulas.”
    She recoiled when he named the creatures. “You’re kidding, right?”
    “Dead serious.” He pointed to something on the wall.
    Peering closer, she realized it was the tail of a snake. The rattling part, she assumed. She shuddered.
    “Puppies!” Madeline darted past them to where a border collie lay on a bed of hay. Six round-bellied puppies crawled around her.
    “Ooh, too cute!” Eden squatted and scooped up an adorable black-and-white one that had one eye circled in black fur.
    “Looks like they’re about two weeks old,” Clay said.
    But he was watching her, not the puppy. Her face heated and she handed the puppy to Madeline. The little girl’s wispy hair was so blond it was nearly as white as the little collie’s pale fur. Eden resisted the urge to run her fingers through that fine fluff. She’d seen pictures of Clay, and he’d been a towhead as a child.
    “This one is mine,” Madeline said, cuddling the puppy close. “His name is Spot.”
    “What happened to naming him Oscar?” Clay asked.
    The little girl stared at the puppy. “No, he’s a Spot. Oscar is green.”
    Eden