Nothing Sweeter (Sweet on a Cowboy) Read Online Free PDF

Instead, her mind started the movie that ran whenever she wasn’t distracted. Different scenes, but always the same horror story: Federal agents barging into her office, cuffing her and leading her through a crowd of gaping employees.
    But that, as it turned out, had been the good part.
    She rolled over, groping for the bottle of Tagamet she’d stashed under the bed. After taking a swig, she plumped the pillow and flopped on her other side, the gritty taste only part of what made her lips curl from her teeth.
    Life here seemed simple and quiet. It might be a good place to rest for a while. As she took a deep breath, the heady scent of warm horseflesh opened the door to happy memories and a wave of burgeoning homesickness—not for another place, but for another time.
    Her mom had worked long hours. Aubrey was left to her own devices, which suited her fine. A typical horse-crazy kid, she rode her bike to a boarding stable every day after school. She wore the owners down until, at fifteen, they hired her on as a groom. She’d have worked for free just to be near horses, but jumped at the owner’s offer to exchange free riding lessons for her labor. They were days filled with sunshine, fresh air, and freedom.
    Maybe at High Heather she could heal. She smiled into the dark. The Jamesons. She’d never seen two brothers so different—in looks and temperament. Wyatt reminded her of a teddy bear. Max, a grizzly. One that just woke from hibernation. Still, she couldn’t deny that his rugged, Marlboro Man looks had caught her attention. And he
had
been sweet to Tia Nita, at least.
    She yawned, exhaustion lulling her tired brain at last. Who cared? She’d lose herself in physical labor and horses. They’d been the anchors that had gotten her through puberty. Maybe they’d help her sort out the mess she’d made of her life.
    If not, there was always the road, and Jackson Hole.

CHAPTER
    4
    A ubrey awoke with a panicked start, holding her breath until a hoof kick on a stall door reminded her where she was. She glanced to the travel alarm on the desk—four a.m. Groaning, she flopped back on the pillow.
    Dreaming of her job at Other Coast Trends had left a sheen of sweat on her skin and a greasy film of guilt in her mouth. She’d known it was her responsibility as controller to report the customs violations she’d discovered. But good jobs didn’t grow on So-Cal palm trees, and the high-profile position was a great start to launch her career. And Aubrey knew Vic. He’d have done everything in his power to ruin her if she’d ratted him out. Of course, as it turned out, she’d been ruined anyway.
    To him, blind loyalty was more important than morality. How twisted is that?
Vic was also a good judge of character—or lack of it. He must have realized that she wouldn’t go very far down that crooked road, so he’d hired a CFO who would. At that point, Aubrey becameexpendable. He’d taken a chance, though, that she’d retaliate and call Customs.
    Yeah, but I didn’t. Apparently he knew me better than I did. How can you trust yourself after you make a decision that cataclysmically stupid?
    Her stomach burned. Rather than delve any deeper into that sludge pit of remorse, she threw back the covers and put her feet on the icy concrete floor. The barn air was chill, but thanks to a space heater, bearable. She jerked on jeans, a turtleneck sweater, warm socks, and her sheepskin-lined denim jacket. The morning would be cold until the sun came up.
    Minutes later, from where she stood at the lip of the barn door, Aubrey recognized the shifting shapes of the cow ponies, just darker shadows against the backdrop of night. Figuring that would be as good a place to start as any, she grabbed a box of brushes and flipped the switch on a floodlight that spotlighted the dooryard.
    The ponies slept standing in the corral, their breath clouding the still air and forming frosty icicles on their whiskers. Aubrey started with a shaggy dun,