McKettrick's Luck Read Online Free PDF Page A

his mind as quickly as she’d slipped in.
    Meanwhile, he’d only taken a couple of bites of the sandwich, but the patty was thick and goopy with cheese, and protein always centered him—especially when he’d been playing cards all day, subsisting on the cold cereal he’d had for breakfast after doing the chores on the ranch. Sure enough, it was the burger that lifted his spirits.
    Sure enough, said a voice in his head, you’re full of sheep dip.
    It’s the woman.
    â€œHow’s the soup?” he asked.
    â€œCold,” she said. “How’s the burger?”
    He grinned. “It’s clogging my arteries even as we speak.”
    Cheyenne lifted one eyebrow, but she was smiling. “And that’s good?”
    â€œProbably not,” he said. “But it tastes great.”
    After that, the conversation was relatively easy.
    They finished their meal, Jesse paid the bill, and Cheyenne left the tip.
    He walked her to her car. There was virtually no crime in Indian Rock, but that kind of courtesy was bred into him, like opening doors and carrying heavy things.
    â€œYou’ll really look at the plans?” she asked quietly, her eyes luminous, once she was behind the wheel.
    â€œIf you’ll look at the land,” Jesse reminded her. “Come up to the ranch tomorrow, around nine o’clock. I’ll be through feeding the horses around then.”
    She nodded. A pulse fluttered at the base of her throat. “I’ll bring the blueprints,” she said.
    â€œPlease,” he said, with mock enthusiasm, “bring the blueprints.”
    She laughed and moved to close the car door. “Thanks for supper, Jesse.”
    He went to tug at the brim of his hat, then remembered he’d left it inside the Roadhouse. “My pleasure,” he said, feeling awkward for the first time in recent memory.
    He watched as Cheyenne started the car, backed out and drove away. Ordinarily, he’d have gone back to Lucky’s to play a few more hands of cards, but that night, he just wanted to go home.
    He went back into the Roadhouse, reclaimed his hat.
    Roselle invited him to a party at her place.
    If her eyes had been hands, he’d have been stripped naked, right there in the Roadhouse. Clearly, the “party” she had in mind would include the two of them and nobody else.
    He said some other time, adding a mental “maybe.”
    Back in his truck, he adjusted the rearview mirror and looked into his own eyes. Who are you? he asked silently. And what have you done with Jesse McKettrick?
    Â 
    â€œI COMPLETELY BLEW IT ,” Cheyenne told her mother the moment she stepped into the house that night.
    Ayanna sat on the old couch, her feet resting bare on the cool linoleum floor, crocheting something from multi-strands of variegated yarn. “How so?” she asked mildly.
    The sounds of cyber-battle bounced in from the next room. Mitch was playing a video game on his laptop. Mitch was always playing a video game on his laptop. It was as though by shooting down animated enemies he could keep his own demons at bay.
    â€œJesse flatly refused to sell me the land,” Cheyenne said.
    Ayanna smiled softly. “You expected that.”
    Cheyenne tossed her heavy handbag onto a chair, kicked off her shoes and sighed with relief. “Yeah,” she said.
    â€œWant something to eat?” Ayanna asked. “Mitch and I had mac-and-cheese.”
    â€œI had soup,” Cheyenne said.
    Her cell phone played its elevator song inside her bag.
    â€œIgnore it,” Ayanna advised.
    â€œI can’t,” Cheyenne answered. She fished out the phone, flipped it open and said, “Hello, Nigel.”
    â€œHave you made any progress?” Nigel asked.
    Cheyenne looked at her watch. “Gosh, Nigel. You’ve shown amazing restraint. It’s been at least an hour and a half since the last time you called.”
    â€œYou said you were on your